The Seventh Sense

Not. Buying. It.

Captain Francesco Schettino's reason for leaving the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia while most of its passengers were still struggling to get off?

"I tripped".

Whew!  Good thing there was a lifeboat underneath him to catch his fall!

Perry's Out & Other Tidbits

According to sources....

... oh, and rather than losing to Romney by 8 votes in Iowa, Rick Santorum actually won there by 34 votes 

... oh, and Marianne Gingritch, who once boasted that she could end her ex-husband's campaign with a single interview, has sat down for a two-hour interview with ABC... to be aired Monday (after South Carolina).  I don't know how much stock I would put in to an interview by a disgruntled ex-wife, but I'll keep an open mind....

... oh, and the jobless claims hit a 4-year low, which means that Obama wins the election.

Not Again

Shots fired on Virginia Tech campus.

UPDATE:  Here’s the latest from Virginia Tech’s website:

Suspect remains at large. A police officer has been shot. A potential second victim is reported at the Cage lot. Stay indoors. Secure in place.

Breaking: MJ Doc Found Guilty Of Manslaughter

Breaking.

That's involulntary manslaughter, to be accurate.

Earthquake? (Why, Yes)

Up on the 16th floor.  I was bouncing a little.

UPDATE:  They're evacuating buildings in D.C.  Facebook is going nuts.

The map below shows self-reports of who felt it and where:

5.9 is the official number.  It was a shallow quake, which is why it was felt up and now the Eastern seaboard.  

UPDATE:  Jeez, my mother in New Hampshire felt it.

Favorite tweet (so far) is from John Hodgman -- This guy in the cafe and I agree that we liked the earthquake when it first started. But now it's like, the wrong people are into it.

* And there was a rare 5.3 in Colorado earlier today?  And Hurricane Irene's coming?

UPDATE:  Actual tweet from conservative pundit Roger Simon, about 1.5 hours after the rather undevastating earthquake:

Rare Footage Of Oslo Explosion Aftermath

This was taken just seconds after the bomb went off:

 

Also.... a before-and-after:

Breaking: Walker Opinion On Prop 8 Upheld

WSJ:

SAN FRANCISCO—A federal judge has upheld a gay judge's ruling to strike down California's same-sex marriage ban.

Chief U.S. District Judge James Ware said Tuesday that former Chief Judge Vaughn Walker did not have to divulge whether he wanted to marry his own gay partner before he declared last year that voter-approved marriage ban was unconstitutional.

Lawyers for backers of the ban argued at a hearing Monday that Judge Walker should have recused himself or disclosed his relationship because he and his partner stood to personally benefit from the verdict.

Lawyers for two gay couples called the effort to disqualify Judge Walker frivolous, offensive and unfortunate.

Judge Walker publicly revealed after he retired in February that he is in a 10-year relationship with a man.

As predicted.

UPDATE:  Opinion here.

Another Japan Earthquake

It just happened within the past few minutes.  7.4 on the Richter scale.  Tsunami warnings.  Apparently, the same epicenter as the last one.

This can't be good, especially for that trouble nuke plant.

Mubarek Steps Down

Various press acccounts are saying that, according to the Egyptian Vice President, President Mubarak has stepped down.

Supposedly, this isn't news, but a "clarification" of what Mubarak said yesterday.

Mystery Solved

This seems to be the explanation for that "mystery missle": it was merely a jet going across the sky, but due to the angle, the contrail only looked vertical.

See? Look at this:

That's not a photo of the November 3 "mystery missile".  Rather, it's from December 31, 2009.  And it's the same thing going on.  Just a jet.

It's all explained at contrailscience.com.  They got tons of pictures like this.

This of course leads to an even bigger mystery:  WHO THE HELL DEVOTES THEIR TIME TO STUDYING THE SCIENCE OF CONTRAILS?!?

Disconcerting Missile Off California

The story so far:

A massive ballistic missile streaking across the sky off the coast of California last night.

Anyone want to claim it? Because the U.S. military says it's not theirs.

A news helicopter for CBS station KCBS captured stunning video of what appeared to be a missile launch 35 miles off the California coast, just north of Catalina Island. The video shows a giant streak across the sunset sky, leaving a column of white smoke in its wake.

For now, though, the missile's origins and purpose are a mystery.

A Navy spokesman told CBS affiliate KFMB in San Diego that the missile did not belong to them and that there had been no Navy activity reported in the area.

Officials at The Pentagon also did not know any details about the launch and said that it could not have been a planned military action, NBC San Diego reported.

A Couple Petty Grievances About The Chilean Miner Rescue, As It Is Happening

On my phone, I saw the first one being pulled out last night.  Pretty cool, even on a phone.  When I got up this morning, they had ten out, so it all looks pretty good for a completely happy ending.  But I have a few observations:

(1)  They just pulled up miner #12 and I notice there's a little ennui on the surface.  Apparently, the thrill has worn off.  Which kind of sucks for the future to-be-rescued miners.  Will anybody even notice when miner #33 comes out?  Will they all have gone home but for a few stragglers?

(2)  I find it... strange... that some family members choose to video-record their spouse/father emerging from the hole, rather than just watch it in, you know, real life.  It's more of a comment on society and technology -- we sometimes gravitate to looking at significant moments through a camera lens, rather that just taking it in the old fashioned way... with our eyes.  Bizarre.

(3)  Jesus Christ, Michelle Malkin will take any opportunity to wave the American flag.  Yes, Michelle, it's all about us.

UPDATE:  From the Onion...

Trapped Chilean Miners Considering How Funny It Would Be If They All Died Right As Rescuers Completed Tunnel

COPIAPO, CHILE—With their rescue imminent, the conversation of the 33 miners trapped in the Copiapó copper and gold mine turned to how hilarious it would be if they valiantly endured 68 days trapped underground only to die right when their path to salvation was finished. "Oh man, what if the drill hit a methane pocket above our heads and we all exploded just before they reached us?" Miner Carlos Bugueño Alfaro said as his malnourished comrades struggled to hold back giggles. "Like, right when we’re moments away from getting out? Can you imagine? People would be so freaked out. Or what if we all simultaneously dropped dead right this second from copper toxicity?" This last suggestion reportedly resulted in the miners collapsing into a fit of laughter, which then gave way to a hush as the first pebbles broke loose from the ceiling and the drill penetrated their refuge.

Here We Go Again? -- Breaking News: Another Oil Rig Explosion

Lovely:

An oil rig has exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana, with 12 people overboard and one missing, the Coast Guard said Thursday morning.

UPDATE:  The rig is owned by Mariner Energy.  And leased to....???  Well, we don't know yet.

