Short Cuts

Monday, March 24, 2003

A Brief Respite From The Storm: Here's a rundown on who won the Oscars for those of you who couldn't not tear yourself from the war. The promised career-ending anti-American behavior was kept to a minimum, conceivably informed by the lesson of the Dixie Chicks last week. The only real exception was the odoriferous Michael Moore (trust us, he lives in the neighborhood) spewing some ineffectual traitorous bile. This was nicely offset by Steve Martin's comment that "the scene backstage was sweet. Teamsters were helping Moore into the trunk of his limo."

Blowback: Harlan Ullman, the author of the military concept of "Shock and Awe" comments in the New York Post on the release of the video of dead American POWs and why it was a fatal mistake for the Iraqis to execute and air. The controversy as to whether the pictures should have been aired on American TV or posted on the Internet will rage for several days. As unpleasant as it is, we shouldn't be treated like children. We must all be aware of the depth of human degradation this enemy is capable of. Look away if you must but the nation needs to know.

Kudos:....To the Jerusalem Post for scooping the discovery of a chemical plant less than 100 miles from Baghdad. In case you missed it, this is the original story. Late Sunday, Fox News was on it and eventually the Pentagon confirmed. Apparently, an Iraqi general found on the huge installation is chatting at some length to allied interrogators. We hope this goes well, that the conversations are low key and pleasant, and that a pillowcase filled with oranges will not be necessary. This should be today's story to watch for obvious reasons.

Nicely Put: Richard Johnson's Page Six has a clever little comment on what it was like to cover the Oscar parties with most of the A-List cringing from the possibility of looking like they were enjoying themselves - behavior that speaks to their courage of conviction. "It started to dawn on us reporters that we were like U.N. weapons inspectors. We knew the celebs were out there, but they were being moved around, out of sight. We started to feel Hans Blix's pain."

Calling Dr. Phil: The mother of Hasan Akbar, the Army sergeant who fragged his sleeping comrades says he's being accused because "he is a Muslim." We haven't had time to look it up but we distinctly recall the punishment for treason and red-handed murder in the military was a speedy court martial and the firing squad. We hope this hasn't changed. We don't want to read stories about how he was "misunderstood" and had an unfortunate childhood. All this guy should need is a cigarette and a blindfold.

-Your Keyboard Warrior LComStaff