The Dish

We all know about North Korea. But the military junta that rules Burma is one of the vilest on the planet, suppressing minority groups, crushing dissent, wrecking the economy, engaging in Stalinesque social engineering projects. I’m one of few Westerners to spend any time in actual Burma – and it was as a back-packing twentysomething with my old friend, Max Kennedy (Bobby’s son). It’s a hauntingly beautiful place, and the country gave me profound respect for Buddhism, and immense affection for the gentle, open-hearted people traumatized by their disgusting rulers. One thing the junta has achieved: a decimation of what was once an excellent education system. The Books For Burma project is a volunteer group aiming to rectify that and provide books for refugees and dissidents. They tell me:

About a million people have fled Burma in the last ten years alone and we are reaching out to them. We are accepting book donations as well as small cash donations to help cover the cost of shipping.  Books will be going to Chin Students’ Organization, Kachin Development Organization, and All Kachin Students and Youth Union just to name a few, more org.’s are asking us for books everyday.

You can find out how to help here.

A reader writes:

I just visited NRO The Corner for the first time … and you are like the devil over there!  Every third post refers to Sullivan this or Sullivan that, Sullivan the apostate, Sullivan the shameless book self-promoter (they’ve got you there), Sullivan the homo in Provincetown. My God, you get under their skin!

Keep it up.

No worries. I will. Oh, and read my book. It will tick them off some more.

I wonder how important Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher were in this past election. I have a feeling they were critical to alerting the younger generation to the dysfunction in Republican governance. So this press release from Circle is no big surprise to me:

Average young voter turnout among college students in precincts targeted by the Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project doubled over the 2002 election, more than six times the national average for young adults, with turnout in some precincts increasing up to five times over 2002, according to an Election Night analysis by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).

While mobilization efforts proved to dramatically increase young voter participation, the national youth vote saw a significant increase as well ‚Äî especially when compared to the overall population. CIRCLE’s analysis of the National Election Poll’s exit poll for 18-29 year olds found that turnout among 18-29 year olds increased at least 4 percentage points over 2002 figures, to 24 percent. According to an Associated Press vote count and an analysis by American University’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate, the overall population saw an increase of less than 1 percentage point.

Now, if every college student makes a decision today to get one other friend registered …

I have no idea what my friend Bill Maher is going to say tomorrow night, and I don’t believe in "outing" people. But I do think that closeted gay people who attack other gay people should take Jon Stewart’s advice:

A must-read and uncannily timely profile in the Texas Monthly. Money quote:

"I am an agent of change," Gates told the [Texas] A&M Board of Regents when he was interviewed for the job of president (for which his competition was none other than former U.S. senator Phil Gramm). "If you don‚Äôt want change, you don’t want me."

Know hope.

(Hat tip: Virginia.)

(Photo: Brooks Kraft/Corbis for Time.)

Apart from the football toss (groan), George Allen’s concession speech was classy, smart and also gave the appearance of being sincere. His focus on candor, the future, and public service was welcome. If more Republicans adopt that tone – rather than the one they used in the campaign – their future will be brighter than the recent past. Good for Allen. And good for the GOP.

This column is the intellectual equivalent of "I’m melting! I’m melting!" The Schadenfreude is, I’m afraid, overwhelming my better judgment right now. My apologies. More statesmanlike blogging will resume shortly.

A reader writes:

You wrote:

"The vote is so close that mere statistical errors could create another outcome. You could keep flipping the coin for ever."

With Florida 2000, this statement is accurate (six million vote casts – final difference 500 votes). But it’s not so in VA – two million votes cast with a difference of 7,000. You need to retract this asinine statement, if you do not believe me – ask a mathematician friend of yours.

Math is not my strong point, so I’ll concede this one. I still think it would be smart and gracious of Allen to concede now. And better for his career in the long run.

A reader writes:

So the Vatican’s chief hitman on gay issues turns out to be gay and we’re supposed to be surprised. I don’t think so. No matter how strong repression and self-denial may be, eventually nature will out. It’s Mark Foley all over again, to the extent Anatrella can’t stop obsessing and condemning that which he can neither change nor control in himself. And it is of course par for the course for the Roman Catholic church.

Tomas de Torcuemada, the notorious grand inquisitor who sent thousands of victims to the stake in 15th century Spain, was himself of some Jewish descent. It seems perfectly clear to me, that the social and internal  pressure he was under to prove himself as a true Catholic explains his relentless zeal in rooting out recent Jewish and Muslim converts, who were less than 100% sincere in their acceptance of Christianity. The mere fact that most of them had converted under the threat of either death or banishment only added to the lack of good faith on both sides. Monsignor Anatrella — like Torquemada before him — feels compelled to condemn and punish his own basic nature and if that requires him to exercise hypocrisy bordering on personality disorder, so be it. It’s all very sad of course and equally predictable.

I should add that Anatrella has merely been accused of sexual abuse of a male client who came to him for psychiatric guidance on how to cure himself of homosexuality. The charge has not been proven.

George Allen may concede the Virginia race at 3 pm; or he may not. I think he should. The vote is so close that mere statistical errors could create another outcome. You could keep flipping the coin for ever. There’s no question what the will of the American people is with respect to the Senate: a big majority of the popular vote went to the Dems. Allen emerges from this race looking battered and bitter. If he were to concede, it would be a gracious move that would instantly rehabilitate him in the public’s mind. It’s smart politics; and the right thing for the country.