It may come as a small comfort that lawmakers are still using the Bible to back up their case in the legislative process, but it's being used on both sides of some debates, and when both sides are more interested in finding verses that back up their previously held notions than they are about figuring out what the Bible says then there's bound to be trouble. And there was trouble this week as lawmakers try to figure out what to do with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or, food stamps), the claims for which have skyrocketed since the economic downturn.

Representative Juan Vargas, a California Democrat, argued to keep things going more or less as they are, citing Jesus' words that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for him. This spurred a memorized Bible verse in Tennessee Republican Stephen Fincher's memory, who quoted 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” Ultimately, the cuts to SNAP ended up passing. Who knew Washington to be such big Thessalonians fans? ... Discuss

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Associated Press President Gary Pruitt said that a recent Justice Department campaign that secretly looked at phone records of AP reporters was a “massive and unprecedented intrusion." The government did not provide a reason why it had collected the phone information—which included logs from calls made from journalists’ personal lines.

Pruitt has requested that the Justice Department return all of the information and destroy any other existing copies. In the letter, Pruitt said that the information collected “disclose[s] information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know." Analysts believe that the subpoenas were part of an effort to find out if a government source leaked information about a foiled airline bomb plot reported by the AP … Discuss

Minnesota's State Senate just passed same-sex marriage, a week after their House did the same. Once Governor Mark Dayton signs the law, as he is expected to tomorrow, Minnesota will be the 12th state to legalize gay marriage. All this makes Minnesota the third state to legalize gay marriage this month (joining Rhode Island and Delaware) but only the second midwestern state (joining Iowa) ... Discuss

An IRS watchdog group delivered a stunner this week, unearthing reports that the Internal Revenue Service had been targeting Conservative groups like the Tea Party for extra close attention over the past couple of years. Documents reveal the IRS gave extra scrutiny to groups that criticized how the country was being run and even groups that sought "to make America a better place to live." The IRS is reeling from the scandal, with Lois Lerner, the IRS' director of tax-exempt groups, saying “We made some mistakes; some people didn’t use good judgment. For that we’re apologetic."

The admission has caused largely bipartisan outrage, with Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins telling CNN's "State of the Union" that, "It contributes to the profound distrust that the American people have in government." Democratic Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus called for a full investigation, saying "These actions by the IRS are an outrageous abuse of power and a breach of the public's trust. Targeting groups based on their political views is not only inappropriate but it is intolerable." For his part, President Barack Obama told reporters, "If in fact IRS personnel engaged in the kind of practices that have been reported on and were intentionally targeting conservative groups, then that's outrageous. And there's no place for it" ... Discuss

Dorset, Minn is a small (very small—Pop. 22) fishing town in Minnesota that selects its mayors by putting the town's residents into a hat and drawing one out. Such time-honored traditions are doubtless part of what makes America great, and fate chose young (very young—age 4) Robert Tufts to guide the town. Of course, you're probably thinking that a 4-year-old lacks the depth of knowledge and political experience to guide a town through today's trouble bipartisan waters, but that just shows you don't know much about politics. Because you're not a mayor. Bobbie Tufts is ... Discuss