Mucho ado about nothing
Don't believe any of the blathering nonsense being spewed forth in the press about the Bush administration seeking to slash EPA Superfund money. In response to the media's overblown coverage, Jack Shafer of Slate provides a thorough Fisking of Times writer Katharine Q. Seelye for her biased and manipulative reporting of the Superfund issue.

(An aside: why do I feel like the NY Times is being ghost-written by the DNC lately? Seriously, just read Bob Herbert's latest screed, as full of misinformation as misguided ideology. Is the environment really getting worse, against all evidence pointing to the contrary? Or are we just trying to tarnish a still-extremely popular Republican president?)

Not as smart as his pa
Saddam Hussein's stepson was arrested in Miami after apparently trying to enroll in flight school without a proper visa. Dumbass.

*Update--Belated bad humor--maybe he should've tried Mastercard.

Empty threats
The US has decided not to pull out of the UN peacekeeping mission in Bosnia just yet because our representatives at that wonderful body have apparently seen a glimmer of hope for a resolution over the ICC impasse. In addition, some council envoys made a veiled threat against Israel in an attempt to manipulate the US to move towards acceptance of the court's jurisdiction over its troops:

"In addition to the Bosnia operation, four other U.N. peacekeeping missions come up for renewal in July alone, including the U.N. mission in southern Lebanon, which polices the volatile border between Israel and Lebanon."

"Shutting down that mission in a spat over the new court's powers could have serious security implications for close U.S. ally Israel, council envoys warned."

What bugs me here is the fact that the UN people have done little to protect Israel, and always scuttle out of "hot" areas. Syria, ironically temporary head of the Security Council right now, bears full responsibility for all hostilities in the border region, as their troops not only occupy Lebanon, but they also give a free hand to Hezbollah to terrorize Israel from across the border and funnel arms through Damascus from Iran. Of course, a quick glance at history books would also reveal that before the '67 war, the UN peacekeepers gladly relocated so that Egypt could mass its troops along Israel's Sinai border, and UN soldiers have stood by while countless other atrocities were committed during many other missions. Tell me again why we even bother with these people?

Rupert Murdoch is a genius
FoxNews has been the cable news king for six months now, and recent changes at CNN have failed to reverse CNN's fortunes, although their ratings did go up slightly. Really, FoxNews is a success not because it's better broadcast journalism than CNN, and I don't entirely agree with those who attribute it to the glut of "confrontational" shows on FoxNews. Rather, I think the key reason is Murdoch knew that there was a gold mine to be had by tapping into the deep-seated belief of those millions of people who feel that the news is biased and liberal. Really, all FoxNews did is make more of an effort to include the conservative viewpoint; their coverage is fairly similar in bias to other stations simply because "objective" journalism is never just that--there's always a slant.

Good ol' Mexican justice
I'm sorry, but I completely feel that this is a great way to treat child molesters and rapists. Okay okay, I'd settle for chemical castration, but I won't be shedding any tears for this guy.

Powerpuff violence
Hey, maybe I'd enjoy watching this movie after all.

Your tax dollars at work
Remember, airport security is now federally funded, so incidents like this are only more evidence that government involvement inspires less competence, not more. Thanks to underperformin' Norman, our airport security strip-searches old ladies instead of going after the real threats.

I guess the Euro didn't help much
The German economy is still crashing and burning, giving the center-right a major theme to run on in the coming elections. The EU countries as a whole will need to cut back on social spending and waste to compete with the American and Asian economies and it will take more right-leaning leadership to accomplish that.

Again I say
Nuke 'em. If we can't reform 'em, fry 'em.

Malaria and DDT
I read a good article in the Orange County Register op-ed section today, but thanks to the Register's love of frames, I can't link directly to it. Essentially, the authors gave evidence showing that when big government bureaucrats and NGOs (at the advice of alarmist environmentalists) think they know best, people die--in this case millions of them. Despite DDT's record as a hazardous insecticide having been almost entirely refuted, and against the knowledge that even sparing and careful use of the chemical would save millions of deaths from malaria, the World Health Organization--among others--is continuing to oppose its use to fight malaria-laden mosquitos and tetse flies and insist on its blanket ban even in areas of the world where the benefits in lives saved would far outweigh any of the supposed environmental costs (which, as I said, have been disproven anyway).

