Ken Layne's Blog, page 20

News About Your New Wonkette

So much nice press today, about Rebecca Schoenkopf becoming the new owner and editor of Wonkette, that politics/insanity online publication I've been editing for SIX YEARS. I am very much ready to do very different things, but I also love this site and have spent a good chunk of my life writing for it.

Anyway, here's my comrade Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register, writing about "Commie Girl" taking over Wonkette. He also includes this strange scene I just barely remember:

My favorite memory of Ken was catching a smoke outside Encinitas' Daily Double Saloon with him and the incomparably talented Terry Wells. One of the other smokers asked what we did, then asked if it the government allowed us to write what we wanted. Ken explained at length the sophisticated network of censors that guided all journalism in America.

"Wow, that's incredible," our new friend kept saying as Layne took it deeper and deeper. "I would have never imagined that could happen."

And here's a wonderful Q&A with Becca at the SF Weekly. And the Romenesko thing today was a

Choire Sicha sent a wise and brief note today. It said "Your Freedom: Embrace It."

Happy Internet Sabbath Eve. I’ve got 10 iBooks promotional copies of my novel Dignity free for...

Happy Internet Sabbath Eve. I’ve got 10 iBooks promotional copies of my novel Dignity free for the asking. First 10 to click the “Contact Me” email button will get the free download code.

Read a review or two, first, to see if you actually want such a book on your iPhone/iPad.

Happy Internet Sabbath Eve. I've got 10 iBooks promotional copies of my novel Dignity free for...

Happy Internet Sabbath Eve. I've got 10 iBooks promotional copies of my novel Dignity free for the asking. First 10 to click the "Contact Me" email button will get the free download code.

Read a review or two, first, to see if you actually want such a book on your iPhone/iPad.

Video

We should probably quit employing Death Eaters in our military...

We should probably quit employing Death Eaters in our military … although that would probably defeat the purpose of having an Imperial Military.

occupyallstreets:

Marine gets no jail time in killing of 24 Iraqi civilians

Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich will not serve a jail sentence following his guilty plea in the killing of 24 Iraqis in 2005, a military judge said Tuesday.

The announcement by Lt. Col. David Jones came after Wuterich took responsibility during his sentencing hearing at Camp Pendleton for the killings in the Euphrates River town of Haditha and expressed remorse to the victims' families.

Jones said he had planned to recommend 90 days in the brig — the maximum as requested by the prosecution — but that the plea bargain approved by Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser had called for no jail time.

Wuterich, 31, was the last of eight Marines charged in the Haditha killings to have his case resolved. Six had the charges against them dropped, and one Marine was acquitted.

As the squad leader, Wuterich ordered his Marines "to shoot first, ask questions later" as they stormed two houses on Nov. 19, 2005, after a roadside bomb had killed one Marine and injured two others.

Source

Photo

Happy new … uhh, never mind. Everybody watch out, for...

Happy new … uhh, never mind. Everybody watch out, for everything!

blog-soup:

This sums it up well.

"TERRY: Because I think what is killing us is the level of comfort, this of complacency. What you..."

"TERRY: Because I think what is killing us is the level of comfort, this of complacency. What you have said repeatedly is one person can make a difference, we are powerful, we can disrupt the status quo, right? Even at a multimillion-dollar oil and gas auction. And if the government isn't going to do it for us, if our nonprofits aren't going to do it, if the environmental movement isn't going to do it, who's going to do it? We can no longer look for leadership beyond ourselves. TIM: Yeah, exactly. And I think our current power structures only have power over us because of what they can take away from us. That's where their power comes from—their ability to take things away. And so if we have a lot that we're afraid of losing, or that we're not willing to lose, they have a lot of power over us."

- Interview: Tim DeChristopher and Terry Tempest Williams | Terry Tempest Williams | Orion Magazine

2012: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy As the Human World Breaks Apart

2012: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy As the Human World Breaks Apart:

So I wrote my year-end piece for Wonkette, and it's basically a very long Mayan Apocalypse/2012 rant that ends up yelling at Radiohead for being frauds, because they wouldn't go play their guitars for 10 minutes at Occupy Wall Street.

(via weather.com US: Departure from Normal-Highs)

(via weather.com US: Departure from Normal-Highs)