My very, very favorite kind of American media article is the one about how prisons in other countries just don't have enough rape. These come out quite frequently! Today the Daily News adds the latest to this genre: it's all upset about how Norway's Halden Prison, where horrible, horrible person Anders Breivik may be held, isn't dank and prisoney enough for American tastes. (So this genre is sort of the opposite of the French articles about how awful the American perp walk is.) "Anders Behring Breivik won't fear the showers because every prisoner has a private bathroom," is how the Daily News is pimping this on their front page. [...]

The attacks were "a despicable act directed at everyone in Norway," said Siv Jensen, the leader of the Norwegian Progress Party. While her assessment of the 76 dead and nearly 100 injured may be philosophically true, it's technically false. The bombing and mass shooting late last week was in fact directed at a very specific group of Norwegians. These "summer camp" teens weren't shot for taking canoe lessons; they were shot for being political activists, or children of such. (This was something made very clear by Tea Party leader Glenn Beck, when he functionally ended his corporate career days later by comparing the dead to Hitler Youth).

After years [...]