(This might interest) Maybe Just Me…

genetic testing to determing ethnic heritage

this is an nytimes.com article (reg required) about how ppl are using genetic testing to find out their ethnic background. the story part of the article is about 2 guys who took the test and found they are 9% native american and 11% northern african. but they have always thought of themselves as white. their parents are white. and i know that white american males are the “easiest group to discriminate” against, but don’t they have enough of an advantage within the social order that they shouldn’t be allowed to do this sort of thing to get things like financial aid to colleges and such?

DCist: D.C. to the Olympics?

yet another thing DC is doing to get noticed about the whole taxation w/o representation thing. i hope this actually works. it would be SO great!

delay’s lawyer requests the judge recuse himself because he has shown some political leaning to the left

okay, first the link is to the nytimes.com site, so you’ll need to register or go to bugmenot.com to get a login.

second, is delay and his attorney serious? if you can get one judge removed for being “biased” because the judge is politically left, then technically you should be able to recuse the admin judge (who will decide whether the trial judge should stay or not) because he is a republican appointed by a republican governor. NEVERMIND that all judges are political in texas because they are appointed or (in a great majority of cases) ELECTED…

such a dumb tactic. there’s no such thing as a completely impartial judge. but they do the best they can to strictly adhere to established laws and precedent. if you want completely impartial, then you have to go to something non-human or something.

HoustonChronicle.com - FEMA to limit debit card program to Texas shelters

This morning, U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s visit to the Reliant Park this offered him a glimpse of what it’s like to be living in shelter.
While on the tour of a shelter with top administration officials from Washington, including U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao and U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, DeLay stopped to chat with three young boys resting on cots.
The congressman likened their stay to being at camp and asked, “Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?'’
They nodded yes, but looked perplexed.

yes, fun… just like camp… yeah…

CNN.com - House approves flag-burning amendment - Jun 22, 2005

“Ask the men and women who stood on top of the [World] Trade Center,” said Rep. Randy [Duke] Cunningham, R-California. “Ask them and they will tell you: pass this amendment.”

it is so fucking wrong to invoke the memory of the 9/11 victims and dishonor them by using them as a cheap political ploy. for all anyone knows, and it’s a good likelihood, that some of the people who died that day would be against this amendment.

next thing you know they’ll try to pass an amendment saying you can’t burn the constitution or something even though you can go to any law school and find free pocket copies that no student keeps for more than a week because you can always get another. it’s so stupid.

CNN.com - Kerry, Bush had similar grades - Jun 7, 2005

His grades improved with time, and he averaged an 81 his senior year and earned an 89 — his highest grade — in political science as a senior.

are you kidding me? in poli sci he made an 89, his highest grade in college? and 89? (B+ is as good as kerry did ever?!?)

bush’s highest grade apparently was an 88, but bush was portrayed as dumb to kerry’s smart. and yeah, college grades don’t mean all that much, it’s just funny.

HoustonChronicle.com - Abortion consent measure now law

it’s actually not law as it’s an amendment to the tx constitution and has to be voted on. in this state i’m sure it’ll pass, but i hope not. get to the polls. so ridiculous.

ESPN.com - GEN - Congress: NBA’s steroids policy ‘pathetic’

does congress REALLY need to be involved with steroid/drug policies of independent sporting leagues? the argument could be made for baseball, since they were given an anti-trust exemption from congress, but seriously. this is all ridiculous posturing on the part of congress. when will people see through this kind of crap. the only sport that could use some sort of legislation (and honestly i’d prefer it happen within the sport, and not by some national/congressional mandate) is boxing. with all the different sanctioning bodies, all the states with their own boxing commissions/rules/requirements/licensing. that needs to be unified somehow.

HoustonChronicle.com - Former Pearland pastor grabs the national spotlight

doesn’t it seem a little suspect, even to people who are right-wing (but not religious) that all these religious groups are trying so hard to influence national politics? i mean i know it’s not contrary to the establishment clause of the constitution for them to do it, because it’s not government sanctioned, but if they exert all this influence and get people elected or appointed, at what point is it a defacto violation of the establishment clause? and regardless of morality, etc. it doesn’t take the brains of einstein to know that religion in politics is not a good idea.