The Blue State: Live blogging the Gonzales hearing...

The Osterley Times: If the reason for restricting our rights is to protect us, then surely governments would restrict our rights in the places most likely to reduce deaths amongst the population. Don't (just) mourn, do something!

News Hounds: Is Hannity chickening out on debating Rocky Anderson?

Brad DeLong: The sad, strange little man who the McCain campaign financing chief and Republican fixer, Fred Malek

The Daily Background: The 15 most embarrassing photos of G-Dub

HOLY CRAP: God and/or Bible is not an excuse...National Day of Prayer?  How about a National Day of Reason?...Uh oh, the Pope is against our Holy War...$1 billion spent on BUSHCO abstinence programs that don't work...James Madison on faith-based initiatives...Theocrat of the Week...What about The Beatitudes?...Uh oh, it's the Carnival of the Godless!...When religion is an addiction...Are their fundies are crazier than ours?...Atheists demonized...Anointing Oil, Blessed Salt, and other items to protect your home from Spiritual Darkness...Get these and much more in this handy canvas tote of Sacramentals!

Jeralyn: "In an end run around the Fourth Amendment, and putting our civil liberties under siege, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence met in secret today and approved expansions to the Patriot Act that wil allow the Government to obtain records without a court order or grand jury subpoena - and more.

This is an abuse of power. The Patriot Act was passed in haste, without adequate time for reflection or review. It has nabbed a few bumbling holy warriors but no real terrorists. It has not made us safer, only less free.

On Scarborough Country, Joe and the boys needed their little Holy War fix, so out pops the Da Vinci Code.

Video-WMP only-working on fixing the clip

Pat has been unhinged for a while now, and he somehow forgets to mention that The Da Vinci Code (a great read ) is a novel. He also never admits to actually reading it. Pat goes off on bizarre tangents about the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, the Mein Kamf, how Hollywood tried to destroy Mel Gibson and other assorted wingnuttery. Being Catholic myself, I had a great time looking up the paintings discussed in the book on-line as I read away. As for Dan Brown, I'm surprised Pat didn't freak over Angels and Demons. That book is a lot closer to Pope TV than the Da Vinci Code is. Its not quite as good, but a worthwhile read.