Fired Up Elsewhere

I just got rather fired up posting on another blog. How the hell am I supposed to get any work done? And why have I neglected my very own blog? I suppose I have made a discovery: I like conversation, and this very blog has been more like a diary. Also a fine thing, but somehow I've always been better talking with people than to myself.

Many headlines of note today, not the least of which is this (file under: Duh): WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration's two top law enforcement officials on Tuesday urged Congress to renew every provision of the anti-terror Patriot Act.

Of course, I'm eager to see what Congress does here, from a concerned citizen perspective, and also from my perch as a student of politics. The Patriot Act is no longer the sleeper provision it was at the outset - how will Congress vote? And which GOPers will cross the aisle? Finally, is this still an issue divided by the aisle? I think so, but the vote will be telling.

Went to a panel discussion about media ownership in my fair blue town on Saturday. The panel itself was so-so, but it was great to hear my fave critic Bob McChesney in the flesh. I met him before the event, which was a terrific experience. He was talking up the PhD program at the U of Ill., and telling me to look into it. Of course, I didn't mention that I'm just a sophomore in undergrad... Why ruin the moment?