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NOVEMBER 29, 2010 Terror and Partisanship Sometimes, concerns about "civil liberties" are just an excuse. By JAMES TARANTO The war on Christmas continues. Last year it was the "underpants bomber," this year 19-year-old Mohamed Osman Mohamud, who allegedly planned to blow up a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore., but was foiled by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. The Washington Examiner's <http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2010/11/politically-correct-portland-rejected-feds-who-saved-city-terrori> Byron York has the details: Mohamud, a Somali-born naturalized U.S. citizen who attended Oregon State University, told undercover FBI agents he dreamed of performing acts of jihad in which hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Americans would die. "Do you remember when 9/11 happened when those people were jumping from skyscrapers?" Mohamud asked the agents, according to the affidavit. "I thought that was awesome." In months of preparation with men he thought were co-conspirators but were in fact undercover agents, Mohamud backed up his talk with action. After initially making email contact with Islamist radicals in Pakistan, he took part in constructing what he hoped would be an extraordinarily powerful bomb, scouted the best location for the attack, parked the van containing the bomb near the Christmas tree crowd, and, finally, dialed the cell phone number he believed would detonate the explosives. "I want whoever is attending that event to leave either dead or injured," Mohamud said of the 25,000 people expected to take part in the event. But here's a curious twist: Although the Joint Terrorism Task Force is a partnership between the FBI and local law enforcement, the <http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonatwar/2010/11/portlands_brush_with_terror_ed.html> Oregonian reports that Portland's Mayor Sam Adams, a Democrat, found out about the plot at the same time the public did: when the FBI announced Mohamud's arrest on Friday. That's because in 2005, Portland became the only city in the country to withdraw from the JTTF. The reason, York explains, is that then-Mayor Tom Potter "said the FBI refused to give him a top-secret security clearance so he could make sure the officers weren't violating state anti-discrimination laws that bar law enforcement from targeting suspects on the basis of their religious or political beliefs." Adams, then a city councilman, was part of the 4-1 majority that voted to withdraw from the JTTF. Now he's having second thoughts, reports the Oregonian: "Adams . . . emphasized that he has much more faith in the White House and the leadership of the U.S. attorney's office now than he did in 2005." [botwt1129] <http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-LB792_botwt1_A_20101129115521.jpg> The paper reports that the American Civil Liberties Union still opposes participation in the JTTF. Agree or disagree, the ACLU deserves credit for consistency. But Adams's position is blatantly partisan. One can't even attribute it to an epiphany brought on by the Mohamud arrest. According to the Oregonian, Adams and his police chief, Mike Reese, "have discussed for months" whether to rejoin the JTTF. What made the difference, it seems quite clear, is having a Democrat in the White House. A similar mentality is on display in an op-ed piece in the Guardian, England's leading left-wing daily. The author is <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/nov/26/air-transport-theairlineindustry> Amanda Marcotte, a left-wing American blogress best known for being forced to resign from John Edwards's presidential campaign over anti-Catholic posts on her own blog. Marcotte gropes for a position on the Transportation Security Administration's new procedures but ultimately comes up empty-handed: Left-leaning civil libertarians initially welcomed the sudden surge of news reports about anger and revolt over the Transportation Security Administration's new procedures that involve rather intimate patdowns for people who won't or can't use the body-scanning machines at airport security lines. We'd been raising the alarm for years about the long lines and privacy invasions, all done in the name of security, with little to no evidence that any of it made us safer. But it didn't take long to realise that much, if not most, of the ire aimed at the TSA was coming from conservative corners, which made progressives hesitate. On the one hand, building political alliances is a time-honoured strategy to get things done. On the other, aligning yourself with the American right means bringing on quite a bit of baggage: bad faith arguments, outright lying, racism--and hidden agendas, usually serving predatory corporate interests. Were rightwingers suddenly interested in civil liberties issues that usually hold little interest for them because the TSA had gone too far? Or was something else going on? Marcotte acknowledges that "many