"Who is Ron Paul?"

That is the phrase I just saw spelled out in Christmas lights across somebody's fence. Which is, in a word, awesome. I never noticed how similar-sounding the names "Ron Paul" and "John Galt" were. Classic.

Plus, the Cowboys just lost. This is a good day.

And finally, an old friend who long ago disappeared into the depths of Australia has emerged in Istanbul to bring forth a new website, Digital Wits: where thinking technical isn't technically thinking.

That is all.

Song lyric of the day:
"Two wrongs don't make a right
But three rights make a left
I guess in the end we're going nowhere"
- Unexpectedly Sober, Damn the Ubiquitous They

Mitchell Report today

So the Mitchell Report is due out today, and sources are claiming a lot of players may be implicated. I have serious doubts as to whether I will be surprised by any of the report's findings, as I have long since resigned myself to baseball world filled with rampant cheating after a long period of denial. I'm sure the name Barry Bonds will pop up. Reports are saying Roger Clemens appears too; again, no shock. It's tough to think of a player, short of someone like Cal Ripken (who will definitely not be named), that would really give me pause.

Still, I'm not sure how I or the rest of the country will react. What I do know is that this is both a dark day for the game of baseball, as well as a renaissance. Perhaps Major League Baseball will soon emulate the NFL's not-quite-zero-but-infinitesimally-small tolerance policy. Eventually I hope the game will regain its integrity, but I'm more apt to believe we may have to relegate much of its greatness to bygone days of yore.

Reactions to follow after the report...

Song lyric of the day:
"Clearly this is your loss
Clearly it's not my loss
Clearly it's just bad luck
Clearly it doesn't mean a thing"
- Archers of Loaf, Plumbline

Repeal Day, and its hopeful sequel

Jacob has a series of posts on Repeal Day, which today celebrates the 74th anniversary of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which repealed Prohibition and the 18th Amendment, incidentally the only amendment dedicated to restricting the rights of the citizenry. In particular, on December 3 Jacob wrote about the sequel to Prohibition, the War on Drugs, and links to a Rolling Stone article about how badly it has failed.

Indeed, the War on Drugs continues to empower the corrupt, exacerbate violence at home and abroad, and accomplish absolutely nothing in the way of prevention, all while destroying the basic freedom to decide what one consumes. One can hope that the federal government will eventually recognize this and monoderectalize¹, and that the sequel to Repeal Day will eventually come to pass. We all know how Hollywood loves a good sequel. They could call it "Repeal Day 2: And This Time, It's Personal".

In the meantime, let's all raise a glass and drink a toast to Repeal Day!

1. to remove one's head from one's own ass

Song lyric of the day:
"And in the end we shall achieve in time the thing they call divine
When all the stars will smile for me
When all is well and well is all for all and forever after
Maybe in the meantime wait and see"
- Spacehog, In the Meantime

...and victory for Islam, common sense

That teacher who let her 7-year-old students name a teddy bear Mohammed has been pardoned. I wonder if people criticizing her realize how truly ridiculous they are to most of the world. Though I doubt they care.

It's a teddy bear, and they're 7. Lighten the bloody hell up, people.

Victory for South America, freedom, democracy

...and the horse you rode in on, Chavez. Though maybe we shouldn't blame the horse just because his rider is an authoritarian douchebag.

Song lyric of the day (bonus points for anyone who figures out how this relates to the post):
"I do believe anger is offset by sorrow
What you destroy today you might regret tomorrow"
- Soul Asylum, We 3