It's coming down

New Jersey, getting in on a trend that is hopefully sweeping the nation, abolished capital punishment, the first state to do so since the Supreme Court reauthorized the death penalty in 1976. The first since 1965, actually. Although there have been no New Jersey executions in over four decades, it's nice to know that there won't be any more. Very encouraging and politically courageous in an age when most people who win office promise to lock up more people for a longer period of time and our President's most noteworthy achievement as Texas Governor was signing a bunch of death warrants.

It's -1 and sunny, and I'm just back from a great weekend in Wasilla, kind of a late birthday party. The cat never let me hear the end of it when I got home . . .