So as the looting unfolded in England, many talking heads and politicians linked the violence to budget cuts.

They painted a grim picture of a forgotten generation left without hopes or dreams.

Yeah… About that.

It should be no surprise to anyone who’s listened to me rant about it this week – it turns out the perps arrested aren’t as romantically disenfranchised as the progressive politicians would have wanted.

Well, unless you consider a millionaire’s daughter, a hairdresser or lifeguard to be disenfranchised.

They were all looters.

But my favorite one?

An organic chef.

Yeah, using pesticides on vegetables is evil; but trashing a restaurant is fine.

But who knows – maybe the place used additives in their appetizers – and deserved it!

My second favorite looter?

A female ambassador to the Olympics.

But perhaps throwing rocks at cops helps with the shot put.

And so once again reality trumps the media.

There is no romanticism in the wreckage – only petty selfishness and envy, accelerated by opportunity, greed and cowardice.

What a pathetic world we live in, when we can’t even look at our criminals without laughing.

And if you disagree with me, you’re a racist homophobic yob.

Tonight:

Andrea Tantaros

Kimberly Guilfoyle

Tucker Carlson 

nice!

It claimed, “Once you cut expenditure by more than 2% of GDP, instability increases rapidly … especially in terms of riots and demonstrations.”

The conclusion: governments fear austerity programs for this reaon.

Meaning, riots. Bloodshed. looting. And so on.

Which is a sad and scary point: what protects bloated government and entitlement is a visceral fear that if you take candy from a baby, that baby will hang you in the square.

I suppose that’s one reason to avoid cutting programs, if you’re a coward.

Bottom line: you cannot be held hostage by fear of unrest. You must always do the right thing, no matter the risk. For in a free country, the expectation should be for civility at all costs.

What guarantees that civility? Punishment? Fear of death?

Maybe.

I lived in London for three years, and the cops were great. But without guns, they seemed helpless against thuggery, and more inclined to give directions to drunks like me. It’s not their fault.

But couple that with idiots equating looters to victims, and it’s no wonder riots are manufactured purely for lurid fun.

Looking at England, it seems we’ve hit the edge of civilization – where left unprotected, a city will burn, because there is no will to prevent it.

Letting it happen, seems to be all we have left.

And if you disagree with me, you’re a racist homophobe.
Tonight:

Jim Norton

Matt McCall

Mahsa Saeidi aquis

It’s some of the reaction to it – which stinks of justification.

Says one anarchist, while punks steal chocolate: “This is the uprising of the working class. We’re redistributing the wealth.”

Yep – free sweets – that’s a revolution.

I’m sure those folks in Syria are inspired.

I tell you – I’d hate to be a shopkeeper, knowing that the man looting the store is viewed more romantically than the man stocking the shelves.

But you can find this idiocy anywhere: academia, TV, movies, music… the belief that despicable behavior is okay if you dress it up as a response to “the man.”

But what’s worse is the way we now respond to this crap.

It is the curse of political correctness: Our fear of demanding good behavior now allows for bad.

The collective low expectations creates a world of broken spines – not just in London, but in Philadelphia and Milwaukee where flash mobs rage – with the media too timid to follow.

Could it be that if you expect civilized behavior from the modern class, you’re a racist? Is it better to just look the other way, and lock your doors?

Or move?

Finally, I ask, why does looting occur?

Well, it happens because you let it. Without fear of punishment, or harm, there is no need for the looter to stop – especially when he’s got apologists behind you.

I guess what I’m saying is – this would never happen in Texas.

Tonight:

Remi Spencer

K.T. McFarland

Joe Devito.

and a beard contest!

I mean – If these agencies were so smart, why didn’t they do it sooner?

As Dana Vachon tweeted to me, Where were these “credit agencies” during the housing bubble?

My guess is, hot tubbing.

Can’t blame them. Hot tubbing is fun.

Which means the downgrade was not a logical reaction, but a scolding meant to make everyone feel bad.

Now, irrelevant ninnies like John Kerry are blaming the Tea Party.

But how can you blame them- when they got nothing they wanted?

The debt ceiling debate culminated in the highest debt ceiling bump ever. The spending cuts were like a fat guy forgoing the sprinkles on his half gallon of Chunky Monkey – and calling it a diet.

But I can see why the Tea Party is getting hammered on this.

No one represents them – for they are them.

Let me put it this way: the Tea Party is a principle, without a person.

President Obama is a person, without a principle.

No wonder he hates them.

And if you disagree with me, you’re a racist homophobe.

Tonight:

The return of Bob Beckel.

Patti Anne Browne

Kurt Loder.

Fun, fun fun…

So remember the Coffee Party – the liberal, media-generated answer to the Tea Party?

CNN covered it, so did the New York Times.

And around the same time, Jon Stewart organized his rally to Restore Sanity, as a reaction to, again, the Tea Party.

Neither the party or that rally meant squat.

In fact they were lagging indicators of a dead world – a group of shiny, happy people who didn’t see the train heading their way.

The tea party and the health care protests were the train – future predictors that saw the road ahead – and all signs pointed to Greece.

