Last week the Denver Post commissioned Survey USA to do a poll on the presidential race, gun control, Amendment 64 (to legalize small amounts of marijuana for personal use) and other topics.

The paper, perhaps to milk traffic, released the results in bits and drabs over a few days, making it difficult to read the actual survey results or report on it in one article. Each day they'd have a reporter attach a little graphic of results for the topic they were disclosing that day. It's very frustrating way to analyze a poll that way. Nonetheless, enough of the results are now out to the report major findings.

51% of Coloradans support Amendment 64 to legalize marijuana. Despite the Aurora shootings, 56% of Coloradans don't want stricter gun control laws; and Obama and Romney are statistically tied. [More..]

President Bill Clinton:

We Democrats think the country works better with a strong middle class, real opportunities for poor people to work their way into it and a relentless focus on the future, with business and government working together to promote growth and broadly shared prosperity. We think "we're all in this together" is a better philosophy than "you're on your own."

Mitt Romney:

There are 47 percent of the people who [...] are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. [...] My job is is not to worry about those people.

Mitt Romney:

There are 47 percent of the people who [...] are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. [...] My job is is not to worry about those people. [Emphasis supplied.]

FDR:

I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished. But it is not in despair that I paint you that picture. I paint it for you in hope—because the nation, seeing and understanding the injustice in it, proposes to paint it out. We are determined to make every American citizen the subject of his country’s interest and concern; and we will never regard any faithful law-abiding group within our borders as superfluous. The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. [Emphasis supplied.]

I'll be flying solo on Daily Kos Radio from 11 to noon Eastern today. Discussing "the video."

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Open Thread.

I suppose everyone has their bottom line about a luxury with which they refuse to part. In Al Sharpton's case, it is the power breakfast at the New York Lowes' Regency Hotel, which is closing for a year for renovations. He says, of the restaurant that charges $8 for a cup of coffee and $24 for an omelette:

“All my life, I’ve fought for the 99 percent, but I guess this time I will have to fight for the 1 percent to have a place to have breakfast.”

What does he like about it so much?

Where else, he asked, would a United States senator like Barbara Boxer stop by his table in a jogging suit, without makeup, to harangue him about what to discuss on his talk show on MSNBC?

One person who is probably glad to see the hotel close is John Edwards: It's where Rielle Hunter picked him up at the bar the fateful evening they met. If only he'd gone to a different hotel for drinks, his entire life might have turned out differently. [More...]

Last week I wrote about Manhattan federal court Judge Katherine Forrest's granting of a permanent injunction against the indefinite detention provision of the National Defense Authorization Act. Her 112 page opinion is here.

The feds sought a stay pending appeal from Judge Forrest but she denied it.

Today, the feds appealed to the Second Circuit, seeking an emergency stay of Judge Forrest's ruling. Wired has the details and the 154 page brief is here. [More...]

A hearing is underway in federal court in North Carolina to determine whether new evidence, when considered collectively rather than piecemeal, is sufficient to overturn the murder convictions of former Army surgeon and Green Beret Jeffrey MacDonald, imprisoned since 1982 for the 1970 Charles Manson-style attack on his wife and daughters.

Here is the 2008 order denying relief. In 2011, the Appeals court reversed and ordered a new hearing. [More...]

Weeds ends tonight, for good, with an hour long finale. I could watch a few more seasons.

Boardwalk Empire begins a new season tonight.

The new judges for American Idol are set: Mariah Carey, Nicki Minnaj and Keith Urban. Is Keith the counter to Blake Shelton on the Voice? Randy Jackson is back as the fourth judge. Check out these salaries:

According to sources, Carey’s contract with the show, factoring in allowances for wardrobe, hair and makeup, is worth close to $18 million. Minaj will pocket a cool $12 million for her part with Urban coming in at half the price. Seacrest earns $15 million a year and is committed to the show for two more seasons. The new judges are locked in for one year. Worth noting: Jackson also co-manages Carey.

What Idol needs is better contestants. The last couple of seasons have been boring. The Voice and X-Factor have better singers. This is an open thread, all topics, tv-related or not, welcome.

Pretty clever. This is the bleeped version, the original is here. H/T to Fishcamp.

The State Department has ordered the departure of all non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Tunisia and Sudan and advises Americans not to travel to either country.

On September 15, 2012, the Department of State ordered the departure of all dependents of U.S. direct hire personnel and all non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Sudan, following the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum.

...On September 14, 2012 the Department of State ordered the departure of all non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Tunisia, following the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tunis

The fastest way to get updates on State Department advisories is probably through its twitter feed. Here is the State Department's list of countries with current warnings.

The FBI says it is too dangerous to send agents into Libya right now to investigate the embassy attack. [More...]

California film producer Nakoula Basseley Nakoula has been released after voluntarily going to an LA Sheriff's station to be questioned by federal probation officers. According to sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore, he decided not to return to his besieged home and was taken to an undisclosed location. His most recent attorney, Steven Seidman, who did not represent him in his federal bank fraud case for which he is on supervised release, visited the home this morning saying he was not at liberty to discuss his representation.

Nakoula is a Coptic Christian. In his federal case, an Arabic translator was required and appeared at all proceedings. He is a U.S. citizen. His lawyer in the case was James Henderson, Sr., who replaced Jack Whitaker due to a potential conflict of interest issue that arose.

Nakoula was detained in that case since his arrest in June, 2009. The Government asserted he was an extreme flight risk. He did not contest detention. After cooperating with the government in exchange for leniency at sentencing, in June, 2010, he was sentenced to 21 months, to be followed by 6 months in a halfway house. The Judge recommended he serve his sentence at Lompoc, and BOP records show his release date as June, 2011. There is no indication in the court record of any subsequent violations. He was also ordered to pay $794,700.57, in restitution. [More...]

Today's picks:

Michigan State -6 over Notre Dame (5 units), Georgia -42 over Florida Atlantic (2 units), Houston +17 over UCLA (2 units), LSU -42½ over Idaho (2 units), Mississippi +10 over Texas, Utah +3½ over BYU (2 units), Boise State -21 over Miami Ohio (2 units), Georgia Tech -10 over Virginia (2 units), Ohio State -17 over California (3 units), Mississippi State -16 over Troy, Northwestern -3½ over Boston College (2 units), Virginia Tech -10½ over Pittsburgh, USC -9 over Stanford (5 units), Nebraska -23 over Arkansas State, Texas A&M -11 over SMU, Arkansas +20 over Alabama, Connecticut -3 over Maryland, TCU -21 over Kansas (2 units).

EPL specials - Chelsea (-1) and Manchester City (-1).

SEASON RECORD - 19-20 ATS, -4 investment units.

Open Thread.