I think that when parents consider their kids not human beings with feelings but dolls and toy action figures that you can do anything you want with, it's a failure of THEIR parents and of the education system, and perhaps even a sign of cultural degeneration.

And heck, if the State can restrict what sort of license plates people can put on their cars, I think it stands to reason that something as long-lasting and intimate as a name can, in theory, also be regulated. But it's so so so so sad that it has to be, isn't it?

I paid my climbing gym membership with that stimulus package. Then again, my credit card debt ended up being settled exactly before I got the stimulus check, so I had this luxury. And as far as I know, most people in this country have vastly larger debt than I do, so they ended up throwing that pittance into the gaping maw of the credit card companies.

I saw stores offering deals if you wanted to spend your stimulus money there. Looks like it didn't work.

There were a few precious moments on MSNBC right after Clinton's speech, when Olbermann was gushing forth in an extended baseball metaphor ("...out of the park, across the street...") and Matthews appeared gobsmacked into speechlessness. Then they went to Brokaw and Wilson, who had a few moments to recover, I suppose, because both began blathering about how "...keep in mind, this is a carefully choreographed event!", i.e. don't trust your lying eyes, it was all staged and fake.

Except I kinda doubt the bawling women (and men) in the audience were fake. I can only imagine a blinking sign above Hillary: first "Applause", then "Raucous Applause", then "Go Berserk!" then "Cry Like a Baby!"

But the most precious was the look on Brian Williams' face. I mean, he was trying, but he knew nobody was buying it. He tried anyway. And then they had technical difficulties. And then they were interrupted by a train whistle. It was awesome.