THOUGHTS ON MEN, WOMEN, AND domestic violence.

CAMPAIGN DONATIONS can be found in unlikely places.

MORE ON NEW ORLEANS AND KATRINA: “Two full years after Katrina exposed an incredible number of flaws in the flood protection system for the greater New Orleans area, it’s time to put it back. The system—a bunch of disjointed, defective, incomplete and deficient pieces—performed miserably in 2005, after what was only a Category 3 storm at landfall. And here’s the sad reality: Despite the valiant repair efforts of the Corps to conduct a disharmonious symphony of bureaucratic repair, the system would still fail today.” Plus some thoughts on what to do.

JAMES Q. WILSON EMAILS: “On August 26, 2007, the Los Angeles Times published an article explaining why the city council of Santa Barbara has been prevented from painting a blue line across the city to mark how high the water will be if you believe Al Gore’s prediction that global warming will make the oceans rise by 23 feet. The idea was not defeated because people realize that Gore’s prediction is silly and wrong, but because a realtor threatened a law suit based on the argument that property values below the line would fall.”

The article is here.

ILYA SHAPIRO looks at steps toward a civilian reserve force. “I am not at all a fan of big government, or new government programs, or creating bureaucracies, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned during this stint in Iraq, it’s that if we are to do this kind of work—for national security, humanitarian, or other policy reasons—we have to do it right.”

DAVID FREDDOSO: “Why is it that Republicans — Craig, Mark Foley, and David Vitter — are the ones who keep getting caught in sex scandals nowadays? Yes, there are always Democrats with lurid stories — the Jim McGreeveys, Gary Harts and Barney Franks of the world (and a lot of others whose transgressions have never been proven or admitted to). But no one can deny that lately it’s been Republicans getting caught in the most peculiar and dastardly deeds.”

Well, either they’re more likely to do that stuff, or more likely to get caught in ways that become public. Which is it?

UPDATE: Possible answer here.

A CAMPAIGN TO bring back the Ding-Dog! With the suggested Krispy Kreme addition, it’s a sure-fire hit . . . .

MICHAEL TOTTEN POSTS ANOTHER REPORT FROM IRAQ, and you should read the whole thing. I looked for the breakout paragraph that summarizes the whole post and couldn’t find one. But I found this amusing:

“He’s like me,” he said. “He’s a Harvard Law grad who joined the Army after 9/11. I’m an attorney.”

“You’re an attorney?” I said. “What are you doing out here in Iraq?”

“I practiced law for three years,” he said, “then got into investment banking. When 9/11 happened I just had to sign up with the Army. Investment banking is a lot more stressful than this.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I said.

“No,” he said and laughed. “I am totally serious.”

If he was deployed in, say, Kurdistan I could see it. But Mushadah was stressful. Less stressful than investment banking? Investment banking in New York must really be something.

Indeed.

IN THE MAIL: Diana West’s The Death of the Grown-up: How America’s Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization. I was going to read it, but I had to go shop for a PlayStation. . . .

USING TEARGAS AND BATONS ON PRO-BIOTECH PROTESTERS:

There appears to be something of a double standard in French law enforcement here. Anti-biotech activists regularly destroy crops on private land and rarely get more than a slap on the wrist from authorities in Europe.

Next time burn cars. Then you’ll just be seen as excitable youth!

MSNBC AND CNBC REFUSING TO RUN PRO-WAR ADS.

Link was bad before. Fixed now. Sorry!

TAMPA TRIBUNE: “By Refusing To Count Our Votes, Democrats Are Writing Off Florida.” Whether that’s true or not depends, I think, on whether the GOP nominates someone Democrats hate enough to let bygones be bygones by November of 2008.

DEMOCRATS EATING THEIR OWN: Antiwar activist Jon Soltz, last seen shutting up a sergeant at YearlyKos, joined other Democrats who savaged Rep. Brian Baird for having the temerity to offer his own opinions on the war.

MATT SANCHEZ WRITES FROM IRAQ: “There should be no doubt, the so-called surge is working, but, in September, I am afraid General Petraeus will downplay the positive effect for fear of appearing too partisan.”

COPYRIGHT GROUP violates copyright.

AN IMPORTANT QUESTION FROM GREG HLATKY: “If Senator Craig purchased sex offsets to live a sex-neutral lifestyle, would this immunize him from charges of hypocrisy?”

Indubitably. But who would sell them?

UPDATE: Reader Chris O’Brien emails: “‘The Sex Offsets’ would actually be a cool name for a band.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: No need to play Name That Party! with Larry Craig!

MORE: Ed Holston emails: “What, exactly, did Craig do that was illegal?” That would be an interesting question, if Craig hadn’t pled guilty.

THE LORAX AND the tragedy of the commons.

WHY APPLE CAN’T STOP IPHONE HACKERS.

MICKEY KAUS: “Has Big Hollywood made a single non-anti-US post-9/11 film I missed? I can’t remember one . . . . Next up: In the Valley of Elah, a well-made version of the Scott Beauchamp Story. … Is it the international market that makes our studios behave this way? I sense an underserved domestic niche.”

UPDATE: Reader Jon Deur emails: “I wonder why that ABC movie ‘Path to 9/11’ isn’t available on DVD?”

Huh. I thought it was, but then I realized that was a different film.

TIME: WILL DEAN’S WAR ON FLORIDA BACKFIRE?

So now, just as that state party is regaining full use of its limbs, it begs credulity to watch Dean and the DNC go out of their way to chop them off. This past weekend the DNC threw the book at the Sunshine State’s Dems for signing on to Florida’s recent move to hold its 2008 presidential primary election two months earlier than usual and a week earlier than DNC rules allow. Florida’s Democratic Party has 30 days to back out of the new Jan. 29 primary or face forfeiting all of its delegates and votes at the Democratic National Convention next summer, according to the draconian DNC ruling. (The Republican National Committee’s rules also frown on the earlier primary, but the RNC hasn’t demanded that Florida’s GOP reschedule it for a later date.) As Dean warned earlier this summer, if Florida’s Democrats insist on holding their primary in January, it “essentially won’t count.” To which Florida’s Senate Democratic minority leader Steve Geller says, “I question whether Howard Dean is working for the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.”

Geller’s confusion is understandable for a number of reasons.

“War on Florida” seems a bit hyperbolic. I actually t