IT’S A KRUGMAN VS. CAVUTO CAGE MATCH! Matthew Hoy says Krugman’s all wrong about the BBC and concludes “media criticism is not Krugman’s strong point.”

(Via — well, just guess.)

NIRAH SAYS that Arundhati Roy must hate Iraqis.

THERE’S LOTS OF NEW STUFF over at Asymmetrical Information and at Virginia Postrel’s. Don’t miss it.

HIGH-SCHOOL BLOGGER THE LONE DISSENTER is real, according to Donald Sensing. With posts like this one I was wondering:

Today Kotter told us that the imperialism of the United States during the Spanish-American War was an echo of Bush’s imperialism during the Iraq War. No, I didn’t confuse the two. That’s the way he said it.

Well, you know what they say: “What’s past is epilogue!” [They don’t say that! — Ed. I know, it’s irony. Oh. They must have skipped that at j-school. — Ed. Indeed.]

MICKEY KAUS has lots more on the latest developments regarding Howell Raines and The New York Times.

Meanwhile Eric Muller suggests that the New York Times bring in an “independent journalist” to investigate. And I’ve got just the guy!

Finally, Stephen Rittenberg wonders when journalism became psychotherapy.

UPDATE: Then there’s this and this. Ouch.

(Via Ken Layne).

ANOTHER UPDATE: Oh my God not this!

POSTWAR ARAB BLUES: Charles Paul Freund, connoisseur of Arabic pop culture, has some interesting observations.

I AM NOT NOW, NOR HAVE I EVER BEEN, a bow-tie wearer. Nor shall I ever be.

Er, except with a tuxedo, of course. That’s different.

THIS ARTICLE ON AN ECONOMIC DOOMSDAY SCENARIO FOR EUROPE gives some idea of what’s worrying European leaders, and why their strategy has been so anti-American in the mideast:

For Ifri, Europe has two basic problems. The first is its dwindling population. From 2000 to 2050, the institute projects a decline in the EU’s active population from 331 million to 243 million. Over the same period, the active populations of Greater China and South Asia move ahead, while the North American grouping rises from 269 million to 355 million.
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The second involves technological progress and capital accumulation. In these areas, according to the reference scenario, North America “continues to suck in a good part of the world’s savings,” while Europe depends on “savings and domestic investment” for capital. North America remains “the locus of innovative activity,” the projection says, even though Europe will make gains in productivity, cutting the size of its lag behind the leaders.

What can Europe do? If things go along as at present, according to the reference scenario, “the decline of Europe is confirmed and the EU with 30 members becomes a second rank economic power.”

But in a more favorable second scenario, Ifri projects the creation of an area of “integrated development” that includes Europe, Russia and the south shore (the Arab countries) of the Mediterranean.

We should respond by opening up immigration. This piece sits interestingly with this piece on the possibility of a U.S. / European Cold War. He puts the odds at around 40%, which seems about right to me. I hope, of course, that this can be avoided, but the article above stresses Europeans’ desire to be a rival to America.

HERE’S A STORY on the Lott/Ayres/Donohue fight over guns that’s rather sympathetic to Lott.

What’s most striking to me, though, is another study, by antigun researchers, that tries to measure gun ownership by suicide rates. (And it’s not mentioned here, but I believe there was another that tried to use subscriptions to gun magazines as a proxy.) This seems rather bogus to me, and I can only imagine the general derision if this kind of proxy were employed by researchers whose work supported gun ownership.

While people throw stones at Lott, whether deservedly or not, it’s worth remembering that the anti-gun side has been throwing out utter bilge disguised as “research” for years without a peep from the usual guardians of scientific rigor.

UPDATE: Tim Lambert emails that Gary Kleck uses the suicides-as-proxy methodology in his work. That’s news to me, but then, as I’ve said before, the criminology side of these things is not my area of expertise. I’ve asked him for details.

ANOTHER UPDATE: For more on the bogus science I’m referring to, here’s an article on the CDC and its anti-gun research. This is worth reading, too.

HUGE MASS GRAVE FOUND IN IRAQ: A British reader sends the link with this comment:

BBC Radio Five Live panel discussion currently on air featuring anti-war creep whose attitude to discovery is “So what? We knew mass graves were there. This is just a propaganda attempt at post hoc justification.”

Now we know where they get the people who dig the holes.

Ordinarily I’d have excised the word “creep,” but it seems to fit here.

UPDATE: Another reader emails:

Your reader’s wrong. Such people will never, EVER be found digging the holes.

The line should be “now we know where they get the people who keep the guns on others and force them to dig the holes.”

But I guess that’s too long. And, frankly, too graphic. In fact, everything about my revised version is apalling and unconcionable except for one thing:

It’s historically true.

Indeed.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader John Wilson emails:

You have probably received this one hundred times by now, but Clint Eastwood said it best in “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly:”

Man With No Name: “You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.”

Ah, the clarity provided by westerns. Even Italian made westerns.

That’s why people love — or hate — westerns: the clarity.

