"Must Restrain - Fist of Death"

Some years back, when I was a rather inept almost 50 in our over 30 soccer league, I was dribbling up the sideline while the opposing defender was trying to get the ball away. We continued in this fashion for twenty-five yards or so with him first charging shoulder to shoulder(legal), elbowing me in the ribs and chest(not), and finally grabbing my crotch. I manage to pass the ball to a teammate in the penalty area and turned back upfield with murder in my heart. The object of my rage was flat on his back, 10 yards upfield, where our last shoulder contact had left him, and I laughed, and the World was good. I was reminded of this by a story in today's sports page noting that English soccer star Vinnie Jones has this year been "immortalized in a statue depicting him reaching back and squeezing an opponents testicles." (Dave Kindred in The Sporting News).

The memory is also a useful sedative when I'm particularly annoyed at some Czech punk who has called me a "Commie" for the too many-eth time.

Speaking of Czechs, our friend Lubosh has provided
this link to a poll showing that most Americans approve of torture for those suspected of something dangerous, like terrorism. It's probably not coincidental that this other poll shows that roughly the same percentage are unaware that it takes the Earth a year to circle the Sun.

Meanwhile, Kevin Drum has up this very apropos quote from Benjamin Franklin.
"Those who would give up essential liberty for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

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