Coulter bitch slapped with a velvet glove.

Previously I have called for someone to give Ann Coulter the bitch slap she so richly deserves for her vicious, personal, homophobic and racist attacks on Democrats.

On June 26, Elizabeth Edwards rose to the ocassion with grace and elegance. She asked Ann to stop using the death of her son and name-calling to make attacks against her husband and other Democrats. Edwards asked Coulter to raise the tone of her discourse. Coulter twisted this to say that Edwards was trying to stifle her right to free speech. The implicit assumption from this understanding of what Edwards actually asked of her is that, aside from the hate and the venom, Coulter must shut up because she has nothing else to say.

Elizabeth Edwards is a smart and classy lady. I’d be proud to have her as a First (or Second) Lady of the United States. She is more intelligent and elegant by far than Ann Coulter – there really is no comparison. That is what makes her calling of Coulter out all the more delightful. She shows that you don’t have to descend into the gutter to make a point, even when trying to get the discourse out of the gutter. I am glad that there are the Elizabeth Edwards of the world. They will offset my sinking to the same level as Coulter in calling her a toxic waste dump of humanity; a vile, repulsive evil creature spawned from avarice, hate, and fear. Thank you Elizabeth.

Technorati Tags: politics, ann coulter, elizabeth edwards, coulter, edwards

Not that complicated, Dick.

During today’s White House press briefing, there was some confusion as to whether or not the Vice President’s office was part of the Executive Branch of the government. Spokesman Dana Perino indicates that there is some controversy, and it is something for others with a “legal mind” to figure out. Luckily, I have a “legal mind.” At least the state bar where I live thinks so, as it has admitted me to practice law. So, I am ready to post a legal opinion on this matter. I will even stake my law license on it.

The Office of the Vice President of the United States of America, and its members and staff, including the Vice President, fall under the domain, control, and regulation of the Executive Branch of the government of the United States of America.

I hope that clarifies it for Dick. He can take that to court. (Of course if he takes it to the Supreme Court, by the time it reaches there, the members of the bench will have probably proclaimed themselves part of the Executive Branch. And Congress will be the Judicial Branch.)

Regardless, I am just as astonished and outraged at the sheer audacity of Dick, whose actions are pretty much the equivalent of giving the American people the middle finger. Thank you Dick. Back at you. It offends my “legal mind.” It offends the $120,000 I spent on law school. It offends all the time I spent studying for the bar. (How Dick Cheney Broke My Mind by William Rivers Pitt)

Hell, if nothing else, it offends the Constitution. I think Dick needs to go back and read Article II, Section 1 of that document which invests the Vice President “together” with the President. I take that to mean part and parcel. They’re riding in on the same horse.

Interestingly enough, the Constitution – the original copy – is maintained by the National Archives – the exact people asking Dick to comply with rules regarding document security.

Why blog?

I am happy to be a “Fringe liberal blogger.”

I believe women should have the right to an abortion. I believe all people are created equal – men and women – no matter their skin color. I believe the rich should pay more taxes than the poor. I believe we can wipe out most of the homelessness and hunger in this country and the world if we really put our minds to it. I am a tree hugger. I believe we should take care of the earth. I believe we should protect the trees of nesting owls. I believe gays should have the right to marry. I believe in the separation of church and state. I believe torture is unacceptable and wrong in all circumstances. I questioned the necessity of invading Iraq from the start. I believe Al Gore won the election. I believe John Kerry won the election. I believe freedom of expression and dissent makes our country stronger. I believe that we don’t make ourselves safer by making ourselves less free (with props to Molly Ivans).

I believe we are the “Land of the free, and the home of the BRAVE” and freedom requires bravery and that secret prisons and Gitmo and Abu Ghraib and warrantless wiretaps and Presidential signing letters are indicia of fear and weakness and oppression. Those are not the traits of a free society, nor a brave society.

All these beliefs and more make me a “Fringe liberal blogger” and a “Looney Moonbat” because people like us just don’t shut up and go away. We write blogs. We write letters. We talk to other people. We donate our money and our time. We lead by example. We will not go away, and I will keep agitating and ranting and making noise until there’s no more breath in my body and my fingers are too weak to press the keys of the keyboard.