He's a 1st Amendment poster boy about like Mona Eltahawy's a 1st Amendment poster girl. We have laws against check fraud and laws against vandalism. No one gets to be above these laws because he or she is the subject of a media firestorm. As far as I know, this is correct:

Nakoula pleaded no contest in 2010 to federal bank fraud charges in California and was ordered to pay more than $790,000 in restitution. He was also sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and was ordered not to use computers or the Internet for five years without approval from his probation officer.

It seems he stole nearly $800,000. That's the kind of crime for which people get locked up. It should be. We have laws against theft, fraud and vandalism for excellent reasons. 

If the "majority of us" have committed crimes on this scale, we've already sunk into anarchy. Fortunately, I suspect few of us have.

Generalizations about what Jews, Christians and Muslims believe have some value, but I've truly never lived in a place where the differences among believers weren't more significant to them than the similarities. Let me offer a thought: An elegant theory is useful in mathematics; in the social "sciences," it's disastrous. 

If people need to be reminded never to forget, I suppose it's forgotten. All of your kids, I suppose, know it's something their parents remember--something by which they seem very traumatized. 

This is a special comment for Ursula, if she's reading. Ursula, you may not know this, but recently there was huge outrage in Turkey because a satirical website (one that is otherwise as good a source of news as any in Turkey) made fun of kids with Down Syndrome. For a few hours, "That's not funny, Zaytung" was trending (in Turkish). And I suspect I know what that means--someone wants that website discredited. I don't know, because I'm not there. Still, I think it's a good thing that the idea somehow made it into the world.

That's what I hear from everyone, everywhere I go in the world. And it's true. We are always one election away from abandoning our allies. That's a rational thing to believe if you also believe that Americans have free elections every four years and you've studied American history in any depth. I keep trying to explain this to people--if you want an alliance with the US, you're only as good as what they remember you've done in the past four years (unless you're Canada and Mexico). Americans begin voting at 18; most will have no memory of what you did 100 years ago, even if that's what you know your grandparents did for America, because it's as real to you as what any American knows about his grandparents. 

As of now (as usual), I'm finding Crow's Nest's comment an excellent starting point--and almost every comment on this thread suggests how much more I need to read. 

I'm not debating very actively because I'm too busy trying to master Sanskrit--hard to do in 24 hours, but I have a leg up because of all that chanting I wished would just go away in yoga classes!--but I'm realizing that I just don't have a sufficiently informed opinion about some really important questions.

Short term, yes. 

"You always should ask yourself, How is this going to look to the guys in camps?" They get news quicker than you think."

No kidding. 

Everyone gets news about what's happening in their neighborhood and what might affect it way faster than people far away realize. 

Usually, I would. But I'm really first struggling with all the questions I need to think about even to approach a meaningful answer. The reason this comes up now, of course, is that someone here said it to me--and I realized I hadn't given the idea enough thought. At all.

Thanks, everyone! I miss you, too--I really do. I was very touched by this thread. I keep meaning to post at the very least to direct people to the other stuff I've been working on these days. It's very Turkey-focused, but for those of you who like that stuff, you'll get a good dose of me on a regular basis there. And yes, the good news is that my absence is owed to my gainful employment, so take comfort in that. A busy and employed Claire is a happy Claire.

If you're not inclined to read through all of that, I think the single most important point is that this political tradition is connected to the attempted assassination of the Pope. So let's just say there's a lot to which they're militantly opposed--and I mean the word "militant" in its most literal sense.

Hi, in this case, the Wiki summary isn't bad. Here's more information about them in English. But there's no such thing as a "Wolf Party;" they may be supporters of the modern MHP, which has some very smart and decent young people involved in it these days (including an acquaintance of mine whose great political hero is Ronald Reagan). But it doesn't have enough of them. Right now, they're the only alternative to the AKP and the socialists, so if you're a non-Islamist conservative, that's your only viable political option. They come--as you can see--with a lot of baggage.

One day, Paul, I will regale Ricochet with my first-hand experience of having three benign cystic teratomas--complete with hair and teeth!--removed from my ovaries. Ah, you brought back memories! Yes, major surgery is a humiliating reminder of human fragility. But at least you weren't troubled by the thought that your body had spontaneously produced a variety of grotesque homunculi.

The worst humiliation of all was that the assistant surgeon--whose face was the last thing I saw before the anesthesia went into my veins--was exceptionally attractive. I have no doubt that under the circumstances, the feeling was not mutual. 

Thrilled to see you back, obviously with all your mental faculties intact. I confess I was a bit worried when we didn't hear right away that the surgery had gone well. I'm still thinking about this decision, but I'm leaning toward conclusions similar to yours.

But most importantly, geçmiş olsun!

I'm going to ask the question I asked yesterday, but with a bit more anxiety now--has anyone heard how Paul is doing? I have his e-mail and even his phone number, but I'm sure the last thing he wants from me right now is a phone call.

I'm concerned, though, that no one seems to have received word that he's out of surgery and recovering well. 

Does anyone have any news about how he's doing? I'm sure he's not feeling up to posting on Ricochet, but has anyone had any contact with him or his family?