Best of the Web Today - January 5, 2005
By JAMES TARANTO
Tortured Logic
Yesterday we noted what we termed the "dangerous moral vanity" of American liberals standing up for the "human rights" of terrorists. Today's Washington Post contains an even more striking example, from columnist Anne Applebaum, who argues that the Senate should reject Alberto Gonzales's nomination as attorney general because Gonzales's legal opinions as White House counsel sanctioned the treatment of terrorists with what Applebaum views as insufficient delicacy:
By nominating Gonzales to his Cabinet, the president has demonstrated not only that he is undisturbed by these aberrations, but that he still doesn't understand the nature of the international conflict which he says he is fighting. Like communism, radical Islam is an ideology that people will die for. To fight it, the United States needs not just to show off its fancy weapons systems but also to prove to the Islamic world that democratic values, in some moderate Islamic form, will give them better lives. The Cold War ended because Eastern Europeans were clamoring to join the West; the war on terrorism will be over when moderate Muslims abandon the radicals and join us. They will not do so if our system promotes people who support legal arguments for human rights abuse.
If Gonzales is confirmed, Applebaum seems to be saying, "moderate Muslims" will conclude: Their system promotes people who support legal arguments for human rights abuse. Forget democracy, let's go blow ourselves up and take some infidels with us! This is too far-fetched to merit a rebuttal..
Now of course Applebaum is right that America needs "to prove to the Islamic world that democratic values . . . will give them better lives." In that regard, what happens inside the Beltway matters only insofar as it affects what happens on the ground. Iraq is to have elections in 3 1/2 weeks, and, as Applebaum's paper reports, "Iraq's relentless pre-election carnage continued unabated Wednesday with deadly attacks on Iraqi police and on a military convoy not far from the funeral procession for a high ranking Iraqi official slain on Tuesday."
U.S. News & World Report (third item) describes how Beltway overreaction to the Abu Ghraib abuses has hampered efforts to secure Iraq:
The Abu Ghraib prison affair has changed the rules for how U.S. special operations forces handle detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it's not all for the better. For example, most have to be released in three days if the prisoners don't meet a long list of requirements. But U.S. forces complain it often takes more than three days to determine that. Troops also must use padded handcuffs and blacked-out goggles--not head bags--when moving prisoners. The problem here: One insider told of how detainees were moved without handcuffs because none of the padded-style were available. Sources say the prisoners know of the new rules. Arabic script on the walls of Abu Ghraib counsel the detainees to stay mum for the three days, and then they will be set free. Out of frustration, some units are detaining fewer suspects, we're told.
According to the Post, Iraq's Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is determined to go ahead with the election "despite ongoing carnage and mayhem." That "despite" should be "because of," since if the election doesn't happen, the terrorists actually will have won, while pols in Washington were busy flagellating each other over the "human rights" of men who respect the rights of no one.
A Warning From Allah?
On the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian island of Aceh, the "highly influential Islamic clerics have explained the giant wave that devastated this overwhelmingly Muslim region as a warning to the faithful that they must more strictly observe their religion, including a ban on Muslims killing Muslims":
The infusion of religious meaning into the tragedy, in a province already known as Indonesia's most fervently Muslim area, suggested the consequences of the Dec. 26 tsunami could extend well beyond the death toll. The sweeping destruction has torn apart the infrastructure on the northern part of Sumatra island.
The idea that the killing on both sides of a years-old conflict between secessionist rebels and Indonesia's military helped bring divine wrath could affect the way Aceh's 4.7 million residents view the central government in Jakarta. At the same time, the devout people of this region, who seem to have embraced their clerics' views, could demand even tighter strictures in Aceh, which is already governed by Islamic law, or sharia.
We suppose it's human nature to seek meaning in nature's horrors, and this isn't limited to Muslims or even to theists. Some followers of the godless religious of environmentalism have theorized that this is the Earth striking back against humans, who've despoiled the environment, but it's unclear in that case why the waves wouldn't have hit bête noire America.
