Monday digest

- Whether the rest of the world likes it or not, American leadership is still the best hope for peace and stability in a dangerous world despite the wishes of folks like this, some of the more kookier of whom went so far as to vandalize the U.S. Capitol building during a "peace" rally this past weekend in DC. Take a look at what would happen should the protesters achieve their goals, here.

- According to a recent poll taken in England, just less than half of British Muslims between the ages of 16 and 24 who were surveyed want to live under Sharia law, with three quarters believing that women should be veiled. Most shockingly, over one-third think that a Muslim who leaves the faith and converts to another religion should be punished by death.

I don't know if this poll has any credibility, but I certainly hope it doesn't. Meanwhile, isn’t it time that the perpetually outraged finally come around and work as hard at opposing radical Islamism as they do at opposing the Blair government?

- Yesterday, I linked to Charles Krauthammer's prescriptions for dealing with the energy crisis. Here's another interesting take.

- It's good to see that those activists who peddle victimization in the African-American community are starting to face some competition.

- From the "pot, meet kettle" file comes Jack Layton's comments last night on CBC News Sunday during a debate he had with a representative from the banking industry on the NDP's push to have Interac fees lowered. He said, "That's the thing with banks. They think that our money belongs to them". Substitute the word "banks" for "governments" and socialist Layton would be sounding like a Reaganite! Of course, with banking we have choice and with governments, we don't, which explains Layton's apparent inconsistency as we all know leftists and the concept of individual decision-making don't usually go well together.

- An example of why Quebec's political class (regardless of party) is so grating, here. Lecturing Ontarians about the need to be more generous in order to preserve national unity? Please.