We can put the terrorists back in Gitmo if we cross the streams

Of all the chatter by alleged experts in blogosphere, perhaps the best analysis of the Guantanamo Bay issue came from my brother Mike. After all, anyone who has seen the movie Ghostbusters knows what happens when you shut down a containment unit.

Is DC ready?

Your Nation's Capital has been scrambling to prepare for Tuesday's inauguration day. Restaurants are getting ready for crowds, the homeless have been swept under the rug, and Metro is issuing more expensive fare cards and telling people to walk.

Nope. This is what the Farragut West Metro platform looked like on Thursday night, without the crush of people who will be in town today through Tuesday. And those are just people waiting to get on a westbound train heading out of the district at 6:00 p.m.

Earlier that day, I picked up Metro's guide to getting around during the inauguration. Tips included looking for alternate means of transportation - including walking.

In a December WTOP interview, Metro's head conductor, General Manager John Catoe, said the system can move up to 1 million people but that "a million and a half is not a number we can physically move." Metrorail handles about 750,000 commuters daily, and the disctrict is expecting an influx in the millions. So do the math: Metro cannot handle the crowds they know are coming.

Gaian dictator?

"When will people learn: Democracy doesn't work!" - Homer Simpson (a Barack Obama voter)

A bunch of scientists got together and determined that a single multi-billionaire could probably fund a project to combat climate change by spraying sulfur particles in the atmosphere. It is, of course, controversial even among scientist; some theorize that this "solution" may destroy the ozone layer. ("Egon, this reminds me of that time you tried to drill a hole in your head.")

But beyond the technical challenges, talk turned to what practical issues would arise in building a global consensus for any such undertaking. As New Scientist correspondent Fred Pearce reported:

"Some enthusiasts for geo-engineering - or eco-hacking, as some have taken to calling it - said we might one day have to ignore democratic niceties in order to get the job done. "

Democratic processes are not "niceties" - they are government systems that prevent oppression.

Environmentalists may make the argument that Homer Simpson made - that ignoring the will of the people may be necessary to follow a path that promotes an overall good for mankind. But considering that they can't even agree on which path that is, let's not burn the Constitution just yet.