The Morning Blog, Now With Fewer Calories

Gonna be light blogging this morning. I'm off to the Zombie Apocalypse.

Topeka tries to live with the Phelps.

I'm beginning to wonder if Israel is even remotely interested in the peace process. At a time when they're facing international (and at times unfair), opprobrium, their administration seems profoundly unwilling to compromise on anything. Takeaway:

Isaac Herzog, a minister with the centrist Labor Party, said he opposed the bill because it would create unnecessary domestic tensions and further damage Israel's standing when it is under fire internationally.

"It is unnecessary and doesn't serve the interests of the state of Israel," said Herzog. "It has a certain ideological logic behind it but has adverse effect on Israel's image and its spirit of true democracy."

The New York Times lays out some modest proposals concerning the Administrations assertion that it can put Americans on assassination lists without any oversight. Doesn't this make sense:

The government could establish a court like the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which authorizes wiretaps on foreign agents inside the United States. Before it adds people to its target list and begins tracking them, the government could take its evidence to this court behind closed doors — along with proof of its compliance with international law — and get the equivalent of a judicial warrant in a timely and efficient way.

I think so! I can't think of any good reason for there not to be just a sliver of independent oversight on this sort of thing. After the Bush years, can we really just accept an executive that says "Trust me. It's all good"?

The British do scandal like nobody else. They are really, really good at it.

Today's Waste of Ink Award.

The Tea Party gets uglier. At least they're not being isolationist about it. I'm a little alarmed that the Cato people seem to be involved with all this. They're of course, low tax/small government advocates but tend to be much more sensible than getting into bed with these islamophobic lunatics.

Speaking of religion, The Economist debates whether or not it is in fact a force for good.

There. That should do it. The universe is now slightly more organized. Enjoy yourselves.