DIPTERA: The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line

"...your hands Were in my family's pockets Taking more than our dirty little change (But not much more), Leaving leafless our accounts And our few hours empty Of anything approaching an eleemosynary twinkle. And so our smiles, like yours, became just teeth, And we all bit...."

• by Ed Weathers

THE ANGRY INCH

THE ANGRY INCH

• by Chris Davis

'NO TORTURE AT BAGRAM': A LETTER

"We do NOT torture people at the Bagram Holding Facility (temporary home for up to 100 people picked up in Afghanistan as part of the war on terrorism). The only time the detainees are naked is when they are searched at admission and when they shower. There is a very good reason we don't give out many details as to treatment...not to disguise torture, but to keep our methods out of the enemy's hands...."

• by Ed Weathers

THE WEATHERS REPORT

NO JUSTIFICATION George Bush would like us to believe that the terrorists, men who (Bush claims) would happily martyr themselves for Islam and for hatred of America, are, under mild persuasion, revealing everything they know about Al Qaeda. Or he would like us to look away. Or he would like us to congratulate him for getting these bad guys to talk and turn each other in. He would like us to do anything but ask why theyÕre talking. But we already know why theyÕre talking: TheyÕre being tortured, and the torture is being carried out on George BushÕs orders....

• by Ed Weathers

GOLD, SILVER, AND BRONZE

Memphis Parent magazine picked up six awards in a national journalism competition sponsored by Parenting Publications of America (PPA). The awards were presented March 1st during PPA's annual conference in Los Angeles.

• by Ed Weathers

City Reporter

District attorney says truancy is civil, not criminal, issue, plus other news.

• by Flyer Staff

THE 'DRY-DRUNK' SYNDROME AND GEORGE W. BUSH

'"Dry drunk" is a slang term used by members and supporters of Alcoholics Anonymous and substance abuse counselors to describe the recovering alcoholic who is no longer drinking -- one who is dry, but whose thinking is clouded. Such an individual is said to be 'dry' but not truly sober. Such an individual tends to go to extremes. It was when I started noticing the extreme language that colored President Bush's speeches that I began to wonder....'

• by Ed Weathers

O-B.B.-ITUARY?

O-B.B.-ITUARY?

• by Chris Davis

Politically Incorrect

Controversial radio host Thaddeus Matthews says he's trying to "challenge the powers that be." Is anybody listening?

• by Janel Davis

EYES WIDE SHUT

If there has been a more historic, politically charged day in recent American history, I for one have a hard time remembering which one it might have been. A twenty-four hour period stretching over March 6th and 7th was neatly bookended by two remarkable television appearances: President George W.Bush's first prime-time news conference since October 2001 Thursday evening and, almost exactly 24 hours later, the first prime-time appearance in decades (on CNN's Larry King Live) by Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia.

• by Ed Weathers

A Dream of Home

Three thousand Iraqis are being trained in Hungary to help run postwar Iraq.

• by Adam Lebor

THE WEATHERS REPORT

NO JUSTIFICATION They say that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the recently captured Al Qaeda operative, is being "debriefed." They say he is undergoing "intensive interrogation" in an "undisclosed location." But let's put it plain: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is being tortured. He's being tortured by Americans, or their hired mercenaries, where nobody can watch.

• by Ed Weathers

NO ROBIN HOOD HE...

NO ROBIN HOOD HE...

• by Chris Davis

SEPARATED AT BIRTH

• by Ed Weathers

FROM MY SEAT

DANCING ON GLASS The concept of a conference tournament is a sound one: the gathering of a league's members for what amounts to a (highly profitable) season-ending extravaganza. Back in the days of a 40-team NCAA field, these amounted to playoff games for entry into the national tournament....But for the big boys-- members of the "power conferences"-- these family festivals have simply lost their meaning. If anything, a conference tournament represents a perilous gauntlet that presents national title contenders very little to gain . . . and much to lose.

• by Ed Weathers

CITY BEAT

BARONS OF THE BLUFF To which special agency, professionally staffed and with a board stacked with politicians and business leaders, do neighborhoods go to attract a fraction of the thousands of new expensive houses and market-rate apartments that have been built downtown in the last decade? They go to City Hall. They don't have special agencies. They have elected representatives who are stretched thin and associations staffed by volunteers, and they compete for scarce tax dollars in the messy public process.

• by Ed Weathers

'NO TORTURE AT BAGRAM': A LETTER

"We do NOT torture people at the Bagram Holding Facility (temporary home for up to 100 people picked up in Afghanistan as part of the war on terrorism). The only time the detainees are naked is when they are searched at admission and when they shower. There is a very good reason we don't give out many details as to treatment...not to disguise torture, but to keep our methods out of the enemy's hands...."

• by Ed Weathers

DIPTERA: THE FLYER POETRY PAGE

"...[Y]our hands Were in my family's pockets Taking more than our dirty little change (But not much more), Leaving leafless our accounts And our few hours empty Of anything approaching an eleemosynary twinkle. And so our smiles, like yours, became just teeth...."

• by Ed Weathers

Kustoff vs. Marsha

Memphis lawyer won't rule out another try in 2004. Plus, Luttrell cleans up the Sheriff's Department.

• by Jackson Baker

From Backboards to Billboards

John Grice's comeback is the "story of the year" in college basketball. And it's not over yet.

• by Chris Gadd

GRIZ WIN AGAIN, CRUSH NUGGETS 96-86

The woeful Denver Nuggets saw their losing streak grow to 14 games in a 96-86 loss at The Pyramid to the Memphis Grizzlies, who got a season-high 24 points and 10 rebounds from Stromile Swift and 20 points from Wesley Person.

• by Ed Weathers

Hoodwinked

The Guru is good fun.

Put a Cap On It

Malpractice reform is an idea whose time has arrived.

• by Mark Norris

Barons of the Bluff

Stacking the deck: A new plan would divert still more tax money to downtown.

• by John Branston

March Madness

March Madness

• by Editorial

Postscript

Flyer readers respond.

• by Flyer Readers