What with the train crash yesterday, all the shit going on in Iran, the SC governor AWOL, and our Governor grounding all the members of the NY State Senate (they’re not allowed to go out at all – not on weekends, and not even on the Fourth of July – but my guess is the only legislation they’ll pass is a bill to pay State Senators overtime for being called in to special sessions), the big news this morning is that two people I don’t know and really don’t give a crap about who apparently have eight kids and a “reality” teevee show, are separating.
The Supreme Court upheld the Voting Rights Act yesterday. Sort of. They left a way for “good” cities to bail out, assuming they could show no violations in the past decade. Now, far be it for me to accuse SCOTUS of being “activist judges,” but isn’t that kind of legislating from the bench? I mean, I’m not Nina Totenbag, but it seems to me it’s one thing to say a law is or isn’t constitutional (or even strike down a part of it), but didn’t they just rewrite the law? In fact, isn’t it really up to the legislature to decide whether the law is no longer needed and should be repealed?
When I was riding back and forth to work in DC, I used to wonder about what would happen if the train slammed into another train or something. Especially a packed train with standing room only (I know I used to “surf,” and only grab hold of a rail when we were approaching a stop. Even holding on with one hand wouldn’t really do much if you slammed into a stopped train doing 58 MPH.
There are supposed to be switches in place to automatically brake the train if another train is stopped ahead, and there’s an operator that can brake the train manually. Unfortunately there was a failure in both the automatic and human systems yesterday. Since the operator was apparently one of the (so far) nine killed, we may never find out what happened.
I was probably one of her passengers at some point; I’d probably have recognized her voice – they all have unique personalities, and you kind of get to “know” them after a while.
I’d have to guess that the switches and signal lights failed, and by the time she saw the train stopped ahead, it was too late; trains don’t exactly stop on a dime.
Well, time to get ready to get ready.
Looks like Ed McMahon is on a new Star Search.
Hey-O!
🙁 :alc: :gate:
Daughter and granddaughter are doing well and feeling much better. 😀
The New York senate is scheduled to meet at 3 today. Governor Paterson has called a special session and has threatened to call one every day including weekends and the 4th of July until the senators vote on the legislation he wants.
Apparently this has happened before. In 1965 a similar power switch fight went on for 6 weeks
We NYers seem to enjoy the circus. Perhaps this is because we know that when they are actully legislating they’re probably making things worse. That’s likely the same reason the S Carolinians didn’t call out the dogs when Gov. Sanford (famous for rejecting the stimulus money to protect his state) went for a hike.
Honestly, if brains were gunpowder, the Republicans couldn’t blow their collective nose.
Senate Republicans turned up the rhetorical heat Tuesday on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, raising concerns about her work for a Latino advocacy group.
Jeff Sessions , R-Ala., said Sotomayor has done “extensive work” for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, an organization he said is “clearly outside the mainstream of [the] American approach to matters” and “has taken some very shocking positions with respect to terrorism.”
Uh, Senator Numbnuts, Puerto Ricans ARE Americans. And those who live in the fifty states vote. But probably not for Republicans anymore.
Pretty soon the only Hispanic Republicans left will be Jeb Bush’s kids.
:rofl2:
Oh. And Marco Rubio.
And the Cubans in Miami and Hialeah, although the older ones are dying off and the younger ones voted for Obama.
Looks like Ed McMahon is on a new Star Search.
Comment by pjsauter — June 23, 2009 @ 8:41 am
You are correct, sir!
Hey, next time one of you BRL post-show IM’ers IMs (and we know who you are, Vernon), can you ask Marc if he’s still doing the Montreal Comedy Festival, and see if there are details as to when and where yet (it aint on their website)? Montreal is only about 4 hours from me, and, while I probably can’t swing it with the dogs and the whole speaking French thing, I do have a passport and would like to at least look in to heading up there. It’s closer to me than NYC (and a much nicer drive, too).
I’ll take my answer off the air.
“Honestly, if brains were gunpowder, the Republicans couldn’t blow their collective nose.”
Best quote of the day Kevin. 😆
I can cut and paste w/my iPhone now:-) But still no flash player :tap:
Is it just me, or does it seem that when you sit outside in the nice fresh air and drink beer, you get a better buzz?
It’s not safe out there in the fresh air. You should come back inside immediately for your own good and sit yourself in front of that big-ass HDteevee with your beer. Some things are just not meant to be known 😯 :doh:
:rofl2:
Glad the SP family is on the mend! BTW – those peta ads of men do not count. You can’t see anything like you can on the women. Plus the gay guys kissing at the end didn’t do a whole lot for me (not that there’s anything wrong with it).
The Voting Rights decision is so narrowly tailored that I’d need to read it before responding to Bloggie-Totenberg-Daddy’s post. I will say that Clarence Thomas appears pyscho. (Pst, has anyone told him about discrimination of Blacks in this country or did he just hit the “ignore” button when he saw his seat on the Bench?)
Jeezus. I just hear the National Black Farmer’s Association on Mark Thompson’s show en route back from Tulsa today. The USDA’s discrimination of black farmers sounds horrific. 😯
As for the iphone flash player – I keep waiting for VLC to do something. They said they were. :tap: