Best of the Web Today - December 2, 2005
By JAMES TARANTO
Terror.com
The New York Times has an interesting report on the enemy in Iraq:
Here is a small sampling of the insurgent groups that have claimed responsibility for attacks on Americans and Iraqis in the last few months:
Supporters of the Sunni People. The Men's Faith Brigade. The Islamic Anger. Al Baraa bin Malik Suicide Brigade. The Tawid Lions of Abdullah ibn al Zobeir. While some of them, like the Suicide Brigade, claim an affiliation with Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and Al Qaeda claims them, others say they have acted alone or under the guidance of another group. . . .
Highly visible groups like Al Qaeda, Ansar al Sunna and the Victorious Army Group appear to act as fronts, the Iraqis and the Americans say, providing money, general direction and expertise to the smaller groups, but often taking responsibility for their attacks by broadcasting them across the globe. . . .
In July, Al Qaeda said it had formed a group called the Omar Brigade to focus on killing members of Shiite militias like the Badr Brigade. Since then, the Omar Brigade has taken responsibility for dozens of killings.
Some insurgent groups appear to be limited to exclusive geographic areas. The Zi al Nourein Brigade, whose exploits are regularly proclaimed by Ansar al Sunna, appears to operate almost exclusively in Mosul, in northern Iraq.
Each week, more such groups announce their presence.
The Times takes this as evidence of how formidable the enemy is, but we're not sure. We remember back in early 2000, when just about every night we would go to a launch party, often quite lavish, for a new Internet company, few of which any longer exist. A few months later, the money that was funding all this dried up, the Nasdaq tumbled, and we were left to find other social outlets. Perhaps the Iraqi "insurgency" is such a bubble--and the thought does underscore the importance of efforts to cut off terrorist financing.
The Gift That Keeps On Giving
We were not entirely happy when John Kerry* lost last year's presidential race to President Bush, for Kerry had provided us with so much material, starting all the way back in December 2002 when we first noted his possibly pathological Vietnam fixation. What would we do when Kerry faded back into obscurity?
But it turns out this was not a problem, for Kerry has not faded into obscurity, or at least not willingly. He still thinks he's running for something, and he hasn't gotten any better at it. Blogress Karol Sheinin calls our attention to his latest:
A few days ago, Kerry said "Every troop [sic] I've met in Iraq comes up to me and says, 'Thanks for speaking out on this.' " Except, as far as I can tell, and do correct me if I'm wrong, Kerry hasn't been in Iraq since about a year ago, in January 2005, right after the election when his position was still "more troops needed." So, were the troops in Iraq thanking him for speaking out on the need for more troops?
It doesn't really matter, does it? After all, Kerry is a war hero!
* By popular demand: He promised 306 days ago to release his military records.
Talk About Academic Bias!
"UCLA's Big Problem: How to Stop Bush"--headline, Associated Press, Dec. 1
It's Surprising Iran Would Offer Them
"Israel Will Not Accept Iran Nuclear Weapons: Sharon"--headline, Associated Press, Dec. 1
Kim Jong Il Dresses for Success
"N. Korea Ready to Scrap Nuclear Plans for Better Ties: Envoy"--headline, Reuters, Dec. 2
Be a Freethinker or Else
The Web site of the American Atheists carries an article by one Dave Silverman, who feels very sorry for himself:
"Coming out of the closet" is a term most associated with gays and lesbians announcing to the world that they are homosexual. Few regret it, having found their way toward a more open and satisfying life.
But there is another closet which is hiding a different minority: atheists. Many of us, like many gays of previous decades, hide in the shadows due to fear of hostility and aversion to confrontations.
But we can't stay in the closet any longer. The Christian Right, in their never-ending quest to make everyone Christian, has unleashed an unparalleled slew of efforts aimed at Christianizing the country. On top of legislation, constitutional amendments, and publicity, the religious right have engaged an a war of words and slander against their greatest enemy: the logic and common sense of atheism.
Now look at this report from the Deseret News of Salt Lake City:
A Texas-based atheist group has filed a federal lawsuit against the Utah Highway Patrol and the Utah Department of Transportation, demanding that crosses erected in honor of fallen UHP troopers be removed from highways on the principle of separation of church and state.
In the suit filed in U.S. District court Thursday, American Atheists Inc., a nonprofit Texas corporation with main offices based out of New Jersey, says several of the 12-foot steel crosses memorializing troopers killed in the line of duty are located on public land in violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment. . . .
"Generally speaking, the crosses are to memorialize these officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice to the state," UHP spokesman Jeff Nigbur said. Nigbur said a large number of the crosses are located on private property near public highways.
As for the religious symbolism, Nigbur said, the cross symbol was chosen as a general symbol to memorialize the fallen.
