Under the Scimitar of Damocles  —  Abdul Rahman faced death at the hands of our Afghan allies for the "crime" of converting to Christianity.  This fate is no fluke, not a brutal Afghan variant on the practice of "tolerant" Islam.  Death for apostacy is part and parcel of Islamic scripture and tradition.

Supreme Court: Detainees' Rights-Scalia Speaks His Mind  —  Scalia at the New England School of Law on March 15  —  April 3, 2006 issue - The Supreme Court this week will hear arguments in a big case: whether to allow the Bush administration to try Guantánamo detainees …

CNN RELIABLE SOURCES  —  Are Media Turning Against War in Iraq?  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  HOWARD KURTZ, HOST (voice over): Souring on the war.  As President Bush goes toe to toe with White House reporters, are news organizations turning against the war in Iraq?

30 Beheaded Bodies Found; Iraqi Death Squads Blamed  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 26 — The bodies of 30 beheaded men were found on a main highway near Baquba this evening, providing more evidence that the death squads in Iraq are becoming out of control.  —  Interior Ministry officials …

500,000 Pack Streets to Protest Immigration Bills  —  The rally, part of a massive mobilization of immigrants and their supporters, may be the largest L.A. has seen.  —  A crowd estimated by police at more than 500,000 boisterously marched in Los Angeles on Saturday to protest federal legislation …

Norgs: The train has left the station  —  Yes, it's a cheap gimmick, and "norg" is a word that might never live past these blog entries.  But it's a cheap gimmick aimed at starting a valuable conversation that should have begun years ago.  With all the gloom and doom in the newspaper business these days …

The Post and the Whole Picture in Iraq  —  When the Iraq war started, more than 700 reporters were "embedded," traveling with U.S. troops in the field.  Embedding brought a newfound respect between reporters and soldiers.  Members of the media and the military hoped that this would bring …

'Marriage Is for White People'  —  I grew up in a time when two-parent families were still the norm, in both black and white America.  Then, as an adult, I saw divorce become more commonplace, then almost a rite of passage.  Today it would appear that many — particularly in the black community …

America, the Global Target  —  Hoping to lower tensions between the Muslim world and the West, British Prime Minister Tony Blair maintained the other day that the world confronts "a clash about civilization," not "a clash between civilizations."  But the overriding lesson of events since Sept. 11 …

A Poverty of the Mind  —  SEVERAL recent studies have garnered wide attention for reconfirming the tragic disconnection of millions of black youths from the American mainstream.  But they also highlighted another crisis: the failure of social scientists to adequately explain the problem …

Brady's choice  —  I want to thank John Moltz for organizing a campaign to convince Jim Brady to appoint me to fill the Karl Rove Chair of Official Truths at the Washington Post.  It will be difficult for anyone to fill the shoes of the former occupant, Ben "Xerox" Domenech, but I think I'm up to the task.

Singer Found Gold and Inspiration in California  —  Buck Owens, the Bakersfield rebel who brought a distinctly California flavor to country music in the 1950s and '60s and built a Central Valley-based multimedia empire belying his "Hee Haw"-bred bumpkin persona, died Saturday.  He was 76.