Desecration

This week a single paragraph in an Al Jazeera story reported that Christian hostages, before being beheaded, were forced to watch the Bible being flushed down a toilet. Outraged at the desecration, angry Christians throughout the world errupted in violence which claimed at least nine lives. Said one, "The Holy Bible was defiled by the dirtiest of hands, by Arab hands."

Muslim leaders responded by stating, “During the past few days, we have heard from our Christian friends around the world about their concerns on this matter. We understand and we share their concerns."

“Sadly, some people have lost their lives in violent demonstrations. We are asking that all our friends around the world reject incitement to violence by those who would mischaracterise our intentions.”

The Christian Council of Britain said that Arab leaders had to “take responsibility for the anti- Christian climate they have been fostering through their actions."

At least that's the way I think I read the story. Maybe I got some of the details wrong.

When I first heard about this I had two thoughts, not necessarily in this order: Should I ever be unfortunate enough to be held captive by some of these eighth-century barbarians, I hope the worst torture I have to endure is watching them mistreat a book. And only Newsweek (OK, or probably CBS) could believe that a nice, fat book could be flushed down the kind of toilet Congress has left us with - the kind you have to flush twice just to dispose of a little toilet paper.

UPDATE

Now Newsweek is pulling an Emily Litella. Gosh, sorry all you victims of Muslim violence. Maybe the Koran didn't get flushed after all.

Newsweek reported that Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita reacted angrily when the magazine asked about the source's continued assertion that he had read about the Koran incident in an investigative report. "People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said. How could he be credible now?" DiRita told Newsweek.

How indeed.

Call It Restoration

Charles Krauthammer cuts through the murk on the "nuclear option".

Two hundred years of tradition has been radically and unilaterally changed by the minority. Why? The reason is obvious. Democrats have not had a very good run recently in the popularly elected branches. Since choosing the wrong side of the culture wars of the 1960s, they have won only three of the past 10 presidential elections. A decade ago they lost control of the House for the first time in 40 years, and now have lost all the elected branches. They are in a panic that they will lose their one remaining ability to legislate -- through the courts.

You Tell 'Em, Victor

An excellent week for a much-needed history lesson from VDH.

But again, most Americans never learned the standard narrative of War II — only what was wrong about it. Whereas it is salutary that an American 17-year-old knows something of the Japanese relocation ordered by liberals such as Earl Warren and FDR, or of the creation and the dropping of the atomic bomb by successive Democratic administrations, they might wish to examine what went on in Nanking, Baatan, Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Manila, or Manchuria — atrocities that their sensitive teachers are probably clueless about as well.

Time Waster OTD

If you were playing games on computers in the early 80's, this will make you nostalgic.

Begging the Question.

Some people after my own heart.

Then again, I insist that "data" is plural, and that "flammable" is "inflammable" for illiterates.

Bordering on the Insane

Can't let the Minute Men get any credit. So just tell the Border Patrol Agents to keep the number of arrests low.

More than a dozen agents, all of whom asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, said orders relayed by Border Patrol supervisors at the Naco, Ariz., station made it clear that arrests were "not to go up" along the 23-mile section of border that the volunteers monitored to protest illegal immigration.

The Downside of Living in California

High on the list is being misrepresented by two of the worst senators (quite an accomplishment when one contemplates some of the bozos in the senate) in the whole country. Boxer's office is going to hear from me about this.

Democratic (sic) Senator Barbara Boxer "put a hold on the nomination" of Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations, her spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz said without indicating how the process could be delayed.

Who will join me in tilting at this windmill?