YOU MUST CUT DOWN THOSE REDWOOD TREES — the environment demands it! Full story here.

EGYPT BEGINS CLOSING GAZA BORDER, FUELING TENSIONS: It’s part of their genocidal plan to conquer the Gaza Strip and . . . oh, wait, that’s only when the Israelis do it.

THOUGHTS ON LAST NIGHT’S REPUBLICAN DEBATE from Rand Simberg.

AND THE TUITION IS RIDICULOUS, TOO: “The provost has now provoked arguably the largest crisis in faculty/administration relations in the history of Brandeis.”

UPDATE: Reader Jonathan Guest emails: “In cases where professors are hauled up on the flimsiest of evidence and effectively pilloried for their very defensible words, why don’t they have a pretty strong defamation case against a university?”

Yes. I would certainly have little compunction about suing both the university administration and the complaining student in such a case. And I think that false charges of racism aimed at a professor today are like false charges of unchastity or “loathsome disease” aimed at a woman in 1890 — libelous per se. Those who make such charges should certainly be held accountable when they’re flimsy or false. Plus, I imagine that the discovery process would turn up lots of interesting information.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader George Hamid emails:

Maybe the powers that be at Brandeis should heed the words of that University’s namesake, Justice Louis Brandeis:

“Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government’s [academia’s] purposes are beneficial. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding.”

Indeed.

NEWS FROM BRITAIN: “Peter Hain has made history: his is the first British ministerial scalp to have been claimed by a blogger.”

The blogger in question, Guido Fawkes, is gloating.

A HORRIFYING THOUGHT: “It just occurred to me that one of these jokers — Clinton, McCain, Obama or Romney — is going to be the next President.”

“PANDEMIC DISILLUSIONMENT” with Bill Clinton.

Plus: Aieee! My eyes! And there’s more here, including this video:

OUCH: When Did the French Become Better Adherents To Limited Government Than the GOP?

LARRY KUDLOW: “I just have to smile when a billionaire like Bill Gates turns a cold shoulder to the blessings capitalism bestows.”

I threw up in my mouth, a little bit.

DRIVING THE TESLA ROADSTER.

WELL, DUH: Earmarks didn’t drop under Democrats.

A CAUTIONARY TALE for post-Apartheid South Africa.

THE NEW YORK TIMES ENDORSES HILLARY CLINTON — and, because they must want to do him harm, John McCain. (No, really — Rudy’s people are even pointing out the endorsement.)

ROBERT REICH: “I write this more out of sadness than anger. Bill Clinton’s ill-tempered and ill-founded attacks on Barack Obama are doing no credit to the former President, his legacy, or his wife’s campaign. Nor are they helping the Democratic party.”

MICKEY KAUS ON BILL CLINTON AND RON BURKLE: “Focusing on economic conflicts–as if the Burkle-Clinton partnership were all about making millions–might be a distraction. With Clinton the general rule is not ‘follow the money’.but ‘follow the nookie.'”

GREG MANKIW ON THE STIMULUS PACKAGE.

Plus, a reminder that taxes don’t stay where you put them. Stupid taxes!

DISAPPOINTING DOZENS, Dennis Kucinich quits.

TIGERHAWK IS liveblogging the Republican debate.

UPDATE: So is Rand Simberg.

Also, Stephen Green is drunkblogging. I tuned in long enough to see Romney answer a question on the Second Amendment and . . . well, it was a good Massachusetts answer. That was all I could take — surely there’s a Girls Next Door rerun or something.

HACKER GROUP declares war on Scientology.

A CORRECTION ON “SWIFTBOATING.” Good point. Media spin notwithstanding, it was Kerry, not the swiftboaters, who had to retract falsehoods.

IF YOU MISSED IT ON XM, the latest PJM Political is online. It includes an interview with Ezra Levant on his run-in with the Canadian “Human Rights” Commission.

UPDATE: Check this out, too.

TAX REBATES FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T PAY TAXES? Bill Quick breaks the code.

BREACHING STUDENT CONFIDENTIALITY at the University of Georgia. This seems disgraceful.

JOHN PODHORETZ WRITES: “We’ll be liveblogging the debates tonight at Contentions. I predict Ron Paul will oppose the Iraq War.”

GET YOUR OWN FULL-SIZED LOST IN SPACE ROBOT. Embarrassingly, I kind of want one. . .