Wanna read something scary?

Mikaela says:
Check out the comments to Norman Lear's article in the Washington Post about respect and tolerance for religious belief.

Oh my.

We got problems...

Not sure what this Christian was doing up on the Internet so late, but ...

Mark Farr:

Some one must say this to you:
You speak as an idiot apologist and who by your own statements identify to all that you do not believe that Jesus is Lord. The word of the Lord John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." Everyone sins. You feel that you can judge and distinguish the big sin from the small, you substitute your own rationalizations for what should be your faith and trust in Christ and his word. Sorry I must tell you but the "Muslim or Hindu" will not see the father and your rationalizations that (in your eyes) they may not have sinned is irrelevant. Their own failure to accept Christ is relevant.
Jesus taught that we should choose, not submit. We all choose, some of us will never submit. I'll pray for you.

Posted November 29, 2006 1:16 AM

And this deep thinker:

Greg:

Mr. Lear you are lost. Jesus is Lord and God of us all. This liberal belief that all religions work is just nonsense. If there was another way to the Father, and there is not, the Bible would have told us.

Posted November 29, 2006 9:37 AM

Check out the nuance shown here:

jim:

JESUS CHRIST is LORD!! HE DIED for ALL SINS.FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,THAT WHO EVER BELIEVES ON HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. The WORLD means EVERYONE on this planet not just western civilization.FOR JESUS IS THE WAY,THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. Our SALVATIOV is EVERLASTING LIFE given to us by GODS GRACE through FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE.
JESUS IS LORD !!!

Posted November 29, 2006 11:06 AM

These were the most vitriolic entries, I admit, but check it out and see everything on the spectrum of belief. If I had lots of time, I'd chart them and do the percentage to find out just how much trouble we're in.

This is one of the biggest reasons why we thought to separate government and religion in the first place. There is way too much at stake for people to base rule of law on the beliefs only some of us share and some of us would die -- or kill -- for.

Heap o' trouble. Oh boy.

We're at Civil War in Iraq

Mikaela says:
Mainstream media has begun to label Iraq a civil war. Academics who study these things are finally satisfied. The White House isn't happy.

Here's standard criteria by which to judge a civil war:

By Monica Duffy Toft
monica_toft@harvard.edu

There are six criteria for considering a conflict a civil war.

Q. Is the focus of the war control over which group governs the political unit?

Q. Are there at least two groups of organized combatants?

Q. Is the state one of the combatants?

Q. Are there at least 1,000 battle deaths per year on average?

Q. Is the ratio of total deaths at least 95 percent to 5 percent? In other words, has the stronger side suffered at least 5 percent of the casualties?

Q. Is the war occurring within the boundaries of an internationally recognized state or entity?

She says yes to all above in Iraq since 2004.

More Orwellian than Orwell

Mikaela asks:
What the **^%$%& is this?

Courtesy Democracy Now:

U.S. Stops Describing Americans as "Hungry"
In news from Washington, the Bush administration has stopped using the words "hunger" or "hungry" when describing the millions of Americans who can't afford to eat. Instead of suffering from hunger, the Agriculture Department now says these people are experiencing "very low food security." The USDA estimates that 12 percent of Americans or 35 million people could not put food on the table at least part of last year.

White Culture

Mikaela says:
I'm totally down with the latest exploration of white as a culture, not an invisible standard by which all other colors are deemed lesser.

Marjorie has often decried the lack of discussion around white culture, which could be a powerful organizing tool if taken to the suburbs and taken out of the hands of supremacists.

Cheers to Out ch'YondA for once again leading the way in celebrating all diversity and enriching our cultural discussions here in the Q.

Out ch'YondA Live ArtZ Studio Presents in December

"Stuck in Neutral": White History Weeks Out ch'YondA

Explore the unexplored territory of White identity through art, intellectualism and radical thought without trashing White folks--not even hillbillies.

White artists from the community include:

• Bryan Konefsky
• Bill Nevins
• Ourania Tserotas
• Mark LeClaire
• Peter Chase
• and more.

Together, we can bridge the historical, social and psychological gaps around Whiteness and bring this identity out of the neutral zone in current times. Events include a gallery opening, poetry, film, performance art, music, panel discussion, anti-racism workshop, food and more.

