19 Days ... And Counting

There are 19 days until, as Peter Baker and Michael Fletcher of the WaPo explain, the presidency of George W. Bush is over. Two words for libertarians and conservatives to think about when entering the polling booth: Speaker Pelosi.

Boston school officials have taken the fun out of what used to be recess. Out of fear of greedy lawyers and sue-happy parents, Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe approved ban on Tag - not the body spray, the game. After too many "near collisions," I guess it's in the best interests of the school not to allow children to run around and poke each other. First Dodgeball, now Tag. What's next!?
FYI: Tag was also banned in some California, Wyoming, and Washington schools. Hugging is not allowed at Sky View Middle School. Dangerous activities such as hopscotch, four square, and running have been banned in Spokane, Washington.

The Nation is pointing to the happenstance of Saddam's guilty verdict being announced on November 5th and a midterm election two days later. This may be the coming November surprise Karl Rove and Dick Cheney have been counting on. I wouldn't put it past them, but since when was it a sin to put out good news about Iraq? Remember the Defense Department catching hell for paying Iraqi newspapers to print "good news" stories? Can we cut the troops a break and give them a pat on the back!? How about another tribute along the lines of Time's 2003 Person of the Year (The American Soldier)? Or would that be considered too partisan?

I wouldn't consider this unusual for Hollywood; Madonna, already a 48-year-old mother of two, has adopted a child from the southeast African country of Malawi. Her intentions are barely admirable. One would like to think that she's helping "the starvin' childr'n" (a throwback to a Bono reference on Family Guy), but if she really wanted to help, she could start in her own country. The Hollywood types are quick to criticize the lack healthcare in America, but head to Africa instead of the slums of Brooklyn, Atlanta, or Los Angeles. How about lending an American a helping hand first, then help out the Malawians?

The NYT is reporting there will be problems this November due to newly delivered voting machines nationwide. One of the problems seems to be that the audio program used by the blind only works in Vietnamese. Wait. Vietnamese? Why are people voting in Vietnamese? Shouldn't they be voting in English? I hope, for the sake of diversity and equality, they have the African clicking language and Indian available. You wouldn't want to be brought up on segregation charges! On a similar topic, I still don't understand why we're switching to an electronic voting system without a paper backup.

What's a good way to honor a somber time in your yearly religious rituals? Up the attacks (in Ramadan) by 22%!

Great News! Robert Novak predicts the GOP will lose 20 seats in the House and the Dems will take control in January. If his predictions are anything like his earlier ones (Harriet Meirs, Rehnquist retiring, Priscilla Owen), I'm supporting Novak for the first time in ... well, ever!

Don't miss Mary Katherine Ham's new video blog, Ham Nation. Stay tuned for more on Mary Katherine.

Reading Assignments:
Cal Thomas: The Married Minority
Rich Vos: Suggestions For Republicans
Michael Goldfarb: The Nork's Next Trick: Hydrogen