Saw this disturbing news item in today’s New York Times headlines that shows the number of prosecutions for civil rights violations has decreased since 1999.

When I first saw it, I thought maybe it could be explained through an increase in terror cases. But no:

By far the biggest criminal prosecution category is illegal drugs, at about 33,100 cases last year, followed by immigration, weapons violations, white-collar crime and others.

And even more interesting/disturbing:

The study found, however, that only civil rights and environmental prosecutions were down from 1999 to 2003 as the total caseload rose by about 10 percent.

So what is happening to those who bring civil rights charges? And why has Ashcroft been touting the Justice Department’s record on civil rights? (Hint: probably for the same reason he boasted “The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved.”)

ADDENDUM: Will it get any better when Ashcroft passes on the baton?

Each year, my office holds a poster contest for the 5 million children in our programs across the country. We typically get about 500 entries, all created by kids from extremely diverse backgrounds. So it’s no surprise that we see some unusual names–but this one raised some eyebrows.

One adorable poster was the handiwork of 8-year-old Marjuana. Yup. Without the “i,” of course, but still! Can you imagine the taunting and teasing this poor child will endure through her life? See her in the executive suite, introducing herself to clients, “Hi, I’m Marjuana!” And I thought Gwyneth P. crossed the line when she named her child after a fruit.

Little Carl, be glad you have a normal name.

So, you probably saw this a couple of days ago: House GOP Changes Rules to Protect DeLay. The gist of the article is that the Republican Caucus agreed (note that word, it’ll be important later) to change House rules, instituted during mid-90s (and at the behest and instigation of the GOP), that called for Congressmen in leadership positions to step down when facing felony indictments in their home states.

Now, they didn’t entirely abolish the rule, as some are saying, but made the question a reviewable issue by the party on a case-by-case basis. The problem is that this now effectively lets House members decide whether an indictment is serious enough to warrant a removal — or, as they’re currently arguing, if an investigation is politically motivated (and therefore somehow not equivalent to an actual criminal investigation.)

Sound like crap to you, too? Yeah.

So, clearly, there’s enough support for this plan in Congress for it to have passed. Was your Congressperson one of those who votes to change the rule? Well, there’s the rub. After meeting on the issue for four hours, some members say there was a voice vote. Some stepped out of the room, they say, and then things happened without them. Some say there was NO VOTE AT ALL.

The Daily DeLay is keeping track of the GOP members’ positions on this. (As of today, it looks like one of Columbus’s own, Pat Tiberi, voted against the change, but Deborah Pryce, our local representative, hasn’t answered yet.)

Did your representative vote for the change? Find ’em and call ’em.

UPDATE: In a full review of the comments to the Daily DeLay post, I note the following, which I’ll reprint here:

I am a constituent of Rep. Price of Ohio- called her office, an aide told me she did not vote on the issue because she is a committee chair. I did detect a hint of glee that the question was able to be so deftly avoided, but I understand that there would be a conflict of interest there. — By Chance, at 8:27 AM

and

I called Deborah Pyrce (OH-15) yesterday morning and was told first to “check the website” and then put on hold for five minutes before being told that there was “no vote” or that the “vote wasn’t recorded” or …”wait let me make sure I wrote this down correctly from the spinner down the hall.” Basically, Pyrce won’t tell voters from her district how she voted. It’s a state secret. So if we take the Repubs. at their word–they mean what they say and say what they mean–we can only conclude that voters don’t deserve to know about how elected officials vote on matters of national or local importance. Wonder what other kinds of secret votes are being held up there in DC. — By Idle Crank, at 10:46 AM

Guess that answers that question.

Despite the rather lackluster season this year (and the ongoing Clarett/NCAA saga), it’s hard to live in Columbus and not get excited about the traditional last game of the season. Folks around here call it The Game, in tones that let you hear the capital letters (and it’s pronounced Thee Game, not Thuh Game, just so you know this one’s Most Important.) Doesn’t matter how badly overmatched we might be, or the small likelihood that we’ll even manage to make a dent in the Big Ten’s number one team — The Game is, quite simply, the most central event in Ohio State’s year.

