“We’re in an emergency situation. The United States has become an absolutely terrifying country, and I would hope that I could participate in some way in stopping the horror and the brutality.” – playwright, Wallace Shawn, New York Times Magazine, tomorrow.
BLISTER GAS FOUND? Danish troops make a discovery in Southern Iraq. Of course, we’ve had stories like this one before and they haven’t panned out. But this one is worth keeping an eye on.
THE BEEB IMPROVES: How’s this for a shocker? Here’s how the BBC described the recent Carnegie Endowment criticism of the liberation of Iraq:
The left-leaning Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said US officials misrepresented the threat from Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
Just giving credit where it’s due.
THE ESSENTIALS OF MARRIAGE: Every now and again, the facade drops. Here’s how John Derbyshire joked yesterday about marriage:
ZSA ZSA’S GRASP OF MARRIAGE ESSENTIALS [John Derbyshire]:
A reader reminds me of Zsa Zsa Gabor’s most inspired comment about her nine (?) marriages: “I’m a good housekeeper, darlink. I ALWAYS keep the house.”
It’s funny, of course. But notice the sub-text. Nine marriages? What a hoot. But while Derb yuks it up about straight people’s abuse of the institution, he still finds inclusion of gay couples an abomination. How does he justify this double-standard? The other money-quote:
The short answer is that if a customary social institution is trashed and trivialized by irresponsible buffoons, we ought to exert more control over it – to tighten access, not loosen it. If it turns out that there has been chicanery in the counting of votes, that is an argument for making supervision of the voting rules stricter, not for opening the voting booths to felons, foreigners, lunatics, and minors. Things are for whom they are for.
So how does Derbyshire propose to “tighten access” to marriage, as currently conceived? He offers nothing. Would he crack down on Las Vegas marriage laws? Would he lobby for a constitutional amendment banning no-fault divorce? Would he require waiting periods before marriage is legal? No word yet. Methinks he’s blowing smoke. When those in favor of traditional marriage start proposing measures that would infringe on heterosexual abuse of marital privileges, I’ll take them seriously. Until then …
FEELING BETTER: The night-sweats are gone. All I need now are my lungs back. Thanks for the emails.
The Dish 