It’s Alito. How “safe” of Dubya. And how ordinary. I am supremely disappointed today.

Fox News is saying they have been told to “expect a [SCOTUS nominee's] name at any time”

I was disappointed the first time he didn’t name Janice Rogers Brown. This time, I am gonna be pretty pissed off if he doesn’t. Some might find it crass, but today, the day of Rosa Parks’ funderal, seems a somewhat appropriate day to nominate the first black woman to the United States Supreme Court.

Don’t get me wrong - I am not saying she should get the job because she is black - she shouldn’t. But I see no problem in the timing of the announcement being governed by that fact should she actually be the nominee.

You already know who I am rooting for. Vote here (left side-bar). Seems I am not at all alone given that JRB is smoking past the entire pack at 51%.

From Reasoned Audacity:

Ironically, the President this next time needs to nominate a divisive figure: someone, that is, who is drawing fire from the right quarters.

Or actually the Left quarters.

Someone whose name is not anywhere near Harry Reid’s short list.

Someone like Judge Janice Rogers Brown. People for the American Way hate her. Need I say more? This would be what someone referred to as a “bench-clearing fight.” Bring it on.

Clear that bench. Bring it on, indeed.

C’mon Janice Rogers Brown! I am laughing my butt off that People For the American Way uses this as an argument AGAINST her.

DUBYA! What are ya waitin’ for???

**UPDATE**

[P]rivate property, already an endangered species in California, is now entirely extinct in San Francisco…I would find the HCO [San Francisco Residential Hotel Unit Conversion and Demolition Ordinance] preempted by the Ellis Act and facially unconstitutional. …Theft is theft even when the government approves of the thievery. Turning a democracy into a kleptocracy does not enhance the stature of the thieves; it only diminishes the legitimacy of the government. …The right to express one’s individuality and essential human dignity through the free use of property is just as important as the right to do so through speech, the press, or the free exercise of religion.

You got that right, sister!

“Grim Countdown”

Rosa Parks died today at the age of 92.

This woman did not have TV cameras, a microphone, or millions of dollars. But she did have power; the power to refuse the second-class citizen status visited upon her - the refusal to sit in the back of the bus.

This one simple act started a movement and elevated her to the annals of history as the inspiration for thousands of black as they fought for equality in the segregated South.

What Ms. Parks must have thought about men like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and how they have used their power I can only imagine.

And thy name is Martin Bashir. What a joke. I pity anyone that continues to watch network news programs of any kind and still takes them seriously.

From Iraq the Model:

I met one friend on the way and when I asked him what would his vote be he said that he hasn’t decided yet “if I voted yes I would be approving some articles that I don’t agree with and if I voted no we would go back to where we started from…” he said and that was really refreshing because this guy who used to believe in conspiracy theories and stuff like “what America wants is what’s going to happen” now feels that his vote can make a difference.

Once you have it and understand it, freedom becomes part of your soul. Letting it go is not an option. The Iraqis appear to be learning this in great number, and their neighbors are learning too.

May freedom’s fever spread to the soul of the Middle East.

Am I only only one that thinks all the conservative opposition to Harriet Miers is born from a desire for a SCOTUS Justice that will uphold their personal beliefs?

**UPDATES - SCROLL DOWN**

Hey - get your mind out of the gutter. I am talking about the new computer I am building tonight. If you are not a computer geek, these specs won’t mean squat to you.

ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Mobo
AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+ Dual Core (2MB L2 Cache)
4GB DDR400 PC3200 Dual Channel RAM
74.6GB 10,000 RPM Western Digital Raptor SATA HD (OS - Primary)
300 GB 7,200 RPM Seagate Barracuda SATA HD (Secondary)
ATI All-In-Wonder X600 PCIe 256MB DDR
Plexxtor DVD-+RW, CD-RW Combo Drive
Aspire X-Crusier Case w/420W PS

Slammin.

**UPDATE**

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!

Word to the wise - if the case LOOKS cool, something is likely wrong with it.

So I get the motherboard in and go to connect the power supply and, shocker, the power supply doesn’t have a 24-pin power connector. Seriously - for 100 bucks the freaking thing should have a 24-pin connector (yes, 100 is a lot for a case, but just look at it!). Not to worry, right? I have a spare power supply that has the right connector, BUT 20 less watts. So I give that a shot - no dice. 400 watts isn’t cutting it. The mobo standby light is on so I am guessing there ain’t enough power to fire it up. Fans (case & CPU) and fan lights come on, but no panel LEDs, no beeps - nuthin.

So tomorrow I have to buy a new power supply - I am going with 500 watts. That should do the trick, I hope.

**UPDATE**

I just got an email from someone saying this post is porn for computer geeks. I can’t argue with that.

**UPDATE** 10/11/05

Well, after 4 days of running this new monster, I have to say I am very happy with it. I ended up going with a 480 watt power supply. I also had to return the PIQ RAM I bought because at least one of the four sticks was bad - they didn’t have another pair to replace the one with the bad stick in it so I ended up going with 2 new pairs of CORSAIR DDR400 dual channnel - more expensive but better memory and it has been flawless since I installed it on Sunday.

I have had one minor issue with random lockups that I have traced to the drivers for the Linksys PCI Wireless-G card w/ SRX. I went with this option because it boosted my speed from 54Mbps to 108 but this is the first version so the drivers need some work. Other than that, this thing is smokin’ fast.

I played Sim City 4 (Deluxe Edition) last night on it and it didn’t miss a beat. No skips, no hangs - smooth as a baby’s ass 3D effects - REALLY nice. It also doesn’t hurt to have a video card with 256MB of DDR RAM.