Opinion: In today’s pages
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali considers the dangers for Turkey as Islamists gain power democratically:
Bringing back true secularism does not mean just any secularism. It means secularism that protects individual freedoms and rights, not the ultra-nationalist kind that breeds an environment in which Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ is a bestseller, the Armenian genocide is denied and minorities are persecuted. Hrant Dink, the Armenian editor, was murdered by such a nationalist. It is this mix of virulent nationalism and predatory Islam in Turkey that makes the challenge for Turkish secular liberals greater than for any other liberal movement today.
Queen’s University’s Tony Platt examines how Northern Ireland will remember its violent past, while columnist Ronald Brownstein evaluates the performances of presidential candidates at the debates. Writer Randye Hoder wonders why Purdue University thought it was okay to tell neurotics that anxiety hastens death.
The editorial board argues that a Senate committee botched its chance for increasing fuel economy standards, and that the White House’s attempts to change eavesdropping laws deserve close congressional scrutiny. The board gives Disney a pat on the back for finally tapping the quinceañera market.
Letter writers chime in to support the Los Angeles Police Department. West Hills’ Barbara Cody notes that ‘If we continue to treat cops like second-class citizens, nobody will want the job.’