I've seen you write before that you consider Obama to be a "fairly... regular Democrat" and I've spelled out millions of words so far over the past year putting forward facts and logic that suggest there really is something very very different at work here.

As for FISA, you do understand that it is aimed precisely at people like me, right? A US citizen and journalist that spends most of his time in foreign lands, reports on controversies and social movements and narco-trafficking and money laundering and such, and FISA is specifically aimed at giving the US government and telecom companies permission to tap international calls and emails. So, on paper, I ought to be more concerned than people that don't have much or any international contact, who would not be personally affected by its provisions, but are are evidently very upset whereas I kind of shrug my shoulders.

That's because all the things that people fear FISA will allow are being allowed already. There are many loopholes that already allow the US government to surveil upon international communications simply by doing it through surrogates, be they governments or foreign telecom companies. So why should I be upset about something that only puts a legal imprimatur on what they're already doing anyway?

I also concur with Markos who was quoted today in the Huffington Post saying it's not yet clear what Senator Obama will or won't do on this specific FISA bill, and so I see the "fairly... ordinary Chicken Littling" going on in some corners, a lot of it frankly stoked by former Clinton and Edwards supporters that can't let go of the argument that the presumptive nominee is just the same as any politician, which is a narrative I reject.

As for the flap over the Vero Possumus seal, I thought it was fun! I agree with Wolcott: Its similarity to the Ramones seal was a blatant pander to us former CBGBs denizens, and they probably only took it down because Arturo Vega demanded royalties!