Obama Admin Backed Lockerbie Bomber Release

Just days after he said he was "surprised, disappointed and angry" to learn of Scotland's release of Pan Am 103's bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi to Libya, London's Sunday Times reveals quite the opposite.

The paper says correspondence between the U.S. and Scottish authorities notes the Obama Administration preferred to for Megrahi to remain in Scottish custody, but made only "half-hearted" attempts to fight against the murderer's release. And furthermore, the administration would rather Al Maghri go free than to be detained in a Libyan prison.

The Times reports Richard LeBaron, deputy head of the U.S. embassy in London said, "If Scottish authorities come to the conclusion that Megrahi must be released from Scottish custody, the US position is that conditional release on compassionate grounds would be a far preferable alternative to prisoner transfer, which we strongly oppose."

270 people -- including 189 Americans -- were killed on December 21, 1988, when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown from the sky by a bomb hidden in a hollowed-out radio.

Megrahi was released by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill when it was reported the bomber was close to death from prostate cancer. That turned out not to be the case, and a fit-looking Megrahi returned to Libya to a hero's welcome.

Geek Fight At Comic-Con

A fanboy in a Harry Potter t-shirt reportedly stabbed another sci-fi fan in the eye with a pen at San Diego's massive Comic Con convention yesterday.

The altercation was reportedly sparked over a disputed seat at a panel for Iron Man director Jon Favreau's upcoming epic Cowboys Vs. Aliens:

Obamacare Going For (Your) Gold

Remember when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said we have to pass health care reform "so we can find out what's in the bill?" Well, now that the increasingly unpopular Obamacare law has passed, one of the tome's dirty little secrets has been mined.

It's no secret that with the economy continuing its death spiral, and with the Obama Administration firmly fixing its cannons against both individual and corporate prosperity thanks to new taxes, many Americans are buying gold.

But thanks to rules hidden in Obamacare law, (Section 9006 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, in fact) the government is going to get a piece of the action.

Starting Jan. 1, 2012, the Internal Revenue Service will begin tracking the purchases of all goods and services by small businesses and self-employed people that exceed $600 during a calendar year, reports ABC News. This includes gold.

The tweak to the tax code could spell a $17 billion windfall for the Government over 10 years according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. That's lot of dough, but nowhere near what it will cost to provide socialized healthcare to everybody in America.

Like most news out of DC these days, this is no surprise, but no less sickening; another shameless power grab meant to separate Americans from their hard-earned equity.

LiLo Checks Into The Grey-Bar Hotel

Troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan reported to prison today, amid all the fanfare a good 'ol fashioned celebrity jailhouse roundup usually generates:



The 24-year-old Lohan, sentenced to 90 days in the clink for violating her probation from a 2007 DUI beef, was cuffed and whisked from an L.A. courtroom to Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California, south of downtown Los Angeles for a less-than-glamorous photo shoot:



It's expected the Mean Girls and Machete star will only serve about two weeks of her sentence. She's expected to breathe the sweet smell of freedom on August 1st or second. After that, she must report to a 90-day inpatient drug rehab facility.

For the record, Sen. Lindsey Graham is way more of a menace to society, yet Linsday Lohan is the one behind bars. Sigh.

Pug Sings "Batman" Theme

Sure, there are plenty of reasons to be shite-scared and/or angry these days. But as a pug owner, I am legally bound to share this as a much-needed respite from the chaos:

Russian "Spy" Gets Porn Offer

Anna Chapman, the hot Russian chick at the center of the (IMO) phoney baloney spy ring that made headlines a few weeks ago, may now have a new career now that her cover is blown.

Adult movie giant Vivid has offered the 28-year-old a chance to star in one of their movies. In a letter to Ms. Chapman's American attorney, Robert M. Baum, Vivid's founder/co-chairman Steven Hirsch made it clear that he understands that she may not yet be in a position to negotiate business deals but "we wanted her to know that we are ready and eager to talk terms with her." Chapman was deported back to Russia as part of a spy swap on July 8th.

In a statement, Hirsch said, "Anna was obviously the hottest spy we've seen in years and she was clearly the media's favorite. Though she wasn't very successful as a spy, we think she can be a terrific actress in one of our upcoming feature films. We would be willing to send our top director, B. Skow, to Moscow to work with her."

This isn't the first offer Chapman's been made since the alleged spy story broke: apparently Oscar winner Angelina Jolie invited Chapman to a premiere of the star's upcoming spy movie Salt.

"The Boss" Is Dead

George Steinbrenner, arguably the most famous team owner in the history of Major League Baseball, has died.

The man who owned the New York Yankees for 35 years passed away after suffering a massive heart attack in Tampa Florida this morning. He had been in declining health in recent years, after suffering a series of strokes.

According to the New York Daily News, Steinbrenner's initial investment in the team of just $168,000 sowed the seeds of what became a billion dollar enterprise.

Since Steinbrenner and a group of partners bought the team in 1973, the New York Yankees have won 11 American League pennants and seven world championships.

Sports columnists and fans alike blasted Steinbrenner of famously micromanaging the team during pennant dry spells in the 80's, thanks to his multiple firings of former Yankees coach, the late Billy Martin, and various other high-profile management shakeups.

Steinbrenner's status as a pop culture icon was further cemented by a series of "appearances" in Seinfeld -- in which a stand-in was always used, voiced by series co-creator Larry David:

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An attempt to get the real Steinbrenner to appear in an episode never materialized.