The plight of Viviette Applewhite, 93, was not enough to sway Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson. Neither was the case of the Advancement Project, American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and others made on her behalf.

On Wednesday, Simpson let stand a law that would require strict and specific forms of photo voter ID in a battleground state crucial for both parties in November.

Demonstrators hold signs at an NAACP-organized rally on the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol to protest the state's new voter identification law on July 24, in Harrisburg, Pa. The law was upheld earlier this week. (Marc Levy - AP) Applewhite and others who described the difficulties they have faced in getting approved credentials in time will have to do the best they can. Though their lawyers said they would pursue appeals, Wednesday’s ruling – and the state Supreme Court’s ideologically deadlocked makeup – point to the law’s staying in place for the 2012 elections. Its requirements are designed to solve a problem that the state itself conceded does not exist. Despite that admission, Simpson, a veteran Republican jurist, wrote that the requirement is a “reasonable, non-discriminatory, non-severe burden when viewed in the broader context of the widespread use of photo ID in daily life.”

His is an argument I’ve often heard from those supporting the wave of voter ID laws passed in state legislatures following the 2010 midterm elections that turned many over to GOP majorities. You need an ID to drive a car or buy a beer, or as Linda A. Kerns, co-chair of the southeastern-Pennsylvania chapter of the Republican National Lawyers Association, wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer: "If requiring photo ID discriminates, then shouldn't we abolish it and drive, buy guns, get on airplanes and open bank accounts on the honor system?”

DALLAS — Rep. Cliff Stearns, the Florida Republican who just lost his seat to political newcomer Ted Yoho, is having what we in Texas might call a “Dewhurst’’ moment.

One minute he’s the invincible Republican with the multimillion-dollar war chest, the next he’s the latest scalp in the tea party’s war on incumbents.

There is a memory trick new recruits use to learn the order of flag ranks leading to four-star general, the highest U.S. military rank in the Army, Air Force and Marines. The mnemonic BMLG “be my little girl” helps soldiers remember the title and order of officers  based on the number of stars on their uniforms. One-, two- and three-star generals are ranked brigadier, major and lieutenant in that order.

Our military is run on an inflexible hierarchy of command. Among the very exclusive club of U.S. military generals, brigadier generals have to salute major generals and above, and major generals must salute lieutenant generals and up, but lieutenant generals only salute four-star generals -- who only have to salute presidents.

Needless to say, those stars are hard to come by.

Last week, Army Brig. Gen.Tammy Smith, who is nobody’s “little girl,” earned her first star and became the most recent woman to join the tiny club.

They say presidents grow in office. You could say the same thing about their spouses. Michelle Obama certainly has the TV talk show rhythm down.

On Monday’s “Tonight Show,” Jay Leno — with the first lady just returned from representing the United States at the London Olympics and star gymnast Gabby Douglas on deck — flashed a photo (no doubt White House-approved) of Obama as a little girl posing on a backyard swing set. He noted the absence of an actual  swing on the bare metal frame.

That was “in the hood,” the first lady said, without missing a beat. “We worked with what we had.” She was smiling as she described running outside to play, making the best of it and being grateful for that. It was funny, and got the audience laughing, but it was poignant, too. She didn’t need to point out the obvious, how far this little girl from Chicago had come in her all-American story. (Leno did spell it out, asking Obama if she thought, looking at the picture, “No way that little girl is going to be the first lady of the United States.”)

Obama’s West Coast trip had included stopping at singer Gwen Stefani’s home for a fundraiser, and the first lady did slip in some politicking Monday night, naming health reform as something the administration is most proud of, with everyone, including those with pre-existing conditions, able to get insurance.

It is the Arizona city where she was hurt. Now, Gabrielle Giffords has moved back home to Tucson to heal.

It’s been a little more than a year and a half since the former congresswoman was shot by a gunman while she talked with constituents outside a grocery store. Six people died in that attack. Giffords survived, gave up her House seat to concentrate on her recovery and underwent physical and speech therapy in Houston. She surprised everyone with her progress, and just last month, a photo of her smiling high in the French Alps brought a smile to others.