• Opening Event: Friday, December 1 @ 6.00; $5
• Poetry: Saturday, December 2 @ 8.00; $5
• Brunch & Panel: Sunday, December 3 from 11.00 am-3 pm; $10
• Gallery Opening: Friday, December 8 @ 6.00 pm
• Films: Saturday, December 9 @ 7.00 pm; $5
• Anti Racism Workshop: Thursday, December 14 @ 7.00 pm; $10
• Music: Friday, December 15 @ 8.00 pm; $10
• Closing Event: Saturday, December 16 @ 4.00 pm; $10

For more specific information, please contact us at 385-5634

Out ch'YondA Live ArtZ Studio

929 4th St. SW

9 blocks S of Central

5 blocks N of Cesar Chavez

385-5634

Wake Up Call, Paging Bush Sr. (re: Jr): What the World Thinks (Because of How We Think)

Mikaela re-posts:
Democracy Now reports:

Bush Sr. Lecture Audience Cheers Criticism of President
Former President George Bush Senior got into a verbal confrontation with a student audience in Abu Dhabi Tuesday after several people criticized his son’s policies. One audience member told the elder Bush she did not respect the President and what he’s doing in the world. The Associated Press reports Bush appeared stunned when most of the audience applauded in approval. Another questioner said US wars were waged to open markets for American corporations. Bush Sr. replied: "I think that's weird and it's nuts. To suggest that everything we do is because we're hungry for money, I think that's crazy."

That is money, people. Classic. I have got to find audio. What a fantastic early Christmas present!

Happy eating

Maggie says:
Been working too much to write lately, and I'm off to North Carolina in the morning for the holiday. Hopefully I'll be full of writing upon my return.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone... I wish you all lots to be thankful for and lots and lots of yummy food.

Atomic Reality

Mikaela says:
They've got me thinking about all things nuclear.

Democracy Now reports that an insider has come forward with information that Cheney's office is asking intelligence agencies to cook the books about Iran's nuclear capabilities much like they did in order to justify invading Iraq for WMDs in the complete absence of evidence for WMDs.

That and the controversy over the inequitable treatment of Israel's nuclear capability vs. other Middle Eastern countries.

And our focus on nuclear energy as a viable option, coupled w/ news that researchers have found a way to speed the half-life of certain radioactive metals, so that instead of taking 10,000 years to become "safe," it takes 5,000. Not really a "solution" but clearly will be used to increase the optimism of human control over radiation. [Heard on Living on Earth, October 27]

The reality on the ground for those working with these materials is often overlooked. This poem, written by Jeffrey Hillard, from Atomic Ghost: Poets Respond to the Nuclear Age, sums up for me the working man's perspective on the risk we ask him to take.

The Message

I want the sign to read, never come back again.

Instead, it reads, Safety Is A Man’s Best Friend.

I know each one: Alert! above the utility room.

Know Your Goggles near the loading docks.

I have partners who can’t spell half the words,

each orange letter a directive that keeps our

sleeves buttoned and hard-hats within reach.

A mishmash of phrases that exalt our lungs

above any skill; words bold as hot metal,

composed in some super’s office, under a cool fan.

They’ll never convince me that I’d burn myself

or remove my gloves near a blasting furnace

or breathe the fumes from a lead vat

rimmed with sulfuric acid.

I don’t need signs to echo my flaws.

A Careless Employee Is A Disaster In Uniform.

I already load sludge and leave my body

to the eyes of a detector scanner.

Since I drive a forklift, I look ahead,

not above. Today, something is different.

I imagine the tar-black walls swelling,

tiers of sludge frothing over the catwalks,

my lead shield coming apart, dust floating past.

I salvage my thoughts, especially after lunch.

I know it’s dangerous, but I’ll steer the lift

near a pit and join a crew for a cigarette.

We take three puffs, crush them on our hard-hats

and drop them in a shirt pocket. Safe, not sorry.

I’m not yet relieved. I imagine another sign

saying, All bodily cells replaced here,

but the wisdom I receive is Shower Thoroughly.

I find a blessing in each thump of the time-clock,

in the exit gate, in the sign whose broken letters

remind us to dump uniforms in the black barrel.

I say to no on in particular I do, I do.

