While I've been distracted...

I'm busy preparing for another Mexico trip--leaving Tuesday. Work, a fancy new SmartPC-phone and holiday stuff have been consuming my time, so blogging has suffered. In the meantime, I'll quickly point you to a couple of posts from more famous Ann Arbor bloggers:

1. Juan Cole comprehensively rejects the notion that the founding fathers wanted this to be a Christian nation, with other religions and atheism denied a voice. The issue has arisen again because Congresscritter Virgil Goode (R-VA), possessor of a fine witch-burner name, is making a stink about newly-elected Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN, and a Muslim) using the Koran when he takes his oath of office. Cole quotes not only the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, but adds numerous quotes from George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin. But Goode, like most Republicans, never lets facts get in his way.
2. Not that the supposed opposition party is much better. Dennis Perrin reminds us that most of the Dems are doing nothing to get us out of Iraq, and many are supporting the call for more troops. Perrin also reports on Marine recruiters trolling the aisles of Best Buy and his attempts to find out why Best Buy allows this.