The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 21 Dec.

He was for the investigation before he was against it.
After reading: wash, rinse and repeat.

• AP reports former ambassador Joseph Wilson asked a federal judge Wednesday not to force him to testify in the CIA leak case and accused former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of trying to harass him on the witness stand.
  
  You know what they say about messing with the bull -- expect to get the horn.

• Eight Marines were charged Thursday in the massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha last year, according to AP.

• Reuters reports a U.S. federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit by an Iraq war veteran who claimed filmmaker Michael Moore used the veteran's image without permission in the anti-war documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11."

• Authorities arrested a man on Tuesday who, they said, was caught on camera throwing rocks at the Republican Headquarters building in Columbus, reports NBC4i.com. Be sure to check out the video.

• A company that helps advertisers connect with bloggers willing to write about their products for payment will now require disclosures amid criticism and a regulatory threat, according to AP.
  
  Before this week, advertisers were barred by PayPerPost Inc. from telling bloggers they can't disclose the sponsorship, but bloggers were able to decide on their own whether or not to do so. Under the new policy, bloggers must disclose that they are accepting payment, either in the write-up or in a general disclosure policy on the blogger's Web journal.
  
  David Sifry, founder of the blog search site Technorati, praised PayPerPost's move.
  
  

  "Overall, this is an encouraging and long-awaited change," he said. "I think that people have learned that without trust, all posts become suspect. ... By encouraging honesty and transparency in sponsored posts, PayPerPost adds (some) clarity to the waters they muddied when they launched six months ago."

• Reuters reports President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday mocked President Bush and said Iran's nuclear program was a source of inspiration for other nations.
  
  Addressing a rally in western Iran, Ahmadinejad urged Bush to "step out of your glass palace and go to your people to see how isolated you are, not only across the world but also in your own country."
  
  Reuters also reports a planned U.N. sanctions resolution will force Iran to review cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog but will not make Tehran abandon its atomic programme, a senior Iranian official said on Thursday.
  
  

  "The nature of this resolution is not capable of pressuring Iran and Iran will give an appropriate response to it," Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was quoted as saying by the ISNA students news agency.

• The Democrats (note, they are not called the 'Democratics') are planning an all-star mostly has-been shindig to celebrate their return to power. If you have $1,000 to spare, get your ticket now.

• And finally, speaking of Democrats and a return to power, Reuters reports former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, whose sexual relationship with U.S. President Bill Clinton led to his impeachment, has graduated from the London School of Economics, her publicist said on Wednesday.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States
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