A few weeks ago Ed Rendell made a very interesting comment to a paper here in PA.  He said:

"You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate," he said bluntly. Our eyes only met briefly, perhaps because the governor wanted to spare the only black guy in the room from feeling self-conscious for backing an obvious loser. "I believe, looking at the returns in my election, that had Lynn Swann [2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate] been the identical candidate that he was --well-spoken [note: Mr. Rendell did not call the brother "articulate"], charismatic, good-looking -- but white instead of black, instead of winning by 22 points, I would have won by 17 or so."

http://www.post-gazette.com/...

Here is my question:

The incident seemed like so many others from this war, the kind of tragedy that has become numbingly routine amid the daily reports of violence in Iraq. On the morning of Nov. 19, 2005, a roadside bomb struck a humvee carrying Marines from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, on a road near Haditha, a restive town in western Iraq. The bomb killed Lance Corporal Miguel (T.J.) Terrazas, 20, from El Paso, Texas. The next day a Marine communique from Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi reported that Terrazas and 15 Iraqi civilians were killed by the blast and that "gunmen attacked the convoy with small-arms fire," prompting the Marines to return fire, killing eight insurgents and wounding one other. The Marines from Kilo Company held a memorial service for Terrazas at their camp in Haditha. They wrote messages like "T.J., you were a great friend. I'm going to miss seeing you around" on smooth stones and piled them in a funeral mound. And the war moved on.

I just saw a report on CNN about soldiers who have served in Afghanistan or who are going back after Iraq tours.

Their sentiment?  Everyone tells me, "Afghanistan, well at least you aren't in Iraq, you will be safe."

The Afghanistan losses are going up.

Volunteering involves a sacred contract. A man or woman will agree to sacrifice their life if necessary in the defense of the United States and its Constitution.

In return, the government will pay, feed, and clothe the volunteer. In addition, and most importantly, there is an understanding that volunteers will only be called upon to make the supreme sacrifice when it is absolutely necessary and after all other options have been exhausted.

Corn, David, Editor, [Nation, The], Washington, DC
Cox, Ana Marie, Internet Columnist
Marshall, Joshua Micah, Internet Columnist
Seder, Sam, Talk Show Host, Air America Radio, Majority Report, The
Miller, Stephanie, Talk Show Host, Jones Radio Network
Armstrong, Jerome, Founder, Mydd.com
Black, Duncan, Internet Columnist
Ward, Jim, Comedian
Levine, Emily, Comedian
Mele, Nicco, Chief Executive Officer, EchoDitto

However, my sympathy for someone who openly breaks the law, even an evil law, is not that great.  Do the crime, you do the time.  (Of course, the charges should be reduced to represent the reality of the crime in that case.)

The bulk of my anger at the Drug War is focused on the innocents caught in the middle who have commited no crimes.  Here is a story of what happened to one such innocent.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0505/14/cg.01.html

Yes, he compared not confirming judges to the genocide of the jews.  This guy has really lost it, how does he still have a job?  How does he get away with saying stuff like that?