RAVE: For the Alabama Army National Guard, which has exceeded its troop strength goal for the current fiscal year. Recruitment bonuses have helped, to be sure, but the state's long tradition of high levels of Guard service ought never be discounted. Re-enlistment rates are high as well, Guard officials report. This is an impressive showing, particularly in a time when the demands on Guard personnel are greater than ever. A smart salute is in order.

RANT: For the startling conduct of an Autauga County man who arrived at his trial on a DUI charge even more intoxicated than he was when arrested several weeks ago. He was jailed on contempt of court charges when a breath test showed a blood alcohol reading of .27. At the time of his arrest, the reading was .22. The legal limit is .08. He presumably was looking at a conviction anyway, but he didn't exactly help his cause.

RAVE: For the fund-raising effort that will add lights to the football practice field at Carver High School. What really shines in this project is not the lighted field, but the purpose behind it. The team will hold study sessions in the afternoon to ensure that players are keeping up academically, then hold its football practices afterward, when the lights will be needed. Coach Larry Ware has his --and his players' -- priorities in order.

RANT: For the incredible insensitivity -- indeed, downright oafishness -- displayed by Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor who is now running for president. Speaking to a Jewish organization, Thompson said making money is "sort of part of the Jewish tradition" and offered other dubious observations, such as referring to Israeli government bonds as "Jewish bonds." He referred to the controversial militant group the Jewish Defense League when he apparently meant another, mainstream organization. His later efforts to clarify his remarks weren't particularly persuasive.

RAVE: For the sterling work of journalists Cynthia Tucker and Brett Blackledge, honored this week with Pulitzer Prizes. Tucker, a Monroeville native who is editorial page editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, won for commentary. Blackledge, a reporter for the Birmingham News, won for investigative reporting for his work on problems in the state's two-year college system. They've made this state proud.

RANT: For the ever-growing complexity of filing federal income tax returns, a chore millions of Americans struggled to complete before this year's deadline. According to a study by the National Taxpayers Union, the average preparation time per taxpayers was 24.2 hours. About 60 percent of taxpayers now use paid preparers, with an average cost of $207. Corporations spent $156.5 billion just on tax work -- not on the taxes themselves -- according to the NTU report. There has to be a simpler way.

RAVE: For the safety upgrade in the cars of the Wetumpka Police Department, which will be outfitted with 12 new in-car digital cameras. The Wetumpka City Council approved funding for the cameras this week. The devices record traffic stops, which is good for both the police officers and the individuals pulled over.

RANT: For the slowness of too many in decision-making positions to realize that water will be a serious national security and geopolitical issue in the decades ahead. There will be legal skirmishes about water rights, to be sure, but there is also the likelihood of wars starting over water in some parts of the world. This overlooked element of the report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change deserves much more attention.

RANT: For the findings of a new national survey that indicates that Americans are essentially no better informed about national and international affairs than they were in 1989 -- despite the explosion of information from 24-hour cable television and the Internet. The Pew Research Center, which conducted the 1989 survey, asked similar questions in February and found the results little changed. Access to news and information has never been greater, but it appears that a lot of us just aren't interested.

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