Current Mood: thoughtful

"We will call on people to say no to this constitution," said Kamal Hamdoun, a Sunni leader who is head of the Iraqi Bar Association. "This constitution was written by the powerful people, not by the people."

"This constitution achieved the ambitions of the people who are in power," he added.

As poll workers tally the ballots from Sunday's election, Iraqi and Western officials say, it is increasingly clear that the country's once powerful Sunni minority largely boycotted the voting, confirming the group's political isolation.

While Shiites and Kurds, who make up more than 80 percent of the population, turned out to vote in great numbers, a Western diplomat said Monday, the turnout in Sunni areas appeared to be ''quite low.''

The thin turnout means the Sunnis, many of whom already feel deeply alienated from the American-backed enterprise here, could be vastly underrepresented in the national assembly. The 275-member parliament will oversee the drafting of a constitution, which is to be put before Iraqi voters later this year. A lack of significant Sunni representation in drafting the constitution, Iraqi and American officials say, is likely to further embitter the group. And it could even lead to the failure of the constitution; under the rules drafted last year to guide the establishment of a new Iraqi state, a two-thirds ''no'' vote in three provinces would send the constitution down to defeat. The Sunnis are a majority in three provinces.

Current Mood: irritated

There's not much more I could say about the last 16 hours that Michelle hasn't already said here.  It's a pretty big hit to the system.  I mean, my week hasn't been all that great, but it was a lot better before I lost the bag with a whole bunch of my stuff in it.  I am, however, thankful that I still have in my possession my bank card, Drexel ID, and Duane Morris ID, plus my cellphone and keys.  Had I lost those, I'd probably still be fuming like I was last night.  As it stands now, I've already got replacements for the major cards on the way or under control.  As for the material goods (the MP3 CD player, the headphones, the cool CDs), I've already made my peace with that.  It's out of my hands so why get more upset than I already have.  That's where I am right now.  I'd also like to thank Michelle for being so cool throughout this.  I don't usually fly off the handle, but when I do something stupid it just really gets to me.  She's been really sweet and helpful, and she's the best.
 
Anyway, the amount of ridiculousness involved with getting my stuff back has been (and still will be, I expect) pretty annoying.  I ask you, fair reader, how can I give the 16 digit account number of a credit card I no longer have?  Same thing with my state ID.  I know, it's on the credit card statement but what if I didn't have the statement on me and I wanted to get it resolved.  In any case, the customer service people I've talked to have been very helpful and nice and that's been a relief.
 
One thing that made me laugh though, and I think this just shows me that I can find humor everywhere if given the opportunity, even in the darkest times.  On the Social Security Administration's website (yes, the Social Security card was in it.  That's no good but I'm sure they have ways of dealing with it.), they talk about the requirements for getting a replacement card.  You have to have some documents proving your identity.  They explain it as such:

Identity: We must see a document in the name you want shown on the card. The identity document must be of recent issuance so that we can determine your continued existence.

"So that we can determine your continued existence."  How philosophical, especially for a federal agency.  What if I didn't have any documents on me, does that mean I don't exist.  I have a phone bill, therefore I am.

Current Mood: thoughtful

The House just passed a sweeping energy bill that's big on the tax breaks and subsidies for oil companies and small on environmental-friendly initiatives and energy efficiency.

Said Representative Ed Markey (D-MA) of the bill:

"Right now Adam Smith is spinning in his grave so fast that he would qualify for a subsidy in this bill as an energy source,"

Officially my favorite quote from a Congressman ever. I think it's adorable that he assumes most people know who Adam Smith is. Still, quips like that about Republican wish-list bills like this one could keep the Democrats up and swinging, especially in the Senate where the House bill has to be rectified with what will be the much more environmentally-friendly Senate version.