Lagniappe

Step away from the cupcake! In its never-ending mission to keep American travelers safe from dessert and pastry products, the TSA confiscated a woman's cupcakes in the Las Vegas airport last month. Once the agents determined the woman was (probably) not a terrorist, she was allowed to board her flight. The cupcakes were defused and the plane landed safely, thanks to the agency's tireless efforts. When asked about the incident, TSA spokesperson Bob Burns stressed that "…this wasn't your everyday, run-of-the-mill cupcake…," and that there have been "two very real liquid related incidents from the past." Mr. Burns did not specify the number of dessert-related incidents from the past, but it's reassuring to know that our government is taking the threat of chocolate frosting attacks very seriously.

Be afraid, be very afraid – On January 2^nd, CNN "journalist" Dana Bash stated on-air that's she's worried about the risk of Ron Paul doing well in the GOP primary. "I'm sure you talk to Republicans who are worried as well, just like I am [emphasis added] that Ron Paul will continue on long into the spring and summer…He could really hurt whomever the Republican nominee is because, still, nobody thinks, even if he does well here in New Hampshire, that he will ultimately be the nominee." Revolution PAC, a group that supports Ron Paul, has called for CNN to reassign Ms. Bash to other duties, and has asked those who agree to call CNN at (404) 827-1500 to let them know.

How conservatives and libertarians differ, by Rick Santorum - "One of the criticisms I make is to what I refer to as more of a Libertarianish right. They have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do, government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulations low, that we shouldn't get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn't get involved in cultural issues. That is not how traditional conservatives view the world. There is no such society that I am aware of, where we've had radical individualism and that it succeeds as a culture." (Unless we count American society and culture).

I hope I get out of jail in time to celebrate the birthdays of the men who put me there – The world's youngest dictator, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, has decided to release an unspecified number of prisoners next month (unfortunately,those released will still have to live in North Korea). The move is timed to commemorate the birthdays of the two previous lunatic dictators from the Kim family, Mssrs. Il Sung (grand-daddy dictator) and Jong Il (daddy dictator). It shouldn't be too hard for the littlest Kim to locate a few parolees - prisoners are just about the only thing found in abundance in North Korea. It is estimated that the country holds as many as 400,000 prisoners, half of whom are political prisoners. If those numbers are correct, North Korea's incarceration rate would be approximately 1,739 per every 100,000 people.

More civilized countries have much lower rates, of course. For example, the UK's incarceration rate is 151 per 100,000. Germany's is 88. Japan's is 63. The incarceration rate in the United States? 751.

Well, at least we're not Pyongyang (yet).

Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face – Right-wing talk show host Mark Levin has threatened to defeat Rand Paul's re-election bid in Kentucky should Ron Paul decide to leave the GOP and run for President as a third-party candidate. He's worried that Ron Paul would take enough votes away from whomever the GOP eventually nominates to tip the election to Obama.

Personally I don't think it will matter one way or the other – the Republicans are shooting airballs in a match that should be a slam dunk. And I suspect that if Ron Paul were to run a third-party campaign, he would take far more votes away from Obama than from the GOP on the basis of his anti-war and civil liberties positions (positions that Obama campaigned on but later betrayed).

But regardless of how the presidential race shakes out, the GOP is still the minority party in the Senate. Levin's stated threat against a Tea Party-backed Republican incumbent seems an awfully counterproductive way to express his outrage over the senior Paul's hypothetical party disloyalty.

I wonder what clever revenge Mark Levin has in store for Gary Johnson?

If you can't beat 'em, sue 'em – Kodak is suing Apple. No word yet on whether that caveman guy from the Geico commercials is going to sue Bridgestone for violating his patent on the wheel.