No, I don't have a problem with a smut peddler as governor. Do you have a problem with a smut peddler as governor?

Many of the rules for the Cal. recall election have been made up, or imported from other laws. For example, the $3,500 filing fee comes from the law for primaries, which specifically says it does not apply to recall elections, but it’s still being used. What the hell, if we can just get 10,000 candidates--and evidently we can--the election will be paid for. “Government by mood ring,” Jon Carroll calls the recall, which is very 1970s of him (he might have said government by pet rock, but Arnie decided not to run). Some of my faves among the candidates: the unemployed woman-- she’s selling merchandise! The cute 26-year old software engineer-- she’s selling merchandise! thong underwear! Look at the links on her website: she’s actually been mentioned by or interviewed by a fair number of newspapers and tv stations. She’s against the death penalty, so I may vote for her. Slogan: “she won’t go gray until her term limits are up.” Also Larry Flynt ("California is the most progressive state in the union. I don't think anyone here will have a problem with a smut peddler as governor.") and a bunch of joke candidates with names similar to other people’s--a Bob Dole and a Michael Jackson, for example. Some of whom will have been put up to it by Davis, I predict.

One of the rules that got made up is that if the recall succeeds, voters get to choose a new governor. Since 1974 the state constitution has said this: "An election to determine whether to recall an officer and, if appropriate, to elect a successor shall be called by the Governor and held not less than 60 days nor more than 80 days from the date of certification of sufficient signatures." What does appropriate mean? No one really knows. If it means that it’s appropriate when a recall succeeds, then it’s really poor writing. It could also mean when the office is not judicial (when, say, Rose Bird was recalled as chief justice, the voters didn’t get to vote in a replacement). Or it could mean when there is no other provision for succession. For governor, this is such provision: "The Lieutenant Governor shall become Governor when a vacancy occurs in the office of Governor." The 1974 initiative that included the “if appropriate” language was voted on without anyone ever talking about this.

The Bush admin sent someone all the way to Niger to tell them to shut up about Yellowcake-gate. Which means not to defend themselves against charges of complicity with Iraqi plans to acquire nuclear weapons.

BUT IS IT ART? From the Observer: “Using techniques of advanced plastic surgery, performance artist Stelarc, originally called Stelios Arcadiou, is to grow the ear in a biotech laboratory and have it grafted on to his forearm. Samples of Stelarc's cartilage and bone marrow will be taken and grown in a laboratory. The cartilage will be nurtured into the shape of an ear, similar to the technique used to grow ears on laboratory mice. The ear will then be surgically placed under a flap of skin on Stelarc's arm, where it will develop its own blood supply. Stelarc hopes to fit the ear with a sound chip and a proximity censor so that it can emit sounds or words when people approach. ... Last month a French artist cut off his own finger with an axe and donated it to a museum.”

The Pentagon is planning to avoid the problem of using airbases altogether by developing a bomber capable of traveling 10,000 miles in 2 hours, striking anywhere in the world from the US.

Oh, this can’t be real. In the tradition of “Heather Has Two Mommies,” here’s a book to prepare children to accept being abducted by aliens. Review here. It is real, there’s an Amazon.com listing.

http://www.acknowledgegodamerica.com/ is the site for people who want an amendment to the US Constitution saying that God exists (putting the amen in amendment, as the site that referred me to it put it).