I’ve been brushing up on my French by reading some of the articles on France’s rejection of the European Constitution. There seems to be a lot of hand-wringing in the European press about whether this vote signals the ultimate derailment of a unified Europe. I’m going to insert my usual disclaimer about not being an expert, but I see this as a setback rather than a permanent obstacle. There is too much momentum behind unification for it to grind to a halt. I think what we’re seeing is some discontent with the consequences of a united Europe, especially regarding immigration and unemployment. The undercurrents of xenophobia are unfortunate, but in the long run I think people will recognize that a strong Europe is the only effective counterbalance to the United States and China. The final outcome is not in doubt; it’s simply a question of how long it will take to reach that outcome.
I took advantage of my day off to walk over to Big Brain Comics and pick up a copy of Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta. After reading that Moore has disassociated himself with the film version of his book, I decided to check out the original so that I can see exactly how badly Hollywood screws it up.

You know, Orson Scott Card just keeps getting weirder. I tried reading his latest article, but I got lost when he started railing about something called “Smartland.” Huh? As PZ says, I like the man’s books, but I wouldn’t want to be in the same room with him unless I was guaranteed access to a chemical shower.

I’m sitting here at my desk and wedged in between my chair and the wall is the most cowardly golden retriever on the face of the planet. I’ve written before about Sasha, my parents’ neurotic dog. She accompanied my parents here for my sister’s graduation and she’s been staying with me for the last week. I came home from work today and found her curled up in a ball under my bed. I think the thunder from a passing storm freaked her out. She’s definitely not happy here; she goes outside only after much coaxing and never after the sun goes down. I think she misses my parents’ yard and quiet neighborhood. But having her around makes me wonder if I should get my own dog. Nothing big; maybe a terrier or something. Are there any small dogs that aren’t also incredibly stupid? Because I don’t want a stupid dog. And I don’t really need a Helping Paws kind of dog. With a nurse always accompanying me, a trained dog might be a little superfluous.

Kevin Featherly, a fellow Fellow, has a witty op-ed piece in today’s Strib poking fun at Governor Pawlenty’s decision to put a cigarette tax, er, fee on the table to get a deal on a final budget. Kevin is more of a libertarian than me, but I think we’re both amused by the Governor’s semantic gymnastics on this point.
It looks like bipartisanship hasn’t totally disappeared from the Senate. The filibuster deal forces those of us on the left to swallow some bitter medicine. I’m especially dismayed that William Pryor’s nomination will move forward. Pryor, an opponent of the ADA in particular and disability rights in general, strikes me as someone who places ideology well before rule of law. But the right to filibuster, at least in theory, is still preserved. And I’ll admit to getting all warm and fuzzy when I read James Dobson’s written statement temper tantrum. I especially love his thinly veiled threat to those disobedient Republicans, implying that they’ll be punished in the next election. I could be wrong, but I don’t think most people are going to be thinking about filibusters and rules of cloture when they go into the voting booth. And if Bill Frist loses a little of his shine among the rabid right-wingers because of this deal, all the better.

The new Star Wars film is worth seeing. It doesn’t completely redeem the previous two episodes, but it does offer a satisfying conclusion to the story of Anakin’s fall. Everything is neatly set up for Episode IV; it’s difficult not to admire Lucas’ ultimate vision, whatever you think of his execution. There are some visual sequences that are simply stunning, particularly in the beginning. And this movie surpasses all other episodes in terms of lightsaber-dueling goodness. And this probably makes me as something of a sentimental geek, but I was actually disturbed when the Jedi were executed one by one. :sniffle: