TalkLeft went down for a few hours apparently while I was out today....the hosting service is having trouble ..thanks for your patience. Here's what their site says:

We are currently seeing issues at both AT&T and TWTelecom in traces from various locations. If your routes travel along those networks, you may experience high latency and/or complete failure to reach your site or other services. We’ve sent a note to the main NOC at P10, asking them for a status, since no doubt they are already aware of the issue, and we’ll post whatever we get back from them.

Due to the problems with Typekey, comment registration is turned off. Anyone can comment. I'm rebuilding all the individual entries now so it works on older entries. I have to leave for court soon, so here's an open thread for you.

Great reads: Digby on "judy in da skies" and Actor Tim Russert . Arianna's latest on The Judy Tsunami.

Several people e-mailed today to let me know they are having problems logging in to post comments. If you are also having problems, please let me know here or by e-mail. We're trying to fix it.

Update: I have no idea what is wrong with the TypeKey - everyone is getting "validation" errors - I just turned off the registration requirement. Hopefully, we won't get a flood of trolls and it will be fixed soon.

Last week, TalkLeft contributer Last Night in Little Rock, aka John Wesley Hall, wrote a moving post about his wife's trip to Crawford. Arianna really liked it and asked me if I'd like to post it at Huffington Post. Of course, my answer was yes. Here it is. Thanks, Arianna!

Update: John Amato of Crooks and Liars has a post at HuffPo too - on the she-pundit with long blonde hair.

First, a major thanks to TChris for posting great stuff today. I headed off for court this morning, and one thing followed another, and I just got back. I haven't seen any news, so here's a place for you to discuss whatever you want while I take a few hours to unravel and get caught up.

We haven't had one of these in a while, and since I've got a lot of work to do today, the time is right.

Also, if you've had trouble posting comments the past few days, let me know in the comments. One poster has, and we're having a hard time getting him and his new computer past the typekey screen. It would help to know if it's happening to anyone else.

I'm finishing a long brief that's due by 5pm today. Here's a place for you to vent.

It's definitely the dog days of summer. Ad revenues are down, probably due to Congress being on hiatus, but blogging continues. There's RoveGate, Judge John Roberts, Cindy Sheehan and Republican fundraiser scandals to attend to - no vacation for us. There's also site hosting and outside subscription fees to pay. If you're in a position to contribute a few dollars, now would be a very good time. If you're not, no problem, no excuses are necessary.

• PayPal

• Amazon (Anonymous)

Update: Thanks to all who gave so generously. I'll be sending out thank you e-mails over the next several days. You really helped me and Talkleft out a lot and I greatly appreciate it.

Say Hello to:

• Low and Left, an offshoot from Left Coaster
• Unbossed
• SoapBlox Colorado

Now this is way cool. From Crooks and Liars:

Green Day has given me permission to host the video. I'm working on an interview with the band...

Release: This is the latest Green Day video, "Wake Me Up When September Ends." This timely and politically charged filmic vignette documents Green Day's view of the effects on young soldiers and loved ones left behind. The seven minute epic video causes a moment's pause to reflect upon and understand the impact of what you just watched. Directed by Samuel Bayer, it stars Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen) and Jamie Be.

I hope this starts a new trend of bringing rockers and bloggers together. I'd be glad to host their views (I'll leave the video to C&L) or do an interview. Just send me an e-mail.

I have an all day Daubert hearing at which Government "experts" (agents and cops) will attempt to convince the judge that their interpretation of more than 100,000 wiretapped conversations of suspected crack cocaine sellers is both reliable and helpful to the jury. When the expert hears "I'm out of milk," he will tell the judge, the speaker is saying "I'm out of crack." Courts routinely admit this ridiculous evidence. With 17 of the charged 30 defendants still refusing to take plea bargains, it will take all day.

So if you have a thought on what's "crackalackin' " today (real translation: "What's happening?" -- ask any rapper, it has nothing to do with crack cocaine) here's the place.

I have an unpleasant day ahead, with no time for blogging.

A graveside funeral for my first federal drug client from 1976 with whom I've remained in contact (he was 62, had a stroke and died on Friday), followed by client visits at the jail, followed by court and a fourth attempt at bail for a client in a current drug case (bail was granted by the federal magistrate, overuled by the District Court Judge, his denial of bail was affirmed by the Tenth Circuit, and it's now back in front of the same District Court Judge.) And how kharmic is this: the judge in my bail case today was the prosecutor in the 1976 case against my client whose funeral I'm attending. How times change, and how they remain the same. Definitely one for the memoirs I probably will never write.

Anyway, I'm counting on readers (although TChris or Last Night in Little Rock might be around, so check back) to take over for the day. I'll be back tonight.