In the alternative universe where America plays futbol, Alternate Universe President Obama would have a lot more than rogue bowing to worry about:

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak ratcheted up the diplomatic tension with Algeria yesterday as football-related violence continued to spread across both countries. In a statement to parliament, he told cheering MPs that “Egypt will not be lax with those who harm the dignity of its sons”…

Last week Egypt recalled its envoy from Algeria after expressing its “outrage” at the treatment faced by Egyptian fans in Khartoum, where Algeria won 1-0. Despite appeals for calm by the general secretary of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, rioting has spread to both capitals. In Algiers the offices of Egypt’s national airline were destroyed, while in Cairo security forces battled with protesters trying to reach the Algerian embassy, which was reportedly hit by firebombs. Parts of the city are under police lockdown.

And all the NFL can manage is a whiny attempt to limit tailgating? This country really has gone soft.

Mubarak adds fuel to fire as football riots spread [Guardian UK]

Title: “Still Standing: The Untold Story of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks”

Author: Carrie Prejean; foreword by Sean Hannity

Rank: 6,175

Blurb: “Carrie Prejean endured the hellish nightmare that the liberal media can inflict on anyone who disagrees with their agenda, but her faith, courage, and conviction have made her a role model for how we can stare down the bullies of political correctness and reclaim our God-given rights to freedom of speech, thought, and conscience.”

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Yes – I’m still alive.  This is allegedly the section of The Tower where Princess Elizabeth was impisoned by her sister Mary I.  I say “allegedly” because none of the Beefeaters knew for sure, and besides we couldn’t tour it anyway – the governor, oops, the governeur of the place lives there.

Otherwise, I won’t be able to check in much, because the hotel gives us one whole hour of free internet per day, as long as I use it sitting in the bar while spending money.  Fucking hotels ….

After a year chockablock with examples of the New Racism, it’s almost quaint to see old-school haters retake the field:

The Ku Klux Klan is planning to demonstrate at the Ole Miss-LSU football game this Saturday in full robes to protest Ole Miss’s decision to stop playing “From Dixie With Love” at their football games.

“We are coming to Ole Miss to say enough is enough on attacking our Christian, southern heritage and culture, and it’s time for every person to have a right to freedom of speech,” said Shane Tate, the North Mississippi great titan for the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

What speech? Turns out that in the middle of the fight song, students chant “The South will rise again.” The student council officially changed that to “To hell with LSU” — like anybody pays attention to the student council — and when fans stuck with the verboten version, the chancellor said fine, we’ll just forbid the song itself.

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Wingnut Hip Hop (Wing Hop?) is nothing new, but we’re strangely charmed by Hi-Caliber, who neatly wraps up all the teabagger memes in four minutes. The ironies are too thick to catalog, but they can be neatly summarized by noting that the video was produced by FreedomWorks, Dick Armey’s corporate astroturf group.

Armey earned $250,000 from FreedomWorks in 2008 for “consulting”. Cal, “a construction worker injured after falling from a ladder,” did the video for free.

Oh, and before you jump to an obvious conclusion: Cal and his African American wife have three kids. Sometimes caricatures aren’t as tidy as we’d like.

Busting Rhymes In The Name Of Tea Parties [TPM]

Person the barricades! Berkeley students take over campus building! Copy editors on strike!

“We decided it was necessary to take action,” said Walden, a Middle Eastern studies and political science major. “A lot of people have been saying, ‘Who’s university? Our university.’ So we decided to put that into action.”

Mind you, that “who’s” required three bylined reporters.

So, what’s the ruckus about? California faces a gazillion-dollar deficit, and among the many unpleasant consequences, tuition’s going up 32 percent. So of course blockading a building is the rational response — “rational” here meaning they brought in enough food and water to last through four days of moral preening.

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Fox News: “Sen. Joe Lieberman (R-CT)” [Media Matters]