re: Today's primary in Washington, DC, from the Washington Post:

Outside the Anacostia library, college student Andrea J. Young said she was content with the unusual exercise in political expression, given how few voting opportunities are generally afforded D.C. residents.

"In most elections we really don't have a say," the 19-year-old said. "Even if it's just a whisper, today I have a say."

It's a shame that most DC residents won't see it that way, not bothering to vote today, discouraged by the "non-binding" status their vote has been tagged with thanks to the outdated tradition that says Iowa and New Hampshire get the first say.

It's ridiculous enough that the 570,898 people who live in our country's capital don't have any representation in Congress (no senators, and one congressmen who cannot vote!), but it's downright offensive that their desire to bring attention to that fact by moving their primary from May, when their votes truly wouldn't matter, to January, when they could have a profound influence, would be rebuffed so disrespectfully by the Democratic [Lacking] Leadership Council.

I mean, not to get all Al Sharpton here but could it possibly have something to do with the fact that Washington, DC is only 30% white, whereas Iowa and New Hampshire are, respectively, 94% & 96% white? What other reason would the DLC have to not support the effort to bring national attention to DC's lack of representation? And not just not supporting it, but totally kneecapping it by convincing Kerry, Gephardt, Edwards, Clark and Lieberman to remove themselves from the ballot!

Despite that, there's still idiots in DC that are planning to write in their names anyway, ignoring the big middle finger each of them effectively threw in their direction by siding with the DLC.

No wonder someone like Dubya can end up President! George Bernard Shaw was right: Democracy really does "ensure we shall be governed no better than we deserve!"

"Even if it's just a whisper..." Thank you Andrea J. Young for my new motto.