OpenCongress Upgrade

OpenCongress releases 13 new features that allow you to more efficiently track your federal legislators. Have fun and remember to vote early and often.

Seriously?

Ben Fried justly blasts NY state Sens. Jeff Klein and Eric Adams for their pollution-friendly proposal to suspend tolls on bridges and tunnels in NYC during major holidays.

 

Help a brother out

In Minnesota, the good guys are on the brink of putting a medical marijuana bill on the governor’s desk. But they have a roadblock:

Unfortunately, Gov. Pawlenty — on the short-list for McCain’s VP, incidentally — has said he “stands with law enforcement” on the issue; meaning, presumably, in opposition to it and inclined to veto based on the opposition of a small but vocal contingent of cops and prosecutors.

One problem: that small but vocal contingent has been exaggerating, offering misleading testimony, and occasionally lying outright about the bill.

Political Humor?

Via RCP Blog (via CBS News):

 – Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., walked over to the Republican side of the floor and handed McCain a piece of paper. McCain started reading it and immediately started laughing out loud. A practical joke of some sort. They really are very friendly. McCain has been pulling the paper out and showing it to other Senators — big laughs all around.

What’s the joke? Don’t Americans deserve to know? And with a looming recession and bitter campaigning to come, couldn’t we use a good joke — especially a bipartisan one?

Reconsidering the White House

Would the true candidate of change — whoever (s)he is — support a new White House design?

91 Hoods — One Candidate to Rule Them All?

With the Democratic primary contest appearing to narrow down to Sens. Clinton and Obama, perhaps it’s worthwhile to take a gander at the city where Clinton spent her youth and where Obama cut his political teeth.

(via StrangeMaps)

Texas rules!

I guess if they voted any other way, they might have to convene every year.

(Thanks, Kevin.)

Nevadans vs. the law

See http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7162515

and

http://www.sar.org/history/flag/flag-act.html . (Thanks, crazymonk.)

Free Radiohead or What You Will …

In the tradition of local/indie theater groups across America (or at least in Berkeley and Austin), Radiohead is offering its latest set of goods at the pay-what-you-will price. I’m tempted to pay loads more for this than I would for most choice CDs at Amoeba.

San Quentin, I Hate Every Inch of You

From The Roundup:

Legislators learned by accident this week that construction of the [new San Quentin execution] chamber was well underway when a couple of legislative policy analysts visited the prison for research and happened upon the new facility,” write Evan Halper and Jordan Rau in the Times.

“‘It is an insult to the Legislature. It is an insult to the public,’ Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) said. ‘It really is outrageous what they have done.’”

“Administration officials say that they did everything by the book. Legislative approval, they note, is required for projects costing $400,000. The administration priced the new chamber at $399,000.”

Funny, we at the Roundup have never been able to build a death chamber with less than 401,000. Guess we’ve been overpaying for ours…