Why Does the Non-Story Get the Press?

Someone, somewhere determined that a "leak" by a Bush administration official would be the story of the decade. Some desk clerk at the CIA named Valarie Plame is being dubbed an "agent" as if she was James Bond. News flash: No one cares... except people in the beltway. The quickest way for me to turn of the radio or TV is for the host to start talking about this "case." Let it die and let us be on our way.

Much more important is this:

"... a journalist has been convicted by a Kabul court under the country's blasphemy laws. Ali Mohaqiq Nasab, the editor of "Women's Rights," a monthly magazine for women, was sentenced on Saturday to two years in prison by Kabul's primary court...The prosecutor called for the maximum sentence of death, accusing the editor of apostasy, so the two-year sentence appears to have been a compromise. But it is a reminder that Afghanistan is still ruled by Islamic Shariah law and that, on issues of religion, conservatives are determined to enforce it." NY Times (yes, I know)

This should be a much more important story. A Jeffersonian Democracy with its freedoms of the press, speech, etc, is incompatible with Sharia. Sharia will end up superceeding any stated freedoms. So the freedoms will look pretty on paper, but be meaningless. This should be a note to our efforts in Iraq, which included Sharia in the constitution. All the feel-good terms can be included in the Constitution, but ultimately Sharia will trumpt all laws and the muftis will be in charge...because they "intrepret" Sharia. It's pretty simple to figure out.

Contrast this to post-war Japan. The Emporer lost his divine status. The Japanese Constitution is based heavily on the US Constitution. These are major differences in our post war treatment of Japan and Iraq. Wait until about 2 years after we leave Iraq. Then you will start seeing cases like this in Iraq.