Democratic-leaning journalists and pundits seem content to attack dishonest and shady rightwing TSA critics--without examining in detail why such security procedures are invasive and need to stop"--which actually describes her own op-ed quite well. If a Republican were in the White House, it seems likely that the liberal left would be far more opposed to the TSA procedures than it is--just as Portland's Democratic leadership viewed cooperation with the FBI as anathema until the Obama presidency. To some extent, this is just a fact of life. Partisanship is an inevitable feature of politics, and it's natural to trust the government more when one sympathizes with the men who run it. But to be so partisan on matters of national security and civil liberty seems extreme. It also makes you wonder how "progressives" can reconcile their general commitment to bigger government with their intense mistrust for government when it is led by the party they oppose. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-claims-psychological-warfare-ahmadinejad> WikiLeaks: A Zionist Plot? The latest WikiLeaks revelations aren't all bad, as suggested by this report from London's Guardian: Iran today lashed out at the WikiLeaks revelations, with the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, dismissing the controversial leaks as a "worthless" psychological warfare campaign against his country. . . . "We don't think this information was leaked," the Iranian president insisted during a televised press conference in Tehran. "We think it was organised to be released on a regular basis and they are pursuing political goals." The reference is to revelations in the diplomatic cables about regional responses to the Iranian nuclear threat. The <http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=197131> Jerusalem Post explains: According to one cable published by WikiLeaks on Sunday, Saudi King Abdullah "frequently exhorted the US to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons program" and to cut off the head of the snake. According to another cable, King Hamad of Bahrain, a country with a majority Shi'ite population, urged in a meeting with former CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus that action be taken to terminate Iran's nuclear program. "That program must be stopped," Hamad said, according to the cable. "The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it." Jordan, another country that voiced concern, is uncomfortable with the possibility that a nuclear Iran would provide an umbrella for opposition groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt is also challenged by Iran's continued nuclear development, as shown by the conviction in April of 26 men who were spying for Hizbullah and plotting attacks in Egypt. >From an Israeli perspective, therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to say >that WikiLeaks may have done the country a service on Sunday. By presenting >the Arab leaders as more extreme in their remarks than Israeli leaders, the >cables show the dissonance in the region and the danger involved in allowing >Iran to continue with its nuclear program. <http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Josh_Block_8C224D83-C7FE-40C7-8588-60D3F511EBBB.html> Josh Block of the centrist Progressive Policy Institute (and formerly of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) notes that these revelations ought to embarrass Israel-bashers: One of the most interesting overall themes is the restraint seen to typify the Israelis on Iran, in contrast to the typical Brzezinski, Scowcroft, Walt/Mearsheimer, Glenn Greenwald-Neo-progresive, netroots claims Israel is trying to prod us to fight and bomb Iran for them. In the end, one of the most obvious take-aways from these WikiLeaks documents is devastating to the whole Left/Realist narrative about Israeli manipulation. The Israelis come off as cool customers, while the Arabs are the ones freaking out, justifiably many would argue, and literally demanding the U.S. bomb the Iranian nuclear program. <http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyharnden/100065782/julian-assange-is-teasing-barack-obama-over-drip-drip-wikileaks-releases/> Toby Harnden of London's Telegraph notes some other amusing Saudi material: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia's suggestion that Guantanamo Bay inmates be implated [sic] "with an electronic chip containing information about them and allowing their movements to be tracked with Bluetooth," noting that "this was done with horses and falcons" was pretty good. In the same cable, the Saudi king certainly knew how to push the right buttons with the Obama administration: "[Counterterrorism adviser John] Brennan said President Obama looked forward to seeing the King at the G-20 summit in London. 'Thank God for bringing Obama to the presidency,' the King answered, which has created 'great hope' in the Muslim world. 