I think, what else can I give? What else

do they want from a man whose name is duty

and paycheck, a man who sheds these clothes

like they’re footprints to be mopped and forgotten.

what exactly is news?

marjorie says...

It's all over the "news" this morning about the new O.J. Simpson book coming out in which he "hypothetically" describes how the murder would have happened "if" he had killed his wife Nicole.

You know, this book is utterly crass but that will be covered plenty so I won't go into it here.

The most interesting thing to me about this is how its covered as "news." There are certain news sources that tell us point blank what it really is, like this Washington Post article, by Lisa de Moraes:

"And, in one of those incredible coincidences that make covering the TV industry so fulfilling, the book is being published under the Regan imprint, headed by Judith Regan, who will conduct the interview with O.J. on Fox. And her publishing outfit, ReganBooks, is a division of HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp. -- which also owns Fox!"

Ok, just to make sure everyone gets that:

News Corp. owns Fox and the publisher of this book, Regen Imprint. The book is coming out just in time for Christmas sales and Fox is promoting the book under the guise of "News" when it airs an "interview" with O.J. Simpson, as news...

There are other news sources that give us this tidbit as well, and to be honest, I don't really know how its being covered on the T.V. "news" outlets of choice for most Americans. Please, somebody tell me.

What is news really, for me, is the fact that so many "news" outlets are covering this as "news"...rather than the corporate money making venture that it is...just like any new product coming in time for our Christmas love affair with material goods. Just skim through all the "news" articles today and you'll see what I mean. In one after the next, the reporter never mentions the money angle...see for yourself here, here, and here.

Fox represents the utter corruption of the concept of News. Here we have a station that mixes shows with so-called news "commentators" and "experts" who are blatantly biased with these types of completely gross entertainment pieces masquerading as news. What kills me is how it reverberates throughout the "news" world, with bonafide outlets simply picking up the schtick and running with it.

Did Bush try to suspend the election?

Mikaela ponders:
Is it just me, or does this point to the fact that Bush contemplated -- or at least asked about -- not allowing the election, since we're "at war"?

Mikaela reposts courtesy Democracy Now:

Bush: Nation Should Be Proud Elections Were Held in Time of War
Over the weekend President Bush gave his first weekly radio address since the mid-term elections. He said the country should be proud that the elections were held even though the county is in a war.

• President Bush: "One freedom that defines our way of life is the freedom to choose our leaders at the ballot box. We saw that freedom earlier this week, when millions of Americans went to the polls to cast their votes for a new Congress. Whatever your opinion of the outcome, all Americans can take pride in the example our democracy sets for the world by holding elections even in a time of war."

Save Indie Community Radio in NM!

Mikaela summarizes:
First ClearChannel bought KBAC, then they watered down its programming.

Now they're selling it to a company that will change it to a Christian broadcasting station.

Below is a letter urging you to action to protest the sale and save this long-loved local community station. Time is of the essence.

Mikaela edits & re-posts courtesy Friends of KBAC, Radio Free Santa Fe:

KBAC
has been making a difference in the LIVES of the community
11 years now.

It is time we as a community gave KBAC the same support.

RADIO STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
ARE BEING BOUGHT UP BUY BIG RADIO COMPANIES, REGARDLESS OF HOW COMMUNITIES FEEL.
THIS NEEDS TO STOP!
COMMUNITIES NEED TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED
AND GET BACK OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
STARTING WITH KBAC!

Who is buying this station?

Clear Channel is in process of selling KBAC to a Christian Broadcasting Company, EMF Broadcasting out of Rocklin, California.

Who to write?

I encourage you to write letters and/or fax and EMAIL to the following addresses to air your opinions and get others in the community to do the same. Your letters will make a difference AND please make sure that a copy of your letter gets sent to Friends of KBAC, 223 North Guadalupe #533, Santa Fe, NM, 87501 so that we have a copy on file to send out as well when I write the FCC to protest this sale.

WRITE, EMAIL, FAX ALL NAMES BELOW

(especially Mr. DICK JENKINS, CEO, EMF Broadcasting).
FLOOD THEM WITH YOUR LETTERS.
THAT IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

IT ONLY TAKES A FEW MOMENTS TO WRITE A LETTER.

and

IF YOU COULD PASS INFORMATION ALONG to others,

THAT WOULD HELP TOO

EMF Broadcasting,
Attention: Mr. Joe Miller, VP
email : jmiller@emfbroadcasting.com
Attention: Mr. Dick Jenkins, CEO
email : djenkins@emfbroadcasting.com
5700 West Oaks Blvd, Rocklin, CA 95765
Phone: 916.251.1600; Fax: 916.251.1650

and, go right to the source...

