TIME: The BP Spill: Has the Damage Been Exaggerated? “Yes, the spill killed birds — but so far, less than 1% of the number killed by the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska 21 years ago. Yes, we’ve heard horror stories about oiled dolphins — but so far, wildlife-response teams have collected only three visibly oiled carcasses of mammals. Yes, the spill prompted harsh restrictions on fishing and shrimping, but so far, the region’s fish and shrimp have tested clean, and the restrictions are gradually being lifted. And yes, scientists have warned that the oil could accelerate the destruction of Louisiana’s disintegrating coastal marshes — a real slow-motion ecological calamity — but so far, assessment teams have found only about 350 acres of oiled marshes, when Louisiana was already losing about 15,000 acres of wetlands every year.”

DAVE KOPEL: Human Events’ Ridiculous “Obama The Muslim” Article.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY: Hillary Clinton still begging supporters to retire campaign debt as Clintons spend $3-$5 million on daughter’s wedding.

WHY DO EMPLOYERS use FICO scores.

NOSTALGIA for Muzak?

RAND SIMBERG: Saving Suborbital: Will Congress Kill NASA’s Reusable Space Program?

THEY TOLD ME IF I VOTED FOR JOHN MCCAIN WE’D SEE . . . Oh, hell, what’s the point? Feds want to let FBI access people’s Internet data without probable cause. Well, they were right!

POLL: Support For Mexican Border Fence Up To 68%. “Support for the fence is strong across all demographic groups. But while 76% of Mainstream voters think the United States should continue to build the fence, 67% of the Political Class are opposed to it.”

ADVICE ON DEALING WITH NAZIS from Woody Allen.

PETER SUDERMAN ON E.J. DIONNE: Wouldn’t It Be Easier If We All Just Agreed that the Stimulus Worked? “Let me correct this: On the contrary, studies alleging to show that the stimulus created or saved up to 3 million jobs are based on scant real-world evidence, and, in the case of the Congressional Budget Office’s reports, are explicitly acknowledged not to serve as independent checks on or measurements of the actual results of the program.”

D.C. SNIPER HAD coconspirators?

PROGRESS: Nanotech-based Electronic Noses Getting Smaller.

WISCONSIN: Feingold falls behind?

HOW TO DRIVE for fuel economy.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR the boy who harnessed the wind?

PJTV: Stephen Kruiser talks with Republican Mike Pence On Taking Back The House in November.

SILENCE OF the sheep.

THE IMPORTANCE OF APEX PREDATORS: What would happen if sharks disappeared?

UPDATE: Reader Rosie Moore writes:

I couldn’t help thinking, while watching the clip, of an analogy with the “economic ecosystem”. Many of the statements made about overfishing of sharks can be applied to the Fed’s punitive actions on the “predators” of the economy. Call the “makers” (entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, etc.) the “predators” and call the “takers” (those on gov’t entitlement programs) the “prey”. This Fed passes measures that discourage the “makers” from doing what they do well (for which, yes, they are sometimes paid obscenely) – invent new technology or drugs, create wealth (in the form of shareholder value), add jobs, supply competitors with incentive to be stronger, etc. – in the form of “sunsetting tax cuts”, handcuffs of new health care legislation, higher costs of securities and regulatory compliance, etc. So the “predators” are getting overfished – and we won’t know the final effect on the total “economic ecosystem” for a while, but you can bet it will strengthen the meek, the bunnies and deer, and be bad for the overall functioning of our free market system.

And to close the loop with the link – it will cost us plenty of clams!

I’m pretty sure the predator/prey relationship goes the other way . . . .

MATTERA V. RANGEL headed for trial.

THEY TOLD ME IF I VOTED REPUBLICAN, WE’D HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO CALLED BLACK AMERICANS “A MONGREL PEOPLE.” And they were right! President Obama calls African-Americans a ‘mongrel people’. “Obama did not appear to be making an inflammatory remark with his statement and the audience appeared to receive it in the light-hearted manner that often accompanies interviews on morning talk shows.” Well, sure. It’s only racist if a Republican says this kind of thing.

But actually, I think Obama’s just channeling Bill Murray’s “mutts” speech in Stripes. Which is a great speech!