To me, the Tea Party really is the punk rock moment of politics – harkening back to simple math – rescuing us from 20 minute organ noodling found on Emerson Lake and Palmer records.

Yep, in a bloated world typified by Yes’s Roundabout on F-M circa 1977, the Tea Party offered “Beat on the Brat,” a jolt of Ramones wisdom that reminded us of what worked before.

It also exposed a key problem with “hope and change” of 2008. When an organic American movement rose up to question the direction of the Administration, those ephemeral “good feelings” of 2008 withered against simple principle.

If you aren’t for shrinking government, then what are you for?

Turns out “not shrinking government!” is a lousy bumper sticker.

Now… I got issues with this deal.

Some people worry over Defense cuts. I’m one of them. That stuff matters. But that debate reminds you of one key truth: The left prefers to increase dependence through expansion of entitlements. The rest of us see independence through strength.

A howitzer over handouts.

Lastly, one sad fact: the government will still grow 70 percent over the next decade. And there may be new taxes as soon as 2013.

So this budget debate’s a lot like using Febreze.

Masking the stench doesn’t erase the pile of crap at your feet.

And if you disagree with me you’re a racist homophobe.

Tonite:

Larry Gatlin

Courtney Friel

Chris Rovnar

—–

Tonight:

Leeann Tweeden (yowza!)

John Devore!

Ryan Reese!

Those were the simple words of Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell, after fending off an armed intruder in his house.

His wife, daughter and grandson were about to hit the sack late Saturday, when the thug broke in, attacking his daughter.

The wily 77 year old tried to stop him, but it was Boswell’s grandson’s loaded shotgun that caused the punk to flee in the opposite direction.

Yep, if there’s one thing you can learn from a shotgun: you never run at one.

Now, publicizing tales like these do nothing but good, for they remind the common thug of a key life or death question: what house would you rob, if you could?

One in which the owner is armed, or not?

And it poses a question to everyone else: if you’re the victim, would you rather be armed – or not?

Me – I don’t want to depend on the kindness of strangers, I prefer to depend on the accuracy of my shot.

Of course, the biggest gun control advocates will disagree, but they all work in well-protected media networks, surrounded by well-trained, well-armed security.

You don’t.

Guns are a conservative, libertarian way of privatizing safety.

It’s also the best way to keep good people free.

And bad people scared.

TONIGHT:

and…KT McFarland!

—–

Tonight:

Patti Anne Browne

Tucker Carlson

and someone else!

I speak of Berkeley, where a spring forum was held by the chamber of commerce to discuss a sit-lie ordinance – which would ban sitting or lying on sidewalks within commercial districts during work hours. 

It was based on a similar ordinance in San Francisco – but word got out, protests erupted, and everyone ran scared. 

See, the ordinance would have cleared the streets of dirtbags like me who clog sidewalks with aggressive panhandling. 

But now, because protests scared off it’s proponents, fearful students will now flock to safer places, rather than risk getting assaulted by meth-heads. 

And so here’s what happens when tolerance triumphs over safety. The end result is filth and lawlessness. 

And the rest of us flee. 

A survey of 1800 students found that half avoid downtown Berkeley because its dirty and dangerous. And women are especially fearful – perhaps because some creepy dudes want more than change. 

But shouldn’t it bug the left that the most progressive people on the planet are willing to sacrifice the safety of its city’s female students – all to save face at their poetry readings? 

Probably not. 

They’d rather put co-eds at risk, than their reputations as open-minded libs. 

So as another progressive Utopia is realized, let us all thank the summer of love – by romanticizing squalor and condemning order – it leaves you with a filthy town and no one to clean it.

Tonight:

Ann Coulter

Jesse Joyce

Matt McCall

—–

So I love Mila Kunis for two very good reasons.

First off: she accepted the invitation by a young soldier to attend the Marines Ball – and I hope she still plans on going.

But even more, I love her for what she said in a recent GQ interview, while promoting her new flick, called “Friends With Benefits.”

The interviewer asked her if she’d ever been in one of those relationships, herself.

She answered, quote:

Oy. I haven’t, but I can give you my stance on it: It’s like communism-good in theory, in execution it fails. Friends of mine have done it, and it never ends well. Why do people put themselves through that torture?

And so, in just a few sentences, Kunis proved she’s smarter than just about every major movie star combined.

She was able to deflate one common cultural assumption propagated by Hollywood – that casual sex is harmless – while also dismissing a deadly ideology that garners glowing depictions on big screens everywhere.

That puts her head and shoulders above any of the more common Hollywood intellectuals – the type of clowns you see parading their Chomsky books at the local Starbucks.

(I’m talking to you Matt Damon).

Anyway, maybe it’s because she’s Ukrainian, and therefore understands how important a free market and a moral compass is.

That place was under the thumb of a system that rejected both.

Or she could just be really smart.

Either way, that’s why I like her.

It’s not cuz she’s hot.

Not at all.

And if you disagree with me, you’re a racist homophobe.

Tonight’s Redeye may be the most entertaining one ever. Our guests:

Andrew WK, Mahsa, and Bob Beckel. It gets out of control. In a good way.