Clear Channel Communications
John Hogan, President & CEO
email : johnhogan@clearchannel.com
Clear Channel Radio, Clear Channel Communications, Inc.
200 East Basse, San Antonio, TX, 78209
email : johnhogan@clearchannel.com
Jerry Kersting, Acquisitions
email : jkersting@clearchannel.com
Phone : 210.822.2828 / fax : 210.822.2299
and closer to home
Mr. Chuck Hammond, VP Sales, NM Market
email : ChuckHammond@clearchannel.com (Albuquerque Office)
Phone: 505.830.6400 / fax : 505.830.6599
5411 Jefferson NE, #100, Albuquerque, NM, 87109

but WHY stop there?

Governor Bill Richardson / MAIL: Office of the Governor,
Attention : Annette Sedillo, State Capital #400, SFE, NM, 87501
EMAIL : annettet.sedillo@state.nm.us / FAX: 505.476.2226
Mayor David Coss / MAIL : Mayor David Coss,
Attention : Marge Sandoval, 200 Lincoln Ave, SFE, NM, 87501
EMAIL : mdsandoval@santafenm.gov / FAX : 505.955.6683
Senator Bingaman / MAIL : 119 East Marcy Street, SFE, NM, 87501, Attention : Landri Rush / EMAIL : landri_rush@bingaman.senate.gov / FAX : 505.992.8435
FCC Commissioner Tate / MAIL : Commissioner Tate,
Attention : Susan Fifenne, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554 / EMAIL : susan.fifenne@fcc.gov / FAX 866.418.0232
Attention : Chris Robbins, Media Advisor to Commissioner Tate /
EMAIL : Chris.robbins@fcc.gov

What is going to happen?

Friends of KBAC plans on protesting this sale, BUT WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE. WE NEED YOU, THE COMMUNITY. When this sale becomes official on the FCC docket, we plan on fighting this sale to preserve the "REAL LOCAL" community radio station and its unique format with your help. If this sale does not go through, there will be an opportunity for the local management of KBAC to purchase the station. This would "FREE" KBAC once and for all from Clear Channel. The raised voices of the Santa Fe community are needed to prevent this sale as we as a community will have only 30 days to voice our opinions once this sale hits the FCC.

NOW
IS THE TIME TO WRITE, FAX, EMAIL AND VOICE YOUR OPINIONS.


How can YOU show your IMMEDIATE support?

Friends of KBAC will be needing volunteers, as we are going to need as many signatures and letters as we can get, so if you feel moved to become more involved and can spare a block of time, please contact Friends of KBAC at the email address below.

Thank you,

Skye Rivers, FRIENDS OF KBAC @ friendsofkbac.com

Targeting God

Mikaela says:
Despite a new power balance in Congress, we're facing a time of more rampant religious warring in our own country and around the globe.

Fanatics on all sides are being roundly, and perhaps rightly, excoriated for intolerance, fear-mongering, prejudice, and violence.

But let's remember that religion itself is not to blame. Just as all things not taken in moderation can lead to imbalance and disaster, a little belief goes a long way. Believing in the support of a kind, generous, charitable faith community is a good thing. Advocating for a singular definition of the saved and the damned or the good and the evil or believers and non-believers -- well, that's where it becomes dangerous.

Interestingly, despite the Republican co-optation of the religious right as the keepers of all things "moral," American do not in fact have a singular belief in God. An overwhelming majority of Americans do believe in God, just not in the same one. Nor do they agree about how to behave to keep this God happy, if that's even possible, or the extent to which God is involved in our day-to-day lives.

Researchers at Baylor University found that Americans' images of God fall into four categories, which align miraculously, one might say, with particular regions of the country and with voting patterns.

• The South: "Authoritative God" who has strict rules and punishes -- conservative voters (33%)
• The West: "Distant God" who created the universe but isn't involved now -- liberal voters (24%)
• The Midwest: "Benevolent God" who believes in kindness and chartity -- moderate voters (23%)
• The Northeast: "Critical God" who is judgemental but doesn't intervene -- independent and economic conservative voters (16%)

Remarkably, these same patterns predict stances on the war in Iraq, gay marriage, the death penalty, and others.

