From the WSJ Opinion Archives
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The
New Blacklist
In recent weeks we've seen how the MoveOn.org Democrats have aped the tactics
of Joe McCarthy, including character assassination of military officials and
childish wordplay on people's names ("Senator Half Bright"; "General
Betray Us"). Fox News reports on the latest effort to imitate old Tailgunner
Joe:
The owner of the company that airs Rush Limbaugh's show has come to his defense, telling Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that while he isn't certain to whom Limbaugh was referring when he used the term "phony soldiers," the radio talk show host has a long history of supporting U.S. troops.
Mark P. Mays, president of Clear Channel, the parent company of Limbaugh's broadcast, on Tuesday responded to a letter signed by 41 Democrats that called on the network "to publicly repudiate" comments made by Limbaugh "that call into question" the service and sacrifice of troops who oppose the war in Iraq.
As National Review's Byron York explains, when Limbaugh talked about "phony soldiers," he was referring to phony soldiers--that is, to men like Jesse Macbeth, an "antiwar" activist who claimed to have served in Iraq, received a Purple Heart and killed innocent civilians, when in fact the Army discharged him before he even completed basic training.
If Democrats want to support the phony troops, it is their right to do so. But when they try to interfere with Limbaugh's livelihood, that amounts to an effort at creating a McCarthy-style blacklist.
The Fox report says that 41 Democratic senators signed this letter, which means that 9 or 10 did not (depending on how you count Joe Lieberman). Will they speak out against their colleagues' intimidation efforts? And where are the Republicans in all this? With the Democratic Party increasingly in thrall to hate groups like MoveOn and Media Matters, America urgently needs politicians of either party with the courage to take a stand for decency.
So
a Mediocre Lawyer Walks Into a Bar . . .
Our item yesterday on Anita Hill, the disgruntled former employee at the center
of an attempt to assassinate the character of Clarence Thomas back in 1991,
quoted her New York Times op-ed piece in which she bragged that she "passed
the District of Columbia Bar exam, one of the toughest in the nation."
Not being a lawyer, we didn't think to challenge this assertion, but many of
our readers did, and their emails gave us quite a chuckle.
Pete Wilson explains that the D.C. Bar is actually less demanding than those of states:
D.C. required only that you pass the multistate portion of the test, while other states required that you pass both the multistate portion and a state-specific portion. Beginning in 1982, most states adopted a requirement that you pass the MPRE (ethics) exam as well.
You might want to check into the D.C. Bar requirements in the '80s. Methinks that Ms. Hill may be fibbing again.
John Driskill says he was offered a free pass (well, for a fee) on the D.C. Bar:
I took the Texas Bar and passed in 1992. Based on that (!) I received a letter from the D.C. Bar letting me know I could be admitted to the D.C. Bar if I was willing to fork over a few hundred dollars. No independent or D.C. testing needed. Exactly how hard can it be?
And besides, what does passing the bar have to do with being a good attorney anyway?
As does a reader who asks not to be identified:
I was just a lowly graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and certainly did not finish at the top of my class. However, when I took the Alabama Bar exam, one day was devoted to the multistate exam that I understood was common to most all bar exams. If you made a high enough grade on the multistate exam, you were automatically eligible to become a member of the D.C. Bar. I made well above the needed score but saw no reason to pay another bar association fee since I had no desire to practice there. I do not know how hard the D.C. bar exam is, all I know is that this dumb-ass redneck from Alabama cleped it.
Sean Hayes says that he took the D.C. Bar, and "my friends who took the bar in other states openly mock me for doing so." Serina Vandergrift adds that "if I were Thomas, I would have thought less of her credentials after that comment, considering she didn't challenge herself by taking a real bar exam."
Oh well, at least she didn't go to some law school in the Philippines.
Expanding
the Right to Die
Another conflict is shaping up between left-wing ideologues and the disabled.
At issue are those politically correct "hybrid" cars, which turn out
to be dangerous to the blind:
Because hybrids make virtually no noise at slower speeds when they run solely on electric power, blind people say they pose a hazard to those who rely on their ears to determine whether it's safe to cross the street or walk through a parking lot.
"I'm used to being able to get sound cues from my environment and negotiate accordingly. I hadn't imagined there was anything I really wouldn't be able to hear," said Deborah Kent Stein, chairwoman of the National Federation of the Blind's Committee on Automotive and Pedestrian Safety. "We did a test, and I discovered, to my great dismay, that I couldn't hear it." . . .