UPDATE #2:  It bears mentioning that this is NOT a deep-sea oil well, unlike BP's Deepwater Horizon, and reports are that this was a production platform (again unlike BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling platform).  So that's all good news.  On the other hand, it exploded.... so, not so good.

UPDATE #3:  Local news is reporting that Coast Guard has spotted mile-long "oil sheen" emanating from the platform.

Discovery Channel Bomb Guy

UPDATE:  From 2008, someone caught a Youtube video of a protester outside the Discovery building, throwing money.  Yes, the money-thrower is apparently the same dude.

UPDATE:  Some posts about Lee and his earlier protests.  View it soon before the site crashes.

UPDATE:  From 2008, a blurb about his arrest following an unarmed protest of Discovery.

***

It started at 1:00 pm EST.  The latest is that the police are talking to him, and that he may have a hostage.  All this is happening at the Discovery Channel building in Silver Spring, MD.

The guy's name is James J. Lee, and here are his demands:

The Discovery Channel MUST broadcast to the world their commitment to save the planet and to do the following IMMEDIATELY:

1. The Discovery Channel and it's affiliate channels MUST have daily television programs at prime time slots based on Daniel Quinn's "My Ishmael" pages 207-212 where solutions to save the planet would be done in the same way as the Industrial Revolution was done, by people building on each other's inventive ideas. Focus must be given on how people can live WITHOUT giving birth to more filthy human children since those new additions continue pollution and are pollution. A game show format contest would be in order. Perhaps also forums of leading scientists who understand and agree with the Malthus-Darwin science and the problem of human overpopulation. Do both. Do all until something WORKS and the natural world starts improving and human civilization building STOPS and is reversed! MAKE IT INTERESTING SO PEOPLE WATCH AND APPLY SOLUTIONS!!!! 

2. All programs on Discovery Health-TLC must stop encouraging the birth of any more parasitic human infants and the false heroics behind those actions. In those programs' places, programs encouraging human sterilization and infertility must be pushed. All former pro-birth programs must now push in the direction of stopping human birth, not encouraging it.

3. All programs promoting War and the technology behind those must cease. There is no sense in advertising weapons of mass-destruction anymore. Instead, talk about ways to disassemble civilization and concentrate the message in finding SOLUTIONS to solving global military mechanized conflict. Again, solutions solutions instead of just repeating the same old wars with newer weapons. Also, keep out the fraudulent peace movements. They are liars and fakes and had no real intention of ending the wars. ALL OF THEM ARE FAKE! On one hand, they claim they want the wars to end, on the other, they are demanding the human population increase. World War II had 2 Billion humans and after that war, the people decided that tripling the population would assure peace. WTF??? STUPIDITY! MORE HUMANS EQUALS MORE WAR! 

4. Civilization must be exposed for the filth it is. That, and all its disgusting religious-cultural roots and greed. Broadcast this message until the pollution in the planet is reversed and the human population goes down! This is your obligation. If you think it isn't, then get hell off the planet! Breathe Oil! It is the moral obligation of everyone living otherwise what good are they?? 

5. Immigration: Programs must be developed to find solutions to stopping ALL immigration pollution and the anchor baby filth that follows that. Find solutions to stopping it. Call for people in the world to develop solutions to stop it completely and permanently. Find solutions FOR these countries so they stop sending their breeding populations to the US and the world to seek jobs and therefore breed more unwanted pollution babies. FIND SOLUTIONS FOR THEM TO STOP THEIR HUMAN GROWTH AND THE EXPORTATION OF THAT DISGUSTING FILTH! (The first world is feeding the population growth of the Third World and those human families are going to where the food is! They must stop procreating new humans looking for nonexistant jobs!) 

6. Find solutions for Global Warming, Automotive pollution, International Trade, factory pollution, and the whole blasted human economy. Find ways so that people don't build more housing pollution which destroys the environment to make way for more human filth! Find solutions so that people stop breeding as well as stopping using Oil in order to REVERSE Global warming and the destruction of the planet! 

7. Develop shows that mention the Malthusian sciences about how food production leads to the overpopulation of the Human race. Talk about Evolution. Talk about Malthus and Darwin until it sinks into the stupid people's brains until they get it!! 

8. Saving the Planet means saving what's left of the non-human Wildlife by decreasing the Human population. That means stopping the human race from breeding any more disgusting human babies! You're the media, you can reach enough people. It's your resposibility because you reach so many minds!!! 

9. Develop shows that will correct and dismantle the dangerous US world economy. Find solutions for their disasterous Ponzi-Casino economy before they take the world to another nuclear war. 

10. Stop all shows glorifying human birthing on all your channels and on TLC. Stop Future Weapons shows or replace the dialogue condemning the people behind these developments so that the shows become exposes rather than advertisements of Arms sales and development! 

11. You're also going to find solutions for unemployment and housing. All these unemployed people makes me think the US is headed toward more war. 

Humans are the most destructive, filthy, pollutive creatures around and are wrecking what's left of the planet with their false morals and breeding culture. 

For every human born, ACRES of wildlife forests must be turned into farmland in order to feed that new addition over the course of 60 to 100 YEARS of that new human's lifespan! THIS IS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE FOREST CREATURES!!!! All human procreation and farming must cease! 

It is the responsiblity of everyone to preserve the planet they live on by not breeding any more children who will continue their filthy practices. Children represent FUTURE catastrophic pollution whereas their parents are current pollution. NO MORE BABIES! Population growth is a real crisis. Even one child born in the US will use 30 to a thousand times more resources than a Third World child. It's like a couple are having 30 babies even though it's just one! If the US goes in this direction maybe other countries will too! 

Also, war must be halted. Not because it's morally wrong, but because of the catastrophic environmental damage modern weapons cause to other creatures. FIND SOLUTIONS JUST LIKE THE BOOK SAYS! Humans are supposed to be inventive. INVENT, DAMN YOU!! 

The world needs TV shows that DEVELOP solutions to the problems that humans are causing, not stupify the people into destroying the world. Not encouraging them to breed more environmentally harmful humans. 

Saving the environment and the remaning species diversity of the planet is now your mindset. Nothing is more important than saving them. The Lions, Tigers, Giraffes, Elephants, Froggies, Turtles, Apes, Raccoons, Beetles, Ants, Sharks, Bears, and, of course, the Squirrels. 

The humans? The planet does not need humans. 

You MUST KNOW the human population is behind all the pollution and problems in the world, and YET you encourage the exact opposite instead of discouraging human growth and procreation. Surely you MUST ALREADY KNOW this! 

I want Discovery Communications to broadcast on their channels to the world their new program lineup and I want proof they are doing so. I want the new shows started by asking the public for inventive solution ideas to save the planet and the remaining wildlife on it. 

