The march of civilization--"The use of electric stun belts to control verbal courtroom outbursts by defendants is unconstitutional, but the devices can be used if there is a security threat, a federal appeals court ruled in San Francisco."--May 31 news item.

‘Cultural war’ spreading? ‘Mothers will take brunt of welfare cuts’--headline, the Times, London.

How about scrapping tuition?--More than 500 students at the University of Central England, in Birmingham, face eviction for not paying tuition fees. A university spokesperson said, "The situation is representative of what’s happening up and down the country. It’s unfortunate but it’s the final course of action."

P.S.--A small, embargoed country, revolutionary Cuba provides tuition-free university education for all.

What price liberalism?--We reported the apparent confusion of a Los Angles Times reporter who felt that the spiraling retail price of coffee while the wholesale price was plummeting seemed to deny the logic of capitalism. Missing from our edition was the proposal of Oxfam, the liberal global aid organization. It suggested a one-time destruction of 1 million tons of coffee, which would limit the world supply and, natch, nudge up the price. And no imperialist sweat.

The way to go--If your income is $15 million to $18 million, and you fit the profile, you may be invited to the racetrack at Summit Point, W. Virginia, to check out the new Bentley sedan. (Divorced from Rolls Royce, Bentley is promoting a new look.) Accompanied by a pro, you can hit it up to 170 m.p.h. For housing there are Bentley RVs, the size of a Greyhound bus, but classier. Still hand-made, the Bentley goes for up to $360,000. If you like the RV, it’s yours for a million.

They thought it was Halloween?--A New York reader sent us a clipping from Teamster Local 237 Newsline, which picked it up from the Washington Post and Slate magazine. They reported on a Republican news conference in Washington to promote Bush’s reward-the-rich tax program. It had a batch of "workers" on hand to cheer them on. The catch was that they were lobbyists decked out in hard-hats, retail clerks smocks, farm overalls, etc.  
 
 
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