Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. Celebrity deaths
always come in groups of three.
But leave it to Billy Mays to throw in
a fourth one for free.

I can only hope hell has given his bearded ass has a reason to scream that loud.
Zing!

So where do Giuliani and Ted Haggard fit into this flowchart?

Creepy...

Not that it really has any bearing on the election in Iran, but I noticed that Mahmoud Ahmedinejad looks a lot like George W. Bush in this video. The half-open eyes, the pursing of lips and half-smiles between sentences, and the unbuttoned dress shirt under the casual jacket. And let's not forget the flag pin!

EDIT: And holy shit I was wrong. What is going on? Does this mean the previous election of Ahmedinejad was messed with as well? Does this mean that secularism in the Middle East is dying a rapid death?

The Iranian elections are interesting - it seems that women are showing up in larger numbers than men, and the election has gone very smoothly - along with the Lebanese elections, how are Iran and Hizbollah "grave threats to Democracy" while Saudi Arabia and Dubai are "partners in expanding freedom"?

Unless you define Freedom and Democracy as "making the 3rd world shitty so the west retains its cultural advantages. And it's not just the US making these claims, it's most of Western Europe as well as India, where the eletion was completely dirty.

The New York Times claims that the "US-backed alliance appears to win in Lebanon". But I really doubt the US' endorsment had much to do with the election results (unless Obama and Clinton really are that good).

Why didn't the Times have a headline that said "French-backed candidates appear to win in US" in November 2008?

If you thought this pool was daunting, check out this even crazier one proposed for 5th Street in San Francisco.

Proposition 8 decision

I actually think the CA Supreme Court did the right thing - 9 votes shouldn't override millions. And I don't think judges are impartial arbiters of a concrete law - they vote their consciences like everyone else.

If there was room for interpretation, then there would be something, but Prop. 8 was pretty clear, and the people voting for it knew what they were voting for. As much as I disagree with the decision, it's important because otherwise the Texas Supreme Court could just reject any constitutional provision and let mental patients carry guns into churches or something like that. It works both ways.

And I think this will work out for the best - it will galvanize progressives to make sure same-sex marriage will be voted in by the people - the most legitimate way to bring it back. And it prevents a backlash in the rest of the country - if the CA Supremes had overturned Prop. 8, the undemocratic nature of the decision would have driven moderates off the fence and prevented even civil unions from being enacted in Illinois and places like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota.

And this is an excellent example of federalism - more recognition of human rights in New England and Iowa will probably show neighboring states that gay marriage won't destroy families.
Theoretically, those states will probably benefit, just like California did for years due to its tolerant attitudes, and Portland does now. Intolerant states and areas will continue to lose young progressives, and won't be able to bounce back until they stop rejecting the kind of people they need to keep around.