I HAVEN’T PAID MUCH ATTENTION to the AWOL Texas legislators, but Bill Hobbs has.

When the 14th Amendment was up for ratification in Tennessee, the same thing happened — a bunch of legislators absented themselves to avoid a quorum. The Sergeant-at-Arms hired Pinkertons, chased them down (one was recovered after “a wild night-chase over mountains on mule-back”), and brought them to the Capitol. They were then marked “present” and locked in a closet until the voting was over. Thus, Tennessee became the first state of the old Confederacy to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment.

Not that I’m suggesting a parallel here or anything. I just won’t ever get another chance to use that story.

IS MINNESOTA BECOMING A RED STATE? Geitner Simmons looks at the evidence.

HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS ON THE CASE WESTERN SHOOTING, from someone at the school. Excerpt:

The first things I thought of (being completely open and honest here – in temporal order) as I learned of the events unfolding next door was 1) to be angry that Ohioans are not allowed to carry concealed firearms, 2) I was grateful the shooter did not choose the Law School, and 3) I was saddened that someone was emotionally disturbed enough to do this. I am not suggesting a non-law enforcement person with a concealed firearm should have searched the building to stop the shooter in this situation. I cannot accurately say what I would have done had I been in the building next door instead of where I was. But I can say I believe the shooter would not have been at large for 7 hours had one or more persons been carrying a concealed firearm and had known how to use it. Many will say, and have said already, in response to this incident that this is the best argument for more restrictive firearm regulations. I realize not everyone is comfortable around firearms. I also realize my experience may be a little different than the average person: I was a primary marksmanship instructor in the Marine Corps. I personally believe this is an argument for allowing concealed carry. I would feel much safer knowing I have the tools with which to protect myself and those immediately around me should I ever have the need to do so.

So would I.

GIRLS GONE BAD: Over at GlennReynolds.com.

ROGER AND ME: Blame Roger Simon. I’ve read his new novel Director’s Cut — it’s not out yet, but he sent me an advance copy — and then I got sucked into The Big Fix, and, now, Wild Turkey. I’ve enjoyed them all very much. He writes like Ken Layne with less booze. [Doesn’t everyone write like Ken Layne with less booze? — Ed. Not Tim Blair! Good point. — Ed.]

MORE CRUSHING OF DISSENT. I love this summary:

The US State Department accused Vietnam of using its laws to suppress dissent on the internet. Vietnamese officials denied the charges, saying they were merely using the law to surpress dissent on the internet.

Where’s Arundhati Roy to denounce this assault on free speech? Oh, wait, here she is. . .

JEFF JARVIS AND CHARLES JOHNSON are unhappy that the media are giving so little attention to the Saudi bombing. Actually, I think it’s a good thing. Terrorists exist to terrorize; it’s not working.

I think that this is a desperate effort by Al Qaeda to show that it can still do something. And the target audience is largely in Saudi Arabia and the Islamic world, not here. But the world has changed to their disadvantage. Against the backdrop of (false) security in the 1990s, stuff like this was big news. Now — next to the war in Iraq — this looks like small potatoes by skulking losers.

UPDATE: Bryon Scott, meanwhile, thinks that Osama is playing into our hands.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Michele thinks I’m wrong here. So does David Jones.

SAAD AL-FAGIH WRITES IN THE GUARDIAN that Osama is winning. But wait — who’s Al-Fagih? Oh, right:

Osama Bin Laden, the world’s most wanted man, has connections to a leading Saudi dissident based in London, BBC Radio’s Five Live Report has revealed.

The programme provides evidence that Saad Al-Fagih, a key figure in the London-based campaign opposed to the Saudi regime, bought a satellite phone that was later used by Osama Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda organisation.

On 30 July 1998 one of the suicide bombers who blew up the US embassy in Nairobi telephoned the satellite phone number: 00 873 682 505 331.

Eight days later the suicide bombers struck in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam killing 247 people.

The satellite phone was the very same one that had been bought by Saad Al-Fagih in November 1996.

Why is this guy writing for The Guardian instead of warming a cell somewhere? And why is the Guardian (and the BBC) just calling him a “dissident” instead of a “terrorist sympathizer or worse?”

Even more damning, the BBC story has Al-Fagih being defended by George Galloway.

UPDATE: Arthur Silber says the real target was Vinnell Corp., which provides military support services (which a cynic might say are mercenary in nature) to the Saudi government. Officially, though, it involves training and support contracts for the Saudi Arabian National Guard. Here’s a /Vinnell%20Arabia/Vinnell%20Arabia%20Recruiting%20Briefing-Revised%204%20Apr%2003_files/frame.htm">recruiting presentation by Vinnell. It’s not terribly informative. Here’s a more informative piece from John Pike’s GlobalSecurity.org, an outfit I generally regard as reliable. Excerpt:

Three independent Saudi bodies are charged with security duties. The Ministry of Defense and Aviation uses four uniformed services to protect against external military threats. The Saudi Arabian National Guard [SANG] is responsible for defending vital internal resources (oil fields and refineries), internal security, and supporting the Ministry of Defense and Aviation, as required. The Ministry of Interior is charged with internal security, police functions, and border protection. . . .

