The Devil's Pygmies

In an interview with PA Sangma who ran for President last year, this is what KaranThapar said to him:

“Mr Sangma, even if you look at the BJP, who you said a moment ago had increased their support for you to 26-28 per cent, are using you… as a stepping stone over the bridge to Jayalalithaa and Naveen Patnaik. Mr Sangma you are a tool. You are a part of a strategy that supports their convenience. That’s why they are supporting you, not because they believe in you”.

Imagine, someone calling a presidential candidate a “tool”. Ever since that day I have nicknamed KT “The Tool”. KaranTool (KT) is the son of late General PN Thapar under whom India lost the 1962 war to China after which he resigned in disgrace. Naturally, that makes KT an expert in how the Army lives and conducts itself. So after Narendra Modi’s speech to ex-servicemen in Rewari (Haryana) on September 15 KT has a load of advice for him in “Lessons the Army can teach Mr Modi”. Where does he write it? Of course, in one of the members of the Unholy Trinity called Hindustan Times. Fair enough! We can all learn lessons from the Army. It always amazes how the soldiers’ legs are exactly in alignment in a march-past, how when they hold the rifles they’re aligned too. When they stand in rows or columns, the space between two soldiers is almost exactly the same. These are routines that come with a lot of training and practice. The soldiers help each other in getting these routines right. Okay! So when KT writes balderdash, who endorses him and seeks “action” not “abuse”? This guy Ram Guha, the “eminent distortian”! Here’s what Guha tweeted:

Alright Guha, what action do you want against some stupid analogy that KT draws because Modi addressed an ex-military crowd? Oh by the way, I wonder if Guha thinks calling a presidential candidate a “tool” is action or abuse. Let him ponder. So one writes crap the other endorses by scratching his back. Guha and KT are like two random hearts that fell in love with each other because they hate Modi. So what does KT really have to say? I’ll just pick a few samples and that will tell you the general idea of his whole article.

Regiments of the Indian Army, depending on their character, have their own mandirs, masjids, gurudwaras or churches. They have regimental maulvis, pandits, granthis, and priests. The Commanding Officer participates in all religious festivals. On Eid he will happily wear a topi. On other occasions a tikka or a pagri… An article in Daily Bhaskar.com (16/9) says: “(The) Army is the only place where you can see a maulvi conducting the proceedings of Janmashtami as Panditji was on leave.”… The truth is you can serve in the Army for years without being conscious of the religion of your colleagues. It simply doesn’t matter except in their private lives… Fortunately, Mr Modi has realised the Indian Army is the country’s most secular institution. In fact, he wants us to “take lessons in secularism from the Army”. Perhaps he should be the first.

Those are excerpts and anyone wanting to read the full crap should visit the HT page. While claiming to be “public intellectuals” (As Cacafonix fondly describes them) these guys don’t pause to look inside and think for a moment. KT probably wrote the article before the Nairobi massacre where the terrorists killed 39 and injured another 200. They were kind. They first asked all Muslims to leave. The Mail even reports: “Charles Karani, 41, an IT engineer, said: ‘I hid under a car with my daughters, and I saw the men line up maybe 40 people and ask them who was Muslim, and if they were to prove it by saying the name of the Prophet’s mother. Those who got it wrong were shot”.

Most of us have been to school. Kids wear the same uniforms, attend the same classes and learn the same lessons. People from different religions work in the same office and share the company’s mission. If a group of Indians were to travel on a ship with other nationals and it were to sink, who do you think the strong Indians will save first? Would they ask whether you are Hindu, Muslim or Christian? This is what morons like KT and Guha don’t get. That when you travel the same journey and share the same mission, religions and prejudices tend to take a back-seat. This is even more so when one is in the Army and is trained to combat enemies of the state. Imagine a Hindu and Muslim playing in the Indian cricket team. The Hindu is not going to say “I won’t take the catch off that bowler because he is Muslim” and vice-versa. Whether it’s a sinking ship, an office, a school, a cricket team or the Army, the members have a “shared cause” and they live and operate in a very controlled or mission-oriented atmosphere. That is not true for society at large.

