I use to post on here all the time during the election.  After Obama and the Magical Mystery Tour won, I stopped going to all political sites because I couldn't stomach the coronation of Obama in the same way I couldn't stomach the coronation of Bush.

I didn't watch the inauguration or really follow anything Obama has done over the last 100 days.  I still think Hillary was the better choice and will never feel connected to the Obama cabal.

But I'm glad to see this site is still up and running.  The people who run it are fantastic and I really admire their dedication to democracy and giving people a place to discuss liberal and progressive ideas in this country.

Probably gonna be L.A. and Cleveland, as the NBA is praying it is. King James vs. Kobe in the finals will net them the highest finals ratings in decades.

I think it'll be the Celtics tonight, by ten or fifteen.  Then back to Chicago for a coin toss game 6, like game 4.

Splitting 5-4, the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the government's power under existing law to ban the use on radio and TV of even a single four-letter word that is considered indecent -- but left open the question of whether the ban might violate the First Amendment, at least in some situations.  The Court, in an opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia, said the Federal Communications Commission's switch in policy to ban even a fleeting use of such a word was "entirely rational" under the law that governs federal administrative powers.  The ruling came in FCC v. Fox Television Stations, et al. (07-582).

The opinion referred to the banned words as the "F-word" and the "S-word" but not go on to fill out their actual spelling.  Justice Scalia also did not spell them out in his oral announcement of the decision.

His written opinion, in a case dealing with uses of those four-letter words during performance awards broadcasts involving celebrities, took a swipe at "foul-mouthed glitteratae from Hollywood."

Basically, the ruling simply means that the FCC provided a sufficient explanation of why it switched from a more relaxed policy on "dirty words" to a near-total ban on "fleeting expletives." The ban applies on radio and TV from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. only.

"Specter has a record and his record is -- for Democratic primary voters -- not a very good one," he said. "I don't think it matters what Joe Biden or Harry Reid or any Washington guy says. Specter a record of votes, and they have not been particularly good ones, for the last 20 years."

Only 28 percent consider last week's appeal by Coleman to the Minnesota Supreme Court "appropriate."

Okay, I thought, I'll just take a slightly different route and come into the garage from the other entrance.

Well, 'twas not to be.

As I got closer, I could see enough flashing lights that I was pretty sure the street the other garage entrance was on would also be closed.

Called a co-worker, who was most likely to be at work already, and he confirmed that we could not get into the garage, and because the water to the building had been turned off, the office was closing.

Great (sort of - I had postponed until today sending a FedEx because my secretary was out yesterday and I didn't want to impose on the only other secretary in the department) - I'll just go home.

Well...it took me an hour to go about four blocks (it then took me 20 minutes to drive the 25 miles home).  And this was early - before 8:00.  I'm convinced it had a lot to do with the "traffic-control officers" who were "directing" traffic around the closed streets.  I've gotten so that when I see them in the street, I know I'm screwed and it will take 10 times longer.

Anyway, when all was said and done, I think they closed something like 10 blocks in the heart of downtown.

Here are some pictures of the flood.

And a snip of the story:

City transportation officials say the water pipe broke under the intersection of Lombard and Gay Streets around 5:30 am this morning.

All city buildings in downtown Baltimore and the federal and circuit courts were closed after the water main break.

The Schaefer Tower was closed due to low water pressure.

The Schaefer Tower houses 14 State agencies among them the Maryland Transit Administration and the Maryland Public Service Commission. More than 1,100 employees are affected by the building's closure.

The Maryland Department of General Services will alert State employees when the building reopens. Employees and anyone conducting business with State agencies in the building should listen for announcements on reopening on local radio and television stations.

Crews have turned off the 40-inch main and 20-inch main. Kocher says the flooding in the area reached about 2 feet at one point, but the water has receded.

People are being asked to check to see if their businesses are open before going to work and use mass transit since many parking garages in the area are inaccessible.