Precarious Pandemonium

Slow Death
The Lockerbie bomber is believed to still be in Tripoli where he is dying of prostate cancer, Scotland's government said Monday, citing parole officials who had contact with the man's family....Al-Megrahi was convicted in 2001 over the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people. He was freed from a Scottish jail on compassionate grounds in August 2009 after doctors estimated he had only three months to live due to the cancer.  (Huffington Post, 8/30/2011)


So let's not trust Scotland's government this time, OK?


Tone Deaf
Some senior administration officials involved in the discussions noted that the tone set on this Sept. 11 should be shaped by a recognition that the outpouring of worldwide support for the United States in the weeks after the attacks turned to anger at some American policies adopted in the name of fighting terror — on detention, on interrogation, and the decision to invade Iraq. 


So the guidelines aimed at foreign audiences also call on American officials to praise overseas partners and their citizens, who have joined the worldwide effort to combat violent extremism.  (NYT, 8/30/2011)


The more we think about this, the angrier we get.  It is classic Obama.  The gist of which is - on a national day of remembrance - we have to be sensitive to how the rest of the world thinks because they did not like that we aggressively defended ourselves against terrorism.  But, it is even worse!  We have to thank them for their help.  Well, let's compare the body counts...


Lights Out
Not since the grim period after World War II has Germany had significant blackouts, but it is now bracing for that possibility after shutting down half its nuclear reactors practically overnight....on most days, Germany has survived this experiment only by importing electricity from neighboring France and the Czech Republic, which generate much of their power with nuclear reactors. ...Then there are real concerns that the plan will jettison efforts to rein in manmade global warming, since whatever nuclear energy’s shortcomings, it is low in emissions. (NYT, 8/30/2011)


Loved this one as it must have the enviros contorted.  So Germany shuts down nuclear reactors (Go Green!).  But it has to import electricity generated by....nuclear reactors.  Such nuclear reactors which are cleaner than alternatives like burning coal.  What's a person to think?