Burris should be seated.

This whole Blagojevich mess has had me scratching my head.

Any appointment by the Illinois governor will obviously be tainted by the press and the prosecution.

Yet, I'm reminded of the Constitution when I think of the appointment of Roland Burris. Specifically, that the accused is INNOCENT until proven guilty.

As it stand, there's only an accusation of guilt. The governor is innocent under the law.

Does that mean he didn't do what he's accused of? No. It means that the burden of proving guilt is upon the government and that until his guilt is proven, he should be without legal hindrance to carrying out his duties.

Of course the politicians want him gone because of the embarrassment he represents. Yet, these politicians are charged with upholding the Constitution and the laws of the United States, so for them to convict him without benefit of trial is to ignore their duty to the law.

I know nothing of Roland Burris and his qualifications. I do know that he should be seated. Until the governor is convicted, he enjoys all the power of his position; that includes the power to appoint a Senator.

It may smell bad, but that doesn't make it illegal.

Reagan era Republicanism is dead; Democrats the new pragmatists.

E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post sums it up clearly with his analysis of the future of the both Democrats and Republicans.

The broader point shouldn't be ignored: Republicans should realize that the Reagan era is over and find a new pragmatism.

Democrats have embraced pragmatism and will thus survive much stronger and with greater ability to run the show as a result.

Are we truly as free as we think we are?

I came across this radio show that offered some really astounding ideas--all based on scientific research--about freedom of choice.

Here's the show. It's about 15 minutes long.



This stuff makes me giddy. It really throws some wrenches into to whole freedom thing.

Fascinating.

Here's the link to the page with even more shows on it.

Literate cities lean liberal

Here's something of note. A listing of the most literate and least literate cities in the U.S.

Something that pops out at me is the political leanings of the most literate cities: They tend to support Democrats and lean liberal.

Something to be said for reading and political affiliation.

Interestingly, least literate cities tend to be in Texas or California with one exception: Hialeah, Florida.