The favorite of many pundits to win the Democratic nomination for President, the Rev. Al Sharpton will host Saturday Night Live on December 6, the NYT reports.


The new host of the "Ladies Man" sketch??


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On NPR's Morning Edition this morning:

Oregon voters face a ballot initiative which would authorize a hostile takeover of a subsidiary of Enron. If adopted, a public utility district (PUD) would be created in place of the region's utility provider PGE.

More information:

Oregon Public Power Coalition; grassroots group supporting public takeover.

(Please excuse this HORRIBLE excuse for a website. It hurts to even look at it. Here's a related website which is a bit more tolerable.)

[In the interest of equal time, I tried to find a website for the advocacy group which opposes the takeover (Citizens Against Government Takeover) but it appears that the group thought it unnecessary to have a website. *tsk*tsk* ]

If you are not aware, ballot initiatives are (in business terms) a "booming sector" of the election industry. It ranges from the absurd to very serious and powerfully democratic as it is one of the most fundamental exercises of citizen power over representatives. It is the modern form of the Athenian Senate (with the small difference that women and non-land owning males are now -- in principle -- allowed to participate), direct democracy in all its glory and misery.

For example, keeping with the Oregon theme, a passionate citizen has filed a ballot initiative (not certified by the Sec. of State, what a shock) called the "Anti-Blowhard Act of 2004."

The initiative would punish candidates who (a) campaign on a platform to reduce "wasteful" or "exessive" public spending, and (b) do not provide "a complete accounting" of the alleged waste. If the candidate fails to provide said accounting within the time limits (7 days -- or 24 hours if statement is made within 30 days of an election -- following the allegation), the Secretary of State would insert the word "BLOWHARD" after the candidate's name in the official voter's pamphlet and/or full-page and cable TV announcements detailing the offense.

Decide for yourself to which category this belongs (absurd or important).

- posted by C @ 10:16:00 AM

Newsworthy highlight of the weekend:

U.S. Senator Zell Miller's (D-GA) appearance on NBC's Meet The Press [Transcript].
Sen. Miller's book, A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat details the failures of the "new" Democratic party which, he argues, simply ignores the South as a region where the party can compete. This is a fatally flawed strategy, Miller argues, and his Southern wit mixes one-liners and solid logic without parallel.

His appearance on Meet The Press this past Sunday was a classic and I encourage you to read the short transcript of the exchange (see link above; scroll down past the boring "discussion" between host Tim Russert and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld). It was a performance which would rival his fellow Southerner James "Ragin' Cajun" Carville's legacy as the King of Meet The Press.

In discussing the current field of Democrats running for president, Sen. Miller was particularly candid and poignant.

"Howard Dean knows about as much about the South as a hog knows about Sunday. "

Classic...simply classic. And probably "damn near right."

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Christian controversy in the news:

Scalia recuses himself from the upcoming "under God" court decision while redefining the "rules" regarding S.C. justices' extracurricular speaking. (NOTE: Link leads to "news analysis" not a news story.)

Meanwhile....

Episcopal Church consecrates homosexual as bishop.

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Georgetown 3L develops system to predict U.S. Supreme Court decision. Though some may disagree, this is fascinating regardless of its accuracy.

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For what it's worth...

U.S. Administrator Paul Bremer imposes flat tax (15 percent) in Iraq.

A very well-placed source tells me that he's a very talented amateur chef. No joke.
- posted by C @ 11:10:00 AM