The politicians and the political party these two guys so lovingly support and the news media have divided the nation so much that Indians as a whole DO NOT share many causes. These may be political, economic or social causes. When laws are made based on religion and caste the shared mission is eroded. When crimes of one community is overlooked, the shared mission is eroded. When SoniaG and MMS visit only Muslim victims of communal riots, the shared mission is eroded. The Army’s shared mission is fortunately not eroded so far but the politicians and media are working hard at it. The Army doesn’t have separate rules for Hindus or Muslims. It doesn’t even disclose the religion-wise composition of its members although one govt Committee did make an attempt to “sickularise” the army too. They wear the same uniform. They become one. They aren’t constantly bothered whether someone wears a skull-cap, tilak or a pagdi. The politicians and media will constantly bother and remind you of who wore a skull-cap and who didn’t and make it a national issue. That’s how stupid KT and Guha are. They have a very poor understanding of “structured organisations” with a uniform “mission”.

Society thrives in identities and prejudices; religion, colour, caste, creed, race, sexual-orientation. You won’t find KT or Guha complaining about ads for fairness creams, would you? It’s a reality only fools will deny. Narendra Modi didn’t create these. The best that Modi has done to combat this is “Sabka Vikas” and “India First”. On his stupid shows KT still sounds like “Pakistan First” and in an interview Madhu Trehan asked him why he was being seen as a “Paki agent”. KT may deny, but who created that perception? People? Or was it Modi?

The most classic line you will hear is that “Justice is blind”. Let me expand that line: “In this courtroom... justice is blind in matters of race, creed, colour, religion or sexual-orientation”. I love great lines from movies as most of us do (Video: 2.10 mins):

That’s a scene from the famous movie “Philadelphia” where Tom Hanks is sacked because he has AIDS. I wonder if KT or Guha would like to work with someone who has AIDS. I wonder if they would like to work with people not buying their vicious ideology while calling others “abusive”. The answer to the judge by Denzel Washington is simply stunning:

“With all due respects your Honour, we don’t live in this courtroom, do we?”

The Devil’s pygmies who pose as historians and media anchors would do well to learn that lesson. With all due respect to these Fiberals who distort and lie all the time, all of us don’t live in the Army, do we?

Communal Lies

(This is a MaxiPost)

Christianity has many denominations that aren’t so widely known. There’s Jehovah’s Witness who believe the world is rotten and has to be destroyed and God’s Kingdom will be established here. The JW’s don’t celebrate any holidays or any festival, not even Christmas. It’s almost like they’re in permanent mourning. An even lesser known denomination is the Amish community. This community lives isolated from the modern world without any modern technology or tools. They still use horse-drawn carriages and not cars. They don’t use electrical gadgets or tools for their work. They have a nice tradition; when a couple gets married they build them a new barn. Watch the video (2.25 mins):

That’s a clip from the Harrison Ford movie “Witness” (1985). That’s the first time I ever heard of the Amish. In the movie, tough-cop Ford hides himself in an Amish community to protect himself and an Amish kid who is a witness to a crime. While he’s there, he mingles with them and becomes one of them. The Amish are a very tiny community who believe only God is their judge. Their way of life is often laughed at and ridiculed. But the Amish were made more known for another incident; a terrible one in 2006. A gunman Charles Roberts took hostages and shot ten girls (aged 6–13), killing five, at an Amish school in Pennsylvania, before committing suicide. Roberts used to deliver milk at the school.

Wiki: “The emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation in the response of the Amish community was widely discussed in the national media… On the day of the shooting, a grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls was heard warning some young relatives not to hate the killer, saying, "We must not think evil of this man." Another Amish father noted, "He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he's standing before a just God." Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster County, explained: "I don't think there's anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts”. Such extraordinary forgiveness doesn’t come easy and is unknown in the world we live in. The shooting makes great TV but their forgiveness doesn’t. The Amish are a very tiny minority. They are “different”. Nobody told them or made them feel “different”; it’s just their way of life. And a very peaceful one! Back home, our politicians and media keep telling one particular community they are “different” (while screaming they are “equal” citizens) and molly-coddle them and appease them and overlook all their violence.

