How fitting that the morning after my Roger Dorn (and his wife) reference, we get a story circulating that Charlie Sheen is cheating on his wife. Can I just say that, of all of the guys named or related to Sheen's, Martin is by far my favorite? He's certainly one of a select group of Hollywood actors that would ever do a commercial in opposition of a death with dignity law, but that isn't why.

This is obvious: The West Wing, plain and simple. Although, as my mother and grandparents can attest, I've seen Emilio Estevez in The Mighty Ducks a few times in my life. Quack, quack, quack, quack, Mr. Ducksworth.

Moving on.

On this date in 1865, just a few days after the end of the Civil War, an actor named John Wilkes Booth yelled the words, "sic semper tyrannis," moments after shooting the President of the United States in the back of the head.

Abraham Lincoln died the following day in a house across the street from Ford's Theater, just about two blocks from my Washington office. It still stands.

"Thus always to Tyrants," is a Latin phrase attributed Marcus Junius Brutus (I love Latin names) as part of the assassination of Julius Caesar. It is also the motto of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as recommended by George Mason. Reports say that Timothy McVeigh, who was put to death in Terre Haute, Ind. in 2001 for planning and carrying out the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, was wearing a shirt with the phrase and a picture of Lincoln when captured. Monday will mark the 15th anniversary of the 1995 bombing, which means it will also mark the 17th anniversary of the Waco Siege. More than 250 people died between the two events.

April is a difficult month for many, as I will chronicle in the next few days. Specifically the dates between April 15-20 have been as bloody a time in our history as there has ever been. However, if not our greatest than certainly our second or third greatest president was murdered on this day. Just days after he had finished saving this union.

The irony of the phrase, sic semper tyrannis, "thus always to tyrants," should not escape you. For it was Lincoln who not long before reaffirmed this country's departure from tyranny.

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

And who even more recently had boldly stated that it was time this country moved forward to be more perfect.

"Let us judge not, that we be not judged," he said. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

--

Whew, how was that history lesson?

- Since we are moving to forge a lasting peace with all nations, what better news to report than the extremely positive outcomes of the nuclear summit held here in Washington this week. Countries around the world boasted of laws to limit nuclear trafficking (Egypt), while other vowed to limit or abandon weapons-grade uranium projects. China became active in talks to sanction Iran and as president Obama put it, "a new way of thinking," about nuclear weapons prevailed. Ronald Reagan once said we could not rest until we see the day that nuclear weapons, the age of Mad (Mutually Assured Destruction), were gone from this earth.

- Poland had the body of its late president on display yesterday, as it plans for internment. The plans have proven controversial.

- If you haven't picked up this story yet, start paying more attention. Nebrasa has introduced multiple pieces of legislation, with high prospects of passage, that would put significant limits on abortion. If your first reaction is, "the Supreme Court will never allow it, well, remember the balance of the court.

The two main bills were actually signed into law yesterday, one requiring mental and physical screening of abortion candidates, and the other making abortions past 20 weeks illegal. This New York Times story has some incredible detail, as well as quotes, noting that the most important part of either bill was the language in the second one. It was based on the premise that a fetus can feel pain, something that "Right to Life" advocates will be celebrating. If the debate can turn to a fetus being a real, living human being, maternal rights would become really blurry.

And again on the SCOTUS question, this quote says it all: “You need five votes,” Ms. Balch said. “I think there are five on the current Supreme Court who would give serious consideration to Nebraska’s claim.”

She's right.

- There are two interesting hearings that relate to my line of work today, the first being much more focused on a major current events. Several coal executives, none named Don Blankenship, will be answering some tough questions in Rep. Ed Markey's committee, while my rep., Jim McDermott, will be talking about green jobs in the Ways and Means committee.

- Couple of sports notes: The Blue Jays' Ricky Romero came very close to throwing a no-hitter last night, before, get this sequence, he bounced a ball to White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who then started hopping around and ran to first base, as if the ball hit him. This obviously isn't the first the much-maligned catcher has deked an ump. Romero had to go into the stretch and proceeded to serve up a fastball that Alex Rios deposited into the left field seats. What I love the most? The media is going to blame Pierzynski for this. Reality: the umpire messed up by getting the call wrong (instant replay anyone?), Romero messed up by putting a ball on a tee to Rios, but Pierzynski did his job. It was only 4-0, not 10-0. He didn't bunt or just try to slap the ball. He didn't even get a hit (nor did he get hit, either). He got on base. That's called doing your job. Just like it was when it helped Chicago get to, and win, the World Series.

