an idea whose time has finally come

i've been hoping, praying, sitting by the phone like a teenage girl for this. i'm late commenting on it because my computer is on the fritz right now for unclear reasons, but do not let this fool you into thinking i wasn't whooping when this story first hit the press on 20040929 at about 1100 EDT.

Part of the Patriot Act, a central plank of the Bush administration's war on terror, was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Victor Marreo ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the power the FBI has to demand confidential financial records from companies as part of terrorism investigations.

The move strikes down section 505, the national security letter provision of the Patriot Act, which gives the FBI power to demand such information without a court order and bars companies and other recipients of the letters from ever revealing that they received the FBI demand for records. Marreo held that this permanent ban was a violation of free-speech rights.

In his ruling, Marreo prohibited the Department of Justice and the FBI from issuing special administrative subpoenas, known as national security letters. But he delayed enforcement of his judgment pending an appeal that's expected to be filed by the government. The Department of Justice said it was reviewing the ruling.

The ruling was the latest blow to the Bush administration's antiterrorism policies.

and, might i unnecessarily add, it's about fucking time. as our republic teeters on the brink of neo-fascism, a few moments of joyful success really improve my mood.

the other news to which i am referring is the release of the due simone, the two italian women named simona who had been held hostage. many, many people are being held hostage in iraq, but somehow the picture of le due simone on the front page of the 20040929 edition of the new york times bonked me 'tween the eyes. the women, moments after release, are unveiling their faces; this symbolic release coupled with their physical release from captivity was just stunning. kudos to whomever caught that picture: i hope said lucky jazire employee wins the pulitzer.

incidentally, the jazire story on wednesday's release of seven hostages is here - unfortunately, the amazing picture picked up by the nyt (prominently bearing jazire's logo) is not available there, but the due simone are shown (in western civvies).

so it was a better news day than usual, at least for these reasons. so often the news just makes me miserable, which is why i don't want to watch it.

incidentally, i am already cringing & today's debate's aren't for another, oh, sixteen hours. i just can't stand watching the chimp win debates by scratching his ass and hooting. i mean, it's equal parts horror at his inability to form a complete sentence and horror that the world rates him the winner of debates when his opponents (like, say, gore) clearly beat the living shit out of him. 'cause all he has to do is what the class bully always does to the smarter, more talented folk - snicker and moon his opponent with his red baboon ass, and somehow that makes him 'win'.

fuck, i hate human beings. it's the mystery of my life how someone so devoted to the principles of our republic can be such a fucking misanthropist.