Tucker celebrates the radical visionary on his 32nd birthday. FEE

The bomb blast at a family-filled, public park in Lahore, Pakistan, which killed over 69 people. BBC News

The American Conservative.  What is also extremely appalling is the lack of awareness that it is even happening.  The US is supporting the Saudis with weapons, strategic planning of attacks, funds, and, perhaps most damaging of all, their moral sanction of the war.  This is being done in our name, and the victims are highly aware of that fact.  They know who bankrolls the country currently raining death upon their family and friends.  That’s how you ignite the hate that leads to terrorism.

Because, despite what the Warfare State would have you believe, Muslim communities aren’t predisposed to violence.  In Europe, the phenomenon of the “Muslim ghetto” is prevalent, whereas in the U.S., Muslims for the most part acclimate themselves to norms of this country.  From the

Boston Globe:  “Nevertheless, at the grass-roots level, Muslims in the United States, like other cultural and religious minorities, have had no problem acclimating to mainstream norms. In a detailed 2011 survey, the Pew Research Center found that Muslim Americans are “highly assimilated into American society and . . . largely content with their lives.” More than 80 percent of US Muslims expressed satisfaction with life in America, and 63 percent said they felt no conflict “between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society.” The rates at which they participate in various everyday American activities — from following local sports teams to watching entertainment TV — are similar to those of the American public generally. Half of all Muslim immigrants display the US flag at home, in the office, or on their car.”

It seems that demonizing this group of U.S. Muslims is the stupidest enterprise possible, yet it happens.  Spying on American Muslim communities, whipping up anti-Muslim sentiment on the part of politicians is insulting to this community, and dangerous to them as well, because it could lead to attacks on them.

Daily Beast: “This seems to be exactly the biggest problem for the Iraqi army: the lack of morale. One week ago Iraqi soldiers abandoned their base, which forced the United States to send in more Marines in support, and one of them was killed. Again this time, Iraqi army soldiers almost completely deserted their positions, fearing an ISIS response to their artillery when,  in reality, not one mortar shell or bullet hit close to their positions.”

Saddam, Assad, and Gaddafi, as bad as they were, had terrorism under control.

NY Times.  Fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller that’s 50 times more powerful than heroin, is being sought by heroin addicts wanting a cheap, effective alternative.  Pretty interesting illustration of how the War on Drugs directs drug users to the most dangerous drugs imaginable.  Heroin is illegal, so users try to find an alternative.  They want to get high, and they’re going to find a way.  Blocking their path to a safe high will just redirect them to a more dangerous high.  The death toll o the heroin/fentanyl epidemic is skyrocketing in New England.  Instead of taking the same old path of cracking down, military-style, on drug users and drug manufacturers, those states should legalize safer highs, like marijuana, or even opium.  A crackdown on opium in the 80’s led to heroin becoming the sought-after alternative.  Today, the heroin crackdown is pushing kids to fentanyl, which looks to be almost certain death.  Prohibition gave our society heroin, and now it’s gifting us with something far worse.

Market Watch.  Enrollment is expected to hit 12 million, not the 21 million predicted a year ago.