Pixelated Boobs and Naked Babies

The Onion's pop culture blog takes on FCC indecency fines. Did you know PBS was fined $15,000 for letting musicians reference "The Cocksucker Blues," or that Smithers getting assaulted by strippers was not deemed "patently offensive"?

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Oprah: My Hero

Oprah Winfrey: Wealth "is a good thing."

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Flags Across Latinoamerica

Coverage of yesterday's massive immigration rights protest / immigration reform rally available at the Washington Post and Houston Chronicle. The event was distinguished by a welcome lack of petulant college kids protesting on their parent's dime during spring break and an abundance of families. Never have so many adorable kids worked so hard to change immigration laws in the U.S. Nothing warms the heart like a 2-year old girl shouting "Si se puede" at the top of her tiny lungs.

Again, the 95-photo series from the event is here.

The Washington Post's photo gallery is here.

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Si Se Puede!

Photos from the immigration rally this afternoon in DC are up.

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An Afternon of Photographology in DC

Ahead of tomorrow afternon's immigration reform protests on the Mall, I decided to take the new Nikon D50 on a test run and hunt for some memorable images. I found a few, but hopefully the morrow will yield more dramatic photos. I am offically resurrecting my protest photo-blogging mojo for one and all. See a classic Scam-load of photos from 2003 here.

As a taste, we have the Capitol framed by the stage of this afternon's pre-protest rally on the Mall (click for larger image):



















Imagine also what that sainted building would look like framed by an 18-wheeler given a National Park Police permit:



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Congressional Jargon is a Point of Personal Privilege

Just when I start thinking I'm too inside-the-beltway, I get en email like this reminding me how mainstream my sensibilities are.

Republican Cloakroom Hotline:
Because Republican Senators have been blocked from offering -- and getting votes on -- amendments, Senators Frist, Martinez, Hagel, McCain, Specter, Graham and McConnell will be voting NO on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to commit w/an amendment this morning. If all time is used, that vote will occur at approximately 9:45 am.

OK everybody, remember: that's a no vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to commit with an amendment. Everybody clear?

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Almost Famous

The celebrity-obsessed Megan sent me this story about Thandie Newton (she was in Crash, in case you were wondering) writing to Tom Cruise and other stars in order to get them to reduce their carbon footprint and stop driving SUVs (as if any of these people have driven themselves anywhere in years). My response:

Someone is severely overestimating their celebrity value. Memo to Thandie Newton: you have to actually be famous before you can start lecturing your (box office) betters in print. Everyone knows Hollywood celebrities are going to be whiny, but please, at least actually be a celebrity first.

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Hot for Jihad, Part Deux

The hilarious and dead-on Mark Steyn has a great column in the Chicago Sun-Times on why we need a rhetoric for the War on Terror that can go the distance.

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The Pakistani Punishment: You’re Grounded

Police in Lahore, Pakistan arrested over 1,000 people this week for violating a recent government ban, going so far as to suggest that they would prosecute violators under the nation’s anti-terrorism laws. What is this dastardly conduct which the government is so vigorously attempting to stamp out? Yes, as you probably guessed, the provincial poobahs have banned…kite flying. It seems that sometimes people get cut by the strings. Which are considered unduly sharp. Thank goodness Pakistan doesn’t have any real problems to deal with.

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A Civil Union of Libertarians and Conservatives

Somehow I escaped being quoted in this story in The Hill, despite the author hitting up two of the other panelists from my recent brush with public speaking (audio here).

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