Mark Fiore's latest cartoon has a surprisingly sober denouement.

It's a long shot, but it's not too late to lobby Arnold to sign the bill allowing gay marriage. Here's a link with the contact information needed to lobby TheGov.

Nice to know Yahoo! is doing its part to make sure Chinese dissidents go to jail. Profits vs. human rights sadly seems to be an easy conflict for most companies to resolve.

Hunter S. Thompson's suicide note. Now we know; he was a little off.

Oh come on now.

Rep. Baker of Baton Rouge is overheard telling lobbyists: "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."

Turning to his pre-war address to the UN Security Council, when he forcefully made the case for invasion and offered proof that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, General Powell said that he felt terrible about the claims he made. Asked whether the speech would tarnish his reputation, he replied: "Of course it will. It;s a blot. I'm the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world, and (it) will always be part of my record. It was painful. It's painful now." -

That's former Sec. of State Colin Powell in a candid interview. He blames himself and the Bush administration for the half-truths that led up to the war and slams BushCo. horrifically mismanaging the occupation. It's tempting to say "better late than never", if it weren't for all those pesky dead bodies.

Mubarak wins with over 88% of the vote in Egypt. Turn-out was below 25%, which highlights the fact that the Bush admin. shouldn't take a bow just yet for bringing democracy to the region.

The Onion, helping us laugh at tragedy...

Jack Shafer at Slate reminds us that late Chief Justice Rehnquist was once addicted to Placidyl. An addiction so severe he required hospitalization in 1982. Shafer mentions that most obit omitted this aspect of his life (as is SOP for the MSM) and reminds us why it's worth remembering today:

The Rehnquist story deserves a third airing today if only to illustrate the ugly double standards that excuse extreme drug use by the powerful, especially if their connection is a prescribing doctor, and condemns to draconian prison terms the guy who purchases his drugs on the street.

So the Gov. will veto the gay marriage bill. A craven political act from a man who promised better.

Once again The Onion pushing the boundries and getting the first laugh.

If FEMA head Michael Brown makes it through the month, it will be a miracle. (But on the other hand, this is the administration that gives out Medals of Freedom for lethal levels of incompetence). More examples of FEMA's deadly ineffectiveness.

Sulli taking Bush to task for Katrina.

The message is short. So short it would fit on a postcard. It lingers in cyberspace waiting for a response.

"Family of 4 willing, wanting to help. Can drive to get you. Stay as long as you need to here in Albuquerque. God bless you. We care. Howard and Lisa Neil."

More than 2,000 messages on Craigslist offering housing to hurrican survivors. Sometimes the goodness of people is nothing short of amazing.

Anne Rice, writing in the New York Times, asks us if we really "Know what it means to lose New Orleans"?

Nature has done what the Civil War couldn't do. Nature has done what the labor riots of the 1920's couldn't do. Nature had done what "modern life" with its relentless pursuit of efficiency couldn't do. It has done what racism couldn't do, and what segregation couldn't do either. Nature has laid the city waste - with a scope that brings to mind the end of Pompeii.

Kudos to Rice for taking on the issue of race, adding another perspective, and writing from the heart.

But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs.