4th Anniversary

Between 30,000 and 40,000 people took to the streets to mark the 4th Anniversary of the Iraq War. I'll never forget the beginning--my final spring break had just begun and I was screaming at the television in an overcrowded bar watching the bombs drop. From that moment on, I've joined thousands of others to protest this gross violation of governance any chance we got. But, like a lot of them, I've gotten a little f*ing tired of screaming and feeling like no one is listening. So it was a relief to know that people turned out for this weekend's protests (despite the grey, chilly weather in the Northeast). While I heard that the DC protests lacked some energy and the numbers in New York were fewer than normal, it's reassuring to know that civic duty pervades even our most defeated feelings and that at some point, this shit MUST end. Photo via of nickcalyx.

What does $9 billion a month get you?

Well, a war in Iraq silly! Check out the whole chart via NYTimes. I would like to note, for the record, that I just read Nicholson Baker's short novel Checkpoint.

Feminist bloggers resign from Edwards campaign

In the event that no one has read any of this elsewhere (I've been a bit bogged for the last two days), feminist bloggers Amanda Marcotte of pandagon.net and Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister have both resigned from the Edwards Campaign. What began as an exciting marriage of feminism and progressive Democratic politics--Presidential hopeful John Edwards hired Marcotte and McEwan to join his campaign staff--ended when Catholic psycho and head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Bill Donahue had a f*cking free for all, calling for the resignation of Marcotte and McEwan, "two anti-Catholic vulgar trash-talking bigots." Edwards deliberated firing them. He didn't. Marcotte resigned yesterday. McEwan resigned today. Both ladies assure us that neither Edwards nor his camp forced the resignations, but that it was the highly-malicious and seemingly endless onslaught of bullshit that ushered their departure. The whole thing is a fucking mess initiated by a dude who heads a 501 (c) 3 which, as many have pointed out, is legally bound to stay out of political mongering. What a fucking mess, but I think that McEwan puts it best: There will be some who clamor to claim victory for my resignation, but I caution them that in doing so, they are tacitly accepting responsibility for those who have deluged my blog and my inbox with vitriol and veiled threats. It is not right-wing bloggers, nor people like Bill Donohue or Bill O'Reilly, who prompted nor deserve credit for my resignation, no matter how much they want it, but individuals who used public criticisms of me as an excuse to unleash frightening ugliness, the likes of which anyone with a modicum of respect for responsible discourse would denounce without hesitation. This is a win for no one.

Bush gives himself more power

In light of the power shift in Congress and the scientific community's insistence on global warming, W. Bush has decided (remember, he is The Decider) to give himself more power over regulatory agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy. This might be just as disturbing as the new crowd-control heat ray gun developed by the military. Everyone spell it with me: F-A-S-C-I-S-M.

Dick Cheney is insane

The evidence is clear.