Free Republic

Little Green Footballs notes one of the New York Times' "memorable photographs," which was taken by Times photographer Joao Silva. Silva was in the room with a “Mahdi Army” sniper who was trying to kill American soldiers: The Times' commentary on the photo, by Assistant Managing Editor for Photography Michele McNally: "Right there with the Mahdi army. Incredible courage." We have written before about the wire services' use of Iraqi stringers who appear to be members of, or at the least friendly with, terrorist groups. This is a step beyond that, as Silva isn't just an anonymous stringer, but is...

Few people appreciate the power of ideas. When they experience the social and economic effects of intellectually inspired long-term trends, many tend to ascribe the process to a conspiracy of some kind. (If only that were so). More than 160 years ago J. S. Mill wrote of how the ideas of a few writers can eventually influence the thinking of a nation's intellectuals. Keynes made a similar point when he wrote: "Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back. I am sure that the power of...