See, the problem, LeftWingPharisee, is - you caught the deliberate mistranslation in the KJV, but then you got two quotations mixed up.

As frahnkenshteen correctly notes, the Hebrew of Deuteronomy 19:21 DOES say: "Show no pity: a life for a life, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot."

But we are not combing the Hebrew Scriptures looking for some out-of-context word or phrase which "proves" that the Hebrew Bible was an arrow pointing towards Jesus.

So, we need to look at the context in which that quote is embedded {Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's translation / bracketed phrases for clarity}:

"One witness must not testify against a person to inflict any punishment or penalty for a crime that he may have committed. A case must be established through the testimony of [at least] two or three witnesses.

[This is what you must do] if a corrupt witness acts to testify falsely against a person: Two men who have testimony to refute [the false witnesses] shall stand before God, before the priests and judges who are involved in that case. The judges shall carefully interrogate [the refuting witnesses], and if the [first] two witnesses are found to have testified falsely against their brother, you must do the same to them as they plotted to do to their brother, thus removing evil from your midst.

When the other people hear about this, they will have fear and never again do such an evil thing in your midst. Do not have pity in such a case, [since you must take] a life for a life, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot."

Now THAT'S what I call taking perjury seriously! Wouldn't you love to get Bill Maher's take on it?

You are thinking of Exodus 21:23-27, where the context is compensation for injuries. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth - NOT an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Huge difference! As you so winningly put it: "No Jewish court ever poked anyone's eye out".

This is in comparison to the Code of Hammurabi; which, well before Moses was a twinkle in anyone's eye, said:

* If a builder builds a house, ... and the house falls in, killing the owner, the builder will be killed. If the son of the owner dies, the son of the builder shall be killed.

* If a man breaks down a wall of a house in an attempt to rob it and is caught, his punishment will be to become sealed up inside the wall as a patch.

* If a patient dies after or in surgery, the doctor's hand will be cut off.

* If a man put another man's eye out, his eye should be put out also.

"I have been wondering lately why Americans sniff at the idea of an elite, intellectual person running the country. Doesn't it make more sense to want the smartest person you can find running the show??" -- LeftieLefty

I have three words for you: Robert Strange McNamara.

Smart doesn't mean effective and smarter doesn't mean wise.

Cripes - could you imagine Bill Bradley running the government? Edward Said? Adlai Stevenson could barely keep his shoes tied.

Your so right, Heather. Like that cutie-pie Kerry girl who had a nice show, then went to college, got laid, and cut her hair (not sure if that was the order of events). Then got a job in a pizza parlor. Whatever it was, it became totally unwatchable. So far as I remember, she never did laundry either.

Since you asked, I don't get what is under the guy's nose in the purple panel and I don't get that hostile look the penquin gives Binkley just before putting down the watering can.

I like the idea of watering dandelions but I don't especially see what's funny or satiric about a dandelion memorial.

It does bring to mind that old hymn by Isaac Watts which I know as Retribution:

Lord, what a thoughtless wretch was I,

To mourn and murmur and repine,

To see the wicked placed on high,

In pride and robes of honor shine.

Chorus:

But O their end, their dreadful end,

Thy sanctuary taught me so:

On slipp'ry rocks I see them stand,

And fi'ry billows roll below.

False are the men of high degree;

The baser sort are vanity;

Laid in the balance both appear

Light as a puff of empty air.

Don't mind me. I just found an invitation to "post a letter about the article" - which was a cartoon - sorta funny. I am very pleased at this new addition to the Salon line-up, by the way.

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They don't really look like arms, and that panel continues the words of the previous panel ("And then there's: McCain's 'Faith of My Fathers'") where Bink's arms are in his lap.

Either way, it's not the end of civilization as we know it.

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I am thrilled that a cartoon has squeezed up quotes from Isaac Watts, Isaiah, and the Psalms!

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As long as we are chatting here -- between you and me, I find the horizontal layout of the cartoon annoying and hard to read. I would much rather it scrolled down.

Does anybody in Editorial read these things?

I still think this cartoon would work better if it scrolled

d

o

w

n

and not a c r o s s.

Doesn't anybody want to discuss the horizontal layout on a vertical computer screen?