These are the demands and sayings of Lee.

Think his demands will be met?

By the way, this is the best part of his little manifesto:

Nothing is more important than saving them. The Lions, Tigers, Giraffes, Elephants, Froggies, Turtles, Apes, Raccoons, Beetles, Ants, Sharks, Bears, and, of course, the Squirrels.

Why of course the Squirrels!

Here Come The Grooms

The judge has lifted the temporary stay on same-sex marriage in California. Couples may wed beginning August 18.

The order is here (PDF).

Meltdown to begin in 5, 4, 3,....

Oh, wait.  It already happened. 

Ted Stevens Dead?

Former Senator Ted Stevens, the embattled and clearly corrupt Alaskan politician best known for spearheading the pork-filled "Bridge To Nowhere" and engaging in other self-serving business deals, may have been a victim in a plane crash this morning in Alaska.

The plane may have been heading for, ironically, the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage.

UPDATE:  CBS News via Twitter reports he is dead.  Also a local Alaska station.

UPDATE AGAIN"  Confirmed.

Here Come The Guns

Minutes ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion which makes the Second Amendment applicable to states and municipalities.  This is big.

A quick background.  The U.S. Constitution applies to the federal government (what it can and can't do).  The rights protected by the Bill of Rights (freedom of speech, etc.) don't necessarily apply to states and municipalities unless and until the U.S. Supreme Court says so.

It's a concept known as incorporation, and it didn't exist until the 14th Amendment (written in the wake of the Civil War).  

The 14th Amendment basically says that the privileges and immunities of being a federal citizen cannot be taken away by the state.  That's all well and good, but it is unclear what the "privileges and immunities of being a federal citizen" are.  

The 14th Amendment also says that life, liberty and property cannot be taken away without due process.  And again, the question has arisen what those liberties are.

But whenever a right or privilege or immunity is applied against states, that is known as "incorporation".  Most of the Bill of Rights have been incorporated.  Some haven't (like the right to a jury trial in civil cases - 8th Amendment).

The Supreme Court in 1875 addressed this issue in United States v. Criukshank, and decided that the Second Amendment is not binding on states.

Now, as of today, the Second Amendment -- the right to bear arms -- has been incorporated and applied to states, cities, etc.

The case arose when the City of Chicago tried to ban handguns, and it asked the basic question as to whether a municipality can ban handguns.  The answer is "no", because the Second Amendment now applies to Chicago as well as every other city, town, county, or state.  It's a huge win for the pro-gun people, and it calls into question all existing state and local laws regarding firearms.

The case fell 5-4, with Stevens. Breyer, Sotomayor, and Ginsberg in dissent.

Full opinion(s) here (PDF)

UPDATE -- SOME QUICK ANALYSIS:

The majority (except Thomas) take the position that the right to self-defense is a fundamental right, and fundamental rights cannot be taken away without due process.  Therefore, the Second Amendment is incorporated under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.  Thomas, it seems would incorporate the Second Amendment under the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the 14th Amendment.

In his lengthy dissent, Stevens says basically, "Okay.  If you see the right of self-defense has a fundamental right, that's one thing.  But when it comes to handguns -- which is what this case is about -- you are assuming that the allowance of handguns is inextricably bundled with that fundamental self-defense right."  Basically, Stevens says, we are talking about regulating property -- a chattel -- a thing.  You can still have the right of self-defense without that particular thing.  (He's quite right about this -- if you follow the majority reasoning, then people should be able to own bazookas "in self-defense"). 

He also argues that while handguns can be used for self-defense, they can also be used for offense, too.  In other words, handguns take away liberties just as much (if not more) than they protect them."

Actual Stevens quote: "Your interest in keeping and bearing a certain firearm may diminish my interest in being and feeling safe from armed violence".  (emphasis in original)

Stevens really has a go at Justice Scalia, and vice versa.  Scalia, ever the strict constructionist now "finds" there is a "right of self-defense" in the Constitution, where such words don't actually exist.  (And if you read the Second Amendment, with its reference to the well-regulated militia, it is very hard to claim that it explicitly gives individuals a personal right to self-defense).  Stevens is basically calling Scalia a hypocrite, which he is.

In taking on Scalia, Stevens makes an interesting point.  Suppose the right to bear arms was once a fundamental personal right in the past, because of the situation in the past.  But what if it isn't now (because times change)?  Should we ignore that?  Should we close a blind eye to the fact that technology have made guns cheap and available and can be used to kill people not in self-defense?  

In fact, Stevens is going beyond the gun issue to attack Scalia's whole approach when he (Scalia) hangs on to history.  I love this part....

 

Good stuff.  Stevens is retiring, and this is firing shot (no pun intended) at Scalia.

Drilling Ban Lifted By Dead British Googly Eyed Comedian

Bloomberg:

A New Orleans federal judge lifted the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed by President Barack Obama following the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

Obama temporarily halted all drilling in waters deeper than 500 feet on May 27 to give a presidential commission time to study improvements in the safety of offshore operations. Government lawyers told U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman that the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig off the Louisiana coast in April was a "game changer’’ that exposed the risks of offshore oil exploration.

"We need to make sure deepwater drilling is as safe as we thought it was the day before this incident,’’ Brian Collins, a lawyer for the government, told Feldman in a court hearing June 21. "It is crucial to take the time because to fail to do so would be to gamble with the long-term future of this region.’’

More than a dozen Louisiana offshore service and supply companies sued U.S. regulators to lift the ban. State officials claim 20,000 Louisiana jobs are in jeopardy if the deepwater drilling suspension lasts 18 months.

Judicial activist.

UPDATE:  I've taken a gander at the opinion just handed down (it's here in PDF format) and I find it to be short on legal reasoning and high in snark.  For example, in a footnote it reads:

The Report [of the Secretary of the Interior] notes that the Deepwater Horizon disaster is "commanding the Department of Interior's resources."  A disturbing admission by this Administration.

WTF with the editorializing?  And why is it "distrubing" that the Department of Interior is working to the fullest extent on the Deepwater Horizon disaster?  Hasn't the criticism been that the Obama Administration hasn't been doing enough?!?  And now when we learn that the Department of Interior's resources are heavily involved in fighting the distaster, it is "disturbing"?  Really?

Anyway, the Court's reasoned that the decision to put a 6-month moratorium on deep sea drilling was "arbitrary and capricious".  Why was it arbitrary and capricious?  Because, according to the Court, just because one drill broke and failed doesn't mean they all will.

That's one way to look at it, I suppose.  Yet, when a part goes bad in a Boeing-made large passenger plane, don't they require ALL those planes to be rounded and inspected?  It's not unheard of.

