…and death from above:

NATO military advisors in Libya noted a lot of problems that had to be addressed with the ragtag rebel army. But one of the most obvious ones, the habit of firing weapons into the air at the least provocation, is also the hardest one to stop. This, despite the fact that it is a major waste of ammo (which is in short supply) and a major source of casualties. All those bullets eventually return to earth, and people do get hurt. For example, in Iraq, after any major news event, that results in many people firing off rifles and pistols into the air, the hospitals in places like Baghdad will see up to a hundred casualties, including several dead, from the bullets falling down and hitting people. This is all about the Arab custom of firing weapons into the air on happy occasions (they are called “joy bullets” in Arabic), often with deadly consequences. When someone is killed or injured by the bullets that, inevitably come back to earth, the injury is shrugged off, or blamed on a handy enemy. Palestinians blame Israelis, some Iraqis blame any armed foreigners in the vicinity, or nearby Iraqis they don’t get along with. In Libya, it’s got to be someone working for Kaddafi. Otherwise it’s just “God’s Will.”

This reminds me of an old Onion piece.

Yeah, let’s let these nutbags have nukes:

Close allies of Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been accused of using supernatural powers to further his policies amid an increasingly bitter power struggle between him and the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Several people said to be close to the president and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, have been arrested in recent days and charged with being “magicians” and invoking djinns (spirits).

Ahmadinejad may be a short timer, but it’s unlikely he’ll be replaced by anyone sane.