Year End/New Year

Here's my list of things I liked and disliked in 2005:

The Good
Movies: Nobody Knows, Syriana, Munich, The Wedding Crashers, Walk the Line, The Constant Gardner, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit (I'm sure I've forgotten some)
Music: Garden State soundtrack, Veronica Mars soundtrack, Interpol, Pete Yorn
Books: Saturday (Ian McEwan), The Right Nation
Concerts: Duran Duran!!! Better Than Ezra, Snow Patrol, Keane, Coldplay, Depeche Mode
TV: Veronica Mars, Mystery!, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
Politics: The Senate putting it's foot down and dealing the White House a "defeat" on the Patriot Act; the American people responding to the Schiavo matter and forcing the Republicans to realize that they couldn't hijack the matter; the indictment of Scooter Libby, Patrick Fitzgerald. Michael Scanlon pleads guilty. The residents of Dover, PA vote out the members of the local school board that supported the inclusion of intelligent design in the school curriculum. A federal judge rules against the school board (intelligent design isn't science). ANWR drilling prevented (at least temporarily).
Sports: The Seattle Sonics make the playoffs, Lance Armstrong "retires" (let's hope it's for real). The Seattle Seahawks (I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop).

The Bad
Politics: The Republican Party, The Bush Administration (I could list names but there are just so many of them). Let's touch on the highlights though, shall we? Approval numbers hover around or below 40%; The NYT reveals that the NSA engaged in electronic surveillance without securing a search warrant first. The White House decides that the Florida courts can't reach the "right" decision in the Terri Schiavo matter and Congress helps them turn it into a federal issue. The White House starts it's campaign to change Social Security ("personal accounts.") Not only does Bush get to appoint a replacement for Sandra Day O'Connor because she is resigning but Chief Justice Rehnquist passed away in late summer and Bush gets to appoint 2 Supremes!!! His Harriet Meirs nomination gets killed by members of his own party. The Iraq war continues...and more people are dying every day.
Sports: Lance wins his 7th TDF (it's finally over); The BALCO case - why would Barry Bonds take something called the "clear" and not know what was in it? Rafael Palmeiro's testimony in front of Congress "I never took steroids." He then fails a drug test during the season. TO finally overstepping the bounds and the Eagles finally deciding to punish him. The start of the 2005-5006 season for the Seattle Sonics - ugly. The 2005 season for the Seattle Mariners - really ugly. Wally Szerbiack and Damon Jones - they are on my list of annoying basketball players.
Movies: Revenge of the Sith

Things are looking up for 2006 in several ways:
Jack Abramoff plead guilty, which means it's not going to be a good day for Rob Ney or Tom DeLay. In fact, I think the Republican House leadership may have to hold those leadership elections before DeLay's legal troubles are over. What a shame. There's talk of impeachment for the warrantless searches conducted by the NSA. I think that's fair. If articles of impeachment were brought because President Clinton lied under oath during a deposition regarding a sexual act, I think President Bush should face the same question for his actions after 9/11. Seems balanced, don't you think?

On a lighter note, Veronica Mars comes back from hiatus in 2 weeks (I think) and the Sonics fired their head coach today. Here's to a great 2006.