Welcome to the newest segment on The Blog of a Secular Conservative, This Week In The News. Regular readers will notice that I’ve committed to increasing the number of posts I make from two to three entries a week. Despite the new post rate, I don’t really have any more free time now than I used to.

The answer is something of a compromise: linking to the work of others. I’ve never really enjoyed doing it much, but it doesn’t take up the same kind of time a detailed post does and I do come across some interesting things from time to time. So, I’m committed to not spamming you all with irrelevant rehashing of what you’ve already read a dozen times before, and I’m committed to bringing you something interesting to read one more day a week.

The result will be this column. A blog entry of all the interesting things I’ve found throughout the week that I feel are worth sharing with you. I hope you enjoy. If you have any feedback about the new stuff, or anything else for that matter, I’m always listening. You can reach me by leaving a comment, sending me an email at janus at secular conservative dot net or messaging me on twitter @janusthemad.

This Week In The News

Speaking of controlled burns, the AP released a story the other day that dovetails nicely with the blog entry I wrote Wednesday.

· Feds failed to clear brush in LA wildfire area

The most disgraceful story I’ve seen this week is about not just Charlie Rangel, but about his staff as well. It really highlights not just his own corruption, but the corruption in Washington in general.

· Rangel-ing: Charlie Pays ‘Angels’ In Ethics Probe
· Staff As ‘Forgetful’ As The Boss

The biggest debate currently going on in this country is over health care reform, and there are a lot of stories on it. I’ll start with the contempt our elected officials have been showing their constituents because it’s just more evidence that our leaders are being children.

· (Video) Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) Demands to See Constituent’s ID Before Allowing Town Hall Question
· (Video) Rep Baron Hill (D-IN): ‘This is MY Town Hall Meeting. I Set the Rules‘

And then there are the dueling talking heads:

· Nancy Pelosi outlines August plan of attack
· House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) on Health Bill: No Tax Hike, No Deficit Spending, Fully Paid For Or ‘I’m Not Going to Vote For It’
· Tom Cobern (R-OK): What I Learned From the ‘Mob’
· Karl Rove (R): Obama and the Perfect Political Storm

And I honestly don’t see how we’re going to save money with a nationalized system when there’s stuff like this going on:

· Medicare pays 4 times suppliers’ wheelchair cost, report says

Interesting:

· China’s Exports, Not Altruism, Fund U.S. Deficit: Caroline Baum
· As hybrid cars gobble rare metals, shortage looms
· How Many Solar Panels Would It Take to Power The Entire World?
· Coal Plant Buries U.S. Taxpayers’ $1.5 Billion Along With CO2

Scary:

· Disappearance of Privacy Board From White House Web Site Raises Questions
· Microsoft pushes for single global patent system
· Will Boeing move to Beijing?

And lastly, just plan baffling:

· Ahmadinejad’s Imam: Islam Allows Raping, Torturing Prisoners
· Fire chief shot by cop in Ark. court over tickets