SAR #14364

"An economic system centred on the god of money needs to plunder nature to sustain the frenetic rhythm of consumption that is inherent to it. … It is no longer man who commands, but money. Cash commands.” Pope Francis. 
 
Better Luck Next Time: German officials say that a USB stick belonging to an aide of Angela Merkel had been infected with malware that has been linked to the NSA and Britain's GCHQ electronic spy agencies.

Half A Loaf: Whle the Senate report shed some light on the CIA's torture of at least 119 'detainees', it did not cover those who were 'rendered' by the agency and delivered to countries such as Libya and Egypt to be tortured, nor does it touch on torture carried out by the US military all around the globe. If all that torture was so vital to our triumphs in Iraq and Afghanistan, how come we're not having a big victory parade to celebrate – after 13 years - the end of the longest war in our history? Y'know, march the terrorists in chains, down the mall and around the monuments? 
 
Christmas, Present: Having done about all the damage it can do to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, the US has begun air strikes in Somalia.

Brace Yourself: Come next week people who do not believe in climate change or taxes on the rich, much less evolution, and have but a nodding acquaintance with reality will be taking over much of the government. They will cut taxes to raise government revenue and cut social support systems to free the poor from government interference in their lives. They will take rapid strides to prevent future voter fraud – even though only 31 actual cases have been discovered in the last billion votes cast. It'll probably involve issuing each of us individual identity documents, to protect our freedom and track our votes. They also think torture works, so just shut up and go along. 
 
Dreamtime: Close your eyes and imagine the US with nearly twice today's population; at the current rate (0.7% growth per year) that will before the end of the century. Makes other forms of doom seem mild, doesn't it?

Quoted: “We will need writers who can remember freedom.” Ursula K. LeGuin 
 
Various Hopes: In Spain, where the government has stiff fines for 'unauthorized protests' against the government, there is an encouraging rise in populist movements that want to overthrow the two-party system. In Greece the parliament rejected the 'compromise' candidate for president picked by the Germans, which will force a quick national election for the post.

Jackpot: A man who was filming Baton Rouge cops making an arrest was choked and slammed to the ground. Lawsuit to follow. Remember, keep your cell-phone ready, with your lawyer's number taped to it.

Fear of Flying: A Fox host speculated that the reason Asian passenger aircraft keep falling out of the sky is not terrorists – they only operate in good weather according to a CNN expert – but because they use the metric system and that just doesn't measure up.