Do we see harbingers of the time when political strategists market God images to attract voters? That might be a whole, huge can of wriggly worms.

On the positive side, we might begin to understand that as a country full of believers (92% of us), we need as much freedom to pursue our own gods as we need freedom to be all different colors, multiple genders, and the whole spectrum of political beliefs. Perhaps out of desperation, politicians will be forced to concede that their gods, and the gods of those they represent, must coexist with other ideas in order to get elected and rule with justice and compassion in the service of peace and community. Can I get an amen?

At the very least, even if Americans can't accept or acknowledge that different beliefs co-exist within our country, we can try to remember that our own level of religious belief is NOT like the rest of the world. Each country has its own compendium of beliefs, percentage of believers, and spectrum of fanaticism. Understanding ourselves better would take us a long way toward opening the door for an understanding and tolerance of others. Religions teach community; they can model peace. May we learn to live together and support each person's right to believe. Our lives depend on it, no matter what you believe.




Compiled from: Encyclopedia Britanica's Adherents of All Religions by Six Continents


Source: World Religions Project (Click here for full resolution PDF version)

Saturday morning goodness

Maggie reposts, courtesy of The Nation:

It's Over for Bush

The year 2006 will long be remembered as the Great Retribution--or perhaps the Deliverance Election. George W. Bush's presidency is toast. Bush's potential to further harm the Republic has been greatly reduced. Most Americans stopped believing anything he said a good while back. This was their opportunity to tell him to his face. And they did, with such force and breadth that maybe even he and his cronies heard them.

Much credit goes to the voters and the Democratic Party. Not many off-year elections move history in a fundamental way, but this one did. Americans have elected an opposition that can now check the Administration's destructive policies and investigate its actions at home and abroad, while at the same time putting forth policies that begin to reverse the damage of the past six years.

Read the rest here.

U.S. Election 2006

who is it, again, that needs to put up or shut up?

marjorie says...

You know what's both amusing and annoying to me in the aftermath of the Democratic sweep of Congress? All the "put up or shut up" talk in the media. As if the Republican control of our government over the past six years hasn't been one of the worst examples ever of gross mismanagement. We have an enormous debt that we might never crawl out from under, a war gone disastrously wrong (not that it was ever right) with almost 3000 U.S. troops and untold number of Iraqi's dead, huge tax cuts for the super rich, a wall reminiscent of Berlin being built on our border and a judiciary well on its way to being stacked with ideological reactionaries.

Let's take the issue of judicial nominees to illustrate my point. In this article, we have a political analyst from CBS, Andrew Cohen, saying this:

"But Senate Democrats will face their own pressure points if and when Webb prevails. No longer will they be able, politically anyway, to threaten to filibuster when the President appoints federal judges. If they obtain their majority, they will have a responsibility to fill the many vacancies on the federal bench-- some that have existed for years. If they balk at this job they will subject themselves to an honest charge of obstructionism, the opposite of what they pledged to do on election night when the extent of their victory became clear.

"There is an opportunity now, I believe, for real progress on the judicial nomination front, which has been mired for years in rank partisan conflict. The President has to know from these election results that he must govern with a more moderate focus. And if Webb prevails in Virginia Senate Democrats have to know that their newfound power brings with it newfound responsibilities to ensure that our federal judiciary is up and running at full speed, with many fewer vacancies than it now has. The moment is here. Let's see what the politicians can do with it. "

Where does CBS find its political analysts? No, the Democrats won't be able to filibuster any longer, they'll be able to flat out stop the stacking of the courts. And if the Republicans threaten to filibuster, the Democrats can do what they did...remember?? Of course, we all know the Democrats don't have that kind of hard ball in them.

As for the vacancies on the federal bench...who's responsibility is that, again? The Republicans had control of the Congress for 12 long years. Let's not forget that. What is this fellow talking about..."if they balk at this job"?? Something tells me that if Bush sends middle of the road judges to a Democratically controlled congress, that bench will get filled up quick...unlike the behavior of the Republican congress under Clinton or Bush. The Republicans held up the vast majority of Clinton's nominees and who can forget Harriet Miers??

