Unless you're on the editorial board of The Guardian. You can't say rah rah free elections tough darts on you Yids if you don't like it. Then turn around and whine that no one is bowing at your fascism. That's one of the risks of electoral politics. Everyone else might not think that highly of your choices, nor, believe it or not, are they required to obey them. The Palestinians, one is lead to believe, cast their lot with The Hamas as a protest against Fatah corruption. That's debatable. A group of people who just spent 40 years killing people in 'protest' I doubt suddenly blush at the notion of armed insurrection which we can see now they're quite good at. No it's more likely that Palestinians heard and liked the open rhetoric of The Hamas who said 'we will exterminate all the Jews.' One can further debate that Palestinians are just children who were hoodwinked by The Hamas and they really can't be expected to be accountable for their own choices. Like the Americans who voted for Bush, twice.

Well what is to be done? Simply put, nothing. The Hamas will evolve in less than a year to an independent state. It will be given a UN seat, establish their own relations with the EU and the Arab world and with Iran. It will become the worlds first fully functional legitimate terrorist country which employs terrorism as a acceptable and bona fide tool of foreign policy. The UN going back to 1992 has already given a green light to 'legitimate violence in the pursuit of national liberation.' And since the definition of national liberation has subsequently been enlarged to include anyone with an RPG, a flag and cause, a permanent state of 'war' such as it is will result between Gaza and Israel. But what is one to do with a waring state where you provide their electricity, gasoline and running water? For free or least you don't require payment? It's a curious blend of Progressives, radicals and Arabs demanding that the 'occupying' power which isn't there, stand still long enough to get shot at and at the same time continue to provide for free all the infrastructure, money and wherewithal for them to continue to shoot at you. Well all I can say is if that's what people call legitimate state building I sincerely and honestly hope it really does come to every major city in America and Europe. Let's liberate everyone.

In the meantime, even Dennis Ross has stated that the PA in the West Bank has a finite window of opportunity to establish political, social and economic institutions of some kind to demonstrate to the rest of the world that they're even halfway serious about creating a nation. A few years out and they haven't made any progress, even toward a confederation with Jordan and the 'world' will probably drop them and move on to the next blighted collapsed failure. It may be possible for them or it may be that they're still mired in the 'movement', the Arafat legacy of 'everything instantly now!!' We do nothing you do everything approach which will result in failure. Maybe not. Time will tell, I guess. I give the odds at 3:1 against.

It's the Jews/big oil/corporations/Westminster Dog Show theory of black helicopters and theremin noises. Apparently everyone is in on it except Vulcan and the camo draped white hoods it lives with. What shocks me (ok it doesn't shock me - after all if there 20 groups lobbying for something and one of them is Jewish, it must be a Jewish plot to take over the world) is that UNINPAC (look it up) says many of the same things as AIPAC and yet no one has a problem with it. It must be their secret mind control chemicals in the Slurpees.

And if you do you have a cause of action. They can't fire you for that reason unless there are specific rules that state if you are merely charged with a crime you lose your job. I once worked for an ex alcoholic born again with 5 (five) sexual harassment suits against him. Sad but true you can't simply fire people because they exhibit unpleasant even antisocial behavior. Athletes can't be held to a higher legal standard than the rest of us. They can be held to the terms of a contract but again, if one contact varies wildly from another even that's a plausible cause of action too. And the NFL isn't willing to apply a standard across the board. That would imperil them financially. No I think you have to shrug it off.

Evo Morales' Bolivia? The red revolution people's sidekick of Venezuela, Bolivia? The nationalize all the industries and tell foreign creditors to go to hell Bolivia? The refuse to pay the Brazilian electric company Bolivia?

That Bolivia? Oh please tell me Salon's heroes are corruptible men.

Little Iran. You will all be astonished but you will comfort yourselves with the belief that all the Palestinians secretly object to the regime, as do, apparently all the Iranians who haven't raised a finger in nearly 30 years.

Well all I can say is if you're planning a vacation there don't be gay, mouthy, or sexually flirtatious, unveiled or suspect in any way or not Islamic. They have a tendency to hang those people from cranes in the public square. Let me know how insane heavily armed sharia works out.

psst it's a reprint

That is all.