FU - FairAndUNbalanced.com

Holding anyone accountable for the cruelties of teenage years is unfair. However, the past can offer a chance for public redemption as acknowledgement, genuine regret, and growth are expressed. Youth, after all, is at least partly for learning how to live with a decent respect for others. At Rumproast, Vixen Strangely is less than impressed by Governor Romney's youthful pranksterism.

Tommy Christopher of Mediaite fame notes a Mitt-didn't-do-it-and-so-did-Barack reaction from conservatives. While Mitt Romney does not recall the incident and chuckles over what he calls a prank, Obama clearly recalls an incident from the fifth grade, and as an adult expresses shame and regret.

Andrew Sullivan gave an eloquent and emotional reaction to President Obama's endorsement of marriage equality. "There is something about hearing your president affirm your humanity that you don't know what effect it has until you hear it." Gwendolyn Barry with New Global Myth comes close to matching it.

Infidel 753 speculates about the real reason President Obama came out for marriage equality and comes up with an interpretation considerably more charitable than some.

Max's Dad briefly reviews a constitutional amendment to the state Constitution of the state of North Carolina. No, Not THAT amendment. He has a pithy summary.

Relatively new resident at Mad Mike's America, Gregory Gonzalez ponders well documented Obama Derangement Syndrome, looks for the reason, and believes the reason for the hatred is hidden in plain sight.

Ned Williams is back (Yaayyy) at Wisdom Is Vindicated where he notes a Washington Post article crediting President Obama with specific steps to increase support for CIA intelligence gathering capability. Ned is skeptical and wants to know the sourcing. Sounds like a fair expression of curiosity.

PZ Myers, writing for Pharyngula, gives us evidence of the logical extremes reached when those who have the power of incredible destruction (that would be us) deny the humanity of others (that would be those of a different religion).

Nancy Hanks at The Hankster quotes Chad Peace recounting the concerns that have led him to advocacy on behalf of independent voters. I think she reveals the same motivation.

Slant Right's John Houk is distraught that former Swiss citizen Michele Bachmann has suffered in redistricting. He joins her appeal for help. My own reaction to Representative Bachmann includes her recent brief expatriation.

Chuck Thinks Right takes delight in the fact that she is only ¹⁄₃₂ Cherokee. Not noticed by Chuck is that Bill John Baker, the elected chief of the Cherokee Nation, also happens to be ¹⁄₃₂ Cherokee. I'm sure Chuck will get a laugh out of that. Tee hee.

James Wigderson notes the primary nomination of the Democratic opponent Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin's recall election, with the hope that the defeat of Walker's opponent will end possible recalls of other anti-Union officials. Walker, as you may remember, has consistently claimed that he has had no intention of busting unions except for his honest attempts to balance Wisconsin's budget. A pre-crisis video has surfaced of Governor Walker describing his divide and conquer plans to ... destroy unions in Wisconsin. No reaction from Jame yet, but his site has been experiencing connection difficulties. Maybe later.

Jack Jodell, friend of the working blogger at THE SATURDAY AFTERNOON POST regards the ousting of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in recent elections as a repudiation of austerity measures that don't seem to be working. Efforts to starve the patient back to health have temporarily killed recovery in Europe in an almost perfect inverse ratio of severity of those measures to economic well being. He points out that Republicans urge the US to go the same path.

Ryan at Secular Ethics defines as fallacy the Appeal to Nature argument. His take down is brief. Restating it is pretty much enough. I sometimes call the fallacy let ill enough alone. Other times, I think of it as libertarianism, but that's mostly when I'm in a bad mood, and I get tempted by snark.

Vincent of A wayfarer's notes stops at a traffic light and weaves a blackbird, Bach, Helen of Troy, and a very old novel into a musing about infatuation. Then the light changes and he drives off.

Why do we have to do this, Sir? begins with a humorously bad day, involving grading papers, bad tempers, and joyful farting and ends with a major cause of educational collapse.