When culture-war types like Bill Bennett and Joe Lieberman argue against racy lyrics or sexy movies, they always take pains to point out they just want to shame record companies, radio stations, movie studios and so on to clean up their acts. They always profess shock when anyone accuses them of wanting to impose censorship. Well what else can describe the FCC’s recent $7,000 fine for a Colorado radio station for playing an already expurgated version of Eminem’s “The Slim Shady”? This is one of the first more public initiatives of the FCC under Michael Powell. Uh-oh.
EURO-BLAH: A classic editorial from the New York Times that could have been written at any point in the last thirty years. The Times worries that competing visions of the future of the E.U. from France and Germany could lead to “paralyzing gridlock.” Why would this be a problem? Because European integration is good. Why is European integration good? Because it has been in the past. Why will it be in the future? Is there a limit to such integration? What are the merits of the French and German arguments? Should the E.U. harmonize taxes, leave NATO, and so on? The Times doesn’t answer these questions. But they’re the only relevant questions. What U.S. foreign policy needs to think about now is exactly what kind of European integration is in American interests in the next twenty years. Sadly, we won’t have any help from the Times in actually figuring it out.
WHO SAID THIS ON TUESDAY?: “When we talk about fighting a modern day disease like HIV/AIDS and discuss huge dollar amounts and statistical data, it’s always in my mind that we’re talking about real people – people with loved ones – people with names and hopes and dreams. That’s what makes marking the 20th year of AIDS such a painful commemoration. That pain is deepened by the knowledge of what we have lost. The talents and the lives of those who have died. They are people we have known… people we have loved … people who have contributed greatly to our communities. Their memory drives us and their legacy inspires us to end the tragedy of this disease.” These moving words were uttered by Tommy Thompson, Secretary of State for Health and Human Services at the Kaiser Family Foundation. They are among the most compassionate words spoken about AIDS by a Republican federal office-holder I know of. Which may be why, of course, the media and AIDS activist world largely chose to ignore them.
WHAT THE HECK?: Here’s my prediction for the British election today. (Remember I thought Rick Lazio would win the night before.) Labour: 42 percent; Tories: 33 percent; Lib-Dems: who cares? The Tories will pick up enough seats to keep my buddy William in the hot seat. He will defeat Gordon Brown in the next election in 2005. No-one can accuse me of not putting myself on the line. Please don’t send me any lightly basted crows if I’m wrong. Deal?
The Dish 