Netroots Nation kicks off in San Jose! Greg Dworkin brings us his roundup, including polling on immigration reform, John Harwood's NYT piece "Dissent Festers in States That Obama Seems to Have Forgotten," reaction to (and reaction to the reactions to) the death of Michael Hastings, and more. We briefly note the pop culture news about Paula Deen and James Gandolfini, and get an on-the-ground update from Armando in San Jose. Then, the strange chain of arrests among the Pima Co., AZ Minutemen border "patrol" crazies, and the rise of armed "community watches" where budget issues have cut back on policing capacity. Slate makes an important update to its disclaimer on their interactive gun deaths since 12/14 feature. Mother Jones reports on waste in border security spending. Are some gun rights protesters going too far in making their presence felt?
