| It's been a busy week, what with Mark Sanford becoming the latest IIE family values philanderer. Other things may have flown under the radar...but before we get there, the latest on Mark Sanford has the NY Times reporting that the emails came from the guy that Sanford's mistress was dating. (I only wish I could make up stuff like this.) Also, Mrs. Sanford has spoken on how she found out about the affair. And now the rest: If you're a long time reader, you know my position on knowing the state capitals. In the same realm of geography, you may be interested to know that the smallest state in the Union has the longest name, in terms of total letters. As in "State of New York" or "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". Or in this case "State of Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations." A push to drop "Providence Plantations" from that name advanced farther than ever on Thursday when House lawmakers voted 70-3 to let residents decide whether their home should simply be called the "State of Rhode Island." It's an encouraging sign for those who believe the formal name conjures up images of slavery, while opponents argue it's an unnecessary rewriting of history that ignores Rhode Island's tradition of religious liberty and tolerance. The bill permitting a statewide referendum on the issue next year now heads to the state Senate.
This coincides with the Congress looking to apologize for slavery. Next up: If you want to see how bad health care is in your state, click here, and then pick your state. You'll find out what percentage of people have health insurance, how much it costs in relation to minimum wage, how many people couldn't see doctors due to cost, etc. It's eye-opening, and it's brought to you courtesy of Secretary Sebelius' office. DOMA: Many of us are furious at the Obama Administration brief in the Smelt case, and the lack of progress on the repeal of DADT. Credo has an idea. They say: President Obama claims he's in favor of repealing DOMA - he just needs for Congress to send him a bill. Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Reid should give him the opportunity to make good on his word.
How simple. You know the drill: sign the petition, and call your Senators and Representative. Update on the Metro crash: It appears the this week's crash was in large part due to a failure of one of the automated systems. The system is supposed to have the trains run at the correct speeds, and stop if there is an obstruction (like another train) on the tracks. Testing indicates that the circuit which monitors what is ahead on the tracks doesn't work in the area of the crash. Currently, trains are being run manually, and the Red Line trains are speed-restricted. Initial investigation indicates no error on the part of the operator, who tried to stop the train with the emergency brake when she saw there was a problem. |
