Speed-Blogging, June 12, 2013: On Market Information, Wingnut Beliefs About Pregnancy And Other Stuff

1. This bit about some traders paying for advance government information matters quite a bit, because the economists' market models require that information be available for all for competition to work properly.  Besides, the high price of getting the early warnings benefits the wealthier market players.

2.  Yet another wingnut politician, Trent Franks,  who knows  that one cannot really get pregnant from rape.  The reason for these arguments is to pave the road for banning abortion even in the case of rape.  Other forced-birthers tell us that abortion is never necessary to save the pregnant woman's life, and that argument is used to pave the road for banning abortion in all cases.  That's what El Salvador has, by the way...

3.  Even feminists need to be hot to get their point across.  Except that it doesn't work that way, because the imagined causality, among the opposing camp,  assumes that a woman becomes a feminist because she is ugly.  Therefore, all feminists are ugly, QED.   The other crap that link mentions is much worse, of course.

4.  Americans disapprove of the government surveillance programs.  But there's the predictable party-based difference.  The disapproval probably increases if the party you oppose is in power.