It didn't get much media play, but last month the U.S. admitted it goofed in bombing the pharmaceutical plant in the Sudan last August. The admission came as the U.S. unfroze bank accounts and assets of Salah Idris, a Saudi businessman who owned the plant. After first claiming the plant was a Sudanese government facility, the U.S. backpedaled last August and acknowledged Idris owned the plant, but accused him of links to terrorist Osama bin Laden. Idris sued to get his assets back, forcing the U.S., with no fanfare or announcement, to concede that it had no evidence of any such link. The steady record of official lies in U.S. military matters leaves one wondering why the credulous U.S. media gives any weight at all to what Pentagon and White House spokespeople say when we attack someone. That's useful to remember, as the same tedious scenario unfolds in Yugoslavia.--Geov Parrish

In the weeks since the shootings at Littleton, a sort of national mania has settled in as anxious parents and school administrators try to guess which alienated student is likely to snap next. This has resulted in all sorts of egregious behavior, leading to the conclusion that, more often than not, it really is the adults, not the kids, who are crazy. Teens have been getting detained, expelled, and even arrested for sins like wearing trench coats, carrying chemistry books, and having Goth web sites. The problem is a simple one, and it's been embodied in the War on Youth for most of the Clintonian '90s: too many adults don't think kids should have any civil rights at all. In the face of such oppression--and a school apparatus that often resembles the prison (or job site) of their future--it's a wonder more teens don't rebel. And given how easily our most exalted leaders resort to violence and bullying, a teen fantasizing about killing 'em all has to be considered a fairly normal and healthy (if not exactly constructive) response. The bit about most people not acting on their fantasies (adults fantasize about the boss or spouse, too...) is where the need to respect teens' civil rights comes in. Personally, I think it's the kids who aren't revolted by the world around them who need counseling.--G.P.

It is unlikely anyone will question it due to the horrific nature of the crimes the guy committed, but after last Friday's well-televised standoff in Shoreline, will there be any review of the order for police snipers to shoot to kill? Regardless of how heinous the afternoon was, the death penalty is a rather serious decision to be ordered by whichever cop happened to be in command at the scene. One wonders if the guy would still be alive if he hadn't picked a house within line of sight of I-5, prompting authorities to close the freeway and pressuring them to resolve the standoff so that traffic could flow again. That might be a new low for our civilization: executing criminals because they held up traffic.

On the other hand, you have to sympathize with the police over the mind-boggling stupidity shown by KOMO-TV in airing an interview with the unlucky woman whose house had been randomly used for the drama. The woman, in response to a direct question, explained exactly where in the master bedroom the guns and ammo were kept--helpful advice if the guy holding off police happened to have the TV on. Duh.

Statistically, then, if you keep a large quantity of guns at your Seattle-area home, it is now possible that the weaponry won't be used to protect your family and shoot a burglar, but that it will be used by some desperado who will break into your home while no one's around, and then take out three cops while TV copters spend six hours hovering overhead. Oh, and your house will be essentially destroyed by countless rounds of bullets and tear gas. Feel safer? --G.P.

It should surprise absolutely nobody that the Mariners are again trying to bleed the public for more money. But what's been missing from media coverage of team meetings with officials from the Public Facilities District, and the resulting public anger, is a sense of which spineless public officials would have to sign off on any bailout of cost overruns. The buck stops with the County Council, which oversees the PFD. The PFD itself is made up largely of baseball-friendly hacks, so the best bet is to start letting the elected officials of the County Council know--loudly--how we feel. Still more public money for these greedy bastards, who have already seen the value of their franchise soar due to the generosity of a state legislature and governor that couldn't understand "no?" It should be the political equivalent of a radioactive hot coal, something too dangerous for any politician to touch. Speak up, or get screwed again.--G.P.