Good column, Josh. Really.

by David Safier

I may get in trouble with the Progressive Bloggers Security Force for complimenting Josh Brodesky again after throwing him a compliment a short while ago. All these hard earned blogger medals and merit badges I wear so proudly could be ripped off my chest. But for the sake of my own peace of mind, I have to risk it.

Oh, yeah, we got Progressive Blog Police. There's nothing we left-leaning posters fear more than the sound of our front doors being smashing in followed by that adenoidal shout, "PBSF! Pull your hands away from the keyboard, dude, and keep 'em where I can see 'em!"

OK, here goes, consequences be damned.

Brodesky has a fine column in the Star today, tearing into Russell Pearce for refusing to make a single word change — from "two" to "three" — that would extend unemployment benefits for people who have been unable to find a job in the state's down economy.

Following well presented information about Arizona's unemployment numbers and the extension of jobless benefits — a paltry $240 a week, for God's sake! — Brodesky takes us into a Career Center and introduces us a couple of people who are jobless and hurting through no fault of their own.

It's a well structured, well written, effective piece of journalism.

The column's focus is on Pearce, but I know he couldn't do this alone. His Republican cronies are singing the same ugly song. My feeling is, one recall election in Arizona isn't near enough, as wonderful as it is. We should go all Wisconsin on their asses.