'May God grant him strength and patience,' Abdullah continued, 'May God protect him. I'm concerned about his personal safety. America and the world need such a president.' " Clearly delighted with such a golden opportunity to suck up to the big boss, the diplomat who drafted the cable headed this section: "THE WORLD NEEDS OBAMA" (though how this went down with the Secretary of State alas remains unrecorded). Do you believe that Abdullah was sincere in his fawning over Obama? Neither do we, but we'll bet Obama does. Two Papers in One! * "The documents appear to have been acquired illegally and contain all manner of private information and statements that were never intended for the public eye, so they won't be posted here."--New York Times, on the Climategate emails, <http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/private-climate-conversations-on-display/> Nov. 20, 2009 * "The articles published today and in coming days are based on thousands of United States embassy cables, the daily reports from the field intended for the eyes of senior policy makers in Washington. . . . The Times believes that the documents serve an important public interest, illuminating the goals, successes, compromises and frustrations of American diplomacy in a way that other accounts cannot match."--New York Times, on the WikiLeaks documents, <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29editornote.html> Nov. 29, 2010 <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/opinion/28friedman.html> Don't Worry About the Deficit. Or Do. Whatever. Yesterday's Thomas Friedman column was a head-scratcher even by Friedman standards. The metaphor-mangling New York Times columnist begins by noting the "disturbing trend" that Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the future. But try to follow this argument: What's driving it? Let me say what's not driving it. It is not that millions of Americans suddenly started worrying about the national debt. Seriously, do you know anyone who says: "I couldn't sleep last night. I was tossing and turning until dawn worrying that the national debt was now $14 trillion." Sorry, that only happens in contrived campaign ads. . . . I believe most Americans don't want a plan for deficit reduction. The Tea Party's vision is narrow and uninspired. . . . The best thing the president could do right now is declare his support for the draft recommendations on how to reduce the country's budget deficit just laid out by the co-chairmen of the White House's fiscal commission, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson. We don't think we're dowdifying Friedman here. True, we've left out a lot of material, but if you read the whole column, you'll see that it's a pastiche, not a logical argument. He doesn't start off skeptical of deficit reduction, consider the arguments, and conclude by changing his mind. He says one thing, then says a bunch of other unrelated things, then says something else that contradicts the first thing. You almost have to wonder if his short-term memory is starting to go. <http://www.rollcall.com/news/-200911-1.html> Slow Learners "After more than 40 years in Congress, Rep. David Obey decided to walk away from Capitol Hill primarily because of the influence of money in politics," reports Roll Call. "I detest what money is doing to politics," Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat, told CNN's "State of the Union." Is this even remotely credible? Obey came to Congress in 1969, several years before Congress, reacting to the Watergate scandal, enacted limits on campaign contributions. Only now, nearly 42 years later, he's discovered "the influence of money in politics"? Appearing with Obey was another retiring Democratic congressman, Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota: [Dorgan] agreed that he was ready to have "more time to do interesting things" after 30 years in the House and the Senate, plus 10 years in the elected position of tax commissioner of North Dakota. "I want to have another chapter in my life," the Democrat said. "You know, I'm not leaving because I'm upset, because I don't like the Congress. I have great respect for the Congress. It's been a great gift to me to be able to serve given to me by the people of North Dakota." So it also took Dorgan 40 years to realize that what he was doing wasn't interesting enough? Doesn't it seem likelier that both Obey and Dorgan decided to leave in the face of serious challenges? (Both their seats will be held by Republicans in the next Congress.) Oh well, we suppose at least their explanations are more creative than the classic "I want to spend more time with my family." And Roll Call reports that Obey also said "he is looking forward to . . . 'perhaps increasing my allotment of gin and tonics from time to time.' " Hard to find fault with that. