As you can see, I’ve renamed this blog. The new name is “damnum absque injuria,” a legal/Latin phrase that means, roughly, “too damned bad!” Literally, it means “harm without injury,” where it is understood that harm means harm, but injury means legally recognized injury (i.e., the kind you can sue somebody over, and win). It’s a more refined way of saying “shit happens.”

The name change does not signal any new directions for this blog, any more than most other blawgers’ blawg names have to do with their topics. I’ve yet to see any evidence that Eugene Volokh, Sasha Volokh or any of their co-bloggers are guilty of conspiracy, nor have I read too many posts on Res Ipsa Loquitur that have anything to do with the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur. I’m not even sure what the phrase “Bag and Baggage” even means, and if I ever encounter a single clam showing any signs of anger, I promise to check myself in to the local psychiatric ward. In other words, like many other bloggers and blawgers, I picked the name damnum absque injuria because I thought the phrase sounded cool, not because it had all that much to do with what I post here. If you don’t like it, well, that’s just damnum absque injuria.

Eugene Volokh and Glenn Reynolds both recommend that pro-war protesters bring videocameras to “peace” rallies. That way, the next time something like this occurs, the incident will be documented whether or not the mainstream press was around to catch it. It’s not a bad idea for those who willing to run the risk of sacrificing that camera for the greater good. And whatever you do, don’t go there with a partially used videotape of anything…. oh, I don’t know … “personal?” Granted, National Lampoon’s European Vacation isn’t exactly what I’d call a work of “art,” but that is no guarantee that your life won’t end up imitating it.

Saddam Hussein was so impressed Hans Blix’s speech that Iraq is now calling on the U.N. to end sanctions against it and to make Israel disarm instead. I suspect that Iraq will soon be getting half of what it wants.

UPDATE: For another example of chutzpah, see what Angry has to say about Robert Mugabe.