Thom Hartmann debunks one of the things that Right Wing Fundamentalists use to claim wrongly that Thomas Jefferson wanted the nation to be a Christian nation. The clincher comes at the very end of this video in that Republicans try to tie religion into politics so they can avoid the fact that they do not wish to talk about economic equality.

"You and Senator Sherrod Brown have proposed an amendment that would cap the size of the largest banks and, in effect, break them up. How do you sell this to people who are leery of what seems like a radical move? First off, we've broken up things before. We broke up Standard Oil, we broke up AT&T, we broke up the accountants, too. A lot of the changes we're talking about, the mergers, are just new. When you look at the reasons these banks are so big -- and you know how big they are -- remember the reason JP Morgan Chase is so big is because they bought Washington Mutual when it was in trouble, and Wells Fargo bought Wachovia, and Bank of America bought Merrill Lynch [during the crisis]. It is pretty straightforward, now that these are back on their feet, that it makes sense to break them up."

No one can accuse the 3,000 Jewish intellectuals who signed a letter to be presented to the European Parliament Sunday calling on Israel to cease construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem of being Israel-haters. No one can depict French Jewish philosophers Bernard-Henri Levy or Alain Finkielkraut as self-hating Jews. These are people who seize every opportunity to defend Israel publicly and remain faithful to it. Even during Operation Cast Lead and after the Goldstone report they were on Israel's side. The State of Israel is the apple of their eye in good times, and especially in bad. But even their patience is running out and their hearts are filled with sincere concern. They listen to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and hear someone who feels disappointed and betrayed. Sarkozy feels cheated, and he's angry. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's face also reveals anger over the way Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took advantage of her and her goodwill. In Britain hostility is growing; more and more Israelis are viewed there as personae non gratae. Those who refrain from criticizing are not necessarily friends, and even if they are not enemies, they could find themselves standing where outright enemies stand. The 3,000 European Jewish intellectuals therefore are acting out of love.

BP is facing a £3billion fine for the oil spill on America’s Gulf Coast which is threatening to become the worst ecological disaster in history - and is now under fire for not foreseeing the catastrophe. Documents emerged yesterday showing BP had previously downplayed the possibility of a catastrophic accident at the rig. It suggested in a 2009 exploration plan and environmental impact analysis for the well that an accident leading to a giant oil spill – and damage to beaches, fish and animals – was unlikely or virtually impossible. The plan for the Deepwater Horizon well, filed with the Federal Minerals Management Service, said repeatedly that it was ‘unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur from the proposed activities’.

BP conceded a spill would impact on beaches, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas but argued that ‘due to the distance to shore (48 miles) and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts are expected’. Environmental lawyer Robert Wiygul said he saw nothing in the document suggesting that BP had addressed the technology needed to control a spill at such a depth.

NEW YORK — Police found a suspected car bomb in a smoking sport utility vehicle Saturday evening in Times Square, then cleared the streets of thousands of tourists milling through the landmark district so they could dismantle the device. A white robotic police arm broke windows of the black Nissan Pathfinder to remove any explosive materials while heavily armed police and emergency vehicles shut down the city's busiest streets, teeming with taxis and theatergoers on one of the first summer-like days of the year. Investigators removed bomb-making materials, including propane tanks, explosive powders and a crude timing device, top police spokesman Paul Browne said. "There were explosive elements, including powder, gasoline, propane and some kind of electrical wires attached to a clock," Browne said early Sunday. "No motive has been identified." Al Jazeera: Bomb scare in New York City. BBC: Suspected car bomb found on New York's Times Square -Video.

These are the 98 U.S. senators for voted in favor of the US Patriot Act of 2001 (Senator Landrieu (D-LA) did not vote). Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin was the only senator who voted against the Patriot Act on October 24, of 2001.

Prahlad Jani is being held in isolation in a hospital in Ahmedabad, Gurjarat, where he is being closely monitored by India's defence research organization, who believe he may have a genuine quality which could help save lives. He has now spent six days without food or water under strict observation and doctors say his body has not yet shown any adverse effects from hunger or dehydration.

By the time the trumpets sound, the candles have been lit and the salmon platters garnished. Harald V, King of Norway, enters the room, and 200 guests stand to greet him. Then a chorus of 30 men and women, each wearing a blue police uniform, launches into a spirited rendition of "We Are the World." This isn't cabaret night at Oslo's Royal Palace. It's a gala to inaugurate Halden Fengsel, Norway's newest prison.

The contiguous zone of Taliban political power stretches all the way across the 13 provinces from Farah province in the far west of the country through Helmand and Kandahar to Wardak, Logar, Paktia and Khost provinces west and south of Kabul. The extent of Taliban political power in southern Afghanistan, which had not been acknowledged previously by ISAF, is documented in a map showing an "overall assessment of key districts" as of Mar. 18.

The population of Nad Ali had been shown in an assessment in late December as being supportive of the Taliban. Naw Zad and Sangin districts, on the other hand, had been assessed as "neutral" in December. A report by The Guardian’s Jon Boone last week quoted a recent British visitor to Sangin as remarking on the "intense hatred of people who hate everything you stand for" he had felt from people there. [ICOS.net]

The Obama administration needs better controls to prevent waste and fraud as it asks Congress for an additional $20 billion to speed up rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan, U.S. auditors said on Friday. The budget request, which covers the 2011 fiscal year and 2010 supplemental funding, is a 38 percent increase over the nearly $51.5 billion that Congress has already allocated for Afghanistan's reconstruction since 2002. "United States' agencies need to pay more attention to oversight and they need to pay more attention to increasing the capacities of the Afghan agencies to provide oversight," John Brummet, acting deputy special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, told Reuters.

Yesterday I visited the little coastal town of Dichato. A few months ago, such a trip might have included a bare-footed wade along the town’s tranquil beach, and, depending on the time of day, could have included a friendly wave or greater interaction with some of the smiling local fishermen bringing in their hauls. Afterwards I might have had a nice meal at one of the sun-drenched seaside restaurants or a coffee break in one of the town’s modest cafes, frequented by sea-loving tourists from near and far. It’s the kind of place many could envision themselves retiring in, or where you might establish a small business to accommodate a more leisurely lifestyle choice. Framed by green hills and groves, lined by a long sandy beach, and embraced by a beautiful natural cove that passively calms the restless South Pacific ocean, Dichato was, simply put, a very nice place to be.