I agree with Glenn–it’s hard for me to get very upset about the failure to extend the so-called Patriot Act. And as with the idiotic “assault weapons” ban, it demonstrates the value of having sunset clauses in legislation. I still think that there would be few constitutional amendments as powerful, and beneficial, as this one.

It seems to be a bi-partisan effort.

The level of my disgust with politicians in Washington continues to plumb new depths.

Former Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire, long-time nemesis of NASA, and budget hawk (something that we could use a lot more of, these days, though he always made an exception for dairy price supports), has apparently died.

[Update a few minutes later]

Here’s the story. I hadn’t realized that he suffered from Alzheimers. At least his suffering is over.

In China?

Lileks has the must-read low-down on 2005. Warning: some snark, irony and sarcasm involved.

Does anyone else see the irony inherent in a woman who married a closeted gay man calling someone–anyone–a “deluded cockeyed optimist“?

One of the dozen or so people to protest Tookie Williams’ execution in Denver was Ward Churchill. Which reminds me–what’s the status of the investigation into the plagiarism and other charges against him?

Hmmmm…according to Wikipedia (for whatever that’s worth), the investigation is still ongoing.

And on the subject of the late Mr. Williams, how is that the Hollywood types are so consistent at being on the wrong side of almost every issue?

[Update a few minutes later]

Ahhh…we must have done the right thing–we’ve upset the Europeans…

[Update after noon]

Iowahawk has discovered one of Tookie’s unpublished children’s stories.

That’s become Nancy Pelosi’s latest catch phrase about the administration and the Republicans, but Rich Lowry says it’s true.

Of course, I don’t think that it’s any worse than it was when the Dems were running the Hill. But we’ve come to (or at least we used to) expect better of Republicans. He’s right–they need to clean up their act before someone does it for them.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject, for those who nonsensically persist in thinking that I’m a conservative, or a Republican, or even a great fan of George Bush, just because I don’t believe that he’s a retarded Chimpy McHalliburton, I agree with Andrew Roth, who has a list of grievances.

The problem is, as it was in last year’s election, that as unhappy as I am with this administration and Congress, there’s no reason to think that putting Democrats in charge would improve any of the things that I’m unhappy about, and most of their rhetoric and policy statements lead me to think that it would make most of them even worse.

Of course, by the standards described by Nick Schulz, so are many of our own government policies (such as sugar subsidies), despite platitudes to the contrary.

…they’re taking this kind of beating in the Village Voice.