A short collection, then I'm done for the day

First, AP admits- without actually saying so, of course- that their definition of 'assault weapons' is based on cosmetics.

Second, further in the article, note this excuse for not covering a rally for the troops:
Unfortunately, the truth was simpler than that: We didn't cover it because the people in charge of assigning our weekend reporters didn't know about it.

It was not the fault of the organizers, who sent several e-mails about the rally to various people at the newspaper. It was ours, because even though the notices weren't sent to the right place, the folks who received them failed to make sure they got to the assignment editors. So the story didn't get assigned.
Our professional media at work.

Third, Secretary Napolitano apologized to the American Legion:
A DHS official tells ABC News that the secretary met personally with Rehbein and issued a mea culpa. The official said Napolitano told Rehbein that "the report was poorly written. It didn't pass the standards of an internal review and therefore it shouldn't have gone out the door."
And yet it did. Isn't that interesting?
When pressed about how such an oversight could have occurred, the senior DHS official said that because of the massive size of the department -- more than 220,000 employees -- "sometimes things slip through the cracks," and that new internal processes have now been put in place to make sure such a mistake doesn't happen again.
Considering earlier reports that people in DHS had specifically noted some problems- hell, called for it to be reviewed- I call bullshit on 'slipping through the cracks'. Especially when the crack seems to have opened just in time for slandering people attending/supporting/calling for the tea parties.

Last, since I'm sure you're all wondering about whether or not my finger has fallen off, the answer is no. It's still sore, but the swelling is down, the color is better, and there are no odd streaks or odors indicating infection. So as of this time I appear to have avoided extreme levels of unpleasantness(including listening to "You did WHAT?" from a doctor or nurse).