District of Columbia vs. Heller was today.

The Second Amendment.

Guns. Militia. Rights.

So, what happens now? We’re in that limbo period between the arguments being made and the resultant decision from the Supreme Court. The case rests now in the hands of 9 learned judges, whose wit and wisdom are the law.

While I didn’t get the chance to see the arguments (as I valued my Sunday and Monday, and that’s when all the camping for gallery passes began…) there’s a wealth of coverage at SCOTUSblog, including a very good “live blog” of the hearing that went a good 30 minutes overtime today.

Early indications support a verdict in favor of Heller (and against the District’s firearms prohibition) by either a 6-3 or 5-4 margin, which would require that the District re-examine the laws surrounding firearm ownership.

Non-violence - the Knotted Gun - United Nations — Originally uploaded by Al_HikesAZ

I wasn’t aware we’d been conquered by Canada, but the Airline Pilot’s Association apparently knows something we don’t. Why else would they fly the flag of another nation above that of our own?

Methinks someone needs to consult the US Flag code.

No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America, except during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for the personnel of the Navy. No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof:

Oh my goodness. I think on the boat ride over here from England, Paul Simonon dunked his head into the Atlantic, ripped up the trans-atlantic cable with his teeth, and then used it to string his bass guitar. The man was slinging some deep bass at the 930 Club earlier tonight. Simonon’s monster bass chords were one of the many thirlls delivered by The Good, The Bad, and The Queen.

What could have easily been written off as a vanity project of Blur’s Damon Albarn, GBQ have been proving naysayer’s wrong since their debut album hit U.S. shores a few months back. Tonight’s performance was one of a limited U.S. tour that displayed such musical exellence and natural joy for music that if there are any doubters left in DC they must be of the most gnarled and cynical sort.

Tonight’s concert was incredible.

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Washington is a town of memorials. We commemorate the Second World War, we commemorate the Vietnam War, the Korean War. We honor some of our founding fathers: George Washington, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, and those who carried forward their mantle of self-governance. These are all honorings of events that are past us, events that have been placed in their context and examined fully. The events are weighed in the balance by our later selves. Heroes are found and enshrined. Events are honored, chronologies crafted and taught, lessons are brought out from the skeins of history like threads in a weaver’s loom. In the present, with no such advantage, we are allowed only to interpret events to the best of our ability with the information that we can craft.

Today we look back and face the horrors of four plane crashes. Crashes that claimed thousands of lives, as they careened into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field outside of Shanksville, PA have become an integral part of our current perspective. Constantly we’re reminded in the images in modern media of the gap in the skyline where the WTC once stood. If you’re driving by the Pentagon on 395 each day, you see the new section of the building where once charred bricks and flames were all the decoration visible. We see it in every airport, on each Metro train, in every policeman carrying a military rifle openly, and at every federal building.

We’re unable yet to place the events of five years ago into a context, and this is gravely unsettling to us. Just as our grandparents couldn’t see the completed chapter of World War II after Pearl Harbor, or our parents couldn’t see the completed Cold War before the Berlin Wall fell, so too are we left to muddle our way through this “Global War on Terror” until the last of the Islamic terror movements are disarmed or an armistice is reached.
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So, with the War in Iraq raging, potential deployments in Lebanon and other nations looming, the Army has decided to…build an amusement park? They’re looking at expanding a new Museum complex to include a hotel and amusement center including “4D Rides” and, well, 22,000 new commuters for that section of Fairfax County, which has the County Officials a little upset at the idea. Not to mention the possibility of 3 million extra visitors each year clogging the roads of Fairfax.

Well, I guess now that we’ve caught Osama, we can just build a little tourist center. Wait, what do you mean he’s still out there?

Imagine this: diving into the Potomac at the Washington Harbor, swimming south to the Lincoln Memorial in the midst of other sleek swimmers like yourself, then jumping on your high-tech bike, zipping into Rock Creek Park and up through the Zoo and then a second climb at Ross Avenue in a pack of cyclists.

Just as you are about to expire, you downhill to the start and repeat this thigh-burring loop. Next, as your body screams for a rest, you dismount and run the Mall with your crazy cohorts, circling Congress the Library of Congress before a sprint back to the finish at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

This beauty, insanity, hilarity is the dream of Charles Brodsky, the hopeful founder of The Nations Triathlon - an Olympic distance triathlon he is trying to put together for Saturday, September 16, 2006.

“Trying” being the operative word as he’s had challenges at every step of the way. From the National Park Service, to DC Police, to the squeamish who are still at that first paragraph when I said “diving into the Potomac” and shaking their heads.

Before they start with their usual alarmist chatter, do note that extensive water testing has been done to ensure swim safety and this is also the river they “swim” in every night when they shower.