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/opinion/28sun1.html> 'Working Americans' >From a New York Times editorial: It is hard to believe, as the holidays approach yet again amid economic hard times, but Congress looks as if it may let federal unemployment benefits lapse for the fourth time this year. Lame duck lawmakers will have only one day when they return to work on Monday to renew the expiring benefits. If they don't, two million people will be cut off in December alone. This lack of regard for working Americans is shocking. So the Times calls people who've been on unemployment for two years "working Americans"? That's like calling New York Times editorialists "thinking Americans." No, actually that's not fair. People on unemployment are capable of working. <http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/protests-after-zoo-separates-gay-vultures/story-e6frf00i-1225959685666> Vulture Wars "Members of Germany's gay community were outraged after a pair of homosexual vultures were forcibly parted and made to mate with females," reports NewsCore: There has been one protest near the zoo gates by a small group of homosexuals standing beneath a rainbow flag, while the German blogosphere is buzzing. "This is like in the Dark Middle Ages, forcibly making a creature sexually reorient itself by tearing its partner from its side," wrote one campaigner. We're not sure these guys have thought through their protest. Aren't they just perpetuating the invidious stereotype of gay men as predators? <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/science/earth/26norfolk.html> Global Sinking The New York Times reports that Norfolk, Va., is experiencing an increase in flooding: "Like many other cities, Norfolk was built on filled-in marsh. Now that fill is settling and compacting. In addition, the city is in an area where significant natural sinking of land is occurring." The Times blames global warming. Seriously! "Norfolk has experienced the highest relative increase in sea level on the East Coast--14.5 inches since 1930," the Times asserts: Climate change is a subject of friction in Virginia. The state's attorney general, Ken T. Cuccinelli II, is trying to prove that a prominent climate scientist engaged in fraud when he was a researcher at the University of Virginia. But the residents of coastal neighborhoods here are less interested in the debate than in the real-time consequences of a rise in sea level. But the rise is in relative sea level--that is, the height of the sea relative to land. If the land is sinking--which has nothing to do with global warming--the sea need not rise for its relative level to do so. The Times story does not give a figure for the change in absolute sea level in Norfolk, which leads us to estimate it at zero. We Blame Global Warming * "Steele on Thin Ice at Helm of Republican Party"--headline, <http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ibZ3J2rhOS9nV7-Q0PGpn3GxRPFQ> Associated Press, Nov. 26 * "Cliff Lee Talks to Heat Up Next Week"--headline, <http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/251451-cliff-lee-talks-to-heat-up-next-week?eref=sihp> FanNation.com, Nov. 28 <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8166017/Big-cat-blamed-for-string-of-livestock-attacks-in-Wales.html> We Blame George W. Bush " 'Big Cat' Blamed for String of Livestock Attacks in Wales"--headline, Daily Telegraph (London), Nov. 29 <http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=12261049> Heads I Win, Tails You Lose "The party soul-searching lingers--did Democrats suffer setbacks for doing too little, or not doing enough?"--Rick Klein, ABCNews.com, Nov. 28 <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101127/ap_on_re_as/as_south_pacific_rescue> If They'd Voted for Obama, They Would Have "AP Exclusive: Teens Adrift at Sea Almost Lost Hope"--headline, Associated Press, Nov. 27 <http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/130825-obama-makes-third-basketball-outing-of-the-long-weekend> Alito: 'Still Not True' "Obama Hits the Court Again, This Time Playing With Two Daughters"--headline, TheHill.com, Nov. 28 <http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/27/the-obamas-prayer-live-long-and-strong/> 'I Shall Do Neither. I Have Killed My Captain, and My Friend.' "The Obamas' Prayer: 'Live Long and Strong' "--headline, CNN.com, Nov. 27 <http://nation.foxnews.com/ed-schultz/2010/11/27/left-wing-kook-predicts-obama-coup> The Irrepressible Joe Biden "Left Wing Kook Predicts Obama Coup"--headline, FoxNews.com, Nov. 27 <http://www.winchesternewsgazette.com/articles/2010/11/26/news/doc4ceff7c092d39159452504.txt> Who'll Be the Next Senate Majority Whip? "Durbin to Serve 60 Year Sentence for 2009 Murder"--headline, News-Gazette (Winchester, Ind.), Nov. 26 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/nov/29/real-madrid-barcelona-coach-stoned-clasico> So Much for the War on Drugs "Real Madrid Coach Stoned on Arrival at Barcelona Hotel for El Clásico"--headline, Guardian (London), Nov. 29 <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101127/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_ice_age_park> The Lonely Lives of Scientists "One Scientist's Hobby: Recreating the Ice Age"--headline, Associated Press, Nov. 27 <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/nyregion/28freud.html> Probably Just a Freudian Slip "Actor Playing a Dying Freud Collapses During a Performance"--headline, New York Times, Nov. 28 <http://www.postgazette.com/pg/10333/1106982-100.stm> The Jail Was Full "Man Accused of Trying to Kill Woman Held in Car Trunk"--headline, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 29 Questions Nobody Is Asking * "Does McRib's Limited Availability Make It So Popular?"