Dan Brown Wins Copyright Suit

It makes me happy. I think Brown's a middling writer, but a great storyteller. It is nice to see that writers are still allowed to build on other works without threat of liability. A London judge ruled:

It would be quite wrong if fictional writers were to have their writings pored over in the way DVC (Da Vinci Code) has been pored over in this case by authors of pretend historical books to make an allegation of infringement of copyright.

The Lust Continues....

(don't tell the fiance)

Congratulations to Shyam Reddy

The AJC's Political Insider reports that my good friend and collegue, Shyam Reddy, has done pretty well in the first stage of his bid for Georgia's Secretary of State office. He has raised nearly $500,000, which puts him on the same plane as seasoned political veterans like Republicans Karen Handel and Bill Stephens, who have both held political office. Shyam is a first-time candidate. And a very good one.

Macs to Boot into Windows...

This is not one of those million or so handwringing posts about the significance of Boot Camp. No, this is simply a wish that Apple had released the damn thing on April 1st. What the hell happened to a sense of humor, people?

O'Brien a Bulldog? Who Knew?

I just got done watching an "interview" of Rep. Cynthia McKinney by CNN's morning anchor, Soledad O'Brien. O'Brien was simply trying to get McKinney to recite her version of the facts. McKinney and her two lawyers kept refusing to do so. McKinney invoked themes of racial profiling, the war in Iraq and even possible strikes in Iran. But she refused to tell us her account of the incident in which she punched a Capitol Police officer.

To O'Brien's credit, she refused to allow McKinney to get away with changing the subject, continuing to pester McKinney with repeated requests for the story and admonitions to stay on topic. We never really did hear what McKinney claims happened, but O'Brien also concluded the interview with a barb at McKinney, stating something like "we could have talked about all of those other things, Congresswoman, had you answered my initial question of what happened."

Getting Ready for the Pokey?

Three of his staffers have been implicated in the Abramoff scandal. Another couple have reached the big house after successfully laundering campaign funds in violation of Time is reporting that Tom DeLay is quitting Congress.

DeLay's fall has been stunningly swift, one of the most brutal and decisive in American history. He had to give up his title of Majority Leader, the No. 2 spot in the House Republican leadership, in September when a Texas grand jury indicted him on charges of trying to evade the state's election law. So he moved out of his palatial suite in the Capitol, where he once brandished a "No Whining" mug during feisty weekly sessions with reporters, and moved across the street to the Cannon House Office Building, home of many freshmen.

This is great news, of course, for anybody who values the American values of pluralism and justice, as Tom DeLay was one of the architects of the K-Street Project. Partisan control over all facets of government led to graft and abuse. I guess absolute power corrupts absolutely.

What Happens When a Hindu Democrat

goes to a Christian Coalition candidates' forum? Well, it seems that he builds bridges. Shyam Reddy, a good friend of mine, visited the Georgia Christian Coalition candidates' forum in January. He was unapologetic for his politics, including his pro-choice stance, and earned the respect, if not the votes, of a lot of the folks there.

When asked if any candidate wasn't "pro-life," Reddy recalls that he responded, "'I prefer life over death. I prefer abortion over many of the alternatives women face.' Sure, I was called names when I said that -- 'murderer' and 'baby killer.' But afterward, people came up, shook my hand and said they respected me."

I think Shyam deserves a lot of credit for his willingness to embrace the true meaning of the word 'diversity,' which liberals seem to bandy about but fail to truly appreciate. Diversity means more than just gays and blacks. Diversity requires us to respect everybody -- including conservative Christians. And I'm glad Shyam understands that.