"What is the Internet, Anyway?"

Here is an interesting video from less than 20 years ago. What is the internet anyway? The Today show from 1994.

Where Did 2010 Go?

To say I haven't posted here in a while is an understatement, I seem to have lost 2010. But I am going to try and take this blog up again and see where it leads.

If you enjoy reading this blog, feel free to comment so I know if anyone is actually reading it. :)

Does the Amtrak Error Invalidate the Whole Spending Bill?

I know I know, long time no write. But I just had a thought that I had to share.

As you may have heard, as a result of a typo, President Obama recently signed a law that requires that passengers transporting a firearm on an Amtrak train be locked in boxes for the trip, not the firearms, the passengers. I thought the story was pretty funny when I first read it. According to Fox News:

It's a mistake in the law's wording. But for now, the clerical error is the law of the land.

Earlier this week, Congress sent the president a massive spending bill that funded dozens of federal departments. Tucked into the transportation section of the legislation are safety requirements for Amtrak customers who carry firearms on board the government-backed train system. The bill Congress passed mandates that passengers with firearms declare they have weapons with them in advance and stow them in locked boxes while on the train.

The bill text was correct when the House approved the legislation last week. The Senate followed suit Sunday, but somewhere along the line, the language that referred to putting the guns in locked boxes morphed into stuffing "passengers" into locked boxes.

Aides to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., became aware of the problem Wednesday night as the House voted on its final slate of bills for the year. Pelosi's staff tried to negotiate with Republican aides to see if they would agree to change the text of the bill without revoting the entire piece of legislation. But it was all for naught as Obama had already signed the measure into law.

But if the bill President Obama signed was not the same bill passed by Congress, it can't be the law of the land. As I recall from Schoolhouse Rock, for a bill to become a law, the same bill has to pass both houses of Congress and be signed by the president. The bill the president signed was not actually passed by Congress. Since Congress chose to combine all these disparate items into a single bill, the problem is with the entire bill, not just the Amtrak section. Does that mean those federal agencies are currently operating (i.e. spending money) illegally?

It seems to me that Congress might need to pass a corrected bill ASAP. Of course it would be a shame if something like that screwed up Harry Reid's timetable to pass a health care bill by Christmas Eve....

The Eclectic Tarentino

I am a big fan of Quentin Tarentino's films. I thought this was really interesting. Be warned full of graphic violence and adult language.

Eclectic Method - The Tarantino Mixtape from Eclectic Method on Vimeo.

Yet Another Bailout Request

"Lex Luthor Bailout" with Jon Hamm - watch more funny videos

Is that the worst ever bald wig or what?

NOT a trailer for the new Star Trek Film...

Roland Burris

"I love this part. He was turned away because they said he didn't meet the high standards of the Senate. Gee. I wonder which senator turned him down. Do you think it was the one who embezzled the money? Maybe it was the one that got caught with the hooker? I know, I'll bet it was the one caught fornicating near the urinal in the airport bathroom." --Jay Leno

Aside from the issue of whether or not the Senate SHOULD refuse to seat Roland Burris, is the perhaps more interesting issue of whether the Senate CAN refuse to seat him. Article I; Section 5 of the United States Constitution provides in relevant part: “Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members.”

From that, it would seem pretty straightforward that the Senate does have the power. But Supreme Court precedent would seem to disagree. In the case of Powell v. McCormack (1969), the Supreme Court ruled that the House of Representatives could not refuse to seat Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (who had been embroiled in scandal). The Court ruled that the House could not add additional qualifications to those in the Constitution (age, residency, and citizenship).

I doubt that the Burris case will make it to the Supreme Court, but it would be interesting to see if the Roberts Court would agree with the Warren Court decision.

As to whether Burris should be seated, it is highly unlikely I would be enthusiastic about anyone appointed by a Democratic governor. But I recently read something that makes me particularly concerned about Burris. Politico is reporting that “Burris sought death for innocent man.”

While state attorney general in 1992, Burris aggressively sought the death penalty for Rolando Cruz, who twice was convicted of raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in the Chicago suburb of Naperville. The crime took place in 1983.

But by 1992, another man had confessed to the crime, and Burris' own deputy attorney general was pleading with Burris to drop the case, then on appeal before the Illinois Supreme Court.

Burris refused. He was running for governor.

Deputy attorney general Mary Brigid Kenney ended up resigning in protest. Personally, I have no respect for any prosecutor more concerned with getting convictions than ensuring justice. Those willing to let an innocent man rot in prison for political advantage deserve to change places with that innocent man. Burris was willing to let Cruz stay on DEATH ROW. He certainly should not be elected (or selected) to the Senate.

Hopefully, Illinois will impeach Blagojevich with all deliberate speed.

For Sale in Illinois

"President-elect Barack Obama said he got a little choked up as he left his house in Chicago and headed for Washington, D.C. It was especially painful because as soon as he left, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich sold Obama's house." --Conan O'Brien

"President-elect Barack Obama and his family made the move from Chicago to Washington, D.C., over the weekend, so their daughters, Malia and Sasha, could start school with the other kids coming back from break. They're enrolled in the Sidwell Friends School, which is a very exclusive private school. Chelsea Clinton went there, and to give you an idea of how exclusive it is, someone got ahold of the school lunch menu. Now this for real. One day menu's, local pumpkin and sage soup, salad du jour, Caesar salad, chopped salad, spaghetti and meatballs, roasted butternut squash [on screen: a copy of the menu]. Disgusting, really disgusting stuff. No one would feed to that kind of garbage to their children. And while that might seem like a bit much for a bunch of 6-, 7- and 8-year old kids, I was actually looking through their wine list this morning and it's very reasonably priced. What would you recommend with Funyons, a Chablis?" --Jimmy Kimmel

"And for the next two weeks, President-elect Barack Obama will be living full-time at a hotel right across the street from the White House. This is historic because this is the first time a Democrat has checked into a Washington hotel room under his own name." --Jay Leno

"Hey, congratulations to Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, who had her baby. They named the baby Tripp, which is better than the name Sarah Palin suggested. She wanted to call the kid Joe the baby." --Jay Leno

The Downside of the Detroit Bailout

An A Capella Star Wars Tribute To John Williams

Obama, Japan

"This is weird. In Japan, officials in a small town called Obama -- there's a town in Japan called Obama -- say they're going to invite Barack Obama to visit. Yeah. And actually, a similar trip happened after Bill Clinton was elected, and he was invited to Horndog, Thailand." --Conan O'Brien

"Barack Obama spent his first day as president-elect putting together his transition team. And if you believe MSNBC, by tomorrow he will have chosen all 12 of his disciples." --Jay Leno

What A Difference One Percent Makes