Tuesday link dump: The nanny state diaries

Hill staffer abuse, the passion of Ben Nelson, snitching on gay soldiers, and Gitmo courtroom drama

By Alex Pareene

Many Congressional staffers suffer workplace abuse and sexual harassment. Despite the fact that very few of them know of their rights under the law, taxpayers are still paying almost $1 million a year in settlements.
Here is a brief profile of Senator Ben Nelson, the worst person in the Senate.
Your new favorite book is Laura Ingraham’s “The Obama Diaries.” K-Lo raves: “It’s parody meets brutal reality; it’s more truthful than the health-care campaigning this administration and its acolytes have engaged in regarding Obamacare.”
Almost everyone in America wants unemployment benefits extended. (Except Ben Nelson, obviously.)
The Army released a wonderful comic book in 2001 that explained how to rat on gay soldiers.
Omar Khadr, a former child solider we are trying in an illegal military tribunal as a war criminal, attempted to fire his lawyers and announced his intention to effectively boycott his coming trial. Here is his statement.