Feb. 1-8, 2011

It was a good week for …

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GOV. MIKE BEEBE. He forthrightly opposed overreaching legislation on a couple of hot button topics. He opposed legislation to prevent insurance coverage for abortion for rape victims and also said he saw no need for legislation to encourage open carry of handguns.

The REPUBLICAN PARTY. John Casteel, an active member of a “pro-white” organization, resigned as Jackson County GOP chairman. That spared the party a potentially split vote on a forced removal by party officials, who’d already embarrassed themselves by first asking, pretty please, wouldn’t Casteel resign from the successor group to the pernicious White Citizens Council. Running against the black president has served Republicans too well for officials to be forceful against Casteel.

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It was a bad week for …

ETHICS. When both houses of the Arkansas legislature give near-unanimous approval to so-called ethics reform legislation, you KNOW it doesn’t accomplish much. In four years, the legislation might cost one of them a lobbyist job for a year. Yee haw.

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The STATE CORRECTION DEPARTMENT. It declined to provide information about the source of the drug it uses to kill condemned inmates. The state is likely covering up for a fly-by-night provider in England that has stepped in to fill the ghoulish need because of an absence of the drug at reputable suppliers.

JOHN PELPHREY. As the Razorback men’s basketball team continued to lose (and thousands of seats in Walton Arena sit empty of paying customers), the head coach’s future employment became more problematic.

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