To the sound of ballots dropping

The WMCN benefit at the 400 Bar tonight was excellent, although I only got there in time to see Short Order. Mitch sported sunglasses... I'm real tired now, but I watched the overnight cable broadcasts regarding Iraq, which sounded better than I might have expected. Massive violence over the past 4 hours, almost a dozen suicide bombs, yet the people are apparently turning out in many places. I don't know what it will sound like by the time I wake up in the morning. Of course, the real fireworks might come when they try to move the ballots. Who knows...

For all this lying and violence, well at least they got to have some polls. Some came from Bulgaria to Turkey to vote, according to CNN.

The highlight of the broadcasts was at about 1:59 central time. Two Iraqi dudes were telling FOX News about coming from Utah to vote in California, and they started to describe how another Iraqi at the polling station was wearing black because their relative got killed working in the Iraqi National Guard, and then the anchor suddenly cut them off. Time for the 2 AM commercial break!!!

What product so immediately needed to be offered to us? A collection of cowboy classics. John Wayne. Buy it now and git double the episodes, only nanntenn nannty fiiive plus shippin' and handlin'.

Norm Rosenberg taught us about the John Wayne movie Red River. Wayne rides into the west, gits some land, shoots the representative of the land's owner, and connects the cattle generated to the American economy, represented by a railway. He didn't have time to hear the end of any damn stories, either.

Ironically, there was only one polling station open in the western United States, and we'll see how many stations in western Iraq make it through the day.

Ongoing news coverage:
Al Jazeera - although they got officially kicked out
Agonist.org - online news collectors. top notch folks.
The early report from Dexter Filkins of the Times.
Something will turn up on Metafilter.

My regards to anyone who tries to brave the situation, and my sympathy for those that already know its a slanted game. Hang on folks, this is the part where 2 + 2 just gotta equal 5.