Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest today by the military generals who have brutalized and destroyed Burma.  Her latest round of arrest and isolation was for seven years, and she has been either imprisoned or on house arrest for 16 of the last 21 years.

Thousands of supporters braved police in riot gear and carrying shotguns to joyfully greet the pro-democracy leader known universally as “The Lady” outside her house. Video after the jump.

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The other day on the occasion of Obama’s visit to Indonesia, the Gray Lady had an article about his experiences living there from ages 6 through 10.  While going over some familiar territory (young Barry went to a Catholic school, not a madrassa) and less well-known (he ran like a duck), this little nugget was slipped in to the article:

His nanny was an openly gay man who, in keeping with Indonesia’s relaxed attitudes toward homosexuality, carried on an affair with a local butcher, longtime residents said. The nanny later joined a group of transvestites called Fantastic Dolls, who, like the many transvestites who remain fixtures of Jakarta’s streetscape, entertained people by dancing and playing volleyball.

OMG! Volleyball? What’s next, cricket?

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The Center for Public Integrity has a new report out about the incestuous ties between the incoming GOP committee chairs and Corporate America. The cynic in me is certain it would not be very hard to do a similar analysis of the current Democratic chairs.

But I was more mesmerized by the sea of Wonder Bread on the cover of the report. Check out the diversity! Some of the men even have brown eyes!

As RML points out, Green Day did a lot to move things along in 2006 and 2008. And the often quiet but always insightful CassandraSaid suggested this clip of the band’s trademark song to close out Election Night.

Oh, and “head movies”?  Rent Tropic Thunder, or better yet, Google “Simple Jack” and trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg7YjwZzNz0

Theodore C. Sorensen died today at the age of 82. He was John F. Kennedy’s right hand guy through the ’50s and JFK’s presidency, and ghost wrote Profiles in Courage and large portions of the 1961 Inaugural address.

[NYT]

Best.2010.Campaign.Ad.Evah.

Joe Manchin (D) has a new ad out for the West Virginia Senate race, and it trumps Carly’s demon sheep.

“We need 1,000 laser systems put in the sky, and we need it right now,” Raese is shown saying in the video clip.

Then in comes that John Williams Darth Vader theme music, images of people in storm trooper costumes on parade, and laser beams from the sky wiping out a public school, clean drinking water and a Social Security card. The final image: John Raese’s head on a storm trooper body, with laser beams raining down upon Earth in the background.

“John Raese’s ideas aren’t just crazy — they’re downright dangerous,” the announcer says.

[TPM]

It turns out that the Kentucky Rand Paul supporter who kicked the female Move On protester wasn’t the first old white guy to beat up on a young woman exercising her First Amendment rights. Turns out he was the second one to do so.

On October 15, Victor Phillips, 72, approached a group of five protesters standing outside the Walla Walla campaign offices of GOP senatorial candidate Dino Rossi. The group were wearing bags over their heads. He went up to one woman, aged 23, pulled the bag off of her head, and when she reflexively lifted her arm in self-defense, he hit her with “force,” according to the sheriff’s deputy who witnessed the entire incident and proceeded to arrest him for assault. According to TPM, Phillips told the police that he had wanted to “take a picture” of the woman.

[Tri-City Herald, via TPM]