Drink Upstream

Wanted: Devil's Advocate, Apply Within

Does anyone want to argue that yesterday's Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District no. 1 Supreme Court decision was a good, well-crafted decision? I don't think it was. I'm very curious about it, given two facts: 1) both opinions appealed to Brown v. Board of Education for support, and 2) This is another in a string of 5-4 court decisions that contradicts Chief Justice Roberts's goal of unanimity on the court. Anyone who wants to help me see the light, or at least the errors of my thinking, please let me know (or direct me to your blog).

Bill

What's a Liberal to Do?

Two posts in one day? Is that even possible?

After my previous post, Sarah sent me a New York Times article that is critical of John Edwards's non-profit work. Check it out and let me know what you think.

In Aiding Poor, Edwards Built Bridge to 2008

Starter topic: Is it ethical to start a foundation that will serve as the main plank of your presidential platform? Especially when that foundation is not an Exploratory Committee and donations to it will not count as donations to your campaign?

Where Have All the Conservatives Gone?

A few months back, I began a search for some true conservative voices. Not the bellicose conservatives of the Project for the New American Century, who will throw out all other conservative values (such as fiscal responsibility or the free market) in order to force those same values down the throat of the world. And not the Religious Right conservatives, who will continually rally around the American family as long as it is their own wealthy, white, child-bearing, Christian family they are talking about. I'm looking for someone who is not so hypocritical-- someone who doesn't base their opinions on how outrageous and insulting they can be. Not a Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly, or Ann Coulter, or (for now) Rudy Giuliani, or Vice President Cheney, or anyone that currently holds a megaphone in the Republican Party.

Yesterday, Matt introduced me to Congressman Ron Paul of the Texas 14th. Obviously, this man is extremely conservative... a libertarian by any definition. But in doing a little research about the Congressman, I ran across this gem of a speech that I thought worthy of sharing.

http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2007/cr060607.htm

I obviously do not agree with everything in it (I still don't see how income taxes are unconstitutional, if we have an amendment allowing them), but I did think it a nice poke in the eye of everyone using "tough on national security" as a bar for measuring presidential candidates.