We'll admit it, one of our favorite political blogs is written by a Republican. That's right, we said it. Hey, it's all about 'balance' here at SFist, if not moderation. Shades of gray, people, shades of gray! Why do we love it? Because Patrick Rodriguez covers the Cal campus political scene like only a free-market libertarian in Berkeley can, with humor and an outsider's insight.

So it was quite a shock to not only see that he came out against the recent Supreme Court buzz-harshing in Raich v. Ashcroft (that was the bummer about medical Marijuana, man), but so has Boalt Law Professor John Yoo, who worked for the Department of Justice Office of Legal Council and helped to draft the Patriot Act. He takes issue with the Administration's disregard for Federalism.

Demanding rigid, one-size-fits-all nationwide rules counteracts the benefits of federalism, which calls for decentralized governance. Federalism allows states to compete for residents and businesses. Some will choose to live in California because they are willing to trade high taxes for strong environmental rules, while others may want to live in Massachusetts because of gay marriage.

You can read a February 2004 interview with Yoo by Angel Symoon Brewer here. And the full text of Yoo's opinion piece is here. You can quickly sneak your copy of the California Patriot print edition into your bag at locations on campus. But the can of whoopass we want to open on John Ascroft stays by our side at all times.