"One of the things which I do not understand is the appalling pessimism within the American Right. I realize that a lot of promoters are cashing in on this pessimism. They get rich by preaching that everything is going to hell in a handbasket. Everything is not going to hell in a handbasket. Communism and Fabian socialism went to hell in a handbasket. Keynesianism is going to hell in a handbasket. Liberty isn't."

f you were to put televangelist Pat Robertson, progressive media mogul Arianna Huffington, libertarian billionaire David Koch, and rap/reggae artist Snoop Dogg in a room together, do you think you could get them all to unanimously agree on anything?

Sounds like an impossible task. But actually there is common ground: they all believe our war on marijuana has failed. All of the above public figures believe in either the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana.

According to an Albany City Council member, the Albany Police Department has decided to back out of an agreement with Berkeley Police Department and UCPD to purchase an armored vehicle through a federal grant.

The $170,000 federal grant to purchase a Lenco BearCat will come from the Urban Areas Security Initiative, a Department of Homeland Security nonprofit organization that is intended to financially support agencies that are at high risk of a terrorist attack with “security enhancements.”...

Why Gun Sales Are at Record High

(Newser) – This year's Black Friday gun sales broke a record set in 2008 by nearly a third, and while fears about President Obama outlawing some types of firearms are thought to be behind 2008's record, analysts say this year's surge in sales is part of a long-term trend. Gun ownership was "politically incorrect" five years ago, but "what seems to be changing is social acceptance," an analyst at investment firm Avondale Partners tells MSNBC. "I think there might be a changing view of firearms."

Citing costs and safety issues, the Police Commission votes to shut the cameras down. Unless the City Council intervenes, their use at 32 intersections could end within weeks.