Today, for the first time since 2002, I rejected an ad for TalkLeft because of the message. Most people realize that ads on the site don't represent the point of view of the blogger. I've accepted ads before I don't agree with, and when I've thought about what kind of ad I would reject in the past, the only thing that came to mind was an ad supporting the death penalty.

So what pushed me over the top this time? It was an ad for gun control, that began in big letters, "Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Criminals" and urged people to support new laws on sales at gun shows.

Given the focus of this blog, to protect the rights of those accused of crime and particularly, constitutional rights, I would have recoiled every time I logged on to my own blog. So, even though it would have paid for TalkLeft's hosting service for a full month (no small amount since we're on our own server), I rejected it. [More...]

Open Thread.

Miley Cyrus, liberal threat to the Republic? Who knew? In the threads, Amanda Marcotte informs me at least that Dolly Parton is actually a fantastic liberal. I admit that I did not know that. Go Dolly!

Jeralyn should be taking over soon and I am urging and hoping for some words from her on "The McVeigh Tapes" which will be on MSNBC this evening. I'll DVR it cuz NBA playoffs are always my first viewing choice this time of the year.

Open Thread.

E.J. Dionne writes:

Democrats face problems not from right-wingers who have never voted for them but from a lack of energy among their own supporters and from dispirited independents and moderates who look to government to solve problems but have little confidence in its ability to deliver.

And the solution to these problems is?

This is an Open Thread.

There's a lot on new TV tonight: Pacific, Treme, Breaking Bad, Nurse Jackie, Celebrity Apprentice, Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. With tivo, I should be set for the week. What are you watching?

In the good news department, five airlines have said for now they won't charge carry-on luggage fees: Delta, United, US Air, American and JetBlue. Who's missing? Continental.

The media is going overboard in its coverage of tomorrow's 15th anniversary of the OKC bombing, particularly in its efforts to make it more relevant today by comparing it to those who engage in outspoken criticism of the Government, as if there's some homogeneous equation between them. The Oklahoman in its editorial today:

Any anniversary is hard for those losing a loved one to whatever cause. Birthday. Wedding. Day of death. Rounded anniversaries — 10 years, 15 years, 50 — aren’t necessarily more significant to the survivors than an "ordinary” mark of time.

They seem to matter more to the media and society than to the survivors. They matter most to those who exploit anniversaries for a political agenda or to rekindle the long-doused fires of conspiracy theories.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Philippe Gilbert won the Amstel Gold Cup cycling race today.

The NBA playoffs kicked off yesterday and continue pretty much everyday until June.I like the Cavs, Heat, Hawks, Magic, Suns, Lakers, Spurs and Nuggets in the first round. Plenty of time to pick the champion yet.

The Yankees are off to a fast start in the quest for their 28th championship. The Mets stink again.

This is an Open Thread.

Economic malfeasance, militia groups and Iceland's volcanic ash seem to be dominating the news. President Obama and several other world leaders canceled plans to attend the funeral of Polish president Leah Kacyznski.

Amanda Knox's lawyers have filed a 220 page brief in her appeal. The case continues to generate attention. DNA evidence seems to be a big issue. The former Blackwater president and four other senior officials have been indicted on weapons and false statement charges.

A federal judge in New York has granted requests by the media to conduct an open sentencing hearing for Cameron Douglas in his heroin case Monday.

Prosecutors in the Roman Polanski case, are still at it. Now they are arguing the victim's wishes can't affect the proceedings.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

I'm still working, working, working. The TL kid just arrived for dinner, so it will be a few hours before I can check the news or see what everyone's been up to and thinking about today.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

[H]ere you have the Obama DOJ in all its glory: no prosecutions (but rather full-scale immunity extended) for war crimes, torture, and illegal spying. For those crimes, we must Look Forward, Not Backward. But for those poor individuals who courageously blow the whistle on oozing corruption, waste and illegal surveillance by the omnipotent public-private Surveillance State: the full weight of the "justice system" comes crashing down upon them with threats of many years in prison. - Glenn Greenwald

Busy again. Open Thread.

Here is Jeralyn's previous coverage. Let me direct your attention to Glenn Greenwald's coverage (See also John Cole) of the stunning and disgraceful decision by the Obama Department of Justice to prosecute a NSA whistleblower. As Glenn writes, for an Administration dedicated to "looking forward, not backwards," this is stunning, hypocritical and disgraceful.

For all who expressed outrage about the Bush Administration threats to prosecute the NYTimes and whistleblowers, the moral imperative to speak loudly against the Obama Administration is strong.

BTD is traveling and I'm headed out to dinner.

Two will be leaving American Idol tonight. I think one will be Andrew Garcia. The other? Maybe Siobhan Magnus or Katie Stevens.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

I travel again this evening, so I will be leaving you in J's capable hands until tomorrow.

This is an Open Thread.

What's on tonight? American Idol (Adam Lambert is back to help advise the contestants, DWTS (someone will go home), the Biggest Loser and Justified.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.