It almost makes me wonder if these high-ups are letting the people die because of racist motives (Nah, only white Southerners, fundamentalist Christians, and conservative Republicans are guilty of that), or perhaps they still fear the "Population Bomb" and therefore are content to let millions die so that we don't overpopulate our planet and cause irreparable damage. Then again, these are often the same people crying loudest about drug companies not giving away their AIDS and HIV-fighting drugs for free (which they in fact do to some extent) when the real villians are those politicians in Africa who contribute to the ignorance and spread of the disease among their own people.

LA secession
It could happen this November, and here's why. Personally, I am for it, as I think the only way to reform the Los Angeles municipality is to first take a sledgehammer to it, and then start over.

Are we supposed to be surprised?
Actually, this is just more evidence that we're taking the wrong approach, and that we need to follow the Israeli model of looking for terrorists rather than looking for bombs, weapons, and nail clippers. This means we need to start profiling. Until we get with it, we're wasting our time and doing nothing more than needlessly annoying passengers and running up high security costs.

Please, no Bush-bashing on the economy
Andrew Sullivan lays it out for those who would see a demise for the American economy based on recent corporate and accounting scandals:

"After the crash of 1987, the Democrats and liberals made every effort to portray the 1980s as a decade of greed, fomented by selfish Republicans. But that is politically much harder to do with the 1990s. It was an era when the Democrats finally managed to persuade Americans that they could manage the economy. Today, the Democrats don't have any deep incentive to alter that perception. That's why they want to link the current corporate excess with a Republican administration - a strategy undermined solely by the facts."

Of course, it's a given that Democrats will campaign on this stuff and conveniently ignore the fact that if there was any fault here on a president, it lies solely at the feet of Bill Clinton.

What's up with judges these days?
First it was the Pledge decision, and now a district judge says the federal death penalty is unconstitutional. This also is sure to be overturned, but if there is a lesson to be learned here, it's that DNA testing shuold be required in all capital cases to eliminate the possibility of fudging the evidence and ensure that only the truly guilty are punished.

World Cup wrap-up
The tournament is finally over, and despite the awkward TV times, I managed to catch most of the games live. My overall impression is that the game has taken a major egalitarian turn; so many countries stepped up and proved that they could play with the big boys. However, traditional team stereotypes also proved accurate, as if to show that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Hats off to Japan and South Korea for being great hosts; they (especially S. Korea) proved the naysayers wrong with the quality of the venues, the hospitality (by all accounts), and most remarkably, the mettle of their teams. I particularly enjoyed watching Japan and was bummed they couldn't get beyond the Round of 16, as their ferocious quickness was a marvel to behold. And South Korea looked very strong, powerful, and relentless. The two Asian qualifiers (China and Saudi Arabia) showed they were nowhere near the level of play of the co-hosts and made quick, lopsided exits. The Korean team thrilled its fans but sadly never got off the peninsula (an appearance in the final in Japan would have been great ironic drama).

The biggest disappointments I think were the African teams. I was appalled that Cameroon could lose to Germany even when up one and then two men, and Nigeria showed its youth and inexperience. Tunisia and South Africa were not expected to impress, and they didn't. Senegal ended up the surprise, upending France in the very first game and moving on to become the only African team to advance. Methinks that maybe the African athleticism has been overstated a bit, but nevertheless there is tons of talent there for the picking if only the continent had the money to develop some decent leagues.

The CONCACAF teams were steady, with Mexico and USA each advancing to the Second Round and Costa Rica being sent home by Turkey and Brazil. Costa Rica just peaked too early, while Mexico dominated their group unexpectedly--most expected the Italians to cakewalk. The USA plainly did not deserve to advance after its showing against Poland and every American involved with US soccer should be kissing Korea's collective ass for that bit of luck. Of course, Portugal stunk and didn't deserve to go either, so perhaps the US deserved to advance by default. All this is not to say that we didn't have a great team--we did, and they proved it against Mexico and Germany--it's just that the way we advanced was sickening. And Mexico.... All I can say is, I root for Mexico most of the time, but I also despise them. I've played soccer against Mexicans, and it seems to be in their mentality that it is okay to play cheap, to commit dirty fouls, and to act. I have no respect for that and until the Mexicans can start playing like gentlemen, I hope they keep getting one-upped by us norteamericano bullies.

