Vote. Then stuff to look at after voting.

The complete youtubed War of the Roses (1965)... all eight hours of it.  Not sure if I want to start....

Bulldozing Mecca?

Chart to keep track of all the Obama conspiracies...

Looks like the Germans won....

Uh oh....VOYAGER 1 DETECTS WEIRDNESS AT SOLAR SYSTEM EDGE

Wow, China.

Time-lapse video: Space shuttle Endeavour’s trek across L.A.

I assumed Bin Laden was dead long ago

But killing him now will make no difference. His vision of the world has metathesized already to other radical cells around the world. The US has been proved vulnerable and will suffer more terrorist attacks in the future.

Celebrating Bin Laden's death is unnecessary, will not end the wars we are bogged down in right now and will inflame those who want a reason to be so. It will not change anything. We've removed one icon of defiance and made him a martyr.

But still, quoting Clarence Darrow: I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.

Update: Marc Lynch's viewpoint on the death of Bin Laden. Amanda Marcotte's.

Weirdness uncorked

In the Era of Stupid:

Judge: Let lesbians into military so male GIs can turn them straight

North Korea/ South Korea /whatever ...

GAFFES VS. DUMBSTUPID

Hey!! The rule was you guys are supposed to go ELSEWHERE around the world and blow things up! Not here at home in Saudi Arabia.

Ryadh--Saudi authorities said Friday they arrested 149 al-Qaeda suspects in a months-long sweep and thwarted attacks inside the kingdom on government officials, media personalities and civilian targets.

And speaking of religious nutcakes:

The Myth of Christian Persecution in the United States

And:

The world is deeply divided on the question of whether religion is a force for good, a survey by Ipsos Reid suggests.

And:

Happy Thanksgiving! Right Jabs Pilgrims For ... Communism?

Bob Herbert of the New York Times warns the rich.

Call them what they are: Wahhabis

"First, Wahhabis are known as Wahhabis to most Muslims, including numerous Wahhabis themselves. But because of the Wahhabi history of attacks on non-Wahhabi Muslims, the term "Wahhabi" repels many Muslims. Wahhabis therefore often attempt to recast themselves as "Salafis" for the same reason Communists called themselves "progressives." Americans hated the word "Communist" because of the crimes of the Soviet regime, but associated "progressive" with honorable reformers like Theodore Roosevelt.

"Salafi" is, similarly, a respectable term referring to the original generations of pious Muslim scholars who emerged during and after Muhammad's death--and then to a group of 19th century Islamic reformers who wanted to simplify and modernize their religion. But while the "Salafis" 150 years ago execrated the spiritual Sufis, they did not preach violence.

Although they prefer the "Salafi" cover, Wahhabis throughout the Muslim world refer to themselves by that name when the doctrines of their inspirer are challenged, just as Communists flaunted their affiliations in their own milieu. Still, many Western commentators have adopted the habit of identifying Wahhabis by a palliative name in an effort to be "sensitive."

The Sunni terrorists in Iraq have worked even more linguistic magic on Western media, who have assigned them the title of "insurgents." But too much blood has been shed for Westerners to continue flattering Muslim extremists in this manner.

The Sunni murderers in Iraq are terrorists, not insurgents.

And they are Wahhabis, backed by Saudi Arabia, not pious "Salafis."

As George Orwell knew, the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their real names."