Late last night, John McCluskey (pictured left) and his accomplice, Casslyn Welch, were arrested by sheriff’s deputies in a northeastern Arizona forest. The duo were wanted after having escaped from prison, and are suspected in the murder of an older couple at a campground not far from where they were apprehended.

But it is the nature of their escape from prison that is, perhaps, the most notable aspect of the story. You know how advocates of government privatization are fond of claiming that everything the government does, the private sector can do better? Well, guess what. McCluskey was being held in a private prison when he escaped. A local ABC affiliate has details of the daring, nearly impossible escape, carried out against all odds laughable prison security that made their escape possible:

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“A federal judge is allowing a negligence lawsuit to proceed against the publisher of the online virtual-world game Lineage II, amid allegations that a Hawaii man became so addicted he is ‘unable to function independently in usual daily activities such as getting up, getting dressed, bathing or communicating with family and friends.'” [Wired]

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We almost mentioned Howard Dean’s take yesterday on the Not Ground Zero Not Mosque. We ultimately didn’t, because we found more pressing amusements to attend to. Then, having closed the posting day with Christopher Walken performing the Lady Gaga songbook, we sat down to the Keith Olbermann Dinnertime Rant Hour.

And, well, lost it.

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We have been reliably informed that the Iraq War is over but, as Atrios points out, we have left the usual contingent of troops behind. He decided to resurrect some old Richard Cohen, but we dug up some vintage Friedman (he of the 6 month moving deadline):

This column has argued throughout this debate that removing Saddam Hussein and helping Iraq replace his regime with a decent, accountable government that can serve as a model in the Middle East is worth doing — not because Iraq threatens us with its weapons, but because we are threatened by a collection of failing Arab-Muslim states, which churn out way too many young people who feel humiliated, voiceless and left behind. We have a real interest in partnering with them for change.

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[via Kottke]

But it was well worth the wait:

According to Taitz, there’s new evidence in the latest edition of “West Wing Week,” a lighthearted weekly video produced by the White House. In the latest edition, posted on Aug. 12, an aide shows viewers the president’s passport to answer a question about whether he gets stamps when he travels.

Taitz claims the footage proves the passport is doctored.

Further, she claims that the White House forged the passport and made the video in order to sabotage her case and “improperly influence this honorable court.”

So, the Supreme Court appeal of her $20,000 fine for being a Blithering Idiot is back on, even after the Supreme Court swatted it down. Twice.

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Our afternoon guest columnist is Slacktivist, whom we condemn for inciting raging jealousy within our breast.

Please forgive me for the actions of extremists I have never met who commit acts of violence that I have never advocated

As a white male Baptist, it is my duty today to denounce the violence perpetrated by Patrick Gray Sharp, 29, who yesterday attacked the police headquarters in McKinney, Texas, in a heavily armed but ineffectual assault involving a high-powered rifle, road flares, “gasoline and ammonium nitrate fertilizer.”

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