A round up of recent posts by various bloggers who either attempt to strike a balanced note on heated debates and controversial issues, or improve our ability to find our own sense of balance by exposing us to new information and different points-of-view.

With a little help from others, Andrew Sullivan plays Solomon on the subject of legalizing illegal drugs.

Amba writes about her brother’s experience with the “language-education hornet’s nest.”

Earlier this week, Rick Moran disavowed the Republicans and kicked them hard on his way out the door. And though I typically don’t, as a matter of principle, include posts at my other blog in these round ups, I’ll make an exception today because Moran’s rant prompted two rather spirited responses at CS: one from me and one from the always-pragmatic Dennis Sanders.

Proving once again that his blog fully deserves the title he gave it, Daniel DiRito weighs in on the dissonance in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community over The Employment Non-Discrimination Act. (Honestly, DiRito’s essay on this topic may be one of the most intelligent I’ve read in a very long time, and that’s saying a lot, given the formidable intelligence of TMV’s many contributors.)