America's broken infrastructure - Los Angeles Times

My question is why don't we have major public works projects to create jobs and stimulate the economy -- rather than tax cuts? The former were effective in the Great Depression -- at least we ended up with valuable infrastructure, art and programs that we continue to benefit from. Yes, we ended up with too many dams and reckless flood control projects but in principle such government spending may still be good.

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Therapy for terrorists? It's just crazy enough to work.

There’s a good side and a bad side to having therapists take part in interrogations. On the good side, if an interrogation gets out of hand, at least the torture can’t go on past 50 minutes. On the bad side, even if the subject is about to reveal a juicy piece of actionable intelligence, he'll have to wait until the next session to do it.

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Maybe Therapy for Terrorists Does Work

Enhanced interrogation: It's the newest breakthrough in psychotherapy.

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50 Minutes of Sheer Torture

There’s a good side and a bad side to therapists as interrogators. On the good side, if an interrogation gets out of hand, at least the torture can’t go on past 50 minutes. On the bad side, if the subject is just about to yield up some juicy actionable intelligence and time runs out, he'll have to wait until the next session to reveal it.

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The Baghdad Water Wars

Imagine a city of 7 million people, with a population density 20 times that of Las Vegas, in the heart of Death Valley, and you have Baghdad. Take away the infrastructure of water, sewers and power... and you still have Baghdad. Peace and politics depend on getting water to people and taking sewage away. Will the Baghdad water fountains ever dance?

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What is your mother doing about illegal aliens?

I wish I were making it up: Mothers Against Illegal Aliens. There's nothing wrong with mothers being against illegal aliens, democracywise. In a land of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech there's no telling what strange things your mom will get caught up in. But Mothers Against Illegal Aliens? It sounds like a stupid joke.

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Iraqi Children Free at Last to Swim

I wish I could say the photo illustrates how now that the United States occupies Iraq, the hot, sad Iraqi children finally can enjoy what American children take for granted: the freedom to go swimming on a hot day, something which Saddam Hussein would never let them do.

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