Non-Issues of the Day

Gay marriage. Jeff Goldstein calls Andrew Sullivan "Man of Nuance."

Sullivan should be ashamed of himself. But like all true believers who are no longer bound by anything other than their own selfish pragmatism, Andrew is willing to lay rhetorical waste to any of those whose convictions stand in the way of his own political / social desires, and he is willing to do so in such a way that attempts to demonize entire groups of people with one giant stroke of his ever-expanding broad brush. That he does so behind a shield of Catholicism that is at odds with, well, the Catholic Church itself, just goes to show just how cynical, conniving, and self-centered he has become.

Torture. Hey, it stopped the latest terror rampage, maybe it's not so bad in certain circumstances. (Like when interfering with plots to kill thousands of innocent people.)

According to a Pakistani official who declined to be identified discussing the investigation, Rauf quickly broke under interrogation. The questioning was probably not gentle; Pakistani security is known for its severe methods. There were reports that as Rauf was arrested, someone connected with Rauf may have tried to warn confederates back in Britain, maybe even order them to begin the operation. An intel official, who would not publicly discuss highly sensitive intelligence intercepts, told NEWSWEEK that a message was picked up from Rauf's cohort warning the other alleged plotters of his arrest—and urging them to proceed with the attacks. But in any case, his arrest apparently moved the Brits to swoop in on a number of houses around London and in the British Midlands starting the evening of Aug. 9. Eager to avoid another clumsy confrontation and shooting, police in London went in unarmed. (Authorities were also investigating whether Matiur Rehman, a militant believed to be close to Al Qaeda in Pakistan, was linked to the plot.)

Profiling. Can we now start searching mean looking Arab dudes and leave frumpy, lilly white mothers of nursing infants alone (me)? Ditto old ladies. I repeat: when a 30-something woman with a baby on her hip blows something up, do cavity checks if you have to. Until then, use some friggin' common sense you politically correct morons!

THE Government is discussing with airport operators plans to introduce a screening system that allows security staff to focus on those passengers who pose the greatest risk. The passenger-profiling technique involves selecting people who are behaving suspiciously, have an unusual travel pattern or, most controversially, have a certain ethnic or religious background.

The system would be much more sophisticated than simply picking out young men of Asian appearance. But it would cause outrage in the Muslim community because its members would be far more likely to be selected for extra checks.

Academic Uniformity. Diversity, so diverse, it's uniform.

The Left's positive affirmations when facing themselves in the mirror each morning, "I am relevant. I am relevant. I am relevant."

Jeff Goldstein is blogging better than ever. Perhaps he somehow got Deb Frisch incarcerated so he could focus.