It's time for...

Another argument…

…for energy independence. Via CNN...

Saudi Arabian officials beheaded and then publicly displayed the body of a convicted killer in Riyadh on Friday, an act that prompted a stiff denunciation by a leading human rights monitor.

I heartily join in that denunciation, fully understanding that nothing at all will, or, arguably, can, be done about it so long as the Saudis have us by the gas tanks.

They're not our allies, they're our pushers and, like junkies of any kind, we'll tolerate damn near any abuse rather than face Mr. Jones. Until we break the addiction, we're not really a sovereign country, are we?

They call it a crime.

I call it a gold medal performance.

BEIJING — In their latest confrontation with pro-Tibetan protesters during the Olympics, Chinese authorities arrested five Americans on Tuesday after they spelled out “Free Tibet” with blue L.E.D. lights near the National Stadium. Three other people, including a New York artist who fashions giant displays with lasers on buildings, were detained for a separate protest.

Hat tip to Jeff Dinelli.