I lived in Texas when the whole re-redistricting fiasco played out. There was definitely something not quite kosher going on, but my assumption at the time was more of an “abuse the process” action, not something that was arguably in violation of the letter of the law (in this case, campaign finance law in Texas).

Representative Tom DeLay did take a direct role in the re-redistricting imbroglio, attempting to get federal agencies involved in tracking down the Democrats from the Texas state legislature who had fled the state to prevent a quorum from being achieved and the re-redistricting from being passed.

Now, it appears that a grand jury has found enough evidence for an indictment against Representative DeLay for conspiracy to violate the campaign finance law.

While it is entirely possible that this case is being pursued so energetically because the prosecutor in Travis County involved is a Democrat, with all the ethics reprimands and other shady actions swirling around Representative DeLay the old saw “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” comes to mind.

Where there is power, it seems we are condemned to also have abuse of power.

UPDATE: The Commissar at The Poliburo Diktat writes that he wants to learn more before he is convinced of any valitidy to the accusations of “partisan witch-hunt” that are being flung about by many on the right-wing.

Technorati Tags: commentary, news, DeLay, Tom DeLay

As always, click on the thumbnail to get a larger image.

Here is another angle of the church where the sunlight was shining through the stained glass windows:

In older times (pre-indoor plumbing), the small courtyards between the buildings had wells that the inhabitants used for their water. I had a photo showing one of the courtyards in the last post of photos. Here is one of the remaining wells, but it is filled in now:

In the last post of photos, I also mentioned the poetically named escalier escargot, or “snail stairs”. I had a photo of the exterior of one of these staircases. Here is a photo I took through a window that shows the spiral staircase from below:

Lyon was a major regional capitol in the Roman Empire, and there are ruins of two ampitheaters which have been refurbished and are used for concerts. This is from the upper levels, where it has not been refurbished:

Here is another photo of the two churches that I posted the other day. In this photo, I was trying to get the silhouette of the cross that was at the peak of one of the towers on the lower church against the lighted upper church. The composition isn’t as successful as I had hoped, perhaps after some cropping (which I’ll do later):

I have more photos that I may post once I’ve finished cleaning them up.

Technorati Tags: France, letters from Europe, Lyon, photos, photos of Europe, photos of Lyon

Operation Eden is a photoblog containing images from the area devastated by Katrina.

The images are remarkable.

What luck for rulers that men do not think.
   -Adolf Hitler

To read the excuses I have seen regarding policing comments on weblogs, it is positively amazing the double standards being applied.

Let’s see. If I own a house, I am expected to throw away any trash that may blow into my yard, even if I didn’t throw it there, because I am expected to “keep the neighborhood clean”.

However, if I am the proprietor of a weblog, if someone posts a comment patently offensive, I can write it off as an “inside joke” and not worry about “keeping the neighborhood clean” if the comment is in accord with the political leaning of the weblog, even if by any reasonable standard the comment is offensive.

Fascinating.

The right-wing and the left-wing are both equal in their hypocrisy.

Explain to me again why the human race is worth a damn?

I’m on the verge of giving up hope… I need a reason to believe what anyone does is worthwhile.

Right-wing, left-wing, they are all the same.

Not worth even the electrons used to display the text, much less the glucose molecules needed to read it.

Technorati Tags: left wing weblogs, left-wing, left-wing politics, left-wing weblogs, politics, right wing, right wing weblogs, right-wing, right-wing politics, right-wing weblogs, weblogs

The nature of the comments I have received (and chosen not to approve) with respect to what I felt was a relatively innocuous post regarding the unacceptability of calling someone “GAY PORN COCK OF LIES!” on a right-wing weblog has shown that the right-wing is just as despicable as the left-wing.

OK, boys and girls, you tell me, how is the left-wing so much worse?

Perhaps you should clean your own house first before you start calling the left wing out for being so idiotic?

Technorati Tags: right wing weblogs, right-wing weblogs, weblogs