The regulations aren't clear. Surprise, that.

Today, at Toys 'R Us (Kouryou-chan wanted to burn some gift cards and expand her collection of Harry Potter LEGOs), I saw a license plate that read "ALALLAH".

Even in Seattle, that's a fairly brave statement to make. I recalled a kerfluffle several years ago about whether or not atheist vanity plates (with words like "ATHEIST" or "ISNOGOD") were offensive, and how some states have pulled such plates. Washington State has dismissed complaints against "JOHN316" as a plate, although it did recall "C9H13N", the chemical formula for methamphetamine. The rules state that a plate may not be "vulgar, obscene, or offensive," although the state will pull plates with drug or alcohol references.

(Hmm... I wonder how a LEV2013 plate would fare?)

That's NOT Entertainment!

Complaining about the quality of journalism in The National Enquirer is certainly tilting at an entire modern windfarm, but this week's edition has to count as one of the most decisively poor (in both quality and taste) examples of editorial dereliction in recent memory.

The headline reads: "Osama's Last Minutes! He Cried And Begged For His Life."

As has been reported from many sites, Bin Laden was not to be killed if he conspicuously surrendered. The rules of engagement were crafted to minimize the deaths of women and children, and if everything went peacefully, the SEALs would not have had to open fire at all.

What bothers me most about this is how bloodthirsty even The National Enquirer seems to expect its readers to have become. I hear Maximus roaring in the background, "Are you not entertained?"