Blog Heap of Links for the day 11 May 2011

While even casual hip-hop fans wouldn't characterize him as a controversial rapper, Common found himself under the microscope after First Lady Michelle Obama invited him to the White House for an arts event. In question: the lyrics to "A Song for Assata," about convicted cop-killer and former Black Panther Assata Shakur. FOX News and Sarah Palin condemned the decision after the Daily Caller published some of Common's lyrics, including some that criticize former President George W. Bush. For New Jersey police, the outrage centers on "A Song for Assata" lyrics like "Your power and pride is beautiful. May God bless your soul." Shakur, formerly known as Joanne Chesimard, was convicted for the 1973 slaying of Trooper Werner Foerster on the New Jersey Turnpike. She escaped prison in 1979, and is living in asylum in Cuba.

instead of the usual way of asking her to the senior prom, Tate and two friends went to the high school campus in the middle of the night and posted 12-inch tall, cardboard letters on the outside of the building -- at the main entrance. The message that many saw when they arrived to school Friday, read: "Sonali Rodrigues, Will you go to prom with me? HMU Tate." She said yes. "It took a lot of effort," said Tate. He posted the letters, one at a time, in a "safe and thoughtful way" to avoid trouble. ... Because of what he did, Tate can't go to the prom. Tuesday, after meeting with his headmaster, Tate and his two friends were each given one-day, in-house suspensions and banned from the prom. Tate was told the administration felt what they did was a safety risk.... [If only we had zero tolerance for educator insanity]

Only one of the five people killed in the raid that got Osama bin Laden was armed and fired any shots, a senior defense official said Thursday

Osama Bin Laden's son has denounced the Al Qaeda leader's killing as 'criminal' and said he reserves the right to take legal action against America. [Uh, yeah, good luck with that one, Omar. I feel the heat from lawyers rubbing their hands together in anticipation, though.] He also branded his father's burial at sea as a 'humiliation' for his family. [Sorry for the uninvolved members of the family, but humilation of the monster was kind-of what we might be hoping for.]

A return to the gold standard by the United States within the next five years now seems likely, because that move would help the nation solve a variety of economic, fiscal, and monetary ills, Steve Forbes predicted during an exclusive interview this week with HUMAN EVENTS. "What seems astonishing today could become conventional wisdom in a short period of time..."