I like: (kinda...)

"We have to stop filling our jails," Cole said. "The only way you're going to do that is to take people who are addicted and start dealing with addictions, dealing with their mental health issues, instead of just throwing them in jail."

...(H)e was among the administration's chief public defenders of the government's bulk collection of Americans' telephone records, a practice disclosed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Although, even in the "I like" department...
I would prefer that he had said that we need to do away with this idiotic, antiquated, puritan, corrupt and insane "war on drugs" completely.

The government should not be involved with "addictions" or "mental health issues". It can't. It is too fked up to begin with.

This is for doctors, therapists and patients to deal with.

Stay out of it, Justice Department, and start concentrating on Justice.

Work on reviewing the horrors of coercive plea bargaining.
Start explaining why so many people seem to be being released after having been imprisoned for decades for crimes they did not commit.
Things like that.

Asked by the moderator at the closing of last night's U.S. Senate Debate in Kansas to say something nice about their opponent here is how each man replied. One generous, the other petty and mean-spirited. GREG ORMAN (Ind) - "Every time I've had an opportunity to talk privately with the senator, he's been a gentleman with a great sense of humor." SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R) - "I would say that you are a very well-dressed opponent. I admire your accumulation of wealth. I have a little question about how you got there from here, but that's the American dream."

Keeping to itself its reasons for doing the same thing again, the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon rejected a plea to stop same-sex marriages from going ahead in Alaska.  By denying the state's plea for postponement, in a one-sentence order that did not provide any explanation, the Court's action had the effect of making that state the thirty-first in which gays and lesbians can marry legally.

SNIP (from another post on the front page)

UPDATED 1:43 p.m.  Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne issued a public statement Friday morning saying that the state would not appeal the decisions against the state's ban on same-sex marriage.  He said there was "zero" chance the Supreme Court would review the Ninth Circuit decision that led to the nullification of Arizona's ban.  In a letter to county clerks across the state, he said that they could begin issuing marriage licenses immediately to gay and lesbian couples.  These developments make Arizona the thirtieth state in which such marriages are now fully permitted.  This will also allow recognition of gay and lesbian marriages performed in other states for Arizonans.

he first translation of the question "are we capable of welcoming these persons, guaranteeing them a space of fraternity in our community?" became, "are we capable of providing for these people, guaranteeing them a place of fellowship in our community?"

The theologian, Massimo Faggioli (sic) exclaimed that he was an Italian and that is not a translation, it is a falsification.  The Italian "accogliere" is welcoming, not, "providing for."  Other revised translations involve such words as "these people" providing "precious" support to sick partners, to "valuable" support.

But, there is no need for total despair.  After all, many other aspects of the provisional report remain that must seem as dynamite just waiting to blow the old cardinals out of their velvet slippers. So it  is well to keep in mind that of the several languages of the report, only the English version was changed. And, the Italian version is the one that counts.  So, maybe, gay men and women can learn a new language--Spanish, French or Italian, and worship in that language.  

Moreover, the important Cardinal Gerhard Muller, Prefect of the 'Holy Office' (a spot occupied at one time by Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict) seems to have been squeezed, sending a spokesman out on his behalf (he couldn't bring himself to do it) to debunk his alleged quote that the Monday document was "unworthy, shameful and wrong."  
The word-smithing may seem trivial, but when centuries are spent debating the number of angels that can occupy the head of a pin, this is, as Biden might say, "a f--g big deal."  

"Providing for" suggests a need for pastoral care, helping those people to overcome sin. Providing for, is like feeding a stray cat; welcoming is taking the kitty in. "Precious" is different that valuable, as those old cardinals and bishops should know every time they look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by the gay Michelangelo; valuable would be a fresh paint job of Benjamin Moore's HC 200 Beige Glow.  

The real dilemma for the Synod is if too much nice is said about "those people" and their relationships, the faithful/flock will start to ask unwanted questions, such as: why bother with these teachings?  

The Pope has added a couple of major critics to massage the final document due this Sunday.  Maybe, getting them involved may help in the de-ossification process.  And, then it goes out for a year for comment.  A slow process, but the Pope has a tiger by the tail with all those intrenched
appointees of previous Popes.

  Many seemed determined to  frame this as a dichotomy between panicky overreaction fomented by politically  motivated fear mongering as one alternative and the only other as passively and unquestioningly  trusting the government and scientists, and especially the government scientists, not to make any errors that can have fatal consequences.

  I guess the latter is the "smart" way to go when you start from the premise  those are the only two choices, because we all know the government and scientists have never before gotten anything wrong that resulted in preventable harms.

"I think there are two different parts of that equation. The first is, if you're a member of the traveling public and are healthy, should you be worried that you might have gotten it by sitting next to someone? And the answer is no.

"Second, if you are sick and you may have Ebola, should you get on a bus? And the answer to that is also no. You might become ill, you might have a problem that exposes someone around you."

CDC Will Now Be Tracking Fliers On Ebola Nurse Amber Vinson's First Flight

Dr. Chris Braden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at a Thursday afternoon briefing, citing new information developed by investigators tracing all of Vinson's contacts.

"This new information is saying we need to go back now to the flight she took on Friday the 10th and include them in our investigation of contacts."

Why did they not take control of the TX patient?  

Why did they send pamphlets and expect inexperienced health professionals to follow protocols that they train on?

Why did they tell the women she could board a plane?

Bottom line the head of the CDC went on shows and stood at a podium promising that they knew how to handle the epidemic and we should all trust them.

The first case arises in TX and they blow it.

Then it went from good to exceptionally good. That brooding antihero--Clive Owen's surgical whiz Dr. John Thackery--remained brooding while slipping deeper into cocaine addiction while simultaneously growing more obsessed with his work. Dr. Algernon Edwards (André Holland) continued to elbow his way into surgeries at New York's Knickerbocker Hospital while maintaining his affair with the head of its board of trustees, Cornelia Robertson (Juliet Rylance). All the while, Steven Soderbergh's direction pulled us in and the heart-rattling electronic din of Cliff Martinez's score played on. It became gripping television. Even TV critics changed their tunes about its quality.

Moreover, it became television you should watch when the finale airs Friday, even if you haven't seen an episode so far. The Knick hasn't really been terribly complex with its plot (Quick summary: Thackery, a brilliant surgeon and coke addict, works at The Knick at a time when medicine was largely a trial-and-error affair), so one needn't worry about being unable to follow along. Instead, The Knick has become a lush character drama you can enjoy without being entirely caught up.

After the finale, you can (and should) watch the entire season. In the meantime, here are primers for six key arcs playing out that we hope will be resolved in the finale. Think of them as reasons to jump in now before the end so that you, too, can believe the hype.