Image from the Portland Herald Times

Accident at Airshow: three killed, many injured in Reno, Nevada.

An Inconvenient Book: Confidence Men puts the White House in a panic.

Watch out Texans – if you live in the state, you’re more likely to be executed on death row than killed in a plane crash.

Solar Bottle Bulbs – not just a cool science experiment.

Ever wonder why it took so long to even the wheel?  This writer did.

Many questioned whether or not the pictures would be released to the general public.

Now we have an answer…NO!

In an interview taped for 60 Minutes President Obama states his administration has decided not to release the photos. He cited fears of national security risks as the main reasoning behind the final decision.

It is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence. As a propaganda tool. You know, that’s not who we are. You know, we don’t trot out this stuff as trophies.”

Some, like Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, have expressed disagreement with the White House’s decision. On the other hand, there is a large portion of Congress who are supporting the president.

Thanks to Wikicommons.

US Army: Our bad… US apologizes for air strikes which killed Pakistani soldiers.

Oil Report: Obama’s Bad. Administration found to be at fault for underestimating BP oil spill.

US Gov.: Taliban’s Good? US supports peace talks between Afghan government and Taliban.

Health care for $2?!

Asia

Sri Lanka’s civil war ended last year, but the UN is investigating human rights violations that might have occurred during that time.

Europe

Oo la la! There’s a scandal in France that might include your favorite shampoo brand.

North America

Denied! A judge rules against the President.

South America

Thousands are displaced after floods ravage Brazil.

White House photos

This week brought a lot of snow to the Mid Atlantic region, including Washington D.C., and we thought this picture of The White House during a blizzard summed it up perfectly. We’re hoping once the snow storm settles, we’ll find a picture of the Official Obama Snowball Fight!

So,  it’s not a secret, the US has some debt.

Not like “oops I overdrew this month” debt, more like a $1.35 TRILLION deficit for the coming year.

The latest attempt to decrease this depressing disaster comes from the President. President Obama will seek a three-year freeze on some domestic spending.

Let both sides of the political aisle prepare their mud catapults! We’ve got the rundown…

First the basics. NYTimes gives us the 411:

President Obama will call for a three-year freeze in spending on many domestic programs, and for increases no greater than inflation after that, an initiative intended to signal his seriousness about cutting the budget deficit, administration officials said Monday.

Our first reaction comes from Glenn Greenwald from Salon. He asks why cutting military spending is a political “no-no?”

As always, the notion of decreasing the deficit and national debt through reductions in military spending is one of the most absolute Washington taboos.  What possible rationale is there for that?

Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight is givin’ the Freeze Plan a big thumbs down.

I’ll let the economists talk about the wisdom of curtailing government spending in the middle of a massive consumption deficit, but what concerns me more is the politics. Specifically, the sort of cognitive dissonance that is going to be created in the mind of the average voter…

Robert Reich says the Freeze Plan is nothing but doom and gloom for Mainstreet USA.

The bigger news is Obama is planning a three-year budget freeze on a big chunk of discretionary spending. Wall Street is delighted. But it means Main Street is in worse trouble than ever.

Bob Herbert on the NYTimes Opinion page says that this may all be happening a a very critical time for the President.

Mr. Obama will deliver his State of the Union address Wednesday night… Americans want to know what he stands for, where his line in the sand is, what he’ll really fight for, and where he wants to lead this nation.

Whew! 2010 wasted no time in getting politically heated!

Like making sausages… The health care reform may be getting messy again.

Got Wind? It could save on the energy bills.

If you thought Obama was inexperienced: Senator-elect Scott Brown was asked if he is considering a run for the White House.

We here at USDemocrazy enjoy listening to a well-worded, insightful address (A sharp contrast to our editor’s daily blabbering).

Thus, in honor of President Obama’s recent West Point speech entitled “A New Way Forward“, we decided to dedicate this week’s Awesome Sites to other noteworthy addresses.

The Presidential Speech Archive at the Miller Center for Public Affairs on the campus of the University of Virginia contains a listing of presidential speeches, in the ascending order of presidents.

One famous wartime presidential address stands out among most others, the Gettysburg Address. The Avalon Project website of Yale University makes this noteworthy speech available while also providing a compilation of information on other historical documents.

As part of its American Presidency Project, the University of California at Santa Barbara offers a catalog of nomination acceptance and inauguration speeches delivered by presidents and would-be presidents.

As it turns out, we’re in good company! The Obama White House has lots of things going on all the time, from cooking competitions to Halloween parties.

This week alone, the White House hosted a music workshop for talented young musicians. 120 students from around the country came to the President’s home to learn from prominent classical musicians.

It’s not just the musicians who are hanging out at the White House. Chefs like Emeril and Bobby Flay recently visited the White House kitchen to make food from the President’s vegetable garden. The same vegetable garden that Michelle Obama invited students from a local elementary school to harvest. Like the First Lady says, “It’s the people’s house.”

It’s nice to see that the White House is so welcoming. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to check the mailbox to see if there’s an invitation from the First Family.

thanks google images

We at USDemocrazy have been watching the recent sparring between Fox news and the White House with great interest.

Its exciting to see a real conflict every once in a while (the closest we ever get is wrestling for the printer).

No matter your political alignment, this spat is fun to watch. So get your popcorn and enjoy.

TalkingPointsMemo has a sweet blow by blow with commentary here. Along with a strategical debate on Daily Kos. Last but certainly not least Fox’s side of the story.

The arguments basically boil down to this:

Fox: You arrogant folks in the White House cannot dictate what Fox should report… It’s an abuse of power!!

White House:  Abuse!?? You are citing us for ABUSE???!!! It’s our biased friends at Fox who ABUSE THE FACTS!

You get the idea…

Tell us what you think!