Meanwhile, In Talibanistan

Over in Afghanistan, the taliban hanged a 15-year boy from a handy tree branch. His crime? Having American money in his pocket.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Taliban militants hanged a teenager in southern Afghanistan because he had U.S. money in his pocket, and they stuffed five $1 bills in his mouth as a warning to others not to use dollars, police said Monday. Taliban militants elsewhere killed eight police.

The 15-year-old boy was hanged from a tree on Sunday in Helmand, the most violent province in the country and the world's No. 1 poppy-growing region.

"The Taliban warned villagers that they would face the same punishment if they were caught with dollars," said Wali Mohammad, the district police chief in Sangin.

Dollars are commonly used in Afghanistan alongside the afghani, the local currency, although the U.S. currency is more commonly seen in larger cities where international organizations are found.

Militants often justify their attacks and executions as a response to U.S. meddling in Afghan affairs.

In Sangin on Saturday, the Taliban shot and killed another man who had sought farm assistance and seeds from an international aid program, Mohammad said. The militants accused him of being a spy.

Yesterday, there were reports that some taliban fighters were talking about the possibility of laying down their arms. At least part of the reason for that is the growing awareness that a taliban fighter's life expectancy is getting shorter all the time. This would be a good opportunity to reinforce that lesson. Hunt down the lynch mob, give them a fair trial, then, if found guilty, hang them, too.