The South American teams were all over the map. Paraguay showed flashes of brilliance but in general suffered a lack of talent. Ecuador also was not impressive. Uruguay proved it had the skills to advance, if not the luck, while Argentina succumbed to the hype. Frankly, I've never been impressed by them, and they don't seem to do nearly as well when they can't get away with using their hands. The England-Argentina match was supposed to be a blockbuster, but Argentina was shut down nonchalantly. Sweden just plain embarrassed them. Brazil, however, was Brazil. One might say that the demise of Brazilian soccer has been proven to be greatly exaggerated. They won every game, and while they can be faulted for a bit of luck in the first Turkey game, they proved the second time around that they really were the better team. The flair was there, and so was the defense and goalkeeping, surprisingly. My one complaint is that some of the Brazilian players can act with the best of them, especially Rivaldo and Ronaldo. In general, they act like a bunch of wussies out there and seem afraid to play physical soccer. But there is no denying the immense talent on that squad, as seems to be the case year in and year out. The country is just a superstar soccer stud factory, and they deserved the championship.

And then there are the European teams. Of course, no team from Europe has ever won a World Cup outside of Europe, and that held true again, so maybe predictions of a French dynasty were a bit premature. As a matter of fact, I was shocked not that France got bounced early, but that they couldn't even score a goal. Undoubtedly the injuries to their midfield were consequential, but how do you have the leading scorers from the Italian and English premier leagues (Trezeguet and Henry) and fail to score a goal? Unbelievable.

Oh, and let's not forget the whining Italians. Hey, pardon my French, but fuck the Italians. They are snobs in their country, and they're whiners in soccer, too. They play ugly soccer, are content to score a goal and play lock-down defense (even when they don't have the talent to truly do so), and think everything should go their way by divine right. Of course officials screwed up and called back a couple goals; no doubt Italy was robbed there. But they blew other chances, so I don't want to hear any of it, and that threat by the Italian club owner to dump the Korean player who scored against them was plain petty.

Portugal was arguably the most overrated squad out there. Luis Figo is good but he looked tired and exhausted from his club schedule, and the Portuguese defense was laughable. Not only that, but they were just plain stupid to get two red cards against South Korea. Their Iberian neighbors Spain lived up to their disappointing reputation and proved they can whine almost as well as the Italians.

I can't say much about Slovenia, Croatia, Russia, and Poland. The Slavs were collectively very disappointing, and the Russian rioters in Moscow didn't warm my perception of them either.

On the other hand, I love Ireland, and their fans are the greatest. Ireland plays with so much heart, and at the end of the day--win or lose--their fans salute them proudly. Roy Keane was not missed.

The Scandinavian teams proved the shockers of the tournament, with Denmark and Sweden each winning their group. Denmark in particular looked daunting after their dismantling of France, but England humbled them. Meanwhile the Swedes looked downright dangerous on the attack, with their feet and their heads. Sweden-Senegal was a match you hate to see because someone has to go home the loser, and unfortunately for Sweden, Senegal was able to get the Golden Goal.

England was, well, England. Hot and cold, brilliant and embarrassing, unstoppable and flimsy....If you look up "inconsistent" in the dictionary, you'll find a photo of the English team right there. They looked magnificent against Denmark, stodgy against Nigeria and Argentina, but clumsy against Sweden (a match they should have won), and intimidated by Brazil. In fact, England apparently never came out of the locker room at halftime of the Brazil game, and they weren't particularly impressive in the first half either. I love England, but rooting for them is as bad as rooting for USC football--they always disappoint in the end and their glory years were about thirty years ago.

Belgium, how did they get in? Talk about boring soccer. Germany was supposed to be boring and weak, but they looked sharp. I was very impressed, and no doubt Oliver Kahn had a great deal to do with their run. Sure he had trouble handling a rocket shot from Rivaldo, but then who wouldn't, especially in the rain? They were downright scary in the air, and their defense looked impenetrable at times. I retain my biggest compliment for their ball handling skills and passing precision, however--stuff that I wouldn't expect from Germany.

