Not Even in South Park?
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on April 27th, 2010 4:31 am by HL
Not Even in South Park?
Ross Douthat, New York Times
Two months before 9/11, Comedy Central aired an episode of “South Park” entitled “Super Best Friends,” in which the cartoon show’s foul-mouthed urchins sought assistance from an unusual team of superheroes. These particular superfriends were all religious figures: Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Mormonism’s Joseph Smith, Taoism’s Lao-tse — and the Prophet Muhammad, depicted with a turban and a 5 o’clock shadow, and introduced as “the Muslim prophet with the powers of flame.”That was a more…
New Immigration Law Won’t Survive Legal Challenge
James Doty, Salon
Minutes after signing the nation's toughest illegal immigration law, Arizona governor Jan Brewer was asked about her confidence in its ability to withstand a legal challenge. Even the most complex legal wars begin with public relations battles, and the question provided the governor a good opportunity for a first strike — a full-throated defense of the law's legality. She passed.“Well, you know,” Brewer said, “it's probably going to survive, I think, i-i-in most areas.”The governor's hesitation was warranted. Although Brewer might be right…
Palin Inc.
Gabriel Sherman, New York Magazine
On the morning of July 3, 2009, a national holiday, Sarah Palin placed a call to her communications director and told her that she wanted to hold a press conference at her Wasilla, Alaska, home. She wouldn’t disclose the topic. For Palin, the months since Election Day had been a letdown even bigger than the loss to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Being governor was drudgery. “Her life was terrible,” one adviser says. “She was never home, her [Juneau] office was four hours from her house. You gotta drive an hour from Wasilla to Anchorage. And she was going…
The Palestine Peace Distraction
Richard Haass, Wall Street Journal
President Obama recently said it was a “vital national security interest of the United States” to resolve the Middle East conflict. Last month, David Petraeus, the general who leads U.S. Central Command, testified before Congress that “enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests.” He went on to say that “Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples . . . and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the…
