Let’s call it a week. Closing out:
* 15 YEARS IN RACE BOMBING: The Justice Department announced today a 15-year sentence for a man who participated in the firebombing of an interracial couple’s home in Hardy. He’s the last of five people to be sentenced in the case.
* THINGS GO BETTER WITH KOCH: Funny. An Arkansas legislator got a certified, restricted delivery letter from the Arkansas chapter of Koch boys’ Americans for Prosperity the pro-Republican lobbying group demanding that he sign a no-tax pledge and a pledge against working to curb air pollution with money. The mailing cost $5.75. He notes the Koch lobbyists could have reached him for 46 cents. the trash can would have been the receptacle either way, he said. The Kochs are very conservative about spending money on the public welfare. But spending to impose their political will on the country and Arkansas? No amount is too great.
* JOHN DALY AT THE MASTERS: No he’s not playing golf. He’s hawking merchandise out of his bus. Given a chance to advocate women’s membership in Augusta National, Daly suggests women instead go out and build their own clubs for women only.
* RUNNING START: Q. Byrum Hurst, the Hot Springs lawyer running as a Democrat for 4th District Congress, is bragging about the $100,000 he’s already raised for his race against Sen. Gene Jeffress and D.C. Morrison. Money is the mother’s milk of politics and Hurst’s total is a good start for a late arrival.
* PROSECUTING THE FOI: How about this — a third prosecution this year for failure to follow the Freedom of Information Act, this time for an alleged secret meeting of the Bono City Council.
* ADIOS ALEC: Now it’s Intuit, Coca-Cola, Kraft and Pepsi that have left the sponsorship ranks of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the thinly disguised corporate/Republican lobby that churns out cookie cutter legislation for automaton state legislative wingnuts in states like Arkansas. They’ll still have Nate Bell, Missy Irvin and Co. Read about it on jump.