Every Tuesday, I get Harper’s Weekly Review. It’s pretty much the best thing ever–think a more current version of their index. I thought the first graf of this week’s column is pretty appropriate:

After President Barack Obama promised to issue an executive order guaranteeing that federal funds will not be used for abortions, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 219-212 to approve the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act. The 2,400-page health-care plan lacks a public option but does provide for state-run health-care
“exchanges,” to open in 2014, at which point the uninsured–barring Indian tribes and the very poor–will face fines if they do not have health insurance. The bill also introduces a 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning salons. Representative Paul D. Ryan (R., Wis.), called the bill “a fiscal Frankenstein”; some protesters reportedly screamed “faggot” at Representative Barney Frank (D., Mass.) and “nigger” at Representative John Lewis (D.,
Ga.). A Walmart in New Jersey asked all black people to leave, and an Ohio man told police that since January he’s been sucker-punching little children at his local Walmart for thrills. ACORN was close to bankruptcy, and Thomas Hagan, who shot Malcolm X, was granted parole. A Kentucky man was charged with wanton endangerment after he got drunk and put his five-week-old son to bed in an oven. A small plane crashed onto the beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina, killing a jogger who was wearing headphones. Wachovia Bank was fined $50 million, and required to remit a further $110 million, for laundering funds for Mexican cocaine cartels; Mexican police were praying to spirits and sacrificing chickens to protect themselves from drug lords. Members of the Winnemem Wintu Indian tribe traveled from California to New Zealand to beg forgiveness of the salmon.