Hmmmm.  Here’s some assorted information on Feldman:

CASE Summary

: Judge Feldman graduated from Tulane Law School in 1957, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif, and Assistant Editor of the Tulane Law Review. … His practice emphasized tax law and complex commercial litigation. … On October 12, 1983 he was appointed United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana by President Reagan, and presently serves as the Chairman of the Fifth Circuit’s Committee on Pattern Civil Jury Instructions. … Judge Feldman is a member of the Advisory Committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is Chair of the Board of Advisory Editors of the Tulane Law Review, … From 1994 to 2000 he was a lecturer in Constitutional Law and war powers at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Public Administration. … [H]as been a guest lecturer at Amherst College in constitutional interpretation and the philosophy of the Rule of Law.

This comment in the Robing Room seems to say it all: "Intelligent, Pompous, egotistical, pushy, arrogant, unfair, no empathy for poor people and workers who come before him, his heart is with business."

Apparently.  Well, an appeal is in the works.

UPDATE #2: Yyyyyeah.  Thought so.  From Think Progress:

Like many judges presiding in the Gulf region, Feldman owns lots of energy stocks, including Transocean, Halliburton, and two of BP’s largest U.S. private shareholders — BlackRock (7.1%) and JP Morgan Chase (28.3%). Here’s a list of Feldman’s income in 2008 (amounts listed unless under $1,000):

JP Morgan Chase, BlackRock ($12000- $36000)
Ocean Energy ($1000 – $2500)
NGP Capital Resources ($1000 – $2500)
Quicksilver Resources ($5000 – $15000)
Hercules Offshore ($6000 – $17500)
Provident Energy
Peabody Energy
PenGrowth Energy
RPC Inc
Atlas Energy Resources
Parker Drilling
TXCO Resources
EV Energy Partners
Rowan Companies
BPZ Resources
El Paso Corp
KBR Inc
Chesapeake Energy
ATP Oil & Gas

UPDATE #3:  Another news agency reports:

Judge Feldman held less than $15,000 worth of stock in Transocean, as well as similar amounts (federal rules only require that judges report a range of values ) in Hercules Offshore, ATP Oil and Gas, and Parker Drilling. All of those companies offer contract offshore drilling services and operate offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Judge Feldman also owned between $15,000 and $50,000 in notes offered by Ocean Energy, Inc., a company that offers "concept design and manufacturing design of submersible drilling rigs".

Abby Spotted

Going to be a while before they can rescue her, but at least they located her:

 

Looks like her mast is gone, which means she's virtually powerless.

Ominous Blog Post

LATEST UPDATE:  She's fine.

Abby's Blog -- Entry dated Wednesday, June 9, 2010:

The wind is beginning to pick up. It is back up to 20 knots and I am expecting that by midnight tonight I could have 35-50 knots with gusts to 60 so I am off to sleep before it really picks up.

That's the end of the latest post by Abby Sunderland, a 16 year old California native, who set out to be the youngest to circumnavigate the globe by boat, solo.  It was posted from somewhere in the Indian Ocean, between Africa and Australia.

She's gone missing, and the nearest ship is 400 miles away from her last known location.

More from ABC News:

Jeff Casher, an engineer on Sunderland's support team, told ABC News that he last spoke with the 16-year-old sailor before 6 a.m. PDT, after she had been knocked down twice during the night because of strong winds -- meaning that her sail had touched the water.

One of those knock-downs, Casher said, ripped the radar off the boat. She had been speaking with Casher on a satellite telephone earlier because of engine problems and was in the process of fixing those problems when she told Casher she'd call right back.

She has not been heard from since, except for the distress signals.

 

UPDATE:  As I was writing this, her folks just updated Abby's blog with the following (reprinted in full below the fold):

Here We Go Again: Another NYC Bomb?

BREAKING 1:34 pm..... 47th Street in NYC is being evacuated due to suspicious package....

UPDATE 1:36 pm.... CNN says all of Times Square is being evacuated

UPDATE 1:55 pm...  It's a suspicious cooler outside the Marriott.... or is it?

UPDATE 2:18 pm...  Opening back up.  Must have been, well, a cooler.  Apparently, a robot was deployed....

It was kind of cool to watch this thing via live webcam.  Times Square being empty is kinda freaky.

Finally, Some Accountability Against Financial Firms

Breaking News:

Washington, D.C., April 16, 2010 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Goldman, Sachs & Co. and one of its vice presidents for defrauding investors by misstating and omitting key facts about a financial product tied to subprime mortgages as the U.S. housing market was beginning to falter.

The SEC alleges that Goldman Sachs structured and marketed a synthetic collateralized debt obligation (CDO) that hinged on the performance of subprime residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). Goldman Sachs failed to disclose to investors vital information about the CDO, in particular the role that a major hedge fund played in the portfolio selection process and the fact that the hedge fund had taken a short position against the CDO.

"The product was new and complex but the deception and conflicts are old and simple," said Robert Khuzami, Director of the Division of Enforcement. "Goldman wrongly permitted a client that was betting against the mortgage market to heavily influence which mortgage securities to include in an investment portfolio, while telling other investors that the securities were selected by an independent, objective third party."

UPDATE:  I wonder how Goldman Sachs is trading today....

heh.

Breaking: Justice John Paul Stevens To Retire

The oldest member of the Supreme Court, and the head of the liberal bloc just announced, as many thought he would, his retirement.  He's 90 years old, and has been with the Supreme for almost 35 years.

And here we go again.  Next thing you know Obama is going to stomp on the Constitution by taking it upon himself to pick Justice Stevens' replacement.  His replacement (and GOP efforts to block it) will be the dominating story for the next few months. As recently as five days ago, Senate GOP leaders were already openly speculating about filibustering the president's unnamed nominee.

I would like to see Elena Kagen or Diane Wood replace him.  Well, actually, Larry Tribe would be the best, but that ain't gonna happen.

UPDATE:  The NRO has already voiced open opposition to Obama's Supreme Court nominee... without even knowing who it is.

Thoughts On The Austin Texas Plane Guy

After reading his suicide note, conveniently posted online here (until it gets removed) it seems to me that this guy, while somewhat literate, simply isn't very smart.

The suicide note (which I've copied and pasted below the fold in case it goes away from the original site) is one long screed -- mostly anti-government, and in particular, anti-IRS (which would explain why he flew his plane into Austin's IRS building offices).

But this part jumped out at me:

To survive, I was forced to cannibalize my savings and retirement, the last of which was a small IRA.  This came in a year with mammoth expenses and not a single dollar of income.  I filed no return that year thinking that because I didn’t have any income there was no need.  The sleazy government decided that they disagreed.  But they didn’t notify me in time for me to launch a legal objection so when I attempted to get a protest filed with the court I was told I was no longer entitled to due process because the time to file ran out.  Bend over for another $10,000 helping of justice.

