Feb 052009
- No Snickering: The story of offensively-named English towns. Some were so bad that they couldn’t be printed in the NY Times.
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More Moscow Murder: The subtitle of the editorial says much: “Two critics of Vladimir Putin take bullets in the head.” These two dissidents — seeming defenders of individual rights against government power — were shot in the head in broad daylight on busy city streets in the heart of Moscow. They’re two more victims of eight years of President Bush’s faith-based foreign policy. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s what Bush said about Putin after a 2001 meeting:
I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul. He’s a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country and I appreciate very much the frank dialogue and that’s the beginning of a very constructive relationship.
In fact, as the editorial says, “What is indisputable is that Russians live in a political climate in which those who criticize Mr. Putin or the human rights violations of his government can be murdered with impunity.”
- How inane are the security procedures at American airports? Read this article from The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg and weep: The Things He Carried.
