The ability to take a citizen's life as punishment for committing a crime is one of the defining attributes of a sovereign nation. It is something that should never be imposed lightly.

Tonight we saw two state executions take place, one in Georgia, the other in Texas. The execution in Texas was that of Lawrence Brewer. The crime for which he was executed was so brutal it was part of the inspiration for hate-crime legislation.  Read more

Brian Greenspun, publisher and editor of the Las Vegas Sun, had this to say in his editorial from today:

Pat [Mulroy]’s idea is simple. It is a pipeline that would take the rising water away from the Mississippi River and transport it westward to the Colorado River where, frankly, water is in very short supply. Over the next decade or so, many millions of Baby Boomers will be retiring to the Southwest, putting a further demand on the diminishing water supply. It makes perfect sense that we should take the water no one wants and move it to a place where everyone needs it. The only thing in the way is an old argument about water laws that should no longer, well, hold water. Whatever that pipeline costs can probably be offset by the next few years of flood damage. That’s a pretty good return on investment.  Read more

Appearing on Laura Ingraham’s Sarah Palin attacked the First Lady, Michele Obama by saying, “Take her anti-obesity thing that she’s on. She’s on this kick right? What she’s telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their children, for our own families what we should eat. And I know I’m going to be again criticized for bringing this up.  Read more

It's always difficult to talk about illegal immigration, but I feel compelled to speak up on this issue.

Today, the California State Supreme Court upheld a law that allows illegal immigrants who meet high school attendance requirements to receive the in-state tuition rate for state colleges instead of the out-of-state rate, which is considerably higher.  Read more