[National Federation of the Blind] President Marc Maurer said he received an e-mail from an environmentalist who suggested that the members of his group should be the first to drown when sea levels rise from global warming.
First they came for Terri Schiavo, now they're coming for the blind. Even if you can read this, are you sure you won't be next?
The
Ugly American
The Associated Press reports from Kabkabiya, Sudan:
Former President Carter got in a shouting match Wednesday with Sudanese security officials who blocked him from a town in Darfur where he was trying to meet representatives of ethnic African refugees from the ongoing conflict.
The 83-year-old Carter walked into this highly volatile pro-Sudanese government town to meet refugees too frightened to attend a scheduled meeting at a nearby compound.
Carter was able to make it to a school where he met with one tribal representative and was preparing to go further into the town when Sudanese security services interrupted.
"You can't go. It's not on the program!" the local security chief, who only gave his first name as Omar, yelled at Carter, who is in Darfur as part of a delegation of respected international figures known as "The Elders."
"We're going to anyway!" an angry Carter retorted, telling security officers they didn't have the authority to stop him.
We never thought we'd say this, but we're on Carter's side on this one. Wouldn't it be nice if as a result he gained some insight as to what the president of the United States has to put up with from impertinent foreign chieftains? But we're sure that'd be too much to ask.
Self-Chosen
People
"A renowned atheist cited the 'Jewish lobby' as a model for his campaign
to promote atheism in the United States," reports the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency:
Richard Dawkins said he wanted to gain the same kind of influence as the Jewish lobby, saying it "monopolizes" U.S. foreign policy.
"When you think about how fantastically successful the Jewish lobby has been, though, in fact, they are less numerous I am told--religious Jews anyway--than atheists and [yet they] more or less monopolize American foreign policy as far as many people can see," Dawkins, a British evolutionary biologist who advocates atheism, told the Guardian newspaper. "So if atheists could achieve a small fraction of that influence, the world would be a better place."
Embracing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories does not seem the most effective way for atheists to expand their influence, at least not in America. Besides, to what end exactly does Dawkins seek to expand atheists' influence? Does he want to create a homeland for atheists, à la Israel? But there already was one--it was called the Soviet Union--and we all remember how well that worked out.
Where
Are They Now?
This intriguing though enigmatic entry appeared in Monday's "Police Log"
of the Daily Tar Heel, student newspaper of the University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill (third item):
Graduate student Linda Elizabeth Quiquivix was arrested Thursday for assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, according to University police reports.
She was issued a $3,000 secured bond.
Alert readers will recall Miss Quiquivix, an alumna of California State, Northridge, from Valentine's Day, when we noted her hateful screed against her "white Jewish [former] boyfriend with tendencies for black supremacy" whom she had dumped because he did not share her pro-Hezbollah views.
We searched the Tar Heel's site for further information on Miss Quiquivix's alleged crime, but we searched in vain. We'll keep an eye out, though.
Most
People Already Have It
"Scientist Seeks Contempt for Journalists"--headline, Associated Press,
Oct. 2
Take
Off Every 'ZIG'!!
"Toy Recall 'Gift' Recalled"--headline, Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa),
Oct. 3
Just
Another Day at the Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse
"Braves, Outfielder Andruw Jones Cut
Ties"--headline, Associated Press, Oct. 2
At
That Price, It Comes With Two Pair of Pants
"Anna Nicole Smith Book Prompts $60M Suit"--headline, Associated Press,
Oct. 2
Haven't
They Heard Drinking and Driving Don't Mix?
"Report: Millions Wasted on Gov't Travel"--headline, Associated Press,
Oct. 3
Maybe
We Should Let the Thin Guy Drive
"Obesity Driving Rising U.S. Health Costs"--headline, HealthDay.com,
Oct. 2
But
Did She Have the Combination?
"Missing Fla. Teenage Girl Found Safe"--headline, Associated Press,
Oct. 2
'And
This Is How a Bill Becomes a Law . . .'
