What Caught My Eye Today

Nuclear Disarmament - The Obama administration, reversing the Bush administration's limited interest in nuclear disarmament, is gearing up for early negotiations with Russia on a new treaty that would sharply reduce stockpiles of nuclear warheads. secretary of State Hillary Clinton notified Congress that she intends to get started quickly on talks with the Russians, who have voiced interest in recent weeks in settling on a new treaty calling for cutbacks in arsenals on both sides. The 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expires at the end of the year. It limited the United States and Russia to 6,000 nuclear warheads each. The American stockpile is believed to be about 2,300 warheads, and the Russians' even lower. I don't have much to say on this, other than any attempt to reduce mankind's capacity to annihilate itself several times over has my vote of support.

Supreme Court - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery for pancreatic cancer, raising the possibility that one of the ideologically divided court's leading liberals — and its only woman — might have to curtail her work or even step down before she had planned. I wouldn't be so sure about that. You'll see what I mean in a moment. Ginsburg, 75, has been a justice since 1993. She has been increasingly vocal in recent years about the court's more conservative stances, especially after the appointments made by President George W. Bush. Pancreatic cancer is often deadly, although the court said doctors apparently found Ginsburg's growth at an early stage. In 1999, she had colon cancer surgery, underwent radiation and chemotherapy, and never missed a day on the bench. This is one tough old bird. If Ginsburg or another justice leaves the court, it falls to Obama to pick a successor. Anyone he might choose to replace her probably would be as liberal as she, if not more so, keeping in place the 5-4 conservative tilt of the court. Ginsburg is only the second female justice in the nation's history. The other was Sandra Day O'Connor, who retired in 2006, and Ginsburg has lamented being the only woman on the court. I imagine with a Obama in office, Ginsburg might give a second look at this retirement thing. After all, I hear the government retirement plan is quite good.

Czech Republic - Men, I warn you upfront that this story is not for the weak of heart. The Czech Republic's practice of surgically castrating convicted sex offenders is "invasive, irreversible and mutilating" and should stop immediately, the Council of Europe's Anti-Torture Committee said. The central European country castrated at least 94 prisoners in the 10 years up to April 2008. If this sounds a bit harsh, get this, prisoners have to opt for the procedure. The Czech Republic defends the practice as voluntary, saying castration aims permanently to reduce testosterone levels in order to diminish the offender's sexual urges. Prisoners have to request castration under Czech law, but many fear they will be jailed for life if they do not. Some choice. This next bit is a candidate for understatement of the year. The Czech government argues the procedure is effective in reducing repeat offenses. Do you think?

Vatican - Responding to growing protests, the Vatican has firmly distanced itself from a prelate who denied the Holocaust and demanded that he recant his positions before being fully admitted as a bishop into the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican also said that Pope Benedict XVI didn't know about Bishop Richard Williamson's views when he agreed to lift his excommunication and that of three other ultraconservative bishops. The controversy gave a rare look at the cracks in Vatican's facade of unity and raised questions about the advice the pope receives and his access to information. No kidding. Papal aides say Benedict, a former university professor and theologian, receives a daily news summary and occasionally watches television. Maybe the pope should switch the channel from Cinemax to CNN from time to time. (To those religious fanatics that I just offended, I'm perfectly aware that I will burn in damnation for all eternity. I'll see you there). As for the bigger picture, I'm seeing a rather peculiar pattern emerging from those who hold positions of authority. First Obama and his Cabinet nominees, who apparently confuse tax evasion with tax avoidance, and then the pope, who is clueless to the fact that a bishop he is planning to reinstate from being excommunicated believes that the Holocaust didn't happen. It's called vetted, people. How hard is it to ask a few basic questions? My goodness.