Lt. Pantano

By now you probably know the story about Lt. Pantano, the Marine charged with murder in the killing of two terrorists. I'm not sure what the Corps is thinking. Either this is a classic case of a bungling bureaucracy, or there's more to the case than we know. You can read his mother's take on it here.

Do Not Taunt Hapy Fun Ball

Another reason not to live in Britain is this story, wherein a Tory MP has to ponder an absurdity:

"It would be interesting to see whether the ball had used grossly disproportionate force or whether it would be deemed reasonable."

Be seeing you!

Yes, as a matter of fact, I am a Capitalist

You may have noticed a new feature on the right of the page. I shall not discourage you from clicking through.

We've always been at war with Eurasia

I occasionally ask, rhetorically, what the difference is between a government school and a prison. (The differences are often subtle. I suspect the food is better in prison.) Here is another step in that direction.

For the past few weeks, Brittan's seventh- and eighth-graders have been required to wear badges with the technology -- called RFID, or radio frequency identification devices -- around their necks. School officials say the badges are scanned and used for attendance. But some parents and privacy advocates are outraged that the badges were given to students without parents' knowledge or consent.

I'm Shocked. Shocked!

A scandal at a UN agency? Perish the thought. But thanks to an accountant burning the midnight oil we now know of yet another case of fraud and embezzlement.

I'm one of many who would like the UN to get out of the US (and vice-versa), but some days I'd settle for having them stay away from the children.

Now even the drought may be over

Arthur Chrenkoff reports of good news from Afghanistan, including the possible end to their drought.

North of Kandahar Air Base, the Tamak River rose so high the water was nearly touching the bottom of the main bridge leading into town. Meanwhile, near Kabul, rainwater filled some smaller streams that are usually bone-dry this time of year.

Read the whole thing.

Don't be offended

On one level it's easy to side with the offended neighbors in this story about a couple who hanged a soldier in effigy from their house with a sign originally reading "Your tax dollars at work." But offense is always taken, never given. Not only does that couple have the right to express themselves, but I think the neighbors should be glad they did so.



At least two positive things could come of this. One, this couple has self-identified themselves as knee-jerk leftwing morons with a scissor-like grip on the lessons of history. How grateful should one be that, instead of harboring doubts about whether one's neighbor is capable of rational thought, the neighbor kindly removes all doubt? Secondly, the most appropriate response to "offensive" speech is more speech. There's no way anybody could now object if everybody else on the street chose to run up a giant US flag.