You’ve got to admire somebody who has the courage of their convictions and is willing to stand up and defend their beliefs, even if you don’t happen to agree with them. Ron Paul seems to be one of those people (I guess; I’m not really one of his groupies, so I don’t really know for sure). His son the doctor? Not so much. In less than 24 hours, Little Paul went from saying that he thought companies had a right to discriminate against people based on race (or anything else, presumably) to saying he’d have voted for the Civil Rights Act.

Actually, I guess he didn’t really change his position after all. He said he’d have worked to change the CRA to let private companies tell black folks to get to the back of the bus, but he never did say he’d have voted against it. Except he was about a year old at the time, so, really, what he would or wouldn’t have voted for is pretty much moot. All we know for sure is that now, in 2010, Rand Paul thinks private companies ought to have the right to discriminate against anybody they want. Is this likely to hurt his candidacy? In Kentucky? Land of Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell? I don’t think so.

Speaking of Kentucky, the ‘Double Down’ sandwich (bacon and cheese with chicken filets where the bread ought to be) that everybody privately says is so disgusting and terrible has been such a big hit for KFC that they’re gonna continue to offer it as long as their customers want it (or until they all die off). On the bright side, if the Double Down leads to chest pain, with all that chicken, you can probably trade one in for an EKG, and two might get you a stent.

Other news from the world of medicine this morning involves pools and pool water nastiness. This just in: “experts” at the CDC say you shouldn’t use the pool if you’ve got diarrhea. Experts, and everybody else in the pool. There’s something to think about next time you get a mouthful of pool water, huh? Mmm. Wanna double down on that?

Speaking of doubling down, Julie Bowen has a nice pair. Of twins. Babies, I mean. And she’s got the pictures to prove it. I always thought Julie was just the cutest little thing, ever since Boston Legal. She and the twins are welcome to come to dinner at our house any time.