I missed this when it was handed down, but thought that it was an interesting story to go along with my blog on the Liquor Tax being ruled unconstitutional. 

Washington has long had a severe nanny state mentality to Alcohol.  We have state run stores for hard liquor and enough restrictions to make you go sober.

Not any more.

Giant retailer Costco filed an Anti Trust suit to force fair trade practices regarding sales, pricing and distribution.  For a discount warehouse who normally depends on bulk purchasing and such to keep prices competitive, they were stifled by the states uber-control.

In what amounted to a near prohibition era control of the industry, the state maintained a stranglehold on retailers in an attempt to promote temperance, orderly market conditions and to raise revenue.

Costco wins beer, wine suit - Judge’s ruling could lead to lower prices across state

Costco Wholesale Corp. won a landmark legal battle Friday that could lead to lower beer and wine prices in Washington — and across the nation, if other states use the case’s precedent to knock down their distribution laws.

Prosecuters failed in their bid to give Moussaoui the death penalty.  The jury opted for life with no parole

I admit to being torn on the validity of the death penalty, but I have to admit that my anger at 9/11 makes me say "pity" in this case.

Jay at Stop the ACLU notes that:

I’m a little disappointed here. I was hoping they were gonna fry this creep. The Jury has decided against the death penalty for Moussaoui. He will be serving life in prison. On the bright side, he will not be getting his wish to meet Allah, and become a martyr. I wonder how long he will last in prison? No martyrdom for you.

Good point.  I guess that since he wanted to die so badly, in a perverse way this is good.

Life in prison for Moussaoui

Jury reaches verdict for al-Qaida conspirator on 7th day of deliberations

A federal jury rejected the death penalty for al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui on Wednesday and decided he must spend life in prison for his role in the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history.

The rallies have done the damage many predicted, and the backlash is beginning.

It is no surprise.  If you come to the country illegally, become a burden to local economies, the go on marches disrupting communities all the while despoiling the symbols of the country you are now demanding citizenship in, well how can you not expect people to be pissed?

A lot of illegal immigrant supporters will claim it is just those conservative racist xenophobes.  Small minded bigots.

How then do they explain the overwhelming resentment coming from the immigrant community itself?  People here to work legally who resent the demands made by their criminal counterparts.  People who came here and worked their butts off to become citizens.

Again, I stress that the present system is broken.  We have gone for too long with a system that encourages the people to sneak in, along with companies that encourage- no welcome the illegals here.  And this is fueled by an institutional apathy towards enforcement.  No one is really arguing that.

So rather then hold your asinine Reconquista signs, and flying flags upside down, how about we discuss real reform.