by the book

Last Friday’s Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi on WAMU here in Washington D.C. was one of the most entertaining and enjoyable political discussions I’ve heard in a long time. I Podcast Kojo’s shows and listen a day later during my walk / bus commutes. A good portion of the hour was spent on the D.C. gun ban decision and the guest being D.C. Attorney General nominee Peter Nickles who was very clear about what the D.C. council and mayor would do over the 21 days they have to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision. He says that new licensing regulations would not allow any weapons currently banned as dangerous (assault weapons, machine guns), as well as not allowing registration for automatic/semiautomatic handguns or any that could be altered to become such. There will be a waiting period, a requirement to know the D.C. gun laws, no licenses for carrying the guns outside the home, and a requirement for a trigger lock on all handguns when stored. A few of those issues were addressed by the decision, primarily the trigger locks, but I suspect all of them could stand the test - aside from the semiautomatic issue; seems to me you’re talking about only allowing registration of revolvers.

Aside from the handgun discussion, the other guests on the show along with the other topics proved an inviting hour of radio. The two guest co-hosts, Bruce DePuyt and Bill Myers, were both on top of their game and the rapport between everyone showed that there can certainly be some humor, and well-researched positions, when dealing with political issues. You can listen to the show here if you have an hour while typing, scrubbing the kitchen, or playing online games.

I’m enrolled in training next week to work as a volunteer at the Library of Congress Research Assistance Office. I’ll only work one Saturday a month but it’ll give me a badge and a chance to wander around the stacks that are generally off-limits to the public. L and I always visit when she’s here and we end up peering longingly down into the research room you see in most pictures of the Library. Am I going about this all wrong? L gets here on the 12th and will be staying for four weeks: three weeks of camp at the Smithsonian, Sidwell School, and a week of ‘working’ at a pottery maker, before we spend our last week up in Stowe, Vt. With a near empty house these days I’m sure we can squeeze her in somewhere.