Political Quickies

1. Cartoonist Peter Bagge satirizes anti-immigrant hysteria.

2. Suggestions on making single-payer health care an option, not a requirement.

3. While Caltech's been shut out, Americans have run the table on this year's Nobel Prizes so far. While we do have some legitimate contenders for the Literature prize, it's likely that even if Philip Roth or Joyce Carol Oates takes that one our streak will be snapped when the Peace Prize gets announced on Friday. Slate says the smart money on the Peace Prize is for somebody involved with the Aceh peace process.

4. Apropos to the redistricting stuff I spoke about earlier, I got my sample ballot in the mail and noticed that in my Congressional district (CA-32), the Republicans don't even have a candidate on the ballot. It's just Democratic incumbent Hilda Solis vs. Libertarian "stockbroker/composer" Leland Faegre. More on how redistricting rigs elections. I'm voting for Solis, but I feel like a chump for having the election decided back when they drew the district lines a few years ago.