On Politics. This was a great day in the annals of crazy American politics. The Senate refused to seat Roland Burris, Gov. Blago's appointed choice to take Obama's Senate seat. This is an ironic situation since the very Democrats who say they are against racism are now practicing it. It is hard to call it anything else since that seat had belonged to a black man and it makes perfect sense to appoint another one to the seat. Well, maybe. I don't believe that, but there are plenty of people who do and they are not happy. In addition, I suspect that the appointment is legal and Senator Reid has no grounds for not seating him except for the fact that the Illinois Secretary of State refused to certify his paperwork. That will no doubt be remedied by the Illinois court very soon and then he will have to be seated. The problem will be in what everyone says and does in the meantime. The whole Illinois situation has been ridiculous and it shows no sign of getting better, so the drama will continue. I must say that I thought there would be nothing to do after the election was over, but I got that one wrong. This is keeping me listening and reading almost as much as during the endless campaign.
Also I do have one thing to say about Obama's line about there only being one president at a time.... Hey, you are not him. If he makes one more announcement/proclamation with a wall of flags behind him, I will be sick. I think he could be in a real hole by the time he is sworn in. I hope so anyway. Unlike many so called conservatives for whom I no longer have any respect, I do not wish him well, nor do I want him to succeed. I want him to be miserable and to earn a Republican legislature in 2010 and a ticket back to Chicago in 2012.
On Books. I have just finished reading Little Brother by Corey Doctorow. The tech geeks and hackers win by spying on Big Brother. It is full of scary things that can be done with a computer and should give those of us who only know how to check our email pause. My advice after reading it is to get a good security program and then don't do anything illegal. 'Nuf said.
On Walking. I am doing a great deal of it now. This is my sole New Year's resolution. I figure I need to be walking 40 or 50 miles a week to get ready to hike the Appalachian Trail. I have to clock the trip in the car but is a mile and half from the park to the end of the trail. Then to the Family Video is maybe another mile. At any rate, walking with no radio was actually nice. The news is easy to catch up on later.