The Morning Blog

Does is strike anyone else as ironic that for a supposedly secular, socialist state China can be neurotically obsessed with religion?

This makes me angry: Lori Berenson was convicted in Peru of being part of the terrorist organization Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA. Specifically, she rented a house found to contain 8000 rounds of ammunition, 3000 sticks of dynamite and a dozen fellow members of the MRTA.

She was released early and is shocked, shocked! that Peruvians for some reason hate her. She wishes they'd get over the whole plot to take the entire Peruvian congress hostage thing and let bygones be bygones. With astonishing gall, at one point she compares herself and her fellow terrorists to Jews persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition. The attitude of this woman is unbelievable.

Free Willie! Once again, the Red Headed Stranger has been caught red handed.

Speaking of astonishing gall: North Korea is accusing South Korea of using civilians as human shields. Sort of like it's an abuse victims fault if their face keeps getting in the way of a fist.

China's response is characteristically baffling. I appreciate that for security reasons they don't want to see a unified and Western aligned Korea. But at the same time, their security interests clearly do not include a destabilized North disgorging hundreds of thousands of refugees. As I noted last night, their support also helps prop up American soft power. Inasmuch as China seems to want to become a leading mercantile nation, wouldn't it make more sense to try to control the belligerence and insanity out of Pyongyang? I can't imagine that North Korea can be considered a truly valuable trade partner. You can only sell a country so many guns before you want to sell them some t-shirts and sneakers too.

Kacee Bait: Um, about the Broncos...Seems they might be in trouble with the league for videotaping their opponents. Not surprisingly, both the head coach and director of video operations previously worked for the Sith Lord known as Belichick.

More football related stuff. Theresa Bait: War Eagle! By the way, it's been explained to me that Auburn's rallying cry has something to do with an old man that enjoyed attending public sporting events with a big goddamn eagle sitting on his shoulder. Personally, I'm convinced he was Odin.

This is weird and terrible and interesting: Two women are accusing the police of beating them after attempting to report a domestic violence incident.

Well ok then, let's go, let's go, let's go!! For real, seriously. Let's get the hell out.

Nerd pirates!

Oh lovely. Not only are we descended from apes but now we have to deal with the indignity of being descended from sewage. Suddenly, I can appreciate the appeal of religious fantasies.

Here's more on Brazil's self inflicted war to get ready for the Olympics.

Video on the crackdown here.

Um....Silver lining? Some reports show that massive pollution may actually be slowing global warming slightly. We can now breath easier! We're now completely, rather than utterly doomed.

That's it for the MoBlo. Enjoy this Saturday.