Need to Know is a short roundup of key stories that shouldn’t be missed on your cruise through the blogosphere. The number of links in the roundup may vary but if you find it here you can trust that it’s must-read material.
Victor Comras | The EU sucks at anything not involving wine or cheese
The EU and other European countries have stressed the great importance of strengthening investigative and judicial cooperation, and the EU has already adopted several directives calling for such cooperation. It is surprising, therefore, that so many European countries have still not ratified this important, two year old, convention. By doing so they would demonstrate their commitment and set an important precedent for other countries, and international bodies to also adopt similar measures to define and criminalize terrorism and the antecedents of terrorism, and to expand extradition, and judicial and investigative cooperation, to cover all such offenses. We are still so far away from this result, and the international community’s efforts to combat terrorism suffers accordingly.
Right Wing Nut House | D-Day and the War on Terror
The fact is, we can talk all we want to about the grand strategy in this war and the political fights at home to end it. But the truth is, it all comes down to the guys with the guns who volunteered to serve the larger purposes of their government. No matter what side of the war you are on or what you think about the government that is prosecuting it, you are a small minded person indeed if you can’t see past your boosterism or denigration of the war itself and recognize that individual American citizens, trained and equipped better than any army in the history of civilization, are placing themselves in harms way every day to fulfill a private compact they made with we, the people of the United States. Quite simply, they took an oath to protect us. They promised to take up arms and fight when our freely elected government determined that it was necessary for them to do so.
Michael Barone | Running the Republican numbers
These numbers confirm my intuitive sense of the flow of the race. Giuliani surged in February and March, then fell back as Thompson’s name appeared on the list. The lead he has now is anything but commanding. Thompson, who raised his first money yesterday, clearly is competitive. Romney has been on an upswing, but of limited scope. McCain has been falling, but not precipitously; he had a slight uptick in May, not statistically significant but coinciding with his spirited defense of the surge in
Caroline Glick | The history we never seem to learn from
As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proclaims that the countdown to the next Holocaust has begun while actively waging war against the US and its allies on all available fronts, the catastrophe that will follow an American relapse into isolationism and appeasement is undeniable.
Birmingham Mail | Forced to become Muslim
A teenage Sikh girl was today being guarded by police amid claims she had been forced to convert to Islam. An armed gang smashed their way into a house in Erdington last month and threatened the occupants, apparently in search of the girl. She was reported missing from her family home in West Bromwich a few days earlier. They are concerned that the girl, understood to be a student at Sutton Coldfield college, could have been forced to switch religion, it was reported. “This lady has been located and is currently in the care of West Midlands Police,” a force spokesman said.
Ace of Spades HQ | Googly-eyed unblinking freak watch
More infuriating than cathartic, because no amount of yelling by Gibson is a sufficient rebuke to these assholes. I’m just curious: If fire can’t melt steel, how exactly do Truthers explain the centuries-old profession of blacksmithing? See, if fire isn’t melting steel, how is possible to reshape steel after it begins glowing red-hot?
Consul-At-Arms | A foreign service officer on immigration
There’s an assumption here that I question, that of illegal immigration being both a push and pull phenomenon; the need for cheap labor being the draw. That’s big business wanting to keep labor costs low rather than pay for legal labor. If it’s intended that the U.S. is going to have a completely open labor market for the entire Western Hemisphere (if not the world), then the consequences (and the reasoning) needs to be explored in the light of day.
Gay Patriot | Yet another immigration rant (YAIR)
I keep hoping that the thousands (if not more) of calls to Capitol Hill that I know have been happening the past few weeks will wake up a US Senator who is an actual defender of this country and our Constitution. But as I wake this morning, it still appears that the Senate will pass their Illegal Invader Amnesty Act of 2007. What I do know is that my efforts have helped a bit in that Senators Dole and Burr have been voting correctly on amendments to the McCain-Kennedy-Bush Amnesty Act this week.
Patrick Ruffini | Doesn’t everyone leak to Drudge?
It’s obvious someone on Hillary’s campaign is leaking to Drudge. They did this during the Q1 deadline too. I wonder how Markos feels about that?
The D-Ring | Milbloggers silent
The spike came as a result of recent comments made by the retired general at a recent speech in San Antonio. One would think that when a former commander of troops in Iraq publicly says that the U.S. has lost the war and should cut its losses, milbloggers would have something to say about it.
