June 26, 2002

President Bush on Wednesday called reports that WorldCom Inc. disguised $3.8 billion in expenses outrageous and said the government "will fully investigate and hold people accountable." After all the war might end, and this will distract everyone from Enron! 2:34:03 PM

A Roman Catholic priest from Kenya has been arrested in New York on charges of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy.  Peter Kiare, 41, was arrested on Tuesday in the Queens borough of New York, where he had been working as a guest preacher at a church. 2:28:36 PM

Federal appeals court rules Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because of words 'under God,' according to The Associated Press.  [ Washington Post ] Is saying "God Bless You" when someone sneezes far behind? 2:05:58 PM

Side of Beef Another dopey complaint that's been popping up a lot is that Bush's speech is, in the words of a headline in Britain's Guardian, to a "one-sided offer." The Toronto Star gripes that "Bush's vision amounts to making heavy demands of the Palestinian side." The Philadelphia Inquirer calls them "severe demands." A New York Times "news analysis" says "Mr. Bush declared the price of statehood for 4.5 million Palestinians, and it will be high." So, what exactly did Bush demand? Well, he called on the Palestinians "to build a practicing democracy, based on tolerance and liberty." We suppose that for the sake of being "evenhanded" he could also have called on the Israelis to do the same thing. But that would have been rather silly, wouldn't it? After all, Israel is already a practicing democracy, based on tolerance and liberty. Even more ridiculous is the notion that by calling for freedom and democracy, President Bush is demanding "concessions" from the Palestinians. In fact, he is calling for the liberation of the Palestinians. To say that Bush's demand for liberty is an imposition on the Palestinians is to imply that the Palestinians have no higher political aspiration than to be ruled by a corrupt dictatorship. [ Opinion Journal ] 1:16:39 PM

Do You Take This Tot to Be Your Wife? Iran is raising the age at which a girl can get married without her parents' consent--to 13. The old age of consent, Reuters reports, was nine. The age of consent for boys is also rising, to 15 from 14. Nine-year-old girls will still be able to marry, but only with their parents' permission and "approval of a 'righteous court.' " [ Opinion Journal ] 1:12:21 PM

WorldCom Says It Hid Expenses, Inflating Cash Flow $3.8 Billion. In what may be one of the largest cases of false corporate bookkeeping yet, WorldCom said that it had overstated its cash flow by more than $3.8 billion in the last five quarters. By Simon Romero and Alex Berenson. [New York Times: Technology] "Daddy, what did you do during the tech bubble in the 90's?" 11:57:02 AM