So you make plans. You tailgate. You gather for parties. You find a good place to watch The Game. You dress up in scarlet and grey and buckeye necklaces, you listen to the Best Damn Band in the Land, you sing all the words you can remember to “I Wanna Go Back to Ohio State.” and “We Don’t Give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan” and “Hang On Sloopy“. You cheer (and maybe tear up a little) when the last sousaphone player of the year dots the “i” in Script Ohio. You wear your somewhat naughty (and definitely unapproved) anti-Michigan t-shirt. You yell at the refs; you swear that ABC has it in for the Bucks; you scream “Oh-Aitch!” at the top of your lungs and wait for someone across the room to answer back with “Eye-Oh!”

Then, when it’s all over, whether they win or lose, you do, in fact, go out and buy a keg of booze, and drink to old Ohio ’till you wobble in your shoes.

Ah, Michigan Week. How I love you.

From the files of “Now I’ve Seen It All”… A devout woman in Florida spied the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich she baked up. Now she’s selling it on eBay, at last bid just shy of $70,000.

Diana Duyser of Hollywood says she “took a bite after making it 10 years ago and saw a face staring back at her from the bread.”

The sandwich is authentic white bread with American cheese, kept mold-free by a plastic container.

Maybe I should start making grilled cheese more often.

Columbus activists claim the Franklin County Board of Elections sat on usable voting machines on election day, causing the amusement park-like lines around town.

Never mind the fact that the number of machines not in service was the oh-so-staggering figure of 68, which I very much doubt would have made an appreciable difference in ANYONE’s voting time around town, unless of course all 68 were put in one precinct. The principle in question is nevertheless sound — why weren’t all of Franklin County’s resources deployed? If you had extra voting machines that appeared useable, why not put them in service?

I also think Fitrakis (a former classmate — he was two years behind me at OSU, as I recall, though I think he’s quite a bit older) is off the mark quite a bit when he claims this was a devious campaign against the “Democratic city of Columbus, with its Democratic mayor and uniformly Democratic city council”. I’m as surprised at the results from election day as anyone else on the Left, but come on. Sixty-eight idle machines do not an election break. (“Voting early and often“, however…)

[link via People Have the Power — a new Columbus-centric news and activism blog from the donewaiting crew. Nice!]

Go outside and look up. Can you see the International Space Station?

If you’re in Columbus, here’s how, where and when.

In an age where the vast majority of this country is concerned about terrorism, national security and the restoration of a sagging American economy (and where at least 48% of the country is worried about an overtly conservative Christian agenda being imposed by a new Congress and a reelected conservative administration), here’s what the lame duck Senate wants to accomplish in the next couple of weeks:

The Senate might vote on HR2391, the Intellectual Property Protection Act, a comprehensive bill that opponents charge could make many users of peer-to-peer networks, digital-music players and other products criminally liable for copyright infringement. The bill would also undo centuries of “fair use” — the principle that gives Americans the right to use small samples of the works of others without having to ask permission or pay.

The bill lumps together several pending copyright bills including HR4077, the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act, which would criminally punish a person who “infringes a copyright by … offering for distribution to the public by electronic means, with reckless disregard of the risk of further infringement.” Critics charge the vague language could apply to a person who uses the popular Apple iTunes music-sharing application.

The bill would also permit people to use technology to skip objectionable content — like a gory or sexually explicit scene — in films, a right that consumers already have. However, under the proposed law, skipping any commercials or promotional announcements would be prohibited. The proposed law also includes language from the Pirate Act (S2237), which would permit the Justice Department to file civil lawsuits against alleged copyright infringers.

Emphasis added, of course.

Also in WIRED, tonight’s title fight: the reelected Bush administration vs. world heavyweight champion Science:

For the past four years, scientists have accused the Bush White House of ignoring widely accepted scientific studies in favor of fringe theories that support the administration’s political agenda. Meanwhile, government officials say scientists are exploiting research for political purposes.

Never was this rift more clear than at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in February, when former House Science Committee chairman Bob Walker, speaking on behalf of the Bush re-election campaign, warned scientists that their moaning about the government’s treatment of science could lead to a “push back” from the federal government.

So far, scientists haven’t been cowed. The Union of Concerned Scientists distributed two damning reports in 2004 accusing the administration of suppressing and manipulating research and stacking independent scientific advisory panels with ideological or industry-connected members.

“This administration has had a very uneasy relationship with science and scientists because of allegations that the administration has contorted science to fit political aspirations,” said Kathy Hudson, director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center, a think tank that focuses on genetic research and policy. “And part of it is an absence of genuine enthusiasm about science by the administration.”

And remember: every viewpoint is worth discussing.