…Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died Saturday evening at his home in suburban Virginia at the age of 80. My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family. Quick political thoughts:  The Democrats are now in a bind:  do they take a stand against the confirmation of the eminently qualified John Roberts (who doesn’t have the kind of paper trail that will sink him) and save their ammunition

Rethuglican bastard.

Anyone who cares about responsible budgeting and the health of America’s rivers and wetlands should pay attention to a bill now before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The bill would shovel $17 billion at the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and other water-related projects — this at a time when President Bush is asking for major cuts in Medicaid and other important domestic programs. Among

From Pandagon’s Amanda Marcotte: Dear racist fucks who complained about looting: This is what your stupidity leads to. HOUSTON—Thousands of refugees of Hurricane Katrina were transported to the Astrodome in Houston this week. In an extreme act of looting, one group actually stole a bus to escape ravaged areas in Louisiana. About 100 people packed into the stolen bus. They were the first to enter the Houston Astrodome, but they

Breaking:  “Flood coverage takes devestating toll on Sheehan campaign”

With the help of a number of bloggers and readers, Michele Catalano has started the Kids for Katrina School Supply Drive. Please do go read about it and do what you can to help out.

In former times entire nations found the strength to rise to the occasion, ordinary people understood that survival depended on their shared common decency and respect for their fellow citizen. That, by co-operating and persevering, they might create coping mechanisms through pooling skills and resources, and to be sure, the majority of those trapped in New Orleans will have done just that. But, in former times, whole nations were not

—Stop right there.  The little guy is dancing, only not here, and not for you.  Not today, at least.  Instead, he loaded up the Jeep last night and made his way down to Houston, where he’s no doubt cheering up displaced New Orleans kids holed up inside the Astrodome even as we speak. He’s a hero. I just hope he doesn’t forget himself and whip out his little armadillo pecker. 

Hurricane Katrina as Bush’s Kristallancht, according to Pandagon’s Jesse Taylor.  …Which, is it fair for me to invoke Godwin’s law if Jesse’s been careful enough to subcontract out the Goebbel’s function to a natural phenomenon? **** related:  Rightwingsparkle volunteers at the Astrodome; and breaking:  armed gangs are firing on a building housing 50-100 firefighters and their families in St Bernard’s Parrish.  A couple sheriff’s deputies have reportedly been shot and

Wearing a bulletproof vest and hurtling over the New Orleans highround Taliban-style in the bed of a mudcaked pickup truck, FOXNews’ Steve Harrigan appears genuinely stunned that a city without an infrastructure—no pumps, no electricity, no centralized communication—is allowing “fires to burn out of control” and “lawlessness” to “reign supreme.” “It’s a mad house,” he fairly squeals.  “Like the wild west, or some really really bad mosh pit.” Meanwhile, hunkered