--headline, <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-11-27-mcib_N.htm> USA Today website, Nov. 27 * "Why Don't We Love David Cameron?"--headline, <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/janetdaley/8165185/Why-dont-we-love-David-Cameron.html> Sunday Telegraph (London), Nov. 28 * "Why Do Israeli Settlers Love Sarah Palin?"--headline, <http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/alana-goodman/382495> Commentary website, Nov. 24 * "Will Release of New Wikileaks Secrets Blow Obama's Nice Guy Image?"--headline, <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/8165137/Will-release-of-new-Wikileaks-secrets-blow-Obamas-nice-guy-image.html> Sunday Telegraph, Nov. 28 * "Can William and Kate's Wedding Really Save the British Economy?"--headline, <http://www.tnr.com/blog/foreign-policy/79403/prince-william-kate-wedding-british-economy> The New Republic website, Nov. 27 * "Am I a Male Feminist, or a Shifty Opportunist?"--headline, <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/family-and-relationships/micah-toub/am-i-a-male-feminist-or-a-shifty-opportunist/article1813802/> Globe and Mail (Toronto), Nov. 26 Answers to Questions Nobody Is Asking * "How Robert Mugabe Tries to Control the Weather"--headline, <http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/world/How-Robert-Mugabe-tries-to.6641592.jp> Scotsman, Nov. 27 * "Why French Scholars Love U.S. Colleges"--headline, <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/11/28/why-french-scholars-love-us-colleges> New York Times website, Nov. 29 <http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/11/27/2010-11-27_bloodthirsty_pooches_eyed_in_vicious_maulings_of_greenwich_village_squirrels_.html> Greenwich Village Squirrels Eyed in Vicious Maulings of Bloodthirsty Pooches--Now That Would Be News "Bloodthirsty Pooches Eyed in Vicious Maulings of Greenwich Village Squirrels"--headline, Daily News (New York), Nov. 27 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11834184> Ask a Bloodthirsty Pooch "Is Squirrel the Perfect Austerity Dish?"--headline, BBC website, Nov. 27 <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45627.html> Look Out Below! "Democratic South Finally Falls"--headline, Politico.com, Nov. 28 It's Always in the Last Place You Look * "Sophisticated Drug Tunnel Found in San Diego"--headline, <http://apnews.myway.com/article/20101126/D9JNJ89O0.html> Associated Press, Nov. 25 * "Explosive Experts Find a Virtual Bomb-Making Factory in a San Diego Home"--headline, <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333502/Explosive-experts-virtual-bomb-making-factory-San-Diego-home.html> Daily Mail (London), Nov. 28 <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/sports/football/30fastforward.html> News of the Tautological "Parity Keeps Many NFL Teams in It"--headline, New York Times website, Nov. 29 <http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/28/a-return-to-economist-friedrich-hayek-s-ideas.html> Breaking News From 1977 "The Triumphant Return of Hayek"--headline, Newsweek.com, Nov. 28 Bottom Stories of the Day * "Obama, McConnell Fail to Kindle Relationship"--headline, <http://tinyurl.com/2embcqs> The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 29 * "Post Stories That Just Don't Add Up"--headline, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/26/AR2010112603749.html> Washington Post website, Nov. 26 * "Police: Willie Nelson Had Pot on Tour Bus"--headline, <http://www.theeagle.com/entertainment/A9-BC-US-Nelson-Marijuana-1stLd-Writethru-11-27-0408> Bryan College Station (Texas) Eagle, Nov. 27 <http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpps/news/offbeat/spanish-woman-claims-she-now-owns-sun-dpgonc-20101126-gc_10808147> Hot Property "After billions of years the Sun finally has an owner," reports Agence France-Presse: A woman from Spain's soggy region of Galicia said Friday she had registered the star at a local notary public as being her property. Angeles Duran, 49, told the online edition of daily El Mundo she took the step in September after reading about an American man who had registered himself as the owner of the moon and most planets in our solar system. There is an international agreement which states that no country may claim ownership of a planet or star, but it says nothing about individuals, she added. . . . Duran, who lives in the town of Salvaterra do Mino, said she now wants to slap a fee on everyone who uses the sun. The good news is, she plans to offer discounts at night [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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