Rain, referendum, can sit on the ground now...

Returned through the driving rain from the dreadfully Soviet Palace of Culture in the Химпосёлок, where we went to sign for a referendum on changing the Satversme, Latvia's Constitution, to permit the people to initiate a vote on dismissing the Saeima, our Parliament. Veiko has details and updates here. The last day to sign. People are standing in long lines in the rain. It's also Anitas, my mother-in-law's name's-day. Balzams.

Thunderstorm. Can sit on the ground now. Couldn't make it to the pro-Tibet demo in Rīga. Lithuania's PM has announced that he won't attend the opening of the Olympics. Latvia's Parliament refused to consider a resolution supporting Tibet today -- 28 in favor of putting this on the agenda, 24 against, 31 abstaining. Those against led by the usual culprits, but joined by right-wingers who are in the parliamentary support group and the China group. Šmits and Ozoliņš, for example -- two of Latvia's most prominent homophobes, of the zoological strain. Šmits was human rights guru -- human rights don't apply to gays or Tibetans though, I guess. And Tabūns, of course -- Russophobe of the loudest mouth. Всё нормально.

Photo: AFI. They stamp your passport when you sign. That's not such a nice thing if your employer thinks signing is an invocation of chaos.