And then there was my favorite team of the tournament: Turkey. From their opening game against Brazil, I was impressed; they didn't back down, they fought hard, and they had some major skills at every position on the field. I applaud their third place finish, although I would've liked to have seen them upset Brazil for payback's sake. A Turkey-Germany final would've been great, too--I could just have imagined the riots that might have broken out in Germany had the Turks won that one. Incidentally, I was in Turkey when Fehnerbace (sp.) won the Turkish soccer league title over Galatasaray (at least I think I remember that correctly) in May, 2001. I just love that country, for many reasons. I expect Sas, Ilhan, Umit Davala (ugh--what a terrible mohawk) and the goalie to be hot commodities this year as the various European powerhouse clubs make efforts to strengthen their squads.

Speaking of hot commodities, I think American players and Senegalese players also can count on some fat paychecks coming; there will be a lot of competition for their services. It's too bad MLS doesn't have the financial wherewithal to hold onto its biggest stars and lure others from overseas.

The final was good, and Brazil deserved to win. There were some exciting almost-goals, and Ronaldo's pair were splendid finishes. Ronaldo's haircut was ridiculous, but I understood the message behind it; the statement was that Brazil needed to push their players forward and attack to win, and they did. I already can't wait for qualifying to begin for the 2006 tournament!

Telling us what we already knew
The link between poverty and lack of education to terrorism is tenuous at best:

"In light of our results, we would urge intellectuals and policymakers to exercise caution in presuming that poverty and education have a direct and causal impact on terrorism."

Nyuck nyuck nyuck
Should've seen this coming:

"I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION, (SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE), INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL"

No European anti-Semitism?
Liberal Jews now recognize it:

"Even the left isn't immune from the growing sense of siege. In a recent interview, the liberal novelist Amos Oz confessed he's haunted by his father's observation that, before the Holocaust, European graffiti read, 'JEWS TO PALESTINE,' only to be transformed in our time into, 'JEWS OUT OF PALESTINE.' The message to Jews, noted Oz: 'Don't be here and don't be there. That is, don't be....'"

"But in the last few months Israeli despair has broadened. Israelis now fear not only that they will never be accepted in the Middle East, but also that they will never be accepted in the world at large...."

"'The suspicion slips into the heart that maybe the ultra-Orthodox were right when they warned that a sovereign state for Jews would annoy the nations and bring annihilation on the remnant of the Jewish people,' wrote Peggy Cidor, a former left-wing activist, in Kol Hazman, a secular Jerusalem newspaper. 'The state of Israel, which was intended to give the Jews an entry ticket into the family of nations, didn't deliver the goods. We're still being judged by separate standards; there is still no proportion between our actions and the responses around the world.... It was nice to feel like everyone else for a while, but that seems to be over.... The state of Israel has turned into the "Jew" of the nations....'"

"Most of all, it's American support that keeps Israelis from total despair. The United States is the great exception that doesn't prove the rule. It challenges the subversive Jewish voice that whispers, 'Don't trust the goyim; at the moment of truth, they'll betray you.' Israelis know that in moments of truth, the United States has stood with them and presumably will do so again. President George W. Bush's tacit endorsement, in his Rose Garden speech this week, of Sharon's strategy--denying Arafat's terrorist war any political gain--has reinforced Israeli faith in the United States."

"Israel's psychological struggle is between the optimism of the '90s and the despair of the '70s. International detractors who turn every Israeli act of war into a war crime and subject the Jewish state to a level of moral judgment not applied to any other nation are inciting the very hard-line forces they deplore.... Those Israelis who cling to Zionism's promise and insist on remaining part of the world are fighting for their lives."

From this fantastic article in The New Republic by Yossi Klein Halevi.

Old news
Yes, but it was still a shock to me. I just came across a brief mention of a mural that now apparently exists on the wall of a Scottish church depicting Jesus being held by his mother near the cross, with Roman guards and Israeli soldiers standing nearby. A more complete description and the story, along with links to newspaper accounts and the actual mural, are here. Something about that sort of blatant political anti-Semitism in what should be a house of worship deeply disturbs me.

Brazil 2, Germany 0
Yes, I had to watch it on the Spanish channel in order to see it en vivo, but it was well worth it. Brasil looked superb, with Ronaldo executing two brilliant, opportunistic goals to beat the best goalkeeper in the world (Initially I think Ronaldo was intimidated by him, especially in the first half). I'll have a complete rundown of my thoughts on the World Cup, the teams, players, and champions, later.