Asleep at the wheel?

George Mason University Law School Professor Ronald Rotunda took notice of Paul’s commentary on the Post’s editorial somnolence and wrote that it reminded him of Antony Shadid’s recent page-one story: “The towering dream of Dubai.” Professor Rotunda writes:

The front page Washington Post article, “The Towering Dream of Dubai” (30 April 2006, p. A1), describes Mohammed al-Roken as a “human rights activist.” However, Roken objects to modernization and defends “tradition and morals.” He is concerned that “despite religious prohibitions, drinking is unabashed,” and his great fear is that “public wine-tasting parties are on the way” — just like what D.C. liquor stores already offer. He goes to the beach and sees “dress he deems inappropriate.” He is offended to see “women jogging in the streets with their dogs,” something he thinks the law should not tolerate.

What is his goal? To stanch Dubai’s globalization and return to the past. And what does the Washington Post call him? “A human rights activist”! It is surely Orwellian doublespeak to describe this person (who objects to the fact that his fellow citizens choose to drink or choose to jog in the streets with their dogs on a leash) as a “human rights activist.”

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