Pakistan's Daily Times, however, reports that one "Canadian expert" (what'd we do without 'em?) is managing to blame America for the tsunami. He "has claimed that the US Military and the State Department were given advance tsunami warning and America's Navy base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean was notified but the information was not passed on to the countries that bore the brunt of the disaster":
Prof. Chossudovsky writes, "It is worth noting that the US Navy was fully aware of the deadly tidal wave, because the Navy was on the Pacific Warning Centre's list of contacts. Moreover, America's strategic Naval base on the island of Diego Garcia had also been notified. Although directly in the path of the tidal wave, the Diego Garcia military base reported 'no damage,' " All that was needed was for someone to pick up the phone and call Sri Lanka, he adds.
But the Associated Press reports that "Gerard Fryer, a University of Hawaii geophysicist and an adviser to state civil defense, said he believes one of the key reasons Diego Garcia was not consumed by large waves was because it was not in the direct path of the tsunami."
What Would We Do Without Scientists?
"Disaster Alert System Useless if Public Can't Be Warned: Scientist"--headline, Canadian Broadcast Corp. Web site, Jan. 4
Democratic Turkeys
Tomorrow Congress certifies the result of the 2004 presidential election, and some Democratic diehards are still hoping that President Bush will somehow be denied his victory. This is a post from someone called "Ugnmoose" on DemocraticUnderground.com:
Yes I may be a cockeyed optimist, but I have read too much about too many people inside the government that desperately want these bunch of thieves hung out to dry. If so, this is their time to let fly. Where it will come from and what it will be is of course unknown to us. But, I truly believe that [Rep. John] Conyers is in possession of evidence that will "seal the deal". I guess the good news is that there is so much out there that it wouldn't take all that much to bring it to the surface, especially in a meeting in which the whole country and media is watching. So I say bring up the lights, raise the curtain and let the show begin! Let's just hope it is a blockbuster.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Free Press reports that "the director of a Detroit food bank wants to know what happened to 60 turkeys--720 pounds of frozen birds--that his charity gave to members of U.S. Rep. John Conyers' local staff two days before Thanksgiving to give to needy people":
Conyers' Detroit office promised an accounting of any turkey distribution by Dec. 27, but the Gleaners Community Food Bank had received no paperwork as of Tuesday, said the charity's director, Agostinho Fernandes.
Fernandes said he became suspicious that the turkeys didn't get to poor people after hearing from a friend that a federal court worker had said he was offered free turkeys from a member of Conyers' staff.
"I've got to tell you that our mission of feeding hungry people has been violated by the people who should have been guardians of our mission," Fernandes tells the paper. Apparently Conyers has bigger fish to fry.
Liberal Town or Racist Hotbed?
Eugene, Ore., an ultraliberal college town, is a hotbed of racism, if its departing "diversity manager" is to be believed. Marilyn Mays, who is also the local NAACP president, is quitting and leaving town, reports KVAL-TV:
In a report published Tuesday Mays said community denial around issues of racism contributed to her decision. . . .
Anselmo Villanueva is currently Principal at Adams Elementary School and has lived in Eugene since the 1970's. He says Mays is the newest on a list of about 200 minority professionals who've left the Eugene area out of frustration. "It is as racist, it is as hostile, it is as unwelcoming for people of color as anywhere else," Villanueva.
Could it be that it's more unwelcoming? After all, today "conservatives" espouse colorblindness while it is "liberals" who are so race-obsessed that they feel the need to hire "diversity managers" and the like.
The Littlest Pantheist
California crackpot Michael Newdow, who failed in his effort to ban the Pledge of Allegiance because he didn't have custody of his biological daughter, "relaunched his constitutional case Tuesday" and is now using other people's children to make the case:
This time around, Newdow is joined by eight co-plaintiffs--all custodial parents of children who are students in Northern California public school districts or the children themselves. . . .
In an interview Tuesday, a parent of one of the child plaintiffs said the third-grader has been aware of the pledge issue since Newdow's last case was in the news. The child remarked at the time, "That's not right," and became "quite activist about it," the parent said. The complaint identifies the child as a pantheist who doesn't believe in a personal God.
Yes, that's right--the kid is in third grade and he's a "pantheist."
Not Too Brite--CLXXVII
"An Iranian who beheaded his two sons after they witnessed him murder a woman was sentenced to hang Tuesday by a Tehran court," Reuters reports from the Iranian capital.
Oddly Enough!
(For an explanation of the "Not Too Brite" series, click here.)
