Since the word came down that Bush's next phrase-that-pays will be "sacrifice," I've had the Elton John / Bernie Taupin song of that name stuck in my head. Appropriately enough, the lyrics belie the title:

But it's no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It's no sacrifice at all

As it happens, today's chapter at Bible Study for Atheists is Genesis 22, no doubt a great source of inspiration to Mr. Bush. In it, the hero ties his son to a sacrificial altar and prepares to plunge a knife into his chest. Read more…

So Congress just passed another $95 billion appropriation for Iraq. What have we spent now, as we pass the (no doubt to be largely ignored) milestone of 2500 dead soldiers? And how little a dab of that $95 billion would have taken to hire a few more folks to mow grass and do maintenance at parks that honor victims of previous wars? Per the NPS Morning Report:

On the evening of Saturday, June 10th, after working in the park all day, Don Turner, a maintenance employee at Manassas National Battlefield Park, died from a massive heart attack. As the maintenance staff in the park dwindled because of tightening budgets, Don worked harder to make sure that the park always put forward its best appearance for its visitors. He was so dedicated that when we had to bring our employees in from the field during heat advisories, we had to go out and find him and get him off his tractor.

Any of you in northern Virginia have any idea how much 5000 acres of open, pristine landscape would go for in that market if it were put on the auction block to developers? Read more…