Interesting happenings from DC: crime rate, buried tech center, implosion rumor, & roughshod riding

[skreidle]

You know a fast food restaurant is in a bad part of town when the entire service area--walk-up and drive-through--is encased in bulletproof glass, with alternate-door pass-throughs for handing off food.. (This is the case with the KFC/Taco Bell on South Capitol near Nation, where I stopped for lunch today after missing the poorly-signed 395 exit after the tunnel.) I was also one of two white people in the entire building for about the first ten minutes, until a small group of white businessmen arrived. (And then I headed over to the office, where I did some paperwork, packed some parts for FedEx to take away, arranged or rescheduled some upcoming service calls, and headed home through heavy traffic. :P)

The DC Office of the Chief Technology Officer (DC OCTO) has an interesting building. Tucked into its own fenced-in block on Massachusetts, it gives the appearance of a smallish industrial shed, which happens to be sitting over several basement levels of computers and offices. However, it's not really bunker-like, since at least one of the "underground" levels has a lot of windows.

Speaking of interesting DC happenings, rumor has it that they'll be imploding the old Convention Center next Monday morning! I wanna see! :)

Hey, check this out: Republicans may be planning to use the tyranny of the majority to quash the "tyranny of the minority"--by making filibusters of judicial nominees unconstitutional--by getting the Senate's presiding officer (Cheney, presumably) to rule as such, which would only need a simple majority to pass, rather than the 60% needed to break a filibuster or 67% to change the rules in normal procedure. Does anyone else see a problem with this?

Comments

Re: Brief history lesson

[xiaoshira.livejournal.com]

I don't think there's any need to be condescending. I said that there were angles of this issue, like the fact that the judiciary is in real, actual trouble, that need to be considered extremely thoughtfully. I also came out on what appears to be your side of the issue.

Re: Brief history lesson

[jazzfish]

I apologise if I came across as condescending. I'd noted the Political Animal post when it was made, expecting to hear about the judicial filibuster from other of my acquaintances. Being given a chance to put it to use was too much to pass up, but I was too tired to actually make any rational argument to go along with it. (Said argument basically consisting of "you're right, but I don't think social liberals can afford to try and play nice," only better thought out and phrased.)