For a guy who claims to have read and studied the tax code, it's rather surprising to think that he didn't need to file a tax return, even if he had no income.  It sounds to me like he is blaming the government for all his problems. 

In the very next paragraph, he talks about having unreported income, and being audited.  Well, which is it?  Not a single dollar of income, or all kinds of unreported income?

It certainly looks to me like he was trying throughout his career to do an end run around the IRS.  I suspect that he was one of those nutty tax deniers, who think the federal income tax is unconstitutional.  He got caught.  And whose fault is that?  According to him, "Big Brother" (the government).

Regardless of who is to blame, it's no excuse to kill yourself by flying a plane into a government office.

He closes this way:

As government agencies go, the FAA is often justifiably referred to as a tombstone agency, though they are hardly alone.  The recent presidential puppet GW Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings equally true for all of the government.  Nothing changes unless there is a body count (unless it is in the interest of the wealthy sows at the government trough).  In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom, life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving laws.

I know I’m hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand.  It has always been a myth that people have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and it isn’t limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants.  I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after.  But I also know that by not adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will change.  I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at “big brother” while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won’t continue; I have just had enough.

I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less.  I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are.  Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn’t so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer.  The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along.

I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different.  I am finally ready to stop this insanity.  Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.

Goodbye, Joseph Andrew Stack, you douchebag. 

UPDATE:  A lot of people are trying to peg this guy's political leanings, but I think Tim at Balloon Juice accurately conveys my thoughts:

On a certain level, anti-tax extremism more or less automatically qualifies someone as a right-winger. Still, I don’t see this morning’s airplane attack on IRS buildings in Austin as explicitly political. The pilot’s suicide note mostly makes him sound like a tightly-wound guy who snapped after a long string of very bad luck.

I agree.  This guy is a little hard to peg.  He is angry about taxes, about the broken health care system, about the "vile, corrupt Catholic church," the rich ("when the wealthy fuck up, the poor get to die for the mistakes"), and the political system that supports them.  His screed is both a little teabaggy and a litte communist, at the same time.  He just seemed angry at everyone, without having affinity for any political leanings at all, as best summed up by this quote:

"There has never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with the likes of me or my interests in mind. Nor, for that matter, are they the least bit interested in me or anything I have to say."

After 37 Minute Deliberation, Jury Finds Roeder Guilty of First Degree Murder

Breaking news:

WICHITA, Kan. - A man who says he killed prominent Kansas abortion provider Dr. George Tiller to protect unborn children has been convicted of murdering the doctor.

A jury deliberated for 37 minutes Friday before finding Scott Roeder  guilty of premeditated, first-degree murder. The 51-year-old Kansas City, Mo., man faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Roeder testified that he shot Tiller in the head May 31 in the foyer of Tiller's church in Wichita because he believed Tiller posed an "immediate danger" to unborn children.

His attorneys were hoping to get a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for Roeder, but the judge ruled that the jury could not consider such a verdict.

The judge's ruling will no doubt be the basis of an appeal.  The defense tried to argue that the jury should be allowed to consider manslaughter, based on the Kansas statute which permits a killing when the killer "is justified in the use of force against another when and to the extent it appears to such person and such person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to defend such person or a third person against such other's imminent use of unlawful force."

The only problem with that is that the last two word "unlawful force".  Abortion is not unlawful.  And that's probably why the judge in the Roeder case didn't allow the jury to consider manslaugher.  Roeder could use force, even deadly force, to prevent somone else's unlawful acts, but not their lawful act.

It makes perfect sense from a public policy standpoint as well.  If we allowed people to decide on their own volition when a murder is "justified" or not, then we basically make murder statutes into a dead letter law.  I would venture to say that many murders are justified in the eyes of the murderer.  But a criminal law system cannot work that way.

Video Of Las Vegas Courthouse Shooting

From this morning's events:

On The Other Hand....

... a white van parked for two days in Times Square and only now are people wondering about it?  Really?

NY: No To Gay Marriage

The New York State Senate just voted against legalizing same-sex marriage in a 34-28 vote.  It had previously passes the NY Assembly 88-51.

New York would have become the sixth state, and the most populous, to allow same-sex couples to get married. And it would have been the first to grant full marriage rights from a standing start, without having first granted interim rights such as civil unions.

Only one other state, New Hampshire, has approved gay marriage by action of the legislature. The others -- Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, and Iowa -- have done so primarily by court action.

UPDATE --  Nice speech from NY Senator Diane Savino from Staten Island (give a chance):

Only one senator had the balls to explain why he was voting "no", saying that not only were all major religions against same sex marriage, but so were the vast majority of NY voters.  Except that as he was uttering those words, a Marist poll of NY voters on the subject was released.  And NY voters actually favor SSM.

Breaking News: More Mass Shootings

In downtown Orlando (Gateway Center, if that means anything to you).  Live local news video fee here.

8 shooting victims.  Shooter not caught.

1:06 pm -- Interviewed woman says it was a male disgruntled (fired) co-worker of hers.  Police stopped the interview though.

1:44 pm -- Suspect's name is Jason Rodriguez.  He's on the loose, driving a silver Nissan SUV.  One person confirmed dead.  Reynolds Smith & Hills, a design firm, was where the shooting took place, and Rodriguez was laid off there a year or so ago.

2:00 pm -- I suspect the shooter will be located dead, having shot himself.

2:09 pm -- A blogger names Jason Rodriguez implores his readers: "It's not me!"

2:20 pm -- Jason Rodriguez apprehended says Orlando mayor.  Apparently he went to his Mom's house, and she turned him in.

Shooting At Fort Hood: Seven Twelve Dead, Twelve Twenty 31 Injured

Story breaking now.

Fort Hood hash tweet stream is here.

It's possibly too soon to say this, but the NRA argument that if everyone is armed, everyone is safe, is pretty much belied by the fact this incident at an army base.

UPDATE:  2 to 3 suspected shooters involved, reportedly wearing U.S. Army uniforms (although this doesn't mean they are U.S. soldiers).  One suspect possibly still at large.

UPDATE (4:10 pm):  Well, with the caveat that there is confusion and (probably) some error in the news reports, one first thought is that this might be a couple of oathkeepers.  Or some terrorist attack.  Since there were three two suspects, one can almost rule out the lone mentally deranged PTSD guy.

Latest reports say only two shooters, both caught, but some SWAT people are wounded.

