Bits & Bytes

• Use some common sense-- In his November 19 column, Mark Levenda wondered why Professor George Rebec does not allow animal rights groups such as the Animal Defense League to monitor his experiments. However, the ADL web page expresses support for the Animal Liberation Front, a terrorist group. Seems pretty obvious why they are not allowed into the labs.
• Symbolism over substance-- The Indiana Public Interest Research group (InPIRG) held an event November 19 where activists slept outside in Dunn Meadow to "raise awareness" about the homeless. Wouldn't a fundraiser for Middle Way House have done more to actually help the homeless? Of course, results don't matter, it only matters that InPIRG activists care about the homeless.
• Judicial activism run wild-- The November 20 USA Today reported Ohio's ban on partial birth abortion was overturned 2-1 in a federal court because, amoung other things, it didn't include an exception for a woman's mental health. With Partial-birth abortion, if the baby being killed travels another six inches through the birth canal before its skull is punctured and crushed the abortionist can be charged with murder, Are we now going to free Susan Smith on the excuse she murdered her children to save her own mental health?
• The fox wants to guard the hen house-- Former Teamsters president Ron Carey was quoted in the Associated Press November 23 as predicting a "strong reform slate in the next election", after a court-appointed monitor found he funneled $735,000 of union money into his reelection campaign. Apparently Carey subscribes to the Bill Clinton theory that those best able to reform a corrupt system are the ones who break the most laws.
• Crying in Their Cranberry Sauce--A CUE flyer posted in Read Hall suggested that Thanksgiving should be a time of mourning for the "genocide" of indigenous peoples and cultures in North America. Go right ahead, the rest of us will mourn if our team doesn't win the traditional football game.