"We chose the cross because the cross is the international sign of peace, and it has no religious significance in it," Nigbur said.
"I think that's less than honest," said Salt Lake civil rights attorney Brian Barnard, who represents the atheists.
Maybe atheists would have an easier time winning acceptance if they didn't act like such jerks all the time.
The World's Smallest Violin
Twenty-nine-year-old Nathan Sadler spent time in prison for a crime he committed when he was 17, reports the Rockford (Ill.) Register Star. Now, because of a quirk in Illinois law, "Sadler must register as a sex offender with the state . . . though his crime had nothing to do with sex."
It all sounds so unfair:
Sadler must register as a sex offender with the state, which posts his face on the Internet alongside pedophiles and rapists. And he must wear an electronic monitoring device--standard for sex offenders--though his crime had nothing to do with sex.
Sadler, who lives in Rockford with his mother, fears he won't be able to find better than a "cash-in-hand" job. . . .
It's cases such as Sadler's that have some lawmakers wondering whether to change the law. Jorge Montes, chairman of the state's Prisoner Review Board, helped bring it to their attention.
Montes argues it's unfair to call people sex offenders when they're not.
"To be labeled a sex offender is pretty much the death blow for those people economically," he said.
So what exactly did Sadler do? Here's how the Register Star describes his crime:
Sadler killed 16-year-old Benny Sims during a fight in May 1993. Sims was walking with friends in the 1200 block of School Street when Sadler and some other teens approached in a car. When Sims ran away, Sadler shot him in the back.
It turns out Illinois law classifies the murder of a minor as a "sex offense," which does indeed seem ludicrous. But it's hard to muster much sympathy for someone like Sadler, who complains: "I'm already viewed as a murderer; let's keep it blunt. Now, you're trying to have me viewed as a sex offender as well, when I never committed a sex act in my life."
You've Come a Long Way, Baby
"Broad Gives $100 Million to Genomic Research"--headline, The Wall Street Journal (link for WSJ.com subscribers), Dec. 1
"Chick Offers to Oversee Audit of L.A. Unified"--headline, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 2
Shouldn't That Be 'Alleged Savage'?
"Prosecutors Wrap Up Case Against Savage"--headline, Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 2
Thanks for the Tip!--XXI
"Health Tip: Skateboard Safely"--headline, HealthDayNews, Dec. 1
Les Yeux Sans Visage
"Ethics Panel Eyes Face Transplant Doctors"--headline, Associated Press, Dec. 1
Say What?
"Two Charged in Cutting Off Man's Ears Waive Hearing"--headline, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal (second item), Dec. 2
They're Tired of Bending Over Backward
"Theologians Ask Pope to Suspend Limbo?"--headline Reuters, Nov. 30
Will They Play for the Saints or the Cardinals?
"NFL Queries Sought for Pope, Moses"--headline, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dec. 1
That Makes Him a Sad Panda
"Panda's Wife Files Case Against Him"--headline, Press Trust of India, Dec. 1
Persuade It That It's a Cat, and It'll Sleep on Its Own
"Deer That Thinks It's a Dog to Be Put to Sleep"--headline, Associated Press, Dec. 2
What Would We Do Without Experts?
"Experts See Frigid Days Ahead: Chilling predictions offered for December"--headline, Day (New London, Conn.), Dec. 1
You Don't Say
"Sunburns Less Common During Winter"--headline, Arizona Republic, Dec. 1
On Thin Ice
"Activists at the U.N. climate change conference in Montreal shot straight for the Canadian heart on Thursday by warning of the unthinkable--the end of ice hockey due to global warming," Reuters reports:
Players in the "Climate Change Classic" faced off in a game set in the year 2020. Having become too warm for ice, Canada's national obsession became a frustrating exercise of trying to pass the puck while sloshing in ankle-deep water.
The action-slowing practice of firing the puck to the opposite end of the rink was no longer known as icing, but "slushing."
Finally, players dropped their sticks and gloves and gave up, declaring that global warming had succeeded in doing what even the 2004-5 National Hockey League lockout failed to do--kill hockey.
OK, first of all, is hockey really necessary? No one noticed when that lockout scuttled last season, and we doubt anyone knows if the lockout has ended. (Is it even hockey season now? We seem to recall it overlaps with football season, but we're fuzzy as to which end.)
But even if there are people who care about hockey, and even if there is something to this "global warming" talk (an even bigger "if"), there may be a solution that doesn't require destroying the world's economy. Our refrigerator includes a section called a "freezer," which transforms water into ice through the application of subfreezing temperatures. If someone developed a larger-scale version of this technology, perhaps it would be possible to play ice hockey indoors. |
