Breast Ironing

Add another benighted misogynistic practice to genital mutilation and bodily disfigurement that girls have to endure in our world today. As to genital mutilation, it is the all too common practice performed generally by mothers or a female relative in some less advanced countries wherein the clitoris is cut off to take away the pleasure of a woman during sex in an effort to facilitate her chasteness. In regard to bodily disfigurement, male members in some weaker tribes mar the faces and bodies of their wives and daughters to make them less attractive to males of the stronger tribes. Now a new study by GTZ, a German development agency, shows that  one in four teenagers in Cameroon are subjected to the painful practice of breast ironing by their relatives to diminish their sexual allure. "Breast ironing" is a tradition in countries of central and western Africa wherein one, usually, mothers, press a young girl's breasts with a hard and/or heated object to stunt their growth. This chilling consuetude can cause acute pain, infections, abscesses, and cancer of the breasts. According to the study, four million women were estimated to have endured this process. An anti-breast ironing campaign is now underway that is patterned after a somewhat successful anti-genital mutilation one.

Cf. http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/07/05/1151779013634.html.

Palm Beach: Viagra Rush Legal

Prosecutors in Palm Beach County said today that Rush Limbaugh will not be criminally charged for his possession of a bottle of Viagra that was in the name of Dr. Steve Strumwasser, his psychiatrist. On June 26, Rush was detained by customs after the discovery of the Viagra in his bag upon his return from holiday in the Domincan Republic on his private jet. According to Dr. Strumwasser, he agreed to have the prescription put in his name to avoid any embarrassing publicity for the popular conservative radio talk show host. The Palm Beach County state attorney's spokesman, Mike Edmondson, said that it is generally lawful for a doctor to prescribe medication in the name of a third party if all of the parties are cognizant thereof and the physician properly documents it. Nevertheless, the case was forwarded to Miami-Dade prosecutors for review since the prescription was written there. Had Limbaugh been charged, the "doctor shopping" charge deferal deal could have been scrapped which required Limbaugh to not get arrested within 18 months of the deal. On his radio show today, Rush discussed the Viagra incident and said that he was cancelling an August trip to Spain and would not be making any trips anytime soon because he didn't want to place himself in a "position of being framed."

Cf. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-75limbaugh,0,7753259.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines and http://themediacrunch.com/2006/07/05/rush-frame.

Dear Leader Sinks Missiles

Today North Korea tested its seventh missile in two days provoking international ire and possibly auguring a unified response from the other five nations (U.S., Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea) in the six nation talks. Contrary to the accounts by the U.S., Japan, Korea, and Russia's Pravda, General Yuri Baluyevsky, Russian army chief of staff, stated that as many as 10 missiles (not including today's missile launch) were fired. Only one long-range missile, the Taepodong-2, was fired which failed soon after takeoff according to U.S. officials: according to Pravda, specialists believed that all six missiles fired yesterday encountered technical malfunction 40 seconds after their launch, traveled ten minutes after their launch, and covered 500 kilometers before falling into the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan.  (The American western coast falls within the range of a successful Taepodong 2 launch: Alaskan anti-ICBM defenses was put on alert to deal with any threat to the U.S. mainland.) An emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council has been called to deal with concerns chiefly expressed by Japanese and U.S. officials. Tony Snow, press secretary for the White House, indicated in this morning's press briefing that there is a danger of futher missile firings by North Korea of a shorter or medium-range type.

Cf. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060705/D8ILQ4E00.html and http://english.pravda.ru/world/asia/05-07-2006/82949-Taepodong-0.

Mississippi Burning

The state of emergency (in effect since June 22, 2006) in Jackson, Mississippi, was extended for the second time by Mayor Frank Melton according to Commander Tyrone Lewis. Initially famed as a crime fighter with his hard-hitting editorials on his WLBT television station and his posted pictures of alleged drug dealers on billboards, Melton won the election against Harvey Johnson, the likable, less colorful prior mayor. With Melton's ascension to the mayoral office, crime has increased even though the mayor has personally gone on drug busts, manned road blocks, and swaggered with his pistols by his side. With Melton's declaration, minors are not allowed on the streets after 9 p.m. week days and 10 p.m. weekends. According to Lewis, Melton said that the curfew will continue until the citizens apprise him that they feel "safe and secure." When Lewis was asked to clarify when that might be, he stated, "Until he (Melton) is comfortable that the community is comfortable: he will make that decision." The mayor could not be reached for comment by reporters: he was on vacation.

Cf. http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/NEWS/607030352.

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day! Today is a wonderful day to celebrate our freedom and liberties that are God-given with our family and/or friends. Remember our Founding Fathers, our veterans past and present, and all those who have given life, limb, liberty, and/or earthly possessions for the sake of this great land. As we down those barbequed ribs and sip some suds, let us cherish our country, love our kith and kin (and our enemies), and thank our God for his bountiful blessings.

Flag Burning A Goes Down in Flames

Democratic senators (and 3 courageous Republican colleagues) struck a blow for freedom of speech against Republican leadership's attempts to suppress it. On the eve of Independence Day, Majority Leader Frist (R-TN), the vast majority of Republicans, and 14 Democrats (including Minority Leader Harry Reid, of Nevada) tried to abridge our First Amendement with their amendment that would allow Congress to enact laws to prevent the "desecration of the flag." They nearly succeeded with a vote of 66 to 34 for the amendment: 67 votes were required to send the proposed amendments to the states for ratification. (Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, was the lone GOP leader who tried to warn the lemmings before they lunged off the cliff.) Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in WWII, eloquently stated, "This objectionable expression is obscene, it is painful, it is unpatriotic but I believe Americans gave their lives in many wars to make certain all Americans have a right to express themselves, even those who harbor hateful thoughts." It seems to me self evident that the most repulsive, vile, and base speech needs to be protected to ensure that all of our free expression may be vented without fear of reprisal. There is an analogue to what Hitler did to the Jews in that they were a minority that were easily (albeit wrongly) vilified. If the government is allowed to perpetuate evil against the weakest, the least popular, and/or the most vulnerable, then it can go after any racial minority, heterodoxist, physically (or mentally) challenged person, etc. If you are offended by the senators' vote, you may want to ask them why they haven't taken on other controversial topics that you deem more worthy of moral censure.

Cf. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/washington/28flag.html.

Get Out the Lysol

As CBS New Prez Sean McManus cut the Gordian knot that Rather had tied when he scandalized CBS News with Memogate, he continues to clean house with his efforts to restore prestige and credibility to the Eye Network. He wooed Katie Couric with a $15 mil/year contract to resurrect CBS News after the quirky Texan had taken the once august network from a perennial first to a continous third. (Interim anchor Bob Sheiffer had stablized and increased ratings after Rather's Bush story fiasco, and McManus realized that he had to have a clean break from the recent past and get immediately recognizable and popular talent.) Also, McManus is trying to reinvigorate the storied 60 Minutes franchise having enlisted CNN's Anderson Cooper to become a co-host on the Sunday program and having leaned on Mike Wallace to make his way toward retirement even though the aging, confrontational correspondent will still infrequently appear on 60 Minutes. Who knows, McManus may restore a network news division to a semblence of fairness and objectivity: there may still be hope for the now senile dowager NYT.

Cf. http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Jul02/0,4670,TVSeanMcManus,00.html