Congrats to the Mariners for, you know, winning a baseball game. And woe to you Seattle, as you get to watch the Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics play in the playoffs against the Lakers this spring. Never has that city been so solidly in the corner of a frontrunner.

Remember Seattle, this is where we were:

Q: Brady's out. That really sucks. But it could be worse -- you could be a Seattle sports fan. Let me break it down for you: The Mariners are struggling through one of their worst seasons ever. Our Sonics, the only team to win a professional title in Seattle, moved the team to Okla-friggin-homa and stuck us with the Storm. And the Seahawks -- in Holmgren's final year, mind you -- are now without their TOP FOUR RECEIVERS! Imagine losing Moss, Welker, Gaffney AND Kelley Washington. Plus our quarterback is having back problems (including rumors of bulging discs), and our best running back left last week's game with an injury. Of course, a 6-10 record might win our division, which means we get to lose in Round 1. Oh, and the travesty that was the excessive celebration call on Washington's Jake Locker. But on the bright side … well, I give up. Be thankful you don't live in Seattle.
-- Dan Gomez, Seattle

SG: I have to say, that made me feel a little better. Maybe the good people of Seattle should form an organization called "It Could Be Worse," in which they send e-mails to suddenly traumatized sports fans from other cities to talk them off the ledge.

This is where we are.

Just don't forget where we came from.

You just had to know there was going to be more to this story.

On Tuesday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell issued a proclamation declaring April to be Confederate History Month (not to be confused with the Emancipation Proclamation).

I'll just let that sink in for a minute. Because it gets better.

Apparently, in his original proclamation, the Republican governor left out what is obviously an insignificant (his own word) detail in this whole Civil War thing: slavery.

Bob McDonnell left slavery out of his proclamation, saying he had included the "most significant" issue. Wait for it, 3...2...1 and BAM, apology.

"The proclamation issued by this Office designating April as Confederate History Month contained a major omission. The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed," McDonnell said in a statement.

So it went from being insignificant to "major omission". Here's what he said before his apology, in response to missing slavery:

"There were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously, it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia."

Alright, you are the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, correct? This is the same state that housed the capitol of said Confederacy. Also, without question, its most famous son was none other than a slave-owning, "All Men Are Created Equal" writing, founding father - who just happened to have a few kids with one of his slaves. So obviously this isn't significant for Virginia. (Full disclosure: I live in Virginia - sort of. I live in Arlington, which might as well be DC.)

I should also add that I did like another part of McDonnell's apology:

"Slavery was an evil, vicious and inhumane practice which degraded human beings to property, and it has left a stain on the soul of this state and nation."

I'll say one thing: this guy has great writers. That's how he got elected to that seat in the first place. But here's the thing, and take this really serious because my readers here know that I very rarely speak serious ill of elected officials: I don't think he really believes that.

No, I am not saying McDonnell is wishing the days of slavery would return. I'm just not sure he thinks Virginia has much of a "stain" from slavery. I'm not sure I do either, but I'm not from here. When you think about slavery though, you think Thomas Jefferson sure, but then attention moves to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, etc. That said, McDonnell had absolutely no business leaving it out.

If you're sitting there thinking, "how in the world did this guy get elected," just stop. Here are the answers: an awful Democratic candidate named Creigh Deeds, who couldn't seem to get off of McDonnell's extremely conservative leanings, which did include a thesis that says working women are hurting America. Second, a toxic health care debate. And third, Virginia's ridiculous need to be "different" from everyone else. You know, like leaving the Union to do whatever it was that was more significant than slavery.

All of this is why I went down to the mall to visit my guy Abe on the way home last night. Engraved into the north wall of the memorial is his second inaugural address, which, despite McDonnell's statements about the insignificance of slavery, says this in its opening lines:

One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war.

And, with all that is given to the Gettysburg address, about whether a nation so charged could survive, it was the end of that inaugural speech that provided the road map.

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

We would all do well to remember that more often than not. Not, "with malice in our hearts," but, "with malice toward none."

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I really just have a couple of links, because I wanted to leave you with all of that above.

- Mine safety concerns were raised at the same mine in question on the day of the explosion that has so far killed 25, with four missing and likely dead as well. Contrary to the lead in the article, rescue workers have been forced to stay out of the mine due to high levels of toxic gases, namely methane (CH4).

- And presidents of what were once the world's most dominant superpowers signed onto an historic new START treaty this morning in Prague. Despite all that has happened domestically with President Obama, this is yet another sure symbol of his influence abroad.

- This has to be the dumbest person in the world. Seriously.

- Finally, here is the newest Tiger Woods ad from Nike. Almost sickeningly brilliant: