7 out of 10
No weed for Jesus
For the first time in 20 years, the U.S. Supreme Court is reconsidering limits on students’ right to free speech. The case comes after an Alaskan student was suspended for displaying a large banner that read “Bong hits 4 Jesus.”
Amway family values
A Salt Lake City jury awarded Procter & Gambel $19.1 million after finding that Amway distributors spread rumors that its competitor supported satanic rituals. Apparently the botched campaign style that led Amway heir Dick DeVos to defeat last November doesn’t work in the private sector either.
10 out of 10
High noon on Pennsylvania Avenue
The White House has offered to let presidential advisers Karl Rove and Harriet Miers field questions from congress about the politically motivated firings of eight U.S. prosecutors. The catch is that the meeting will not be transcribed, and Rove won’t testify under oath. President Bush said the Democrats should accept this symbolic meeting – in which Rove is free to lie – or else face a showdown over executive privilege.
4 out of 10
Man up and govern
After 33 days of hiding in his office, state Senate leader Mike Bishop finally emerged to discuss the state budget deficit with Gov. Granholm. Hopefully the legislature’s top ranking republican can overcome his fear of governing before the state goes bankrupt.
5 out of 10
Third time’s the charm
Former Iraqi V.P. Taha Ramadan was hanged this week for the deaths of 148 Shiite Iraqis. Maybe it is a sign of progress that the fledgling Iraqi government managed to avoid the taunting and inadvertent decapitation that marred the executions of Saddam Hussein and Barzan Ibrahim.