What Caught My Eye Today

War on Terror - Here's some comforting news from our illustrious commander-in-chief. President Bush said that rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan as the wars rage on is proving difficult and "we're learning as we go." The president harkened back to the patriotic sacrifice of World War II, the deadliest conflict in history, in again suggesting the country must hold firm and not lose its nerve. So like is being completely fed up the same thing as losing one's nerve? The president acknowledged one of the many differences between the global conflict six decades ago and the ones that began under his watch: today's wars are not over. Pish-posh. Don't sweat the small stuff, Mr. President. History and war experts warn that Bush has at times oversimplified the comparison between postwar efforts in Japan and Germany and what's unfolding in Iraq and Afghanistan. After the end of World War II, enemies formally surrendered, hostilities ended, basic security existed, and local populations essentially accepted occupation and reconstruction. Experts say those conditions don't exist in Iraq and Afghanistan. Experts, huh? What kind of expert would say such cowardly things, especially while our troops are in harm's way? Truth be damned. Where's your patriotism?

Czech Republic - Here's an awkward social moment. The Latvian flag was in the game program along with a photo of the Latvian national soccer team. Before the match, Czech organizers played Latvia's national anthem. However, the Czech Republic was facing Lithuania, not Latvia. Oops. The Czech Republic's soccer federation apologized to its Lithuanian counterpart and to the Lithuanian embassy in Prague. The federation said in a statement that the mistakes were inexcusable and measures will be taken not to repeat them in the future. And if that wasn't bad enough, the Czechs had the gall to go out and win the match 2-0. How rude.

Nepal - The world's last Hindu kingdom became its newest secular republic Wednesday as Nepal's lawmakers, led by former communist insurgents, abolished the monarchy that had reigned over this Himalayan land for 239 years. The newly elected Constituent Assembly declared the country a republic and abolished the monarchy by a vote of 560-4. The assembly's 37 other members were not present. There was no immediate reaction from the 61-year-old king, who has remained silent in recent months as it became apparent that his days on the throne were numbered. Not since the Shah of Iran was deposed in the bloody 1979 Islamic revolution has one of the world's monarchs been forced from his throne. With the king now gone, Nepalis are settling in for a three-day public holiday. But what comes next remains uncertain. While the Maoists say they are committed capitalists and have no intention of nationalizing industries or setting up collective farms, they have promised to bring sweeping change to this largely impoverished country that in many place more closely resembles medieval Europe than a modern nation. So basically, Nepal has gone from monarchy to communism. I'm going to reserve judgment on just how positive of a development this really is. If the will of the people has been done, then good for them. I just wonder if the Nepalese thought through all the possible repercussions of this transition of power.

Amnesty International - Amnesty International's annual report on the state of the world's human rights accused the U.S. of failing to provide a moral compass for its international peers, a long-standing complaint the London-based group has against the North American superpower. It also criticized the U.S. for supporting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf last November when he imposed a state of emergency, clamped down on the media and sacked judges. And, as in the past, the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay came in for criticism. Other than those minor items, we're pretty much the beacon of freedom and peace that the rest of the world has come to know and love. Emerging power China was also criticized. The report said China had continued shipping weapons to Sudan in defiance of a U.N. arms embargo and traded with abusive governments like Myanmar and Zimbabwe. It said that China's media censorship remains in place and that the government continues to persecute rights activists. I think I've figured these guys out. Amnesty International rips on any country that is either a superpower already or threatening to become one. Seriously, you don't see them ripping on countries like Belize or Mongolia. It's jealousy, pure and simple.