Still, the entire DC triathlon community, from the DC Tri Club, to little ole Olympic triathlete me, have great hope that Charles will prevail.

We will know on August 14th, when Charles reaches the go/no go date he’s set. Until then, if you’re like me and would love to race past pandas in the Zoo or tourists on the Mall, pre-register to get a spot in line.

My friend Oli from Australia has been going on and on and on and on about the World Cup soccer tournament that’s starting tomorrow at noon local, and I just haven’t ever managed to work up some fervor about this giant tournament of nations. While DCist wants you to head to tiny (but great) Bar Pilar, or maybe to ESPN Zone, why not cross the river and go to Summers instead? After the 2002 World Cup, it was voted Best Soccer Bar in America, especially considering it was open 24/7 during the ‘02 World Cup when fans were crowding into the bar at 4 in the morning for plates of steaming hot breakfast in order to watch the matches.

Sure, you could go to Fado (which will serve Guinness for the 9am matches) or to another bar in the District, but why not go to one of the best soccer bars in the world, instead?

Summers will be doing replays of the daytime games (remember that Germany is a good 6 hours ahead of us right now) during the evening, so don’t be afraid of having to take a long lunch if you’re willing to watch on tape delay. The US kicks off their first game on Monday at noon against the Czech Republic, then won’t play again the following Saturday when they face off against Italy, but there are three games a day, every day starting tomorrow and going through the 23rd, after which we get into the more complicated Round of 16. In order to advance, teams must complete mathematical forumlae that make the BCS formula look fairly simple.

Summers is charging $10 if you only want to just watch the game, but order a couple of beers or some food and you ought to be in pretty good shape. See you there for kickoff!

Summers Bar

1520 N Courthouse Rd.

Arlington VA

Courthouse Metro is 1 block away

George Clooney is here in DC today, exercising his right as a citizen to petition his government for redress. Of course, it’s a bit different when you’re a movie star today, and Clooney’s goal today was to convert his star power into, well, actual power. He joined Senators Brownback and Obama to talk about the Darfur region of the Sudan where not only is there actual genocide happening right now, The United Nations isn’t doing a damn thing, nor are any of the other large militarized nations of the world. The last resort, of course, is to get interloping celebrities involved.

Welcome to Washington, George. Perhaps you should give up on the acting and go straight to work on the humanitarian causes, instead of, say, going to bed each night on top of a giant pile of money with dozens of beautiful women.

It’s not that I find your celebrity daunting, or that I’m jealous of your good looks, I just still remember you from Return of the Killer Tomatoes, and I can’t take you seriously any longer than that.

Tom Toles, venerable Editorial Cartoonist for the Washington Post may have gone a bit far with Sunday’s cartoon featuring a soldier in Iraq. The cartoon features a soldier who has suffered numerous wounds and lost parts of all four limbs. The Post received a very sternly worded letter from the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are a bit ticked off with Toles’ portrayal of wounded soldiers. The Post has come out in support of Cartoonist Toles’ depiction based on the fact that the Army is stretched fairly thin at the moment with two large deployments overseas.

The parallels here to the situation in Denmark are quite interesting. Over the last few days, Islamic nations have shown a proclivity to burn the flag of Denmark as well as pictures and effigies of its prime minister over something that was printed in a right-leaning (think Washington Times) daily newspaper’s editorial cartoons section. The cartoon featured 12 depictions of Muhammed, one of which had a lit fuse coming from his turban. Islamic culture forbids the creation of images of Muhammed, and this inflamed the population of various muslim countries. The protests have become quite severe over the past few days, causing some panic for Westerners in the area when the EU office in Gaza was overrun by armed fanatics.

So, how does this play out in fair DC? A bunch of people writing letters. How does this play out in the Middle East? Flag burning, effigy burning and violence. Big difference.

Technorati Tags: DC, first amendment, press

Word is we’re quickly approaching national protest your authoritarian regime / dominant financial paradigm weekend. Caught the following off the wire:

Over the weekend of September 24th & 25th the IMF and World Bank will hold their fall 2005 meetings here in DC. Protests to IMF/Bank policies are expected somewhat larger (a permit has been issued for 2000 demonstrators) than was experienced last year. In addition, a very large anti-war protest is expected in the nations capital (particularly around the Mall, the Capital and the White House) during the same period.

Current estimates on the total number of demonstrators numbers exceed 100,000. Buses are scheduled to arrive from 48 cities and more than 100 buses will come from New York City alone.

So, there you are — at least 100 buses full of NYC activists unloading downtown in all their hipster glory. If you’re interested, here’s some detail: anti-war march, globalization feeder march.

Look for me, I’ll be dressed as the giant corporatey americanized espresso bean in the guerilla street theatre. Sans wmd, of course.