I read that piece about Keith Ellison this morning and think it's a stroke of genius. And Goode was apparently too flummoxed to comment for the article.

I was also struck by Goode's comments in his letter of two weeks ago: "I believe that the overwhelming majority of voters in my district would prefer the use of the Bible." Who the fuck cares what they do or don't prefer? This is about Ellison having the right to be sworn in on whatever holy book he wants.

I'm not clear on where Alternet gets the 10% figure for reporters killed. RSF says that 64 journalists and media assistants were killed in Iraq in 2006. Though that's a high number, to be sure, I have a hard time believing that that represents 10% of all journalists and media-related workers in Iraq.

Re: Es-kuh-lay-shun

Is Bush really going to increase troops in Iraq, an option that something like 87% of Americans are adamantly against?

Reminds me of last year's 24 storyline in which the Preznit was a traitor; I can't imagine where the writers got the idea for that.

I was under the impression that a Koran translated into English was not exactly a Koran; the actual words of Arabic are the words of god, not just the meaning. This is different from Christianity's perception of the bible, which is considered translatable. This does not really change anything, but I am surprised that Ellison found Jefferson's Koran translation sufficient. Thats fine though; goes to show Muslims come in all stripes, creeds and sizes.

Is is true that "Concerned Women for America is the nation's largest public policy women's organization."? I sure as hell hope not.

You're right, Jude: a translated Quran is not a Quran. Muslims in every country use the original Arabic. I wonder if Jefferson's book is bilingual or something.

Which still doesn't address the fact that congressmen are not sworn in on any books at all, and never have been. They're sworn in en masse in the chamber, with their hand in the air. The business with the book is for the cameras only and has zero official standing.

The Chicago Tribune's editoral staff today called Ellison's use of Thomas Jefferson's Koran "reassuring." They also said that he "kicked up a dust storm." I've been going nuts all morning. This whole Ellison thing is bullshit - can you imagine this tenor of abuse being heaped on anyone else in Congress?

Brie,

This is just another Republican ploy to whip up fear, hate and paranoia -it's all they've got.

It's pretty obvious and shameless, and I'd say that it's backfiring on them based on the reactions I've read.

Oh, as to the washing hands thing - most studies report that anti-bacterial soaps are the worst thing, and breed antibiotic resistant diseases, but that the CHEAPEST soaps (bar especially) are the BEST ones at killing germs.

When you work on infectious diseases, stuff like this is important to know ...

Antibacterial soaps also dry out your skin. Dried out skin == cracks in skin == entryway for germs.

And I really hate the way they smell. Ugh.

Thanks, Kesh. Remember, our children will thank us for not using anti-bacterial soaps and sprays in our houses. If we keep doing this, we'll end up with kids with no effective immunities to speak of, like the bubble boy ...