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April 17, 2007

Killer posted to online forum

From correspondents in Blacksburg, Virginia


The 23-year-old student wrote: “You caused me to do this,” in a several-page-long note that he left in his dorm room, ABC News reported.

The note began in the present tense and then shifted to the past tense as Cho Seung-Hui explained his actions amid a rambling list of grievances cited by the Chicago Tribune.

Cho wrote the note in his door room after he killed two people in another dorm room, ABC reported.

According to school officials, Cho also had time to post a deadly warning on a school online forum.

"im going to kill people at vtech today," they said he wrote.

He then re-armed and went to a classroom building on the other side of campus where he killed 30 more people before shooting himself in the head, sources told ABC.

Posted by Mike at 04:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 16, 2007

200 years later

This is a big deal, to me at least. Although no Senate seats is a problem:


It has taken a little over 200 years, but Washingtonians finally sense that their quirky status as citizens without voting representation in the U.S. Congress might just be coming to an end.

The self-styled "capital of the free world" has been a democratic black spot for the United States -- drawing sharp criticism from rights groups and even the United Nations.

Residents of the District of Columbia, which is not legally a state, have had to fight for the limited voting rights they have since Congress relocated here from Philadelphia in 1800.

It took until 1961 to gain the right to vote in presidential elections, and they still have no full-fledged member of Congress -- either in the House of Representatives or the Senate -- despite having to pay federal taxes like everyone else.

But a determined grass-roots movement, a Democratic-controlled Congress, a weakened Republican president and a compromise involving far-away Utah has raised hopes that D.C. residents eventually might discard the "Taxation Without Representation" protest messages many carry on their car license plates.

"I've talked to activists in the city and they haven't seen a moment like this in a very, very long time," said Iler Zherka, executive director of DC Vote, a group campaigning for congressional representation for Washington.

Thousands of people, ranging from students to taxi drivers, are expected to join a march to Congress on Monday, the city's annual Emancipation Day marking Abraham Lincoln's 1862 signing of the act that ended slavery in the District.

The aim is to press lawmakers into passing a bill this week that, while not making the District a state, would raise the number of seats in the U.S. House by two -- one for Washington and one for Utah, which has been demanding more representation because of population changes.

SELLING D.C. SHORT?

The bill is to be taken up by the House on Thursday, where approval is likely. But it would still have to pass the narrowly divided Senate and be signed by President George W. Bush, who pointedly had the protest plates removed from presidential limousines and whose aides have advised a veto.

Washington's heavily black and Democratic population has been seen as the main cause of long-standing Republican opposition to giving the capital a seat, so handing one to Republican-friendly Utah could greatly boost the bill's chances of success.

Advocates also hope Bush would be reluctant to pick another fight with a resurgent Congress that is already challenging him over the Iraq War and other issues.

But the legislation has disappointed some rights activists, who say it sells Washington short by not giving it Senate representation and by leaving open constitutional questions that could make it vulnerable to legal challenges.

It would require an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to make the District a state with full representation by two senators and a representative in the House.

"I think the bill is wholly unworthy of the people of the District of Columbia," said Timothy Cooper, executive director of advocacy group Worldrights.

"My fear, as well as the fear of others, is that this will completely deflate any move to get U.S. senators," he said.

The bill is "flagrantly unconstitutional" -- ignoring the Founding Fathers' stipulation that Congress members are elected by "the several states" -- and is virtually certain to be struck down by the courts, said Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University Law School.

Advocates of the bill say it is legitimate because the Constitution gives Congress the power to exercise "exclusive legislation" over the capital.

Posted by Mike at 12:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 08, 2007

Now this is a good idea

From the AP:


RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards wants the Internal Revenue Service to calculate and complete the income tax returns of up to 50 million taxpayers annually.

In a podcast the campaign will post on its Web site on Saturday, Edwards says the U.S. tax code is unnecessarily complicated and full of loopholes that favor the wealthy over the working class.

Under his plan, the IRS would gather tax information for 50 million taxpayers with relatively simple returns, including those who don't need to file itemized deductions to record charitable contributions or capital gains.

The IRS would calculate their tax bill or refund, and mail a final report to the taxpayer. That person would be able to just sign and return the form. Edwards' campaign estimates the process would save taxpayers about 225 million hours each year.

For those with more complex tax needs, Edwards wants the IRS to allow taxpayers to file their returns online for free.

The IRS would also directly inform taxpayers if they are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit — a credit for low-income working families. Edwards says the tax credit is so complex that up to 25 percent of eligible families don't apply for it.

Posted by Mike at 12:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 01, 2007

April Fools

Okay, this was a good one:


DK4 Plans Shelved: We're Moving to phpBB

by ct

Sun Apr 01, 2007 at 10:09:37 AM PDT

After much consideration, we've decided that building a new backend for DailyKos simply isn't necessary or practical. However, we had already decided to move from Scoop, so we started looking for alternate platforms to build on.

Per our needs, we wanted something that would sustain our vibrant community. We considered MT, Wordpress, Drupal, and even Soapblox, but none of them made the cut.

Ruby-based platforms were tossed out because the fact that integers are objects, not primitives, just seemed weird.

In the end, we decided to go with a proven platform with a large installation base: phpBB 4.1.

Lots of folks may freak out over the changes, but I think the community at large will enjoy this new version of DailyKos with its many comments, avatars, and sig lines with pictures. I know I will.

Forums on the new DailyKos will include: Elections, Politics, Open Forum, Humor and Jokes, and any others that occur to us.

One feature that will excite many of you is that there will no longer be front page stories, diaries, or mojo, thus simplifying the DailyKos experience for everyone. It might take some getting used to, but we'll all be happier for it afterward.

Orange will remain the color scheme, so you needn't worry that that'll be changing. We wouldn't want to shake things up too much.

Let's all look forward to the bright new future that's in store for us!

Posted by Mike at 08:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)