iconic

down the flume

228 to 205 to vote down the bailout. That's 433 out of 435. Not bad considering that my understanding of the daily usual in the House is a few people speaking to an empty hall, aside from the C-SPAN camera and the other few members on the list to talk that day who are still waiting their turn. A bit curious who the missing two are, although not quite curious enough to go search them out.

(Assumption that the information is available somewhere, and probably on the web. Whatever did we do before the Web? Yet it's only existed in its current expanded state for about a decade.)

Heh. The Yahoo link to the AP article is labeled "financial_meltdown". Dudes, y'all ain't seen nothin'. Even a 550+ drop in the Dow, where we are at the moment of writing, is only about 5 percent. The really big slides have been in the double digits. Although, maybe the computers kick in to prevent those happening all in one day now. Guess we'll see where we are in a week.

Interesting times, as they say. I know that's supposed to be a bad thing. I can't help finding it a bit exciting. I should really hold my excitement until I at least have a functioning vegetable garden again. Which, given imminent baby, is unlikely before, oh, ... I have no idea.

the cake is a lie

For once, I think I may have managed to be on the early side of awareness about a Hot New Internet Catchphrase. Kung Fu Monkey gave me this awareness when he noted that it is "the perfect explanation" of the writers' strike (in the post before his extensive and excellent detailed rundown of "What's this all about then, oy?"). I googled the phrase and realized that it's from that interesting-looking game that M. was playing last week or so that I hadn't got round to trying yet -- this weekend perhaps.

T-shirts. We need T-shirts. As demonstrated above, it could apply to all sorts of situations (for antiwar protests, use one with a picture of a cake which is yellow). This is what makes me expect that it will be sweeping the nation.

Of course, since normally I only become fully aware of things as they've passed their peak, I could be wrong. But I want a T-shirt anyway.

sunshiny day

Well. Now this will be interesting. Too bad Pelosi isn't going to push impeachment, but I understand the point of view that it would get in the way of all the other important things that need fixing and doing, like restoring habeas corpus, and fun with subpoenas, and explaining to those who seem not to get it that: no, the executive in the American system of government does not get to do whatever s/he wants however s/he likes.

First woman Speaker of the House! Cool. Go go San Francisco values! Which to me means: let people do what they want short of hurting someone else, treat all people fairly and equally, try to have a safety net for the unlucky, and be creative.

edit: and environmentalism, of course. that (almost) goes without saying.

My favorite reading for the day was Glenn Greenwald here and here.

8. What's the last movie you saw in the cinema?

Since the cost of a pair of movie tickets these days is roughly comparable to the price of a re-watchable-in-the-comfort-of-one's-home DVD, we don't get out to theaters a whole lot. I think it was An Inconvenient Truth. Which, btw, everyone needs to (a) see, and (b) make other people watch who haven't seen it. Gore/Obama '08: dream ticket. Too bad the press hates Gore, seemingly because he's not as much "fun" as they'd like. If you want to pick on him for something, I'd choose the idea of Lieberman as veep. But at least it would have gotten Mr. Pomposity out of his Senate seat, which otherwise he seems to think is his personal property.

Next theater-movie will probably be the new James Bond, since the sweetie is a Bond partisan.

farewell to runnymede

I haven't been paying as much attention as I should, and neither have a lot of other people, but I am at least awake enough to notice that today appears to be a historic day. If I'm understanding correctly, today is the day that 791 years of Anglo-American tradition -- that the head of state cannot simply imprison people at whim, but must either charge and try them, or release them -- is interrupted. For Congress is giving Our Leader the power to imprison anyone he wants, U.S. citizen or not, at his whim and for as long as he wishes, simply by deciding that the person has been aiding terrorism in some way. If the person (or anyone else on their behalf) disagrees, tough shit. Nobody gets to second-guess The Decider. Unless something is done to overturn this bill later, the history of the USA might be all downhill from here. That's without even getting into the part in the bill about torture.

I can't completely believe this. Fine, the House has been taken over, but I thought there were more Senators left with some sense. Obviously not. And McCain is a complete poser. Why is nobody even trying to filibuster this? If I were in there, they'd have to physically drag me from the podium; at least that way maybe a few more people might passingly notice the situation. No, I'm probably still being too optimistic.

Anyway, go read Glenn Greenwald linked up there in the title; he's got the rundown.