WHY ARE THESE MEN SMILING? In this screen-grab from Fox News, Iraqi citizens are seen stocking up on emergency household provisions -- from what I could see, not so much foodstuffs, but heavy on the duct tape and batteries -- in anticipation of the coming hostilities.



Now, maybe they're just instinctively mugging for the camera. But for a couple of guys who are about to become live targets in our racist war for cheap oil, I've never seen anyone so jubilant.

Could it be that -- rather than hating the cowboy American imperialist war machine with every fiber of their being -- they're actually anticipating that tomorrow will be the happiest day of their lives?

In contrast, consider the message of these uncommon criminals who now face up to five years in prison for defacing the Sydney Opera House:



Sorry, children -- but when your best argument against the liberation of Iraq is to throw a public tantrum and commit spectacular vandalism, there isn't enough precious time in my day to give your ideology a second thought.