Bloggers are shocked that Israel may have plans to attack Iranian nuclear sites, debating the ethics of the treatment of one disabled child, and bidding farewell to the inventor of instant noodles.
Bunker busted: An article in the Sunday Times of London reveals that the Israel military has plans to use bunker busters against Iran’s nuclear installations. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has since denied these accounts. “[I]f diplomacy succeeds, the problem can be solved peaceably,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. Reaction in the blogosphere is mixed.
Conservative heavyweight Ed Morrissey at Captain’s Quarters is unconvinced the plan could be quickly put into effect. “This sounds more like the script to Star Wars IV & VI than a military plan being readied for imminent use. … Even more unlikely is the notion, floated by the Times, that the revelation of these plans will force the Iranians to give up their nuclear weapons. The difficulties in such a mission would be more likely to convince the Iranians that the US has completely given up on the military option for ourselves.”
John Hawkins at Right Wing News also ponders the veracity of the report. “Maybe there’s something to this or maybe there’s not. It could even be a deliberate leak by the Israelis, designed to prod us into doing something or into scaring the Iranians into backing off.”
“Is that our strategy on Iran? Just wait for Israel to take care of it?” wonders North Carolina government teacher Betsy at Betsy’s Page.
At military news blog Murdoc Online, moderate Murdoc is unsurprised these plans exist. “Militaries train. Day and night. On every conceivable scenario. They train for hundreds of options on dozens of major plans pulled from files of tens of thousands of potential operations. … We have plans to use Special Forces to kill the president of France. We have plans to use Special Forces to save the president of France from assassins. Heck, the military probably has plans to blockade Grand Rapids, Michigan.”
Conservative Robert Farrow at Flopping Aces believes the Israeli plans are justified. “Would you allow someone who daily threatens your existence to possess nuclear weapons?” Charleston Daily Mail columnist and conservative Don Surber thinks Israel is simply fulfilling its role: “Well, that’s what Israel does: It protects the world from middle East idiocy. While the rest of the world is too timid (France, Germany) or too devious (China, Russia) or too otherwise occupied (United States) to do the right thing, Israel is ready to shut ‘em down.”
Read more about Israel’s potential plans for Iran.
The pillow angel: Bloggers are fascinated and, in many cases, appalled by the case of the “pillow angel,” an extremely brain-damaged little girl known as “Ashley” whose parents had her undergo controversial medical procedures to stunt her growth and keep her child-sized forever. They argue that this will make her easier to care for and improve her long-term quality of life.
Canadian Green Joe is horror-struck: “I don’t know why the FBI hasn’t gone in and arrested people yet, but doctors and a hospital’s ‘ethics board,’ the people charged with protecting those who cannot make decisions for themselves, allowed doctors to mutilate a little girl. … The idea was that it would be difficult for her parents and grandparent to care for her otherwise. The bitch of it is, she’ll outlive them anyway.” Joshua Carter at Bioethics is of the same mind. “What kind of doctors would agree to intentionally shorten and sterilize a disabled six-year-old girl to make it easier for her parents to take care of her?”
Christina at Inside Motherhood sees long-reaching implications for medical ethics. “I think we should all be very frightened of the possibilities this opens before us, this gaping Pandora’s box of alteration, this Brave New World,” she writes.
But the Texan blogger at My View From the Center supports the parents’ decision. “She will be cared for, loved and nurtured by two parents who have her best interests in mind. To my mind that is as happy an ending as is possible under the circumstances.”
Ashley’s parents (who remain anonymous) keep a blog as well, The Ashley Treatment, where they explain their choices: “A fundamental and universal misconception about the treatment is that it is intended to convenience the caregiver; rather, the central purpose is to improve Ashley’s quality of life. Ashley’s biggest challenges are discomfort and boredom; all other considerations in this discussion take a back seat to these central challenges.”
Read more about the “pillow angel.”
Instant noodles, lasting legacy: Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant noodles, died in Japan over the weekend at age 96. His history of noodle production began in 1958, when he invented Chicken Ramen noodles. One Japanese businessman dubbed his instant noodle product “epoch-making.” Surely bachelors and college students will agree.
At Zooomr Blog, Kristopher Tate fondly remembers his time eating Ando’s fare. “[P]lease understand that you helped me (and many other young minds) through a difficult time in life where many things are uncertain outside of ‘What am I going to eat tonight?’”
Writer Todd Lappinat Telstar Logistics critically evaluates Ando’s legacy: “With all due respect, it’s tragic that many non-Japanese know of ramen only as a salty freeze-dried noodle thing that is typically served in a styrofoam cup. A bowl of real ramen, however, is a delicious and subtle work of art which bears little resemblance to its instant counterpart.”
Read more about Mr. Ando and instant noodles.
