by JAMES TARANTO
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 3:43 P.M. EDT

What the BBC Concealed
"About 1,500 people have taken part in a rally against terrorism in Glasgow, organised by mosques and Islamic groups," the BBC reported on Saturday:

The "Scotland United Against Terror" event was held in George Square. . . .

Osama Saeed, one of the organisers, said: "We've been staggered by the messages of support we've been getting this week from the four corners of the globe.

"We thought on a local level we'd get together and do this to allow the grassroots to display their anger at the attacks, little realising nothing like this had ever been done before anywhere else before.

"The eyes of the world will be on a Scotland sending out the message that all our communities are united against terrorism.

"The Muslim community have called this event, but what's touching is how the rest of the country has responded to us."

Accompanying the BBC story is a photo of 9-year-old Mohamed Souidi holding up a sign printed by the Muslim Council of Scotland reading "No to terrorism." There's also a slide show of nine other pictures, including two other MCS signs: "One Scotland, one message, no to terror!" and "Terrorism has no religion." All very anodyne, if ambiguous (that last message in particular strikes us as an evasion of both reality and responsibility).

But the BBC's account is misleading. Blogress "oldpunkette" has photos from the same rally, and they show preprinted signs making excuses for terrorism ("To end the bombings, bring the troops home"; "Troops out: Don't attack Iran; no to Islamophobia; freedom for Palestine") and even one attacking America and England:

WE CONDEMN TERRORIST ACTIVITIES BY...

• THE STATES (USA, ENGLAND, ISRAEL)
• THE INDIVIDUALS
• THE ORGANISATIONS (AL-QAIDA, CIA, KGB, MOSSAD)

Oldpunkette notes that "the turnout was really low," so it seems unlikely that the BBC reporter simply failed to see the invidious signs. It's far more probable that the Beeb reported selectively, providing its readers and viewers with only information that fit its script--much as the U.S. media did two years ago when they portrayed Cindy Sheehan as a symbolic everymom, ignoring her hateful anti-American rants. When journalists do this, what they are producing is propaganda, not news.

Two Papers in One!

• "Now, a pact between local tribal sheiks and American commanders has sent thousands of young Iraqis from Anbar Province into the fight against extremists linked to Al Qaeda. . . . The deal has all but ended the fighting in Ramadi and recast the city as a symbol of hope that the tide of the war may yet be reversed to favor the Americans and their Iraqi allies."--news story, New York Times, July 8
  
  
• "It is time for the United States to leave Iraq, without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organize an orderly exit. . . . Milestones came and went without any progress toward a stable, democratic Iraq or a path for withdrawal. . . . Whatever [President's Bush's] cause was, it is lost. . . . Keeping troops in Iraq will only make things worse."--editorial, New York Times, July 8

Another One Bites the Dust
Muslim extremists in Pakistan took over Islamabad's Red Mosque last week, but "elite commando troops" stormed the compound and have taken most of it back, the Washington Post reports. The "pro-Taliban cleric" who led the siege "was found dead in the compound's basement":

It was not clear how Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the firebrand mosque leader, was killed. On Monday, he had entered into negotiations with a high-level delegation from the government of President Pervez Musharraf, in an effort to resolve the conflict peacefully. But the negotiations broke down, and Musharraf ordered his soldiers into the mosque at 3 a.m. . . .

Ghazi had said that he wanted to be martyred and that he would not surrender without a guarantee of safe passage from the mosque and immunity from prosecution.

He demanded safe passage and immunity from prosecution? Seems to us he died the death of a coward, not a martyr.

Blame the Bulldozer
Remember Rachel Corrie? She's the young Washington state woman who four years ago stood between an Israeli bulldozer and a tunnel used to smuggle terror weapons from Egypt into Gaza. Unfortunately, the bulldozer operator didn't see her, and she was crushed to death--a tragic accident in which she was at fault.

The Associated Press reports from Seattle that her parents are trying to collect damages from the maker of the bulldozer:

The family of a woman killed trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in 2003 asked a federal appeals court panel to reinstate its lawsuit against Caterpillar Inc., saying the company knew bulldozers it sold to the Israeli government were being used to commit human rights violations.

"Caterpillar sold this product knowing--or it should have known--it would cause exactly this harm," one of the family's lawyers, Duke University law professor Erwin Chemerinsky told the three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday. . . .

Corrie's parents said after the hearing that they have been carrying on their daughter's work since she died.

"You can't go back to the way things were before, so you determine a path forward," Cindy Corrie said. "Rachel left a very strong message about trying to make a difference on these important issues. This gives our life a lot of meaning."

One has to feel pity for the Corrie family. It must be devastating to lose a child, especially when her own senseless behavior was to blame. But there is something truly twisted about lawyers invoking "human rights" in trying to help plaintiffs cash in from efforts to help terrorists murder civilians.

