But in this case, that’s a good thing.  And what it makes it doubly impressive is that Democratic state Sen. Chris Romer of Denver bucked his own party AND the Senate Education Committee, which is often nothing more than a rubber stamp for the teacher’s union, in order to support a commonsense education initiative.  From the Rocky Mountain News, “Bill pushes English”: Students would have to demonstrate mastery of English

If you want to be part of her world today, Sign here, save a pet, or pray–if you pray. Damage to an area of the brain behind the forehead, inches behind the eyes, transforms the way people make moral judgments in life-or-death situations, scientists are reporting today. In a new study, people with this rare injury expressed increased willingness to kill or harm another person if doing so would save

Believe it or not, I’m all for this—provided organizers agree to extend the boycott to government agencies.  Then again, I’m for anything that will shorten the lines at emergency rooms, the MVA, and the Wendy’s drive-thru—if only for a day—so color my support of the boycott, you know, opportunistic. Still.  It’s the thought that counts. Developing…

From today’s WSJ: […]Many Democrats believe an American defeat in Iraq is etched in granite. They would not be the first to lose heart and will in war. Yet it is one thing to give up on a cause; it is quite another to advocate legislation (17 different proposals in all, according to Sen. Mitch McConnell) that would guarantee failure even before a new strategy is given time to work.

First, there’s this: A House panel today brushed aside warnings from President Bush and voted to authorize subpoenas for political director Karl Rove and other administration officials in an inquiry into the Justice Department’s dismissal of eight U.S. prosecutors. The Judiciary subcommittee on commercial and administrative law passed the measure by a voice vote, with some “no’s” by Republicans. No roll call was taken. And this: Senator Patrick J. Leahy,

Goodness!  And after all that work Glenn Greenwald(s), Andrew Sullivan, and their perpetually-outraged band of sycophants have put in trying to convince anyone who will listen that neocons and Bushies are the real threats to the soul of America. Of course, Greenwald(s) and co. have of late been advocating that the morally depraved fascist deathmerchants who continue to support the Commander in Chief need be marginalized, dehumanized, and refused entry

Since last I looked the comments were down at Cathy’s site, please take a moment to go and sign the petition I set up. Kathryn Jean Lopez notes that her Technorati buzz is greater than Paris Hilton’s at the moment, a fact that would have amused her. (h/t Reynolds) Bob Owens has an inadequate response to a grieving father, as every such response must be. David Thompson has reflections on

To Eric Lindner, for the case of Bray Vineyards wines.  Bray Vineyards:  the official vineyard of protein wisdom’s almost certainly failing liver.  And soon, I suspect, to be the official vineyard of a certain thieving armor-plated grub eater who still owes me $65 for a bottle of Lagavulin. Thanks, too, to Peg Schorfheide for volume 2 of The Chaplin Collection on DVD.  Peg notes the importance of exposing my son

That Big Brother is one prickly taskmasker, is he not?  From the Washington Times, “Climate scientist sees cover-up”: A NASA scientist who said the Bush administration muzzled him because of his belief in global warming yesterday acknowledged to Congress that he’d done more than 1,400 on-the-job interviews in recent years. James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who argues global warming could be catastrophic, said NASA staffers

Garrett:  “You think he was like, coerced?  Because word on the street is, the shit they’re shooting dudes up with down at Guantanamo to get them to cop to crimes puts the finest grade heroin in the world to shame.  Which raises the question: were one hypothetically interested in becoming a hypothetical terrorist, where might one go to, you know—hypothetically sign up? “And don’t tell me one of those Islamic