Adult Movies?
In a "Winners and Losers, 2004," column, Brent Bozell of the Parents Television Council notes the success of animated films like "Shrek 2" and "The Incredibles," and observes: "Once again, Michael Medved's annual question demands an answer: If Hollywood cares only about money, and 'G' and 'PG' movies are the big money-makers, why isn't Hollywood making more of these films?" But he ends with this:
Winner: The audiences for "The Passion of the Christ." Mel Gibson deservedly prospered handsomely for his heroic cinematic labors, but the biggest winners were the moviegoers themselves. They came in droves, and then came again, and left quietly, moved to tears, bowed by their humility, inspired to seek greater holiness. Hollywood never embraced Gibson's masterpiece, and is already snubbing it at the awards ceremonies. Someday, however, it will just have to accept that it created a masterpiece.
But "The Passion" was rated "R."
What a Hoot
"Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation's third biggest carrier, is cutting its most expensive fares by as much as 50 percent nationwide and is eliminating other restrictions in an effort to woo business travelers and other last-minute ticket buyers," reports the Associated Press.
"Delta says it will unveil other changes later this year such as improving its Web site and revealing new employee uniforms," the AP adds. Revealing uniforms? Apparently Hooters Air is having an impact on the industry.
You Don't Say
"Tuition Tied to Colleges' Costs"--headline, Denver Post, Jan. 5
What Would We Do Without Police?
"Police: Burglar May Be Targeting Victims' Homes"--headline, Associated Press, Jan. 5
His Body Is Staying Put
"Head of Clifford Chance to Relocate to New York"--headline, Financial Times, Jan. 5
Interspecies Marriage
"Supermodel Heidi Klum and Seal Engaged to Wed"--headline, Associated Press, Jan. 5
Control Group
Reader Dan Cullen has some further analysis on the contraception survey we noted yesterday:
The answers to your speculations can be found at the National Center for Health Statistics. Specifically, the 1995 survey (link in PDF) provides information about the role of marriage. The changes from 1995 to 2002 were fairly similar (increasing by 33% to 50%) across all categories of marriage and of race/ethnicity. More interesting and more important, however, was the distribution across ages. There were large jumps (59% to 79%) in the 25- to 39-year-old cohorts, average increases in the adjacent cohorts (40% for 20-24 and 31% for 40-44), and a very welcome decrease of 3% among the teenagers (15-19).
However, I would suggest the whole survey is suspect. Look at Table 4, page 17, of the 2002 report and notice that the percent reporting "Not using contraception/Had intercourse in 3 months before interview" is identical at 7.4% in 1982 and 2002, with an unexplained drop to 5.2% in 1995. Thus, 1995 data are the anomaly, not 2002 data.
When unexpected results like this occur, researchers and analysts suspect the survey methodology first: Was there anything different about the questions or the way they were asked? Did the survey population answer differently because of differences in perceptions of acceptable or correct answers in different years (important in issues related to sexuality)? All in all, I would give this survey little attention until there were other, independent confirming data and plausible explanations for the variations.
Inflation Hits Planned Parenthood
Consumers Union has conducted a test comparing various brands of latex condoms, Reuters reports:
The nonprofit Consumers Union says in a new guide to contraception that the seven top types of condom they studied did not burst despite vigorous testing, and all models met international standards.
Our first thought when we read this was: "Vigorous testing"? Wow, how do we get that job? But it turns out condom testing is less exciting than it sounds:
Consumers Union uses standardized tests to rate the products it examines, which for latex condoms involves filling them with air. . . . "You end up with a balloon 3 feet tall and a foot wide. They can really stretch an amazing amount," [CU's Nancy] Metcalf said in a telephone interview.
Well, that certainly burst our bubble. The strongest condom was the Durex Extra Sensitive Lubricated Latex. And the weakest? "A melon-colored model distributed by Planned Parenthood performed the worst, bursting during a test in which the latex condoms were filled with air."
The report adds that CU "says its review of contraceptives was not politically motivated, although there is an intense debate among health professionals and advocacy groups about the focus on abstinence-only education by the Bush administration."
"We plan our testing programs quite a while in advance," Metcalf tells Reuters. "This is purely accidental." One might say the same about children whose parents use Planned Parenthood condoms. |