This type of analysis is a good example of what is rampant in American politics...speaking and acting as if there was no yesterday. But nothing ever operates in a vacuum...and we can't judge today or predict tomorrow unless we have a good handle on that.

Not so fast, Heather

Maggie says:
Today's going so well I'm bound to believe that anything can happen!

"Madrid Cuts Wilson's Lead"

Democrat picks up votes in latest Bernalillo County tally.

Although Democratic challenger Patricia Madrid leads incumbent Republican Rep. Heather Wilson in populous Bernalillo county by 700 votes, Madrid trails Wilson by 1,048 votes overall in the five counties that make up the 1st Congressional District, according to the latest roundup by the Associated Press.

But still to be counted are 4,850 ballots in Bernalillo County that were kicked out of machines and must be hand-tallied, County Clerk Mary Herrera told reporters this morning.

Full story here.

Best thing about today...

Maggie says:
...was just calling my dad at his job site - far away from breaking news - to tell him that not only is Rumsfeld resigning, but that Jon Tester just officially won Montana.

There was a whoop, and a cheer, and a laugh, and then this question:

"Has W resigned yet?"

What an amazing day!!!

Post Election Musings

marjorie says...

It was a very long day yesterday, so I came to work a little late. As I'm settling in here there are several things running through my mind.

Before I get to New Mexico, can I just first note the incredible moment in Nicarauga? Yes. Daniel Ortega is the new President Elect of that country. I don't have any observations to make about Ortega or what kind of impact two decades have had on the Sandinistas. Clearly they have had to change a lot. But in this moment, I think its amazing, simply amazing...that the heart-breaking Sandinista's are back. And this also represents one more domino in the resurgence of leftist governments in Latin America.

Also, KUDOS to South Dakota!!! While these mid-term elections are BIG on the congressional front, this electoral battle clearly shows the American mind-set about a woman's right to control her own body.

Now...on to the congressional races. Regardless of what happens here in NM-District 1, we can all breathe a huge sigh of relief that our federal government is no longer controlled by crazy right wingers. Because let's face it, the House is the place most of the real ones end up. I still don't think much will change, but am looking forward to watching the Democrats.

As for NM-District 1...how is it that we have such a razor thin margin here? Well, I think its due to the military presence, which represents a large pool of people who do go out and vote. We have a lot of work to do to counteract that presence if we want to send a Democrat to the House. It'll be very interesting to see how the numbers break down by precinct in the coming days.

Day-after pulse check

Maggie asks:
So how's everyone feeling this morning?

Home now, but...

Maggie admits:
...still watching. Can't break away.

The Senate seems so close, so real!

Marjorie and I left the party in a glum state after Wilson's press conference, so now I'm asking myself how bittersweet a Madrid loss would be with all these other amazing gains.

Of course, we never know until we know... But these numbers have spoken tonight, all around the world. And that makes me proud. I know the effort and heart and soul behind the Madrid campaign, that they tried their very best, and they were part of this sea change tonight, part of its spirit. But if that race doesn't prevail, it's gotta be okay. Tonight is bigger than one race, bigger than two candidates.

The larger battle has been won handily tonight, and Americans have spoken. That's the real victory, whatever happens with NM-01.

Optimism update, courtesy of Gene Grant: Lots and lots of ballots to hand count tonight. It's bigger than conservative precincts.

Here, but...

Maggie says:
...freaking out, as Marjorie noted.

My insides are on a crash course between optimism and cynicism. The three Senate races left - Missouri, Montana, and Virginia - are all ones I called Dem, and we're still ahead in all three. But could we really take all three? Oh my.

As for NM-01... my stomach is in knots. I seriously felt like I was going to throw up a minute ago. That feeling, the deja vu of bad things about to happen, isn't something I wanted to go back to tonight. The caveat is that the House is ours, thank goodness. But yeah... hiding out here in the dark, quiet press room is about all I can take right now. The cheering through the wall makes my stomach knot up even more.

It's been fun watching Big Bill do his press thing back here. Richardson was my commencement speaker when I graduated from college in Boston... how weird is that? Small world.

C'mon, Senate. C'mon.

Update: Uh oh. Heather just announced that the precincts left are all conservative ones. If that's true, Madrid's done.