T + somewhere in the 65-66 hour range

Folks, we're approaching that pseudo-magical 72 hour barrier that's supposed to be the Next Big Thing. I really can't think that far ahead, but some sources say that the physical withdrawal runs its course in 72 hours. After that it's allegedly another two weeks before the psychological withdrawal becomes tolerable. But here's the thing. Am I really suffering form physical withdrawal? These neat-o patch thingies are still delivering about a pack a day worth of nicotine. If cigarettes are more addictive than heroin (as some experts have posited), then the patch is the equivalent to methadone treatment. So what should I expect when I step down to Phase 2? Hopefully the withdrawal attenuates at the same rate as the dosage. But I kinda suspect I'll be doing this again when I get to the next step.

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So hey, let's talk about something else for a change. It seems that McBush has taken aim at his foot again, with his comments on the recent Supreme Court decision granting immediate rights of habeus corpus to the detainees at Gitmo.

"The United States Supreme Court yesterday rendered a decision which I think is one of the worst decisions in the history of this country." - from National Journal/NBC, 6/13

I'm sorry, I must have misheard you Senator. Did you say "one of the worst decisions"? I'd really love to know how close to the top of the list this ranks in the McBush pantheon of Bad Decisions by the Supreme Court.

Now I know the McBush apologists will raise the cry of "Conetxt! Context!" and they're right. This is a quote taken from (presumably) a larger body of text which was (presumably) part of a still larger whole. And being robbed of the supporting statements around it, it's forced to stand on its own.

The supporting statements that I managed to find point out that "these are not American citizens" but "enemy combatants". And McBush is pissed because the Supreme Court decision affords them the same right of habeus corpus as an American would have. Maybe he's got a point hidden in there somewhere. Let's take it on faith for a moment that every one of the Guantanamo detainees are foreign nationals and that no US citizens are being held there. As a foreign national, absent diplomatic immunity, I would expect to be subject to the same rule of law as an American would if I were on American soil -- be that the soil of the Continental US, or one of its possessions outside the US. If I am subject to the same laws, am I not also afforded the same protections? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

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In trying to find citations for the diatribe I was writing on the subject above, I kept bumping into news about the unexpected and untimely passing of Tim Russert, NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief and long time host of Meet the Press. It's embarrassing to admit it, but when I heard the name I didn't connect it with the man. It was one of those moments when you say "Oh that guy!". Clearly he was well respected and well loved by his colleagues, his friends, his family and his audience. The world's a poorer place when we lose someone like this, and my deepest sympathies go out to those close to him. I'll miss you on MTP, Tim.

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Stumble This!

It has to be said.

It's the only sporting thing to do I guess. Congratulations to the Detroit Red Wings. They knocked off the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 last night at Mellon Arena to take a 4-2 series win and claim their 4th Stanley Cup since the 1997-98 season. So now I've said it, but don't ask me to say it again.

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Summertime and the living is...
...hot. Not merely uncomfortably warm, we're talking about brain-boiling, energy-sapping, chipotle-seasoned temps over the next 6 days (or more?). Today's high is supposed to reach 97, then a string of 99's through Sunday before we drop to 98 on Monday and Tuesday and 95 on Wednesday. When did this happen? We were cruising along with a nice mild spring right up through the end of May. Then suddenly somebody turns the gas on and we jumped from the low- to mid-80's into triple-digit heat indices. Not funny guys. Knock it off.
And should we manage to climb to an actual temperature of 100 or more before Sunday, it will be the earliest 100-degree day ever recorded in Raleigh. It's a record I wouldn't complain about not breaking.

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Presidential race green-flagged
I guess it's official. Barack Obama has apparently locked up the Democratic nomination for the White House. The question now becomes whether or not America is willing to put a non-Caucasian with a foreign sounding name in the Oval Office. Because that's what it will come down to. Obama could have single-handedly fed all the starving people in his home state, reconciled the Russians and the Chinese, found a cure for cancer... and it will still come down to a question of whether or not he can take the job from a white dude. Never mind that this particular white dude courts the company of every special interest known to the western world, and seeks support from right-wing extremists like John Hagee who refer to Hurricane Katrina as "God's punishment of New Orleans". (I wonder know how he explains why the rest of the Gulf Coast had to suffer along with them. Anyone? Anyone?) McCain hasn't merely shot himself in the foot with the company he keeps, he's blown his whole leg off. Will it matter?
Are American voters smart enough to realize that breaking the mold in November can go a long way in restoring our cred with the rest of the world? Or will they play it "safe" (a very relative term in this case) and maintain the status quo?
It's going to be an interesting summer, that much is certain.Stumble This!