UPDATE (4:30 pm):  Some reports saying 9 dead, up to 30 wounded.  Also scattered reports of another shooting at an Army residence, and it is unclear whether the base is secure yet.

UPDATE (4:50 pm):  Local Tx affiliate says one of the apprehended suspects is a military officer, an Army major.  CNN now reporting 12 dead, including one gunman.

Army spokesman just confirmed 12 dead, 31 wounded.  Shooter was killed; two other suspects arrested -- ALL of them US soldiers.

UPDATE (5:00 pm): Shooter was Army major "with Arabic-sounding name", MSNBC reports.

High Turnout In Maine Elections Today

So reports Politico.  Conventional wisdom is that this is good for the "No on 1" side.

BREAKING: Obama Signs Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Hate Crimes Legislation

Actually the Hate Crimes bill was tacked on to the 2009 Defense Appropriations Act, which Obama signed this afternoon, but it's still there, and Obama noted the significance of it:

So today I'm pleased to say that we have proved that change is possible. It may not come quickly, or all at once, but if you push hard enough, it does come eventually.

Now, speaking of that, there is one more long-awaited change contained within this legislation that I'll be talking about a little more later today. After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we've passed inclusive hate crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are. (Applause.)

I promised Judy Shepard, when she saw me in the Oval Office, that this day would come, and I'm glad that she and her husband Dennis could join us for this event. I'm also honored to have the family of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, who fought so hard for this legislation. And Vicki and Patrick, Kara, everybody who's here, I just want you all to know how proud we are of the work that Ted did to help this day — make this day possible. So — and thank you for joining us here today.

The new law strengthens existing U.S. laws by extending federal hate crime protection in cases where the victim was targeted because of their sexual orientation, gender, disability, or gender identity.

Balloon Boy Meme

Wow, these came quick...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

 

Falcon Heene

I have a rather bad feeling about this boy trapped in the balloon.

I have a rather bad feeling he is not hiding, but rather, he fell.

And we're going to get all kinds of people making snap judgments about how bad the parents were -- before we have any clear evidence that they were negligent.  To blunt those, let me get a few things said.  Accidents happen.  And because they were smart and eccentric and mixed-race (yes, some conservative bloggers think that's relevent) and on Wife Swap, that means nothing.

I suppose we'll know before nightfall.

UPDATE (6:05 pm):  As I'm typing, I was just watching local Colorado news.  They just announced he's been found.  He's alive.  He was in the house, hiding in the attic in the garage in a box.  So much for the house searches earlier today.  Networks will have it shortly.

AutoTune The News #6

With Michelle Bachmann (yaaaay!), Sarah Palin quitting, Michael Jackson dying....

This may be the best one yet.

MJ Memorial Service Liveblogging

OK.  I'm done.

UPDATE:  Here, by the way, are some funny Facebook updates on the event, compiled by Buzzfeed:

 

And Kevin Drum reports:

The Michael Jackson tribute is currently being aired on 18 separate channels on my TV.  Just sayin'.

Holocaust Museum Shooting

It's all unfolding now.

Two people (perhaps 3) shot by a gunman in the Holocaust Musuem in D.C..  The gunman was also apparently shot and is in custody.

Too early, of course, to determine the motive, but since it was at the Holocaust Museum, one can surmise that the shooter was anti-Jew.  From there, it's not a far leap to suppose that the shooter was an islamic terrorist of some sort.

Then again, news reports say that the shooter was a white male "born in 1920" which doesn't exactly fit the "islamic terrorist" profile.  Could be just a demented old guy.

UPDATE:  Some sketchy reports that the shooter may not survive.

UPDATE:   MSNBC saying the shooter "had possible connections to hate groups or anti-government groups".  If this turns out to be true, and at this point -- who knows, this is another of those right wing extremist (like the Dr. Tiller murderer) that the DHS warned us about.

Ironically, this is what the Holocaust Museum looks like -- can you read the red banner?

 

UPDATE:  I got this from Twitter (really, the best place to get breaking news).  The gunman's name is James Von Brunn (confirmed by MSNBC just seconds ago)

My Google searches find this comment by James Von Brunn at a site called "The Black Jesus":

Jesus Christs tells us to love our enemies, forgive them, turn the other cheek, give them our cloak and coat; give away our personal belongings and follow Him. Have you done this?

Do you know any alleged Christians that have ?

Nietzsche said, “The last Christian died on the cross.”

One cannot love your neighbors and segregate them. Therefore. Multi-cukturalism is a prerequisite to being Christian. It is for that reason the POPE advocates open borders with Mexico. The word CATHOLIC means “UNIVERSAL” The Churdh ALWAYS has sought a united World under CHRIST. The ILLUMINATI too seeks One World Government – which may be why Henry Kissinger, ZIONIST, visits the Vatican so frequently.

He's apparently an artist.  But he's mostly known as a white supremicist: see here and here.  Here's his hate website: http://www.holywesternempire.org/

His site's bio:

James W. von Brunn holds a BachSci Journalism degree from a mid-Western university where he was president of SAE and played varsity football. During WWII he served as PT-Boat captain, Lt. USNR, receiving a Commendation and four battle stars. For twenty years he was an advertising executive and film-producer in New York City. He is a member of Mensa, the high-IQ society. In 1981 Von Brunn attempted to place the treasonous Federal Reserve Board of Governors under legal, non-violent, citizens arrest. He was tried in a Washington, D.C. Superior Court; convicted by a Negro jury, Jew/Negro attorneys, and sentenced to prison for eleven years by a Jew judge. A Jew/Negro/White Court of Appeals denied his appeal. He served 6.5 years in federal prison. (Read about von Brunn's "Federal Reserve Caper" HERE.) He is now an artist and author and lives on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Here's his wikipedia profile, as written by him(?)....

User: James W. von Brunn, b.1920, attempted to place the Federal Resrve Board of Governors under legal, non-violent citizens arrest, 12-7-81. Von Brunn charged the FED with treason and other high crimes. The FED, a private stock-company, owned by International bankers, financed the construction of manufacturing plants in the Soviet Union during the "Cold War." War materials, produced by FED financed plants, were used by the Enemy against American military forces in Viet Nam, and elsewhere.

Von Brunn was tried and convicted by a Washington, D.C. kangaroo court; then sentenced to eleven years in federal prison by Judge Harriet Rosen Taylor; the sentence was confirmed by a racially motivated Appeals Court. Von Brunn was imprisoned for 6.5-years.

Von Brunn champions Western Culture,and the practice of Eugenics. He states that Marxism-Multiculturalism-Judaism is the Enemy of Mankind.citing Talmudic quotes to "Kill the Best Gentiles !"

