The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal.com’s “Best of the Web” written by the editor, James Taranto.
News of the Tautological
- “Obama Courting Dem Donors at Washington Fundraiser”–headline, Associated Press, May 7
- “Woman, 105, Says Bacon Is the Secret to a Long, Happy Life”–headline, MSN.com, May 7
Bottom Stories of the Day
- “San Francisco Airport Won’t Be Renamed Harvey Milk”–headline, Associated Press, May 7
- “Top Palestinian Authority Official: Israel ‘Is Our Main Enemy, Resistance Is Still Our Agenda'”–headline, Times of Israel, May 8
Shortest Books Ever Written
“Why You Should Care About 2016 Right Now”–headline, Washington Post website, May 7
What Would We Do Without Experts?
- “Anger Over Missing Young Women Understandable, but Not Necessarily Helpful, Experts Say”–headline, Plain Dealer (Cleveland), May 8
- “Michael Jackson’s Doctor Unqualified in Many Areas, Expert Says”–headline, Associated Press, May 7
Apophasis*: The New Journalism
“On Sunday, an industry source . . . told Politico that ’90 of [Rush] Limbaugh’s top 100 advertisers’ had instituted a ‘No Rush’ policy, meaning they would not advertise during Limbaugh’s program. That information could not be confirmed, and thus was not reported.”–Politico, May 7 [*apophasis is defined as: the raising of an issue by claiming not to mention it]
“How safe is abortion?” asks the frequently-asked-questions page of the Potomac Family Planning Center, a regional chain of four abortion stores in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. The answer: “Very safe. Our doctors are gynecologists who have years of experience specializing in abortion care. It’s unusual to have even minor problems.”
Tell that to Desiree Hawkins. Kirsten Powers reported in USA Today recently on what happened when Hawkins, now 20, visited Potomac’s Hagerstown, Md., shop as a pregnant 16-year-old:
The clinic told her she was 19 weeks pregnant and referred her to [Philadelphia abortionist Kermit] Gosnell. When she recently retrieved her file in anticipation of testifying [at Gosnell’s murder trial], she was shocked that her sonogram showed she had in fact been at 21 weeks, which meant she would have been 23 weeks pregnant by the time Gosnell performed the abortion. “I was so overwhelmed and hurt,” said Hawkins. “If I had known I was 23 weeks, I would have (chosen) adoption.”
She also would have avoided the trauma visited upon her by Gosnell. Hawkins described the licensed medical professional as laughing at her during the procedure as she cried and begged him to stop because of the pain. “Stop being a baby,” he said.
“Stop being a baby.” You know what we do to babies around here. …..
For more “Best of the Web” click here and look for the “Best of the Web Today” link in the middle column below “Today’s Columnists.
