Reuters, citing no sources, says that the Jordanian-American "peacekeeper" shoot-out resulted from "emotions over Iraq." Speculation? In any case, this is seriously, seriously weird news.

Random Prague connection: My partner Dan Butler recently met some tourists at Tulip Cafe who needed help with directions. They were two women, one from Oregon and another from an Arkansas-like state, both in law enforcement, and both on a short holiday from a Kosovo deployment. With Marines seemingly in a rut outside Karbala, Fallujah and Najaf, it's easy to forget we still have plenty of cops and troops in relatively-nearby Kosovo.

Speaking of Balkan-style unpleasantness, I just found out that al-Sadr's Mahdi Army -- you know, that rag-tag militia -- leveled a village in March. But don't worry, it was only a Gypsy village.

"They provided a fertile land for sinning."