No Snickering: The story of offensively-named English towns. Some were so bad that they couldn’t be printed in the NY Times.
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.
