Is it any surprise the Borat flap is getting out of hand? After the Kazakh government publicly came out against Sacha Baron Cohen's alter ego, Cohen responded in character by encouraging the Kazakhs to "sue this Jew." For the full statement, check out Borat's homepage.

Meanwhile, I swear I saw a reference to someone in the Kazakh government saying that he understood this was satire against people stupid enough to believe such things about a foreign country (I'm paraphrasing, but "stupid" was the word used). Naturally, can't find the link now. But Editor & Publisher noted the Kazakh government took out a four-page ad in the New York Times this week entitled, "Kazakhstan in the 21st Century."

And for those of you who remember (for those who don't, the link is coming), we flagged for you the passing of an anti-flag-burning amendment in the House of Representatives earlier this year. The man who sponsored that amendment, year after year, even after it continued to fail in the Senate? Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who recently pleaded guilty to tax evasion, conspiracy, and such. Cue laughter.