"Lawmaker Shows Nude Photo to Students"--headline, Associated Press,
Oct. 3
Breaking
News From 1861
"Secessionists Meet in Tennessee"--headline, Associated Press, Oct. 3
Breaking
News From 1926
"Lagerfeld: Valentino Should Not Retire"--headline, Associated Press,
Oct. 3
Breaking
News From 1945
"First Flu Shot Clinic to Be Offered Sunday"--headline, Flint (Mich.)
Journal, Oct. 1
News You Can Use
- "Playing With Blocks Helps With Language, Study Finds"--headline,
Reuters,
Oct. 1
- "Doctor-Assisted Suicide Doesn't Abuse Vulnerable"--headline,
Reuters,
Oct. 2
- "Regional Nuclear War Could Trigger Mass Starvation"--headline,
New
Scientist, Oct. 3
- "City's Advice on Acorns: Just Deal With Them"--headline, Green Bay (Wis.) Press-Gazette, Oct. 3
Bottom Stories of the Day
- "Barry Not Talking About Recent Home Burglary"--headline, WTOP-FM
Web site (Washington), Oct. 2
- "Railroad and Talc Museum Set to Open"--headline, Daily
Citizen (Dalton, Ga.), Sept. 30
- "Ex-Backup Punter Sentenced to Seven Years"--headline, Associated
Press, Oct. 2
- "Brasilia Governor Bans Verb Form, Citing Inefficiency"--headline,
Bloomberg,
Oct. 2
- "Canada Separatist Boss Duceppe Denies Plan to Quit"--headline, Reuters, Oct. 2
Back
to School
The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk reports on the rehabilitation of Michael Vick:
Vick took notes, asked questions and seemed especially moved by the Bible passages on animals.
It was all part of an eight-hour course on empathy and animal protection that the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback took last month at the Norfolk headquarters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
PETA, which has sought a harsh prison sentence for Vick in his federal dogfighting case, announced Tuesday that it had invited the Newport News native to take the class after his guilty plea in August. . . .
Vick attended the day long seminar alone. He sat in a conference room with [PETA's Dan] Shannon and listened to six presenters. He asked several questions and seemed especially interested in the science behind animals' ability to feel pain, Shannon said. In one session he read Bible passages about caring for animals.
For lunch, Vick ate a vegetarian sandwich and "actually enjoyed it quite a bit," Shannon said.
This reminded us of an earlier Virginian-Pilot article, from Oct. 15, 2005:
The cats and dogs two PETA employees have been charged with euthanizing and dumping in an Ahoskie garbage bin were killed by injections of pentobarbital, a barbiturate commonly used to put down animals, according to new warrants issued and served on Friday.
Additionally, the two employees were charged with three felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. The charges allege that they euthanized three cats from an Ahoskie veterinarian after promising to find the animals new homes, according to the new warrants.
PETA employees Andrew B. Cook, 24, of Virginia Beach, and Adria J. Hinkle, 27, of Norfolk, were served with warrants on 22 felony charges of animal cruelty and the three felony charges of obtaining property by false pretense in court on Friday.
Cook and Hinkle were acquitted of cruelty, the News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C., reported this past February. "What they got were littering convictions--for throwing out the dead animals."
We're certainly glad that Michael Vick is learning to treat animals with empathy and ethics. We just hope he doesn't learn the wrong lesson and end up becoming a litterbug.
(Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Thomas Brueckner, Heather Higgins, Greg Lahr, Brian Kalt, Steve Edwards, Rod Pennington, Ed Jordan, Joe Pelchat, Dan O'Shea, Glenn Rowan, Jed Flint, Ethel Fenig, Dorothy Olson, Duncan Witte, Kyle Kyllan, Zach Buhler, Bruce Goldman, Geoff Hazel, Don Stewart, Greg Behrens, Jeff Dobbs, Dennis Fitzwilliam, Rosanne Klass, Douglas Noren, Doug Black, Tim Willis, Paul Giansante, Craig Hildreth, Billy Harvey, Tom Sattler, John Williamson, Paul Joseph, Ron Miller, Jan Nicholas and Paul Wood. If you have a tip, write us at opinionjournal@wsj.com, and please include the URL.)
Today on OpinionJournal:
- Review & Outlook: Putin the Great: The arc of his authoritarian revival.
- Joshua Muravchik (from Commentary): Neoconservatism is still the only game in town.
- Bartle Bull: We're winning because the Iraqis want us to--Moqtada al-Sadr included.