Von Brunn was president of his college fraternity, SAE. He served as PT-Boat captain, USNR, during WW2, earning 4-battle stars and a Commendation Ribbon. His early business career was in NYC as copywriter, art-director and film producer; later as a real-estate broker; and lastly as a writer-artist.

He also wrote a treatise entitled "Kill The Best Gentiles!".  Here's the Table of Contents:

1. The Conspiracy
2. Khazars Invent Judaism
3. The Illuminati
4. Money
5. Spirochetes of Jew Syphilis
6. The “Holocaust” Hoax
7. Mendelism
8. The Negro
9. The Aryan Force
10. Parasitism USA
11. Pathology and Synthesis
12. Summing Up
APPENDIX
Glossary
Bibliography
Distinguished Personages
EXHIBITS:
Arson
Letter to US SecNav Webb
Letter from Admiral Crommelin
Gen. Anderson news item
Letter to Talbot County Council Star-Democrat:
Two (2) editorials in re Genetics
Poem by Josephine Beaty
Cicero ii

In a recent blog post, Von Brunn wrote that Hitler's "worst mistake" was that "he didn't gas the Jews."

I think we've got a good understanding of this guy....

UPDATE:  Brian Williams of NBC reports that he lives in New Hampshire...

UPDATE:  Also appears to be a sucker for the "Fox News" propaganda (Obama isn't really an American, etc....)

John Cole reacts:

How many acts of right-wing terrorism have to occur before DHS is allowed to start keeping track of it?

I really don’t get the conservative reaction to the original DHS pronouncement. No one is trying to lump angry Red State commenters in with honest-to-God terrorists…except, weirdly enough, the Red State commenters themselves.

There are crazy people out there shooting up abortion clinics and Holocaust museums. These people identify with causes normally described as right-wing. Deal with it. Tea bag away to your heart’s content. It’s not til you start plotting to kill people that DHS should take an interest. If anyone starts spying on you prior to that, then I, the ACLU, and dirty hippies everywhere will support your grievances.

Well said.

Defections In The NY State Senate

The Democrats no longer control to NY state senate, because of the defection moments ago of two Democratic senators, reports the New York Times.

A rift, apparently, in the Democartic party on the subject of gay marriage.

Ugly America

By now, you may have heard about the killing of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas this morning.  It took place in (of all places) a church.

Dr. George Tiller has long been a target (literally and figuratively) of the religious right, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, and others because he performs late term abortions.  As Amanda Marcotte wrote:

[Tiller] is one of the two doctors in the country that specializes in the very small percentage of abortions performed late in pregnancy (but before viability) done for health reasons, usually because the pregnancy is a danger to a woman's health or life, or because the fetus is dead or dying.... He's been shot in both arms, stalked by the attorney general's office under Phill Kline ... and charged with the crime of performing a bunch of illegal abortions, for which he was acquitted.

This is perhaps something that needs to be emphasized: he performed abortions for women who wanted to have babies but couldn't.

While many abortion opponents are quick to condemn the killing (see, e.g., the Christian News Wire), the rank-and-file are, well, quite rank:

The comments on Free Republic are typically nauseating and vile as well.

This is a divided country on many issues.  But I don't see anyone on the left killing anyone on the right.  And if one did, there wouldn't be smatterings of applause.

In any event, if one is anti-abortion, I fail to see how this moves the ball forward.  More likely, the opposite.

As for the killer, who some will no doubt call a hero, all we know right now is this:

Wichita television station KAKE-TV reported that police were looking for a blue Ford Taurus with a K-State vanity plate, license number 225 BAB. Police described him as a white male in his 50s or 60s, 6 feet 1 inch tall, 220 pounds, wearing a white shirt and dark pants.

Latest Update:

KWCH Eyewitness News has confirmed the suspect in the shooting of Dr. George Tiller is in custody in the Kansas City area. Wichita police say the man was arrested near Gardner, KS at around 2:00 Sunday afternoon.

Google Outage

Yeah, it's happening now, worldwide.  World at a standstill.

Are we relying on Google too much???

UPDATE:  More than a few people on Twitter did what *I* did -- i.e., tried to find out about Google outage by searching "google outage".... except they searched on Google.  Duh!

It does pose an interesting dilemna: how do you find out about Google problems when Google is having problems.  We really do rely on it too much.  (Oh, sure, there's Yahoo search, and Twitter, but they're stone age by comparison...)

UPDATE 2:  Problem apparently affect Google search, Google News, Gmail, and anything that syncs with Google, including YouTube and Blogger.

UPDATE 3 (11:40 am EST):  As far as I can tell, this CNET article is the only thing in the media confirming the outage, but it says it is over.  Not!!

UPDATE 4 (12:02 pm EST):  CNET still the only one reporting this, in a new article:

Many people found Google's search site was extremely slow or inaccessible Thursday, and other reports pointed to troubles with other properties including YouTube, Gmail, Google Analytics, Google Maps, Google Docs, AdSense, and Blogger.

Judging by a Twitter search for the #googlefail hashtag, the problem was international in scope, though it wasn't immediately clear how universal the problems were. Google didn't immediately comment for this story, though it did confirm an earlier Google News outage that lasted about three and a half hours.

Google is central to the online lives--and livelihood--of many, and an outage shows exactly how central it's become--and not just through its primary business, search.

"The Internet dies without Google. Can't get to my bank Web site because it's waiting on 'google-analytics.com.' This is made of lame," said Twitter user Tadiera.

I also note (from Twitter) that may people are turning to Yahoo Search "for the first time in [7,8,9...] years"

UPDATE 5 (12:12 pm):  Readwriteweb has more info:

We have seen our fair share of failures from web based products, but this morning, for a large number of users (at least in the U.S.), it looks like every Google service has been either wiped off the Internet or is running extremely slow for a large number of users. Even Google Search is only creeping along slowly right now, and YouTube, Google Reader, Blogger, Google Analytics, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Apps are pretty much unavailable as well.

Typically, these outages have never lasted for long, but once again, this outage shows how depended we have become on Google for so many of our daily tasks.

As of now, all of our attempts to contact any Google property are timing out, but we'll keep you posted once we find out more about this.

Update: Judging from the comments here and the conversations we are tracking on Twitter, it looks like these outages are somewhat localized, though we haven't seen any patterns evolve yet. It does seem, though, like the outages are mostly in the U.S., though we are also seeing some reports from European users, while Google seems to be working just fine in most Asian countries.

Currently, this looks like a networking issue, as users on some ISPs are able to access all of Google's services, while their neighbors are unable to connect to Google's servers.

The comments to this article are interesting.  There's a person in Boston saying it's down, and another person in Boston saying "no problem here"

FINAL (?) UPDATE (12:16 pm EST):  Googlefail is over.  Over for me, and for lots of others....

