It was the week before Christmas: news from 21dec12

We got some snow Thursday morning and today remains cool and bright.
But as everyone knows, of course all this week is talk - and talking is good - about the mass- shooting at the Sandy Hook, CT school and many others elsewhere and guns and the failure of Congress to do their part in avoiding the fiscal cliff.

So it's not the end of the world, but I know we can do better.

Carl Bernstein, (the journalist played by Dustin Hoffman in the movie All The President's Men) yeah - that Bernstein - writes of a shocking cover-up and he has the tape to prove it.... Apparently General Petraeus was approached by a spokesperson for News Corp who said Petraeus would be bankrolled by FOX/Aisles/Murdoch if he chose to run for president. What could that possibly mean? A high roller's bluff? A joke as Aisles tried to pass it off as or an actual attempt to hijack our government? One thing is certain, like Bernstein points out, if any other 'network' - CNN, NBC, ABC etc. had done this with Obama or anyone with a 'D' after their name, FOX would never let us forget it. But Mr Bernstein had to write it on an opinion page for the UK's guardian as the US press seems loathe to touch it... do they fear blowback from FOX? So my question is Who will slay the dragon? Carl Bernstein at least is trying.

Indefinite detention is still the rule here in the USA despite efforts in the last year to amend that

I don't see this one in the US press either: US soldier gets reduction in rank for urinating on Afghani corpse. Karzai calls it inhuman.

MoJo dispels the chief NRA myth: armed civilians don't stop mass shootings

A Korean American gets captured in North Korea. Looks at first glance like he'll be used as bargaining chip with the US over something.

Sixteen charts that tell the problem of wealth inequality, from The Atlantic

MI lawmakers didn't read that bill denying collective bargaining rights as it first must be ok'd by the MI state Civil Service Commission before it can be implemented on state workers

Of special note:

Today is David Dayen's last day blogging. So his post today on the housing market and bad banks is a ringer as his tempting look at a former Romney advisor's refusal to answer for his deeds. About Dayen, and his inhuman body of work over the last several years, and his abrupt departure, I know, I'm apoplectic over it. I really don't know what to say about it. Except he'll be missed a lot. Glad I got to read and promote him and talk to him. What a high standard he leaves behind.

Another essential collection of the pileup behind the fiscal slope as he first called it, by the amazing David Dayen.