A small but highly skilled and diverse group, the US soldiers and Department of the Army civilians who make up OPM-SANG execute this multi-billion-dollar program throughout Saudi Arabia. Training is the backbone of this program. At the National Guard military schools, OPM-SANG advisors and contractor trainers help develop programs of instruction and specialty skill training courses.

In addition to OPM-SANG’s military and civilian contractor advisors and trainers, tailored training packages are arranged through the U.S. Army Security Assistance and Training Management Office. One such recently concluded training program was a three-month Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Course.

Interesting.

BILL HOBBS ASKS:

Why is the cable industry pushing legislation in Tennessee and other states that will give the cable industry the power to control what kind of devices you hook to the cable outlet in your home? Because they want to be able to force you to rent their devices. Soon, if HB 457 and SB 213 become law in Tennessee, the cable industry will be able to declare the TiVo an “unauthorized” device and apply civil and criminal proceedings to any consumer who uses one. Of course, they’ll probably drop the charges and end the lawsuits if you agree to rent their digital video recorder.

Yet another reason to hate the cable company. Like we needed one.

SEX ON CAMPUS: Erin O’Connor has been covering a bunch of stories that I haven’t, including one from Kansas in which a state legislator seems to have made shamefully false statements. The professor she attacked is demanding an investigation by the Kansas Attorney General now. And I’m not sure that legislative immunity would bar a libel suit in these circumstances.

Heh. For a legislator to cross swords with a tenured professor is a risky move, especially when the legislator is, you know, in the wrong. Tenured professors have a lot more job security than legislators, they’re usually pretty good at expressing themselves, and they tend to hold grudges. And who has more to lose here?

UPDATE: Oops, I misread this. It’s the state legislator who asked for the investigation by the Attorney General, not the professor. Sorry.

Some Kansas readers say that local media coverage makes it look worse than the stuff on Erin O’Connor’s blog, but they didn’t include any links. If you’ve got some, send ’em.

ANOTHER UPDATE: An intrepid reader sends this, this, this, and this. I’d call it State Senator 0, professor 4.

“IT BARES REPEATING:” A host of readers have sent this link to The Smoking Gun’s copy of a memo to New York Times staffers from “Arthur, Howell and Gerald” that contains a howling (Howelling?) error.

Even in the big leagues, apparently, spell-checkers breed a false sense of security. It certainly doesn’t suggest that they’ve gotten into the habit of going over copy with a fine-tooth comb just yet.

Meanwhile Matt Welch has a suggestion on how Blair-type events could be prevented. It’s cheap, easy to implement, and likely to work. Naturally, it’s unlikely to be adopted.

But I think it “bares” considering.

WENDY MCELROY WRITES ON MALE-BASHING in the media, and in public policy.

JAILED IRANIAN BLOGGER SINA MOTALLEBI has now been released. Jeff Jarvis has more, including a link to this Newsweek article on the Blogosphere’s support for his cause, and for Iranian bloggers generally.

The Iranian blog crackdown is interpreted — correctly, I think — as yet another sign of the growing insecurity and out-of-touchness of the mullahs who, for the moment, continue to rule that unhappy country.

I HAVE A FRIEND WHOSE LIFE WAS RUINED BY ANNIE HALL. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but not as much of one as it ought to be. Now one of my wife’s filmmaker cronies (who doesn’t know the guy) has made a film called Burning Annie that, well, seems amazingly true to his life.

There are trailers, too. My favorite is the “quirky” one. And everyone in the cast has a “Bacon factor” of two.

UPDATE: Sean Fitzpatrick liked it:

Thanks for the link. Any additional info would be great.

If the movie is half as good as the trailers, let’s rev up the blogosphere and make Burning Annie the next Blair Witch Project.

Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about this that isn’t on the website. It’s just made by a guy my wife took a film class from once. But I thought the trailers were great, too.

THAT SAUDI BOMBING: I’m not sure I can improve on Andrea Harris’s take:

Let’s just drop all this “was it Al Qaeda? Or some other (insert some Arabic phrase)?” nonsense and call them something generic, like “the usual bunch of cretins.” And their motives are no big mystery; I am sure I know why the cretins blew up stuff in Saudi Arabia this time. They want to get rid of all the Westerners there, and then all the rest of the foreigners, Muslim though all those Indians and Indonesians and Malaysians might be. The Usual Bunch of Cretins are Arab supremacists just like the Nazis were “Aryan” supremacists. They are just another flavor of terror pie, like Bin Laden and his Taliban crew, and that joker we just kicked out of Iraq. It’s all from the same shelf of fly-specked, half-baked goods.

I think it’s a sign that their reach has grown short, when they can’t arrange terror attacks except in their own hometowns.

As for the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Saudi-controlled Arabia, well, it’s not a victory for them. Because, you see, you can’t invade a country if you’re already there. . . . .