London's Evening Standard is reporting on a firefight that broke out between Iraqi forces in Basra and members of the British Special Boat Service (think SEALs) and U.S. Marines. Thanks to Dan for the link.

Trial was going pretty good this morning. Got through 4 witnesses, then the defendant had some kind of seizure (I think maybe diabetic/blood sugar), and court was recessed until 9 AM Thursday. So I get to "enjoy" a day at work tomorrow!

I made the cut; I'm one of the six jurors for this misdemeanor trial starting later this morning. The defendant is charged with Deadly Conduct. From what I gathered during voir dire, it sounds like he was either waving around or pointing a handgun at another man. Should be interesting.

So I reported for jury duty this morning, fully expecting to sit around all day while they waded through the list. This based on horror stories of jury duty from friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Denton County, thankfully, does things a little differently than our Dallas brethren. About 250 prospective jurors showed up this morning. After being sworn in by one of the judges and being given a rundown on qualifications and exemptions, the district clerk informed us that the courts needed 232 jurors to fill all of its panels today. That meant 18 lucky folks were walking out of there. I was not one of those 18. The first case was a felony, and they needed 42 people from the panel, of which the attorneys on either side would whittle down to 12. These first 42 totally lucked out, since as the clerk was getting ready to call their names, she received word the trial had been cancelled/postponed. The next 2 sets of jurors were also for felonies, 42 each. Then came a set of 24 for a misdemeanor trial. Then a set of 20 for another misdemeanor. The room was thinning out; were the odds of getting called getting better or worse? (Didn't really matter; computer system had kicked out the various lists, completely at random, minutes before, after all jurors had reported in.) On the 3d misdemeanor trial, my name was called. The good news was that I didn't have to report to the courtroom until 1pm. Not enough time to go in to the office for a bit, too much time to hang around the courthouse. So I came home for a while. I'll head back about noon, 1 out of 24, and they'll take 6 of us. I don't really mind one way or the other. Thankfully, my employer pays me if I'm at work or jury duty, and I donated my $6/$10 a day ($10 if you actually sit on a jury, otherwise $6 for reporting for service) to the Boys & Girls Club of Denton County. It's a misdemeanor trial, which means it shouldn't go more than a day or two. Should be interesting to see what happens later this afternoon.

So later this morning I'll be heading out to report for jury duty. Like most folks, it's not something I'm looking forward to, but it's one of our duties as citizens, and one I take seriously. So much so that I test drove the route earlier tonight, to ensure that I would arrive on time. Hey, if I were a defendant awaiting trial, I'd want people who took it seriously in the jury pool, too, even if they didn't really want to be there.

This is just disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful. Get it through your neanderthal-thick skulls, slugheads: men and women in uniform do not decide whether to go to war or not. They follow orders given by civilian commanders to do so. Focus your anger where it belongs, and respect those who serve in your place.

Charles Krauthammer delivers good advice to President Bush:

Walk away, Mr. President. Walk away from the U.N. Security Council. It will not authorize the coming war. You can stand on your head and it won't change the outcome. You can convert to Islam in a Parisian mosque and it won't prevent a French veto. [...] If you must have a second resolution, it should consist of a single sentence: "The Security Council finds Iraq in violation of Resolution 1441, which demanded 'full and immediate compliance by Iraq without conditions or restrictions.' " [...] If the one-line resolution passes, the violation triggers 1441, which triggers the original resolutions ending the Gulf War. If it fails, you've exposed the United Nations for what it is: the League of Nations, empty, cynical and mendacious. Mr. President: Call the vote and walk away.

Like Krauthammer says, no more dithering. Actions speak louder than words, and the UN isn't delivering anything but empty pronouncements. (Thanks, Rick.)

Coming in under the radar Monday was this report that the United Nations has redesigned its logo and has a new motto. (Thanks, Michael)

Even members of Congress are beginning to call them "freedom fries," and even "freedom toast." (Yes, I know French fries aren't really French.) Thanks, Rick!