What’s Happening In Turkey?

As some longtime readers know, I’m a turkophile. So I’ve been extremely eager to get a grip on just what’s going on there over the last 48 hours (quick version: massive street protests in Istanbul, perhaps spreading to other parts of the country). Unlike some other issues, this is a topic I know just enough about to know just how much I don’t know. So I’m very cautious.

I spoke to a friend of mine with deep experience in the country who told me that her real question was whether the protests could maintain their momentum into a second day. And just checking in now after a day mainly out of touch with the news it seems like they very much have. I’ve seen multiple news reports of arrests numbering roughly 1000 with protests now spreading well-beyond Istanbul.

For those who are new to this topic, let me try to give a very general explanation of the context of what’s happening here. Again, very general, if you’re familiar with Turkish history I’ll cover a lot of really basic and obvious ground.

Sobering

A pretty bracing view of Mexico’s take on the US drug war and the savage toll it’s taken on Mexico. Former Mexican President Vincente Fox showed up In Seattle today for a new conference to announce the launch of the first national marijuana brand. He’s not involved in the business but urged reporters to “maintain a focus on the important issues at hand: the failure of the drug war, the thousands of lives lost, and the better alternative offered by legalization.”

Hahaharsh Dude!

Washington state police dogs must now unlearn how to smell weed post-legalization in the state.

New Sex Assault in the Ranks Story

“An attorney for the unidentified woman said she became intoxicated at a “football house” and woke up the next morning with little recollection of the previous night. She learned through social media and friends that three men claimed to have had sex with her.”

More here.

So This Happened

To greet African leaders arriving for conference in Japan, event organizers force group of Penguins to dress up in ‘African’ costumes …

Kelly: I’m No “Emo Liberal”, Erick!

Foxmeister Megyn Kelly in epic brawl with Erick Erickson over whether science says men should be dominant in relationships and whether she’s an ‘emo liberal’. Watch.

Outreach

Mich Gov Rick Snyder introduces “I’m a RickChick” stickers for supporters.

Why GOP Scandal Mongers Can’t Have Nice Things

As Bill Clinton and John Edwards and Bill Jefferson and various others have made clear, Democrats do have scandals. Plenty of them actually. But here we have another good example of why Republicans so often have bad luck these days with bogus scandals they’re so hyped up about or ones that actually are legitimate scandals but which get overrun by so much hysterical nonsense that the actual scandal gets forgotten amidst a lava-like deluge of The Crazy. In a few words, most of the right-wing press is just astonishingly bad.

Big Break for Mayor Ford?

Well, maybe not a big break. But perhaps a conceptual break. Or perhaps a new slogan for the 2014 reelection campaign he committed to running yesterday - “Yes I Smoked Crack But No One Got Killed!” Also, young Somali supporters of the Mayor reportedly considered making a faux Ford Crack Video to discredit the real one using a local Ford lookalike named ‘Slurpy’ - but ‘Slurpy’ pulled out.

Something Smoking. But Is It a Gun?

Bill O’Reilly: Ex-IRS commissioner’s 157 visits to White House are ‘smoking gun’ in IRS scandal. Watch.

Strange Form of Expertise

Dan Quayle aide counsels Rick Perry: No way to shake the moron rep once it takes hold.

Irony

Defunct ‘Soviet Union’ lives on as .su, a top-level domain name infested by spammers, thieves and other criminals.