high taxes, poor rich people, torture, Columbine, bad theology, 1960s D&D

* That commie rag The Economist calls for higher taxes on the rich, suggests a financial-transactions tax, and various pragmatic and moral justifications. Actually it's a hosted debate, I'm not sure if the Economist is taking a stand, though "this house..." suggests that. Proposer is from CPER, a rare progressive think-tank; defender is a professor at the Paris School of Economics, the attacker is from Cato, one of the right-wing's hydra of think-tanks.
* The trials of having only $250,000 a year (probably an ephemeral link)

* Torture memo fun: NYTimes, and long term effects.
* The pirate economy: Why the US Navy can't win
* 10 year anniversay: the myths of Columbine

* Christianity Today article defending belief in God; I link to page 2 for the lols. The article starts by claiming a renaissance of Christian philosophy... and starts with a poor form of the cosmological argument. Page 3 invokes Roger Penrose as supposedly launching "powerful arguments against any appeal to a multiverse as a way of explaining away fine-tuning." but does not even hint as to the arguments. Then the moral argument, and the ontological argument. "Most philosophers would agree that if God's existence is even possible, then he must exist."

* 1960s D&D. Pretty awesome.
* Roman socks with sandals. The article makes fun of them, rather than wondering if sartorial fashion maybe isn't a universal absolute.

* Cheap solar methane?

More politics links:

* Palin's Attorney General rejected by GOP Alaska legislature. Ross, a well-known figure in Alaska politics and a current director of the National Rifle Association, has made some controversial remarks in the past, including calling gays "degenerates" and saying it is all right for a man to rape his wife. Someone else compares Palin to Jesse Jackson: popular to a core, completely unelectable.

* Although Coleman, who was ahead on election night, then asked Franken to concede for the good of the people of Minnesota, it is expected that he will not concede. Instead he will probably appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court. If he loses that case, he may appeal to the federal courts. It's widely thought the GOP is backing Coleman just to keep a Democrat out of the Senate for longer. Wouldn't want the Minnesota voters to be represented or anything.

** Lemons from lemonade: Raise money for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee until Coleman goes away.