One of the most widely read posts on this site and one which resonated with a large number of people is “Delhi’s Broken Windows”. The simple essence of that post is that if small hygiene routines in crime-prevention aren’t carried out at regular intervals a major epidemic is likely to break out soon. Ignore sexual harassment of girls and allow illegal buses and other vehicles on the road, incidents like Delhi Gangrape are bound to follow. There is enormous wisdom in “a stitch in time saves nine”. The Muzaffarnagar riots too started on August 27, 2013 out of an eve-teasing incident. The brother and another man assaulted the Muslim guy who harassed a girl. The Muslim guy died. So the Muslims attacked the Hindus in revenge and killed those two. Then it became a bigger riot by Muslims and finally the Jats retaliated severely. That is the story being mostly reported by most news agencies.

The media took it seriously only when one of their own, Rajesh Verma of IBN, was killed on September 7. If the media that endlessly moralises on such issues had reported on many communal incidents in UP maybe things wouldn’t have come to such a pass. But it has been a tradition with our criminal media to remain silent and even cover-up when Muslim mobs go haywire. The Muzaffarnagar riots were hardly the first since the Akhilesh Yadav govt took over. But before we get to all that let’s see how “sickulars” deal with communal violence. This is a statement by MoS Home RPN Singh in LokSabha:

This was on May 7, 2013 even as many “chota-mota” incidents were routine in UP. What was the media doing? Post the killing of that IBN journalist many news sites put up a history of communal incidents in UP. Here’s one from FirstPost (and even this may not be complete but shows major incidents):

2 June, 2012:Mathura Four killed at Kosi Kalan following a dispute over drinking water outside a place of worship. 4 June, 2012 Muzaffarnagar Two women and 18 men were wounded in clashes.23 July, 2012:Bareilly Three killed over loud music near a place of worship in JogiNavada. Curfew re-imposed on 12 August following fresh violence. 16 Sept, 2012 Ghaziabad Six killed in clashes after alleged desecration of a sacred book.  24 Oct, 2012:Faizabad One killed; curfew following a dispute during Durga procession. 6 Dec, 2012: Azamgarh Violent clashes injure 11. 16 Jan, 2013: Lucknow Two killed, seven injured in bloodshed between two sects in Old City. 6 April, 2013: Meerut Several injured during protests against an incendiary Facebook post. 26 July, 2013: Meerut Two killed in clashes over a dispute on use of loudspeakers during festival. 27 Aug, 2013: Muzaffarnagar Three killed after a girl was harassed in Kawal village. 31 Aug, 2013: Amethi Dalit homes set on fire; man killed over construction on Gram Sabha land. 3 Sept, 2013: Shamli One killed, 10 injured in conflict between two communities over dumping of garbage in Tisara. 7 Sept, 2013: Muzaffarnagar Nine killed in violence after Mahapanchayat in protest against Kawal incident.

So FirstPost lists about six riots in UP for 2012. No, I’m not expecting them to list all or be accurate with these numbers. They have more important things to do. But when RPN Singh made that statement in parliament which I referred above he also provided an Annexure of communal violence incidents across India for the period 2010 to March 2013. Take a look (if the table isn’t very clear, please open the link I have provided):

Interesting, eh? So our Mos Home says there were 668 communal riots in 2012 and 171 till March this year. Okay! Let’s put aside figures for 2010, 2011 and stay close to 2012 and 2013.

Now some important questions! Take a look the first red block I’ve marked for Assam. It says “zero” communal riots in 2012 and 2013. Assam had the worst riots of 2012 in July-August when the “tyranny of distance” and “lack of OB vans” prevented Rajdeep Sardesai from reporting on it. Who generates these numbers being given to parliament? The second red block I’ve marked is Gujarat. The table says 57 incidents in 2012 and 20 incidents in 2013 till March. Really? Assam had zero in 2012 and Gujarat had 57? Is it possible? Even if there were group clashes between stray dogs from two streets in Gujarat, that would have made 38000 headlines in the media with another 50000 “Blows to Modi”.

And the red block at the bottom is that for UP which says 118 for 2012 and 24 in 2013. I may sound harsh, but if a journo had been killed in any of those initial 118 riots of 2012 in UP  many other riots may have been prevented and lives saved. Nobody knows the numbers. Neither the media nor the Home Ministry! And to tackle all this there was another delegation by Muslims (led by Kamaal “Yasin Batkal was arrested because he’s a Muslim” Farooqui of SP) to demand the Communal Violence Bill.

Let’s face the truth. