From Bad Astronomy:

NASA has publicly admitted that White House appointee George Deutsch inappropriately denied press interviews with global warming scientist James Hansen.

In response to the admission, sadly we must note Joe Lieberman’s concern about continuing censorship and manipulation of science taking place elsewhere in the Bush administration:

“In the time it took NASA to acknowledge that the censorship of Dr. Hansen was inappropriate, new charges of suppressing climate science have arisen at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Forest Service,” Lieberman said. “Reports of this disturbing practice have now arisen at four federal agencies: EPA, NASA, NOAA, and the Forest Service. It is time for the White House to stop suppressing important climate change information that the public has a right to know and needs to know.”

I can not suggest strongly enough that you read the entire article.  It would appear that the first evidence is in and clearly indicates the White House is engaging in a methodical and concerted effort to censor, edit, manipulate, and hide science coming from governmental agencies, especially with regards to global warming, but also — and get this! — with trying to sneak creationism into anything that mentions the Big Bang.

I try to avoid talking about Ann Coulter.  It’s not that I don’t think what she has to say is worth hearing; it’s just that I don’t think what she has to say is worth saying or hearing, let alone repeating.  The woman has made a career out of heartless and cowardly comedy acts constructed in the name of political punditry.  She’s a staunch conservative who feels that all liberals are godless heathen out to ruin the once great theocracy that is America.  Sadly, she’s also an evil wench who epitomizes all that is distasteful and vitriolically partisan.  That’s apparently why she’s so popular in Republican circles and so reviled in Democrat ones.

Thankfully, Betty Bowers saves me from wasting wit on the undeserving.

In Godless, Miss (oh, how it pains me to refer to that serially-rejected spinster as “Miss,” but something Miss Coulter usually eschews — accuracy — compels me) Coulter turns her shrill furnace of brayed invective, fueled by a bottomless quarry of prickly psychological damage, at the most despicable people in the world. No, not the maniacal murderers who flew planes into the World Trade Center towers, but the blameless Americans who had their flesh burned off of their bodies in those buildings — and the inconsolable spouses they left behind.

Yes, she directs an anger that shirks all management on women whose husbands were murdered on 9/11. Apparently, in Miss Coulter’s religion, the meek may inherit the Earth, but not before she’s had a shot at making them cry first. With a mouth so busy frothing it apparently has no time to eat, Miss Coulter claims to be livid at these opportunistic widows for being crass enough to remember the event that killed the father of their children. She also gets prickly about them being compensated as a result of the catastrophe.

Frankly, I think she is simply exhibiting a fierce territoriality on behalf of herself and other Republicans who have used 9/11 to win elections and sell books. Her attitude seems to be: Exploiting 9/11 is our shtick — find your own way to make money! This must account for why she doesn’t take Lisa Beamer to task for registering “Let’s Roll!™” on the trinkets she sold on the Internet.

Go read the whole thing.  It’s fantastic.

You absolutely must go see this photo of Saturn’s moon Titan silhouetted in front of the planet’s rings.  This is a “Wow!” photo.

Don’t hesitate to take a look at Weekend Cat Blogging #53.  You’ll find a lot of great cat photos in the links, not to mention the anticipated Kiri photos.

PZ discusses everything you never wanted to know about earwax and smegma.

Tattoos and piercings: “The people who don’t have them are becoming the unique ones.”

Carnival of the Godless #42 is overflowing with all sorts of good stuff covering ground from pirates to vikings to screen doors to smart people to bar spirituality to atheism and on and on it goes.  There’s even a bit on Anne Coulter (more on her in a separate post).

Carnival of the Cats #116 is full of great stuff.  Don’t miss these buddies (a must see), this striking Bengal kitten, and these freshly planted kittens as well as the subsequent kitten trafficking.

Don’t mess with Jack.  He may be just a cat, but even the bears are afraid of him.  Yes, he treed the bear — twice!  I guess he was serious when he said that was his yard and it wasn’t available for interlopers.

Check out this snake.  Absolutely beautiful.

This is horrifically disgusting.  From what I can tell, you can abuse animals all you want, including shooting and beheading a cat as in this story, and you have nothing to fear from law enforcement.  I hate people.

Even the Canadian Prime Minister can find time to provide foster care for pets.  I wish Dubya had half the heart to do as much…

A new species of hammerhead shark has been discovered off the coast of South Carolina.

What would happen if the starship Enterprise met the Death Star?  Go find out!

Birds in the News 62 (v2n13) has the latest avian news and, as always, many spectacular photos.

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.

— Hunter S. Thompson