Something to Watch?

The Madrid Auto da fe of 1680. An auto da fe is literally a “judicial sentence or act of faith,” usually ending with the public burning of heretics.

In the auto da fes of 2007, people lose their jobs, not their lives. But some modern version of the Salem witch trials is underway in the world of political correctness.

Time columnist Michael Kinsley notes that Los Angeles Times editorial page editor Andres Martinez was driven to resign over the discovery that his girlfriend works for a PR firm used by Hollywood producer Brian Grazer. Martinez had invited Grazer to be a guest editor for the paper’s opinion supplement called “Current.” Kinsey says part of what’s wrong here is that the LA Times, not Grazer, benefits from Grazer’s free services. Kinsey is also alarmed that the paper’s star political reporter, Ron Brownstein, was removed from reporting duties and exiled to the opinion pages merely because his wife works for John McCain.

The Jerusalem Post’s Caroline Glick has a more sinister story of censorship:

two students at Cambridge University's Clare College . . .dedicated an edition of their satire magazine to the one-year anniversary of the global Muslim riots which followed the publication of caricatures of Muhammad in the Danish Jyllands Posten newspaper. As the students recalled, those riots led to the deaths of more than a hundred people. . .

In their magazine, the students published some of the caricatures and mocked the Muslims for their hypocrisy in accusing British society of racial prejudice while calling for its violent destruction. The Muslim reaction was apparently swift. Fearing for their lives, the students were forced into hiding.

But the Muslims were not alone in their anger. Clare College set up a special disciplinary court to consider action against the students. And the Cambridgeshire police opened a criminal investigation against them in late February.

Meanwhile, from State College where I’m visiting my grand-daughter, comes this story about Penn State’s women’s basketball coach:

Rene Portland resigned Wednesday night, ending a successful, yet sometimes controversial 27-year tenure . . .Portland, who amassed 606 wins and built a perennial Top 25 program at Penn State, also faced allegations that she may have discriminated against lesbian players. She leaves just one month after settling a lawsuit by former player Jennifer Harris, who alleged Portland had a "no-lesbian policy."

Portland, 54, was hired . . . by Penn State football coach Joe Paterno during his short stint as the school's athletic director. Paterno has said on numerous occasions that hiring Portland was the "best decision" he ever made as athletic director. . . Portland also is an outspoken proponent for women's athletics and has championed Title IX, the law which promotes gender equity in sports. She also has donated two scholarships to the university and has raised money for numerous charitable causes.