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The Bush Library, Fallout From Boston, and Gun Control Failures

This week’s most interesting Slate stories.

U.S. President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton attend the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center April 25, 2013 in Dallas

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

Will the Bush Library Address Torture?: Americans should be outraged if it doesn’t,” by Tim Naftali. Naftali, former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, evaluates the content of the much-anticipated new Bush Library, which opened up to the public this week. The public deserves serious discussion of No Child Left Behind, the consequences of the Iraq war, and why the government used torture after 9/11, he writes.

I’m Telling Your Imam: If you want to stop Islamic terrorism, Muslims are your best friends,” by William Saletan. The best place to screen for early warning signs of violent Islamic extremism is in Muslim communities and the best people to do the screening are Muslims. Muslim communities don’t want to lose their young men and women to jihadist violence any more than any other community would want to lose their children to a cult or gang. Muslims are in the best position to help stop terrorism and have thus far been instrumental to our country’s counter-terrorism efforts.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Talked for 16 Hours Before He Was Read His Rights: That’s too long,” by Emily Bazelon. Bazelon expresses her acute discomfort with the fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was questioned for a full 16 hours prior to being read his Miranda rights.  Procedural fairness, Bazelon argues, is a matter of utmost concern to a man facing the death penalty as well as to a nation striving to uphold its traditional respect for the rule of law.

Why Obama Couldn’t Turn 90 Percent Into 60 Votes: The type of president who could cajole the Senate to support gun control would never have been elected in the first place,” by John Dickerson. Do we blame partisanship or the president for the failure of gun control legislation? To win the gun vote would have required a virtuoso’s talent for pressure and cajoling, which is not the skill set we elected Obama for.

Why We Should Judge Breaking News Like Baseball: If you always want your news fast, you should expect some misses,” by John Dickerson. In a new media environment of breaking news, we must become editors, not passive recipients of information. A lesson learned from the Boston Marathon Bombing coverage: As in baseball, media outlets strike out sometimes. As a viewer or reader, you might rearrange your lineup and put the better hitters for breaking news up top.

Get Your Head Out of the Game: Abby Wambach got hit in the head and stayed on the field. For shame,” by Stefan Fatsis. Abby Wambach, reigning world player of the year in women’s soccer, sustained a severe blow to the head from a clearance kick. She then stayed in the game and attempted a last-second header, which brought her to her knees. Fatsis says Wambach should have been benched immediately, not only for her own medical safety but for the sake of promoting safe sports practices to the aspiring athletes who idolize her.

The Boston Bombers’ Awful Parents: They ignored the warnings, they deny the crime, and they’re slinging false accusations,” by William Saletan. Saletan dissects the lies and willful self-deception with which Anzor and Zubeidat Tsarnaev continue to defend themselves and their two sons. It is the responsibility of families and communities to police themselves for violence and extremism. If they don’t, the rest of us will have to do it for them.

Did Concussions Make Him Do It?: The debate over whether to test former boxer Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s brain for CTE,” by Daniel Engber. A pair of neurosurgeons at Boston University are calling for a medical examination of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s brain. As an amateur boxer, Tamerlan may have experienced enough repeated head trauma to have sustained chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which may have had a long-term affect upon his mental capacities and behavior.