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Friday, January 16, 2009—“Through last-minute rule changes and appointments, George W. Bush and his unindicted co-conspirators are doing their damnedest to extend the influence of the worst president in history as far into the future as they can.” In the Fortnightly Rant which leads off our January 2 paper (Vol. CCLII, No. 7), we attempt to sketch the outlines of the Bush administration’s “domestic version of Operation Gladio,” the CIA’s series of clandestine paramilitary “stay-behind” organizations, “whose official purpose was to counter a possible Soviet invasion. Their membership often included former Nazis and other fascist sympathisers. They meddled in the internal politics of sovereign nations …

Read moreReady For A Departure

Monday, January 5, 2009—In our Volume 253, No. 6, published December 19, 2008, we used the Fortnightly Rant to take a little closer look at Henry “Hank” Paulson, the Bush Administration’s designated economic saviour, and at the investment bank Goldman Sachs, where he learned to ply his trade. For some reason, we found ourselves less than reassured. In the News Briefs section, we had to consider the Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who lived out a fantasy fondly held by many an American. It’s highly likely that the best justification for the wood pulp consumed in publishing this issue was the information in it about how …

Read moreLast Year’s Last Paper

Tuesday, December 30, 2008—In our next paper, we’d like to run a list of some of the Bush/Cheney (mal)administration’s most egregious last-minute rule changes. Visitors to this site are invited to nominate their “favorite” attempt to do last-minute damage by writing a Comment, below. UPDATE: Thursday, January 1, 2009—For better or worse, we’re preparing to go to press. Thanks to everybody who left suggestions through Comments or e-mail. The next issue should be on the street early tomorrow afternoon.—The Ed.

by James L. Garvin, New Hampshire State Architectural Historian [Note: This article was written by Mr. Garvin on December 24, 2008. It was posted here on March 6, 2009. We pre-dated the posting to put the article into its proper historical context.—The Ed.] Memorial Bridge was the first major vertical lift bridge in the eastern United States. At its dedication in 1923, it had the longest lift span in the country (297 feet), making it the direct prototype for later vertical lift bridges with clear spans of over 300 feet. Its lift towers, extending 201 feet above mean high water, were among the highest in …

Read morePortsmouth’s 1923 Memorial Bridge in Danger

Friday, December 19, 2008—Despite a day and a half lost to the recent ice storm—no, we’re not complaining, we got off light—we published on schedule today. And so, in our annoying fashion, we’re posting here our paper of two weeks ago. In our Fortnightly Rant of Vol. 253, No. 5, published December 5, we tried to put into perspective the then-recent news that federal bank regulators working for the Bush administration had proposed tighter restrictions on mortgages way back in 2005, but were brushed aside in the usual frenzy to let the market do whatever the hell it wants, and worry about how it turns …

Read moreAnother Great Victory

Monday, December 8, 2008—The subject of our Fortnightly Rant in our Vol. 253, No. 4 was “A Tale of Three Bridges.” In it, we attempted to put into perspective the amount of money thrown at two bridges in Alaska, and the relatively paltry sum which would be required to rehabilitate a uniquely important bridge right here in our home town. Our “News Briefs,” began with a look at the efforts of Willacy County, Texas District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra to indict Vice President Dick “Dick” Cheney, former Attorney General Alberto “Fredo” Gonzales, and five Texas officials for “abuse of office, profiting from office, and murder.” …

Read moreA Tale of Three Bridges