 

ANOTHER FINAL UPDATE (12:24 pm):  Who's to blame -- f***in' AT&T.

Maybe I'll bookmark the Internet Storm Center, now that I know it exists, for future problems.

And now that Google's back, you can Google "google outage may 2009" and see that I'm the #1 search result.... which is why this blog is getting slammed (for me) right now.

Binghamton Shootings

Death toll up to 13, some reports say.  It's not even clear, as I write this, if the situation is over with.  Some reports say a man was arrested, some say two men were arrested, and still others say there is a hostage situation.  [UPDATE 2:45 pm -- Now hearing it was a single gunman, and he is dead.]

It's too early -- waaaay to early -- to ascribe motive, but since the shooting took place at The American Civic Association -- a business that helps immigrants and refugees with counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification, interpreters and translators -- it's a reasonable guess that the shooter was either a disgruntled immigrant, or a rightwinger with a bone to pick with immigrants. [UPDATE 4:00 pm -- NBC and FOX are reporting the shooter, now dead, was a 42 year old Vietnamese immigrant named Jiverly Voong.  Apparently this was on his driver's license, which suggests he was a legal immigrant.]

Anyway, there seems to be a spate of these lately.  Disturbing....

Writing Your Own Obituary

It must be weird to be a reporter at The Rocky Mountain News -- Colorado's oldest newspaper (150 years old) and winner of 4 Pulitzer Prizes -- and have to report the death of The Rocky Mountain News.

RNC Leader Follies

I love the little news scrolls coming across my desk today, as the Republican National Committee seeks to elect a new chairman -- the guy who will lead the Republican Party.

The first ballot had Mike Duncan in the lead.  Mike Duncan has been the head of the RNC, which mounted massive losses in Congress in the 2006 and 2008 election (not to mention, of course, the loss of the White House in 2008).  Duncan was Bush's appointed guy, and a strong supporter of Bush policies.  So electing him would signal that the Republican Party is going to stay with the Bush doctrines, foreign and domestic.

Naturally, though, there was competition.

And by the third ballot, Mike Duncan has dropped to second place.  He then, in a surprise to many, withdrew his name.

So who became the frontrunners?  Michael Steele, noted because he is an African-American.  And Katon Dawson of South Carolina, who recently had to abandon his membership in a "whites only" country club.

Where are they now?  Given (primarily) those two choices, what is the temperature of the new "rebranded" Republican party?

After the surprise drop out of former Chairman Mike Duncan, South Carolina party chairman Katon Dawson has taken a two-vote lead over Michael Steele, 62-60.

This comes despite Duncan encouraging his voters to go with Steele, a source close to Duncan told First Read.

Anuzis moved to 31, and Blackwell remained at 15, rounding out fourth-round voting.

The winning candidate needs 85 votes to clinch. That means Dawson now needs 23 more votes, and Steele needs 25.

Duncan met with Steele privately prior to dropping out to tell him of his plans, a source said. The source added that "he likes Steele," but he's not sure that the members will all move to Steele. Many of them aren't warm to Steele, because he's not a committee member.

The source also said that Duncan pulled out because he's a "party guy" and didn't want a long, drawn-out fight.

This now is shaping up to be a fight between, fundamentally, an "insider" (Dawson) and an "outsider" (Steele). It also ironically sets up the first African American to lead the Republican Party against a party chairman from the South, who was a member of a country club that was formerly was all-white.

It would be a political embarassment to have the black guy lose; it only solidifies (perhaps unfairly) the perception that the GOP is not exactly minority-friendly.  On the other hand, if Steele (who is not only black, but more moderate) wins, what will be the response of the Republican rank-and-file?

Then again, this whole "RNC leader" selection process might just be like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

UPDATE - 3:08 pm:  Blackwell (another African-American), who was running last in the fourth round of balloting (see above), bows out and throws his support to Steele.

UPDATE - 3:30 pm: Michael Steele has re-gained the lead in the fifth round of voting for RNC chair.

Michael Steele: 79
Katon Dawson: 69
Saul Anuzis: 20

Aaaand... Anuzis dropped out without endorsing anybody. 

So the next round should be the last.  Which is good because, in his liveblog, NRO's Jim Geraghty notes that in addition to the other weighty questions hanging over this balloting for the chairman of the RNC who will lead the party out of the political wilderness ...

the RNC has to be out of the ballroom by 5 p.m. because a wedding is slated to use the room starting at 5:30.

Steele only needs to get 6 of Anuzi's forfeited 20 to win 85 votes and take the throne.

UPDATE - 4:05 pm:  It's Steele, with 91 votes.

Steele is the most moderate candidate, and (unlike Dawson) not from the South (NOTE: But he is pro-life).  And he's black.  Signs of a major shift in the Republican party.

Conservatives are becoming dust in the wind.....

UPDATE:  On Twitter, Ana Marie Cox observed, “Strong showing for Steele –widely considered a ‘moderate’ — in #rncchair suggests that Rs at least considering abandoning Palinism,” which she defined as, “[a]ggressive know-nothingism, pride in ignorance.” “It’s a diverse party. We’re tired of being labeled as white supremacists,” said a committee member from Rhode Island.

And it looks like social conservatives will be very unhappy.....

Kennedy Collapses At Inauguration Luncheon

Wheeled out on a stretcher.  Remember, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in May.

Senator Byrd (D-W.Va) collapsed as well, although it doesn't sound as serious.  I'm not a big fan of Byrd, being a former Klansman and all.

(Photo from earlier in today's inaugural luncheon)

UPDATE:  Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo), who has been twittering all day, notes Kennedy's collapse.

Air Disaster Over NYC

A flock of birds was apparently struck by a much larger metallic bird.

2 geese presumed killed so far.... 

Breaking News: O.J. Sentenced

A good long one, too.  16 years.  Eligible for parole in 6 years.  Good.

I guess it's really good for the "real killers" who won't have O.J. on their trail for a few years.

Bush Speaks To Nation; Reassures Everyone

During the course of his chat with the nation, the Dow dropped 60 points.

I'm thinking maybe he needs to not talk to us anymore.  We're just sick of him (which is why, I think, Oliver Stone's "W" is going to have lackluster box office receipts).

Dow Plunges Below 10,000

But you probably know that already.

And as for that $700 billion bailout?

Money well spent....

Recovery Plan Bill Passes House

I guess that's what... good?

Oh, okay. Good.

Morgan Freeman In Serious Condition After Mississippi Car Wreck

Sad....

Happened last night.  Car flipped several times.

Let's hope for the best....

UPDATE:  MSNBC is reporting he was talking at the scene of the accident, so that bodes well....