I think it would be fair to say that many of us have been consumed recently with the Israeli-Palestinian-Lebanese conflict, and tangentially with diaries where we all let each other know exactly what we all are. While these are significant issues, and I do not wish to belittle them, or the many excellent diaries written, there have been several notable stories that have been overlooked. So, without further ado...
Ethiopia has announced that it is prepared to
invade Somalia if the Islamic militia which controls most of Somalia attacks Baidoa, the town where the largely powerless government of Somali transitional President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is located.
The CATO Institute released a policy paper by Radley Balko called Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America. It is an exceptionally well-done paper, as is most of Balko's work, on the subject of the increading militarization of police tactics in the name of fighting the drug war, which has resulted in many casualties among civilians and police officers. And for an excellent example of what Balko is talking about, take a look at this account of a Dallas SWAT raid on a poker room, which as it happens, was taped by A&E for the series Dallas SWAT.
Patrick Radden Keefe makes an excellent case in Slate of how the `compromise bill' on warrantless surveillance by Sen. Arlen Specter, lauded by the MSM is no compromise of anything except for our checks and balances.
For anyone not yet worried about the `mission creep' of those who would legislate for your health, Chicago City Councilman Edward Burke, leader of the (victorious) campaign for the Chicago indoor smoking ban, has now set his sights on banning the use by restaurants of oils containing trans-fats.