Reliable Sources
"John McCain's campaign manager and chief strategist are gone from their leadership roles, a major staff shake-up for the struggling Republican presidential candidate who is all but broke and trails in opinion polls," the Associated Press reports from Washington:

In statements, Terry Nelson, a veteran of President Bush's successful 2004 re-election effort, said he resigned as campaign manager effective immediately and John Weaver said he stepped down from his post of chief strategist on Tuesday. But other officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid discussing private conversations, said Nelson was fired.

If the officials had given their names, they would have had to discuss private conversations. But because they spoke on condition of anonymity, they were able to avoid doing that. You can see why reporter Liz Sidoti agreed to protect them!

Wannabe Pundits

• Sports section: "Like George W. Bush after the contested 2000 election, he is treating his slim election like one that gave him a mandate."--Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune on baseball player Barry Bonds
  
  
• Critic's corner: "Even when it isn't laugh-out-loud funny, the movie gives off the crackle of humorous audacity. With a wicked deadpan rather than a wink, it draws parallels between Umbridge's assault on student freedoms at Hogwarts and some of our own leaders' attempts to curtail civil liberties post-Sept. 11."--Michael Sragow of the Baltimore Sun, reviewing "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

A Break From the Habitat for Humanity Gig
"Carter Plays Sorceress in 'Potter' Film"--headline, Associated Press, July 9

Snow in July
London's Guardian reports on some inclement weather in South America:

The Casa Rosada, the Argentinian president's "Pink House," verged on turning white overnight after Buenos Aires was blanketed in snow for the first time in nearly 90 years.

Children threw snowballs while photographers tried to capture the falling flakes as a party atmosphere descended on the city. Crowds gathered at the Obelisk monument in central Buenos Aires, the traditional focal point for Argentinian celebrations and protests.

"Despite all my years, this is the first time I've ever seen in snow in Buenos Aires," said Juana Benitez, an 82-year-old who joined children celebrating in the streets.

We blame global warming!

An Inconvenient Moo

• "Two Gored by Spain's Renowned Bulls"--headline, Associated Press, July 9
  
  
• "Women Demand Female Pamplona Bull Run, With Cows"--headline, Reuters, July 9
  
  
• "Cows That Burp Less Seen Helping in Climate Fight"--headline, Reuters, July 9

If It's Recalled, We'll Know It Works
"Alzheimer's Patch Approved"--headline, Associated Press, July 9

Thin Lizzy

• "Fashion Designer Liz Claiborne Dies"--headline, Associated Press, June 27
  
  
• "Liz Claiborne in Belt-Tightening Mode"--headline, Crain's New York Business, July 9

Or, 'A Suicide Succeeds'
"An Attempted Suicide Turns Deadly"--headline, KOLD-TV Web site (Tucson, Ariz.), July 10

He Sticks to You Like Glue
" 'Epoxy Creep' Factor in Big Dig Death"--headline, Associated Press, July 10

We Prefer Crazy Ones
"New Yorkers Question Sound Idea"--headline, Chicago Tribune, July 10

It's Called 'Tennessee'
"New Park to Stretch From Ga. to Ky."--headline, Associated Press, July 9

Breaking News From 950 B.C.
"Australia Brands Solomons Move as 'Provocative' "--headline, Agence France-Presse, July 10

Breaking News From 1545
"Pope: Other Christians Not True Churches"--headline, Associated Press, July 10

News You Can Use

• "Women Drawn to Men With Muscles"--headline, Reuters, July 10
  
  
• "Alien Hunters 'Should Also Seek Weird Life' "--headline, Daily Telegraph (London), July 9
  
  
• "Urine Offers Rich Phosphorous Source"--headline, Discovery.com, July 10

Bottom Stories of the Day

• "Couric Second-Guesses CBS Move Some Days"--headline, Associated Press, July 8
  
  
• "Hyrum Family Adds Pet Yak to Their Farm"--headline, Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City), July 9
  
  
• "Zogby Poll: Most Don't Care if Barry Bonds Breaks Baseball's Home Run Record"--headline, press release, Zogby International, July 9
  
  
• "No Special Session in Mind This Month, Manchin Reports"--headline, Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.), July 9
  
  
• "Colome Not Alone With Large Buttocks"--headline, Daily News (Halifax, Nova Scotia), July 9

The Buck Stops Here
The Politico reports on some back and forth between Senate Republicans and Democrats over lobbying and ethics legislation:

[Sen. Jim] DeMint [R., S.C.] says he supports the lobbying reform provisions in the package. But he isn't likely to budge until he gets a promise from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the new Senate rules on earmarks won't be watered down or deleted from the final bill.

The earmark provision is a change in Senate rules, which DeMint argues shouldn't be part of any conference committee with the House.

"The House has no reason to tinker with Senate rules," said Wesley Denton, DeMint's spokesman. "The only reason to want to put them in conference is because they intend to change them."

Jim Manley, Reid's spokesman, calls those assertions "phony as a two-dollar bill."

Give Reid credit. Not many employers would give such a big break to a Taco Bell clerk.

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Today on OpinionJournal:

• Review & Outlook: Truth in global warming: Mr. Dingell's inconvenient tax.
• Bret Stephens: The Bush administration falters in the battle of ideas.
• Daniel Casse: A new book argues that fewer people should vote.