No filibuster reform. Again.

Once again the Senate has refused to reform the badly broken filibuster rules. As such the de facto requirement of 60 votes to pass ANYTHING in the Senate will remain because the minority party is willing to rampantly abuse the rule and filibuster every damn bill of any importance whatsoever. In the last congressional term, Republicans once again blew away the record for most uses of the filibuster.

The Senate is a broken institution. Between the filibuster and senate holds, especially the controversial secret holds, their rules are easily abused yet they refuse to change them. The Senate is where meaningful legislation goes to die.

Screw this system. It's a disaster for a variety of reasons. We'd be better off with a parliamentary system, but of course that will never happen.

When Vultures Attack

From Virginia we get this story about a vulture infestation and a father who didn't think his cunning plan all the way through:

Homeowner Scott Koehn had a bright idea to chase away vultures. He stepped outside his split-level home in northern Staunton with his son, Andrew, 9, and started firing paint balls into their roost in pine trees.

A single vulture sailed into action, swooping toward them. "It vomited on my son," Koehn said. "It was like a half pound of ground beef on his shoulder. It was so disgusting. We got it off him. Got his shirt off. And got him to stop screaming."

Bwahahahahahahahaha....

Yes, vultures do in fact defend themselves by projectile vomiting. Isn't nature beautiful?