Wisdom of The Daily Show

I have been becoming increasingly worried that The Daily Show's Black Correspondent Larry Wilmore is going to be proven correct.

Americans are only voting for the chance to vote for a black president. Once they get to the general election I think they'll find that a 72 year old white republican is just about the kind of change they're ready for.

Fast forward to around 2:30

I drink tap water

preferably filtered, yes, but tap water none the less.

Stop debating buying a Prius and just stop drinking bottled water instead! (Or do both.)

From Slate's Earth Day special...

According to the Earth Policy Institute, it now takes more than 17 million barrels of oil to make enough PET to meet the America's demand for bottled water—enough to fuel more than 1 million cars a year. ... Royte estimates that each water bottle we buy consumes one-quarter of its volume in oil in production and transportation costs.

And yes, he does go on to say that some tap water has contaminants.... but that they are exacerbated by ... ding ding ding ... bottled water and plastic bottles leeching toxins.

So please just buy a filter and a reusable bottle (look these are pretty! I have one!)
or at least buy those giant water coolers that at least have reduced transportation costs by economies of scale, plus they recycle the bottles constantly.

Either that, or I'm totally going to advocate O'Rourke's suggestion of a 'sin tax' on bottled water that goes towards improving tap water.

Live Update from Class!

I should start live-blogging my public policy class.

Just recently:

Theres a thought out there that Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy is partly good for Obama b/c people wont think he's a Muslim.

Hey! At least he believes in Jesus!.....

Of course, its just frivolous

Kelli Arena of CNN today reported that the CIA director finally publically admitted that waterboarding was used, but is not being used right now. She then reported that they did not say it will never be used again, "and of course that got everyone in a tizzy."

Because caring about whether or not the United States of America uses torture is just a little frivolous manner that some silly people get all worked up about.

She also talks like she's talking to third graders. Let me remind you that she's on CNN.

Congrats to Guantanamo detainees and POWs

Because I'm guessing that either way -- McCain vs. Obama or McCain vs. Clinton -- a year from now we'll probably stop torturing people! Yay!

"It may include us some day."

In the Republican debate in Simi Valley, Mike Huckabee said that his stance on being pro-life is

exercising that deep conviction held by our founding fathers that all of us are equal and no one is more equal than another, recognizing that once we ever decide that some people are more equal or less equal than others, then we start moving that line, and it may include us some day.

Of course -- he also thinks that homosexual couples are not quite as equal as heterosexual couples.
(He thinks gay marriage would end civilization, that they should respect the definition of marriage, especially now, and that the constitution is a sacred document that shouldn’t be changed, which is cute, cuz, uh, its not.)

Registrable Sex Offenses

"Oral copulation" and sodomy and indecent exposure are "registrable sex offenses" in the state of California, meaning that if convicted the person needs to register as a sex offender, be listed on Megans Law websites and announced to one's neighbors that one is a sex offender.

Indecent exposure, of course, includes women being topless in the same places where men are allowed to be topless (as discussed over at The Colonic).

Sodomy technically / historically means basically putting a penis anywhere other than a vagina, which could cover oral as well.

And former President Clinton would be a registered sex offender had the Oval Office been located in California instead of DC.



I know these are old laws that just happen to still be on the books and generally people aren't persecuted for them... but I don't really understand what's stopping us from saying, "Oh, hey, I found one of those out dated ones... Let's scratch that," with a general nod of unanimous agreement from everyone. I see them as merely being potential weapons to throw at someone for other purposes, like the homophobia demonstrated in Lawrence v Texas.

Does someone really need to get caught and drag a case up to the Supreme Court in order for these laws to be overturned? Because, a) that's kind of ridiculous and b) let's get some volunteers.

Equality Irony

apparently...

Wyoming is the "Equality State" according to their state nickname. They were the first to grant women the right to vote.

Wyoming is also where Matthew Shepard was murdered by a bunch of homophobes.

Interesting.

Congratulations Iowa

Not only for very clearly choosing Obama across so many demographic groups and independent voters and everything else awesome


But for so many people caucusing. And for that many new caucus goers and college kids.

Hurray. Democracy's on the way back up perhaps.