Good News

Well, it just seems like there's been a scad of good news today. In no particular order,

• Measures 66 and 67 passed in Tuesday's vote. It had been unclear to me whether this simply meant that cuts wouldn't be as draconian as otherwise would have been necessary, or whether it would put state government on a more or less even keel. I can't speak yet for the whole of state expenditures, but The Portland Tribune is reporting that president Ed Ray says OSU, at least, won't have to make cuts. (The cuts under consideration were pretty awful)
• Scott Roeder was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of George Tiller. Good on ya, Kansas, for affirming that the rule of law takes precedence over one's personal beliefs. The best quip I saw on this was at EB Misfit's place: "The jury deliberations took 37 minutes. I'm guessing that about 25 minutes was spent voting on who the jury foreman would be."
• Via Pygalgia,

  "The progressive PR firm Murray Hill Inc. has announced that it plans to satirically run for Congress in the Republican primary in Maryland’s 8th congressional district to protest the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision. A press release on its website says that the company wants to “eliminate the middle man” and run for Congress directly, rather than influencing it with corporate dollars."

  Click over for more. My comment was "That is brilliant. Scary as hell, but brilliant." It really is the logical extension of corporate personhood.
• Yesterday, I expressed skepticism that Obama was really ready to go to the mat with both parties in Congress. Today, he made me happy.

  Obama also displayed a rare grasp of policy and legislation, wrong-footing his questioners to their face with some stern rebuttal and in some instances quoting their own positions back to them to highlight the contradictions. He mocked the GOP for presenting healthcare reforms as a "Bolshevik plot" – and got a laugh, even from the Republican audience – and suggested that their approach was counterproductive.

  (Video at C-Span)
• "Defense Secretary Robert Gates will unveil the Pentagon's plan to prepare for repealing the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" law regarding gay soldiers at a committee hearing Tuesday, a Pentagon spokesman said." From CNN, commentary from Michael Tomasky here.
• Via Princess Sparkle Pony (happily resurrected from life support) and from Balloon Juice a few days ago, I continue to read of the ongoing collapse of the Teabagger convention and disillusionment of the Teabaggers. A point that I've tried to be clear about, though maybe not successfully, is that I have a high degree of empathy with the Teabaggers' anger. What frustrates me is they don't take time to figure out who it is that's screwing them. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh cry all the way to the bank, and the common person gets charged "$549 per ticket and a $9.95 fee, plus hotel and airfare" to attend a convention where Sarah Palin has been paid over $100,000 to be the keynote speaker. Ya, you betcha. Maybe they're starting to figure it out.
• Finally, Darlene Etienne survived 15 days under the rubble in Haiti, and was rescued yesterday. Whatever your interest in Haiti, whether it's rescue, rebuilding, international implications, or the geological setting, there are many more capable than I of explaining what's going on, so I haven't said much more. But I have been paying close attention. While one life doesn't seem like much in the face of so much death, it means everything to Ms. Etienne, and I applaud her strength.