Johnny's fate

When I first read Johnny Got His Gun, what captured my imagination most wasn't Dalton Trumbo's anti-war message but the idea of being a prisoner in one's own body, as is his main character, Joe Bonham. This seems to me to be one of the worst fates imaginable.

So I was shocked to learn today that an estimated 40% of people diagnosed to be in a persistent vegetative state, or PVS, are misdiagnosed. An article in the Sunday Times documents the jaw-dropping progress made by British and other scientists in understanding the various types of brain injury and in bringing some people out of what appeared to be PVS. It is beyond scary to think of how many people are currently "warehoused" who, with the right treatment, would be capable of returning to the land of the living.

Zakaria again: The Future of American Power

Absolutely fascinating. Not necessarily succinct but shorter than the book, and a must read imho.

On sports

This blogging thing is contagious - I've given it to myself. My blogging on sports, which for now consists of one post on the Yankees' Joba Chaimberlain, can be found at BleacherReport.

Tibet - an alternate view

Most people are (I hope) familiar with the recent Chinese crackdown on Tibet. Because China is hosting the Olympics this summer, there have been a series of protests following the Olympic torch, and several world leaders have decided to boycott the opening ceremonies. There have been calls from the campaign trail for Bush to do the same.

I think doing so would send a strong public message. But Fareed Zakaria, whom I find generally to be thoughtful in his writings, thinks that a strong public message is actually the wrong way to go if you want real results. His piece is definitely worth a read.

Repub and Dem get it right

Former President Jimmy Carter plans to meet with Hamas head Khaled Mashal. Republican Rep. Mark Kirk (IL-10) and Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley (NV-01) state it best in their letter to Carter:

"Hamas terrorists are responsible for the murders of at least 26 American citizens—some of them teenagers, children and infants...these American voices from the grave beseech you – do not meet with the man who ordered their deaths."

Kudos to AIPAC (full disclosure: a former employer of mine), which is helping to publicize this effort, for their unrelenting bipartisanship in support of a strong U.S.-Israel alliance. Call or e-mail your Representative and encourage him or her to sign the letter by contacting either Kirk's or Berkley's office.

Krauthammer's "Holocaust Declaration"

A must read. Here's the statement by JFK to which he refers:

"It shall be the policy of this Nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union."

-- President John F. Kennedy

Cuban Missile Crisis Address to the Nation

And his proposed statement:

"It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear attack upon Israel by Iran, or originating in Iran, as an attack by Iran on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon Iran. As a beacon of tolerance and as leader of the free world, the United States will not permit a second Holocaust to be perpetrated upon the Jewish people."

Whether or not deterrence is sufficient, it is certainly necessary. Read it all.

Three Revolutions

Often I agree with him; sometimes I don't. Either way, I think Henry Kissinger is very good at getting to the essence of an issue and asking the right questions.