According to The Oxford English Dictionary, "justice" is defined as "maintenance of legal, social, or moral principles by the exercise of authority or power; assignment of deserved reward or punishment," "the quality or fact of being just; (the principle of) just dealing or conduct; integrity; impartiality, fairness," and "conformity (of an action or thing) to moral right or to reason, truth, or fact."

The above definitions are foundational to our democracy. When these principles fail on any level, whether in our national arena, district courts, or local civil-rights commissions, this failure contributes to the overall erosion of our system.

The race for Congress in Iowa's First District is already bordering on the ridiculous - with the national Republican party trying to tag Bruce Braley as a Communist, for instance - so why not throw a pirate into the mix?

Mr. Jeff Ignatius, in his article "Mixed Colors, Mixed Messages" in the September 23-October 3, 2006, Reader, made the statement "in the sense that the barrier between church and state is explicitly and clearly articulated in the Constitution." I don't know what Constitution he is reading, but the one I am familiar with says in the First Amendment that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Not one word about separation of church and state.

The United States was founded by an unruly bunch of tax protesters driven by Britain's excessive taxes on the colonies to declare their independence. Today, some eight generations later, the anti-tax gene we inherited from these proud men and women finally seems to be reasserting itself, with perhaps some good news ahead.