The Wrestler

Wow, The Wrestler was depressing. So depressing that I had trouble appreciating Marisa Tomei's nearly unending nudity.

I started out assuming it wasn't going to end well, but they gave you a little hope in the middle that things were going to improve for the characters. Hope that would shortly be dashed.

The actual wrestling depicted was so brutal that I had a hard time believing that stuff like that really goes on. But it does! Shudder.

It was a really good movie, but I can't claim I particularly enjoyed it.

Poland's Sham Role In Iraq

The Poles were pretty clearly rent-a-cops in Iraq, just there to fly the flag.

Following their experience in Afghanistan, the Americans know that if they leave logistics to the Poles it will be a year before they see the first Polish troops arrive in Iraq. So without being asked, they agree to take on responsibility for transporting, feeding and lodging the troops. They are even very flexible when it comes to money. “I asked the people in Washington how we were supposed to finance reconstruction of the province, pay our network of agents and repurchase arms from civilians. What I got back was a practical question - would eight tons of twenty-dollar bills be enough? The pallets with the cash were enough to fill an entire Hercules, but I can't tell you what the full amount was” confesses Zemke.

I'm amazed that countries bother to maintain militaries at the level of competence described in this article.

The Grossest Line in the Sand

While this is indeed a horrible story, it really highlights the ugly truth about most people willing to perform abortions - they simply don't mind killing babies. The in-the-belly/out-of-the-belly distinction used for abortions is just vile.

Only Renelique didn't arrive in time. According to Williams and the Florida Department of Health, she went into labor and delivered a live baby girl.

What Williams and the Health Department say happened next has shocked people on both sides of the abortion debate: One of the clinic's owners, who has no medical license, cut the infant's umbilical cord. Williams says the woman placed the baby in a plastic biohazard bag and threw it out.

And this also sounds like a partial birth abortion gone wrong, which I would have sworn were banned by Bush.

I am conflicted about abortion. On the one hand, I am almost certain that a voluntary eugenics program is a net plus for a society. On the other hand, you couldn't pay me enough to participate in that industry.

Via Best of the Web Today.

Agreeing with Nazis Should Give One Pause

With Nazis openly joining the anti-Israel marches in Calgary, this seems like a good time to point out that people willing to be seen with Nazis are not good people.

Photo by thivierr under a Creative Commons license.

Can you imagine being at a protest or rally and noticing some skinhead wearing swastikas next to you? I don't blame anyone for not getting confrontational, but you sure as hell leave at that point.

And is it too much to ask for an immigration policy that only accepts individuals with views less odious than Nazis?

Via Ezra Levant.