William Calley apology – four decades later

Still metabolizing this. I do believe in redemption, but man that crime was big.  Too big for easy answers.

Pot growing Republicans who kill and the women who love them

For those of you who haven’t come across this week’s North Coast Journal, the cover story has it all.  Pot, attempted political assassination, Tim Stoen, intimidation, courtroom drama, recalls, racial and sexual outbursts all involving the sleepy little coastal village of Westport, the former head of the Mendo County Republican Party, and guns.  Twists and turns from the first paragraph to the last.  Right out of Pulp Fiction, only not.

Kind of makes you think about those assault rifles outside the Obama events.

This is rich! Opposition to the public option because it would be too good for consumers.

This Blue Dog is concerned about a public option because it could become “too popular” with people and take out the private companies.

We’ve really reached a bizarre point in the debate when the biggest criticism of a plan is that it’s the best thing for consumers.

Huckabee and the Jews

From an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.

“One of the things I find most interesting is that generally Evangelicals are so much more supportive of Israel than the American Jewish community,” Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, said.

What he leaves out is that much (not all) of the evangelical base support Israel primarily because it fits into their views of Biblical prophecy and the end days rather than any real affinity.  But one TPM reader is even more to the point.

The American Jewish community is divided about lots of things, it’s our nature. One thing we tend NOT to be divided about is support for Israel. But support doesn’t mean merely blind acceptance, which is something Republicans never seem to understand in general. We can support Israel while disagreeing–loudly and forcefully at times–about specific behaviors of its government. As an American Jewish liberal Democrat, I can support a 2-state solution (which, to my knowledge, remains official Israeli government policy), oppose the expansion of settlements, rail about Bibi’s government or at least his governing style, and still wholly, fundamentally support the state of Israel. And, you know what? I resent Huckabee and his ilk for implying that my support of Israel is anything less than total just because it doesn’t fit into his narrow prism of what he perceives that support should be.