Talk about awkward. After several bigoted declarations, Virgil Goode came face to face with the target of his abuse. I would’ve loved to hear that conversation. Ellison is taking it all in stride, showing that he won’t be bullied and that he’s the better man for making amends. Will Goode begin to backpedal on his comments now, or simply ignore that Ellison’s gesture of good will took place?

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We can only hope that Keith Ellison’s presence will foster some tolerance in the public arena and end these silly phobias over religion or lack thereof. Both fundamentalist religious nuts and evangelical atheists are quick to denounce a person because of their religious preference. Where are the moderates who believe in judging a person by the content of their character? Still, 2007 just may be a year of great unity because as long as extremists like Bush are in control, the majority of Americans have a common enemy to rally against.

h/t to Crooks and Liars