The Morning Blog

Northern Africa is burning: In the wake of the Tunisian uprising, six people, from Mauritania to Egypt have performed self-immolation. Meanwhile, things remain unstable in Tunisia itself and the new governing coalition is condemned for containing too many members of the old guard. Unfortunately, after decades of rule, there's simply nobody else with any experience in government:

Opposition leaders included in the new government said the revolution had collided with reality. After 23 years of Mr. Ben Ali’s one-party dictatorship, it was impossible to find qualified officials outside the party who could take the reins of government quickly enough to stabilize the country and hold free elections.

Foreign Policy doubts that Tunisia heralds a democratic wave sweeping across North Africa and the Arab world, here.

Pirates! Anarchists! What's the world coming to?

A quick and quite possibly disastrous thought about Somali pirates: It strikes me that they're for the most part a rather apolitical bunch. My understanding is that initially, they were fishermen that became militarized in opposition to foreigners fishing illegally off their coast. They pretty much just want to make a living and this is the most efficient and profitable way for them to do that. Given that the UN either cannot or will not dedicate sufficient warships to adequately patrol what seems increasingly, to be the entire Indian Ocean and given that the motives of the pirates are driven largely by profit, would it not be possible and sensible (or perhaps disastrous), to try to entice some of them to become privateers? A significant bounty offered for ships and weapons might quickly chill pirate activity. It also might just give Somalia's never ending civil war a maritime dimension...But still. Just a thought.

Back on the home front: As pirates, anarchists and people aflame rush about the rest of the world, here in America Steve Jobs is taking a vacation and Facebook is helping users be more discreet when sharing their entire lives with the world at large. Hide the children!

Palin defends the "blood libel" charge she leveled in the wake of the Tucson shooting. Well, somewhat anyways. She stresses that when SARAH PALIN talks about charges made against SARAH PALIN, it's really not about SARAH PALIN, who feels just sick about the victims of that li'l, ol' shooting by the way. I personally don't think that she's running for President. Which is a good thing. I think she's running for entertainer. Which while it means our nuclear codes may be in safer hands, also guarantees endlessly bad television.

The Jets are declining to talk smack on the Steelers heading into the AFC Championships. Which is sensible. Very sensible indeed.

Doe it strike anyone else that Harrison has a tendency to crouch over his victims like a goddamn lion defending it's food?

A picture says a 1000 words. Let's run through them alphabetically...Absurd, Amoral, Arrogant, Bunga Bunga....

Dick "The Tin Man" Cheney will get a heart. Sadly, George W. Bush continues to sing "If I Only Had a Brain".

As part of my commitment towards the public at large's continued education, I present you with "How to Stuff a Squirrel". Not for the sqeamish, I think.

For the record, here's an alternate way to stuff them.

I find neurology to be fascinating. There's nothing quite like exercising your brain by thinking about your brain.

I previously reported that Pope John Paul II is on the fast track to becoming a saint. Prayer to him, now that he's dead, has been credited with a miraculous cure for Parkinsons. Where the hell was he when he was alive?

Finally...

There's something wrong with our criminal justice system.