This is interesting

for a variety of reasons (WARNING - PDF file linked; Possum and other creatures with PDF issues should probably not click on this link here.)

The short version is a group of Congresspeople wrote the US Trade Representative ("I'll give you two Mookie Wilsons and a Roger Clemens for a Nolan Ryan." What? Isn't that what the Trade Rep does?) suggested that it might be a bad idea for the US to support the Saudi attempts to join the World Trade Organization. I think they've made some very good points in their letter, and I think it's worth reading.

My own observation is far less useful. Oh, I think only terrible things should happen to the Saudis. I'd be delighted if the whole ruling class found itself hacked to bits. No, what concerns me is the signatures on the document.

Where did our elected officials learn to write? Most of them are fairly legible, but on the whole I think some handwriting analysis might be in order. I think I expected to see little hearts on top of some of the "i"s, and a few of them seem to have learned to write in crayon. The most egregious offender is NY's own Anthony Weiner (who, aside from his penmanship, is nothing but an empty suit who won't stop whining.) The guy puts what looks like an uncompleted infinity symbol on the line where his name is. Something like this ∞ only the left loop doesn't close, and the right one kind of trails off sadly before making the climb back to the top.

Look, I know you're busy & all, but please. Heck, I could forge the guy's John Hancock if I wanted to bother, and I have terrible handwriting.