I wish I was creative enough to make this stuff up. If I were, I'd go down with Swift and Twain as one of the funniest satirists that ever picked up a pen.

It seems (read the full story here) that two groups of Xian monks, one Egyptian Coptic, one Ethiopian, have been sharing the roof of a shrine in Jerusalem. Each group had it's own designated area.

Well, it seems that one of the monks, who had been living up there since 1970 got too hot, and moved his chair a few feet into the shade. Unfortunately those few feet belonged to the other group. A freakin' fight broke out between the two groups of doddering holy men, with chairs, among other things, being hurled. Where are the Jerry Springer bouncers when you need them?

By the time this Clash of the Geriatric Titans was over, eleven monks were injured. One was knocked out, and another had a broken arm.

People wonder why I think religion remains the thing that humans must outgrow before we can "all just get along."

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I've mentioned before that I don't have a high opinion of our legal system. One of the major problems with it is corrupt law enforcement officers, willing to fabricate testimony to put folks in jail, and DA's more concerned about their conviction rates than punishing the guilty and releasing the innocent. This story is an excellent example.

One redneck cop "investigated," charged, and testified against 46 people in one small Texas town on drug charges. None of the arrested were in possession of any drugs. He never recorded any of the alleged drug deals. The only evidence ever offered was his word. In several instances, defendants were able to prove that the cop involved was lying. Most of the charged were black. The cop was proven to be a racist, incompetent, and a thief. Still, the local DA defends the convictions as sound.

The governor of Texas should immediately pardon anyone convicted by this man's testimony. He should be charged with perjury, abuse of office, and if found guilty, should be put in jail for the rest of life.

If only this was an isolated incident. It is not. Spurred by federal task force funds that tie the amount of the grant to the number of convictions, and seizure laws that let law enforcement agencies retain the lion's share of any assets seized, the drug cops focus on the easy street level user busts, rarely if ever arresting anyone farther up the supply chain. The arrested rarely have any money for an attorney, and take plea bargains to avoid longer sentences.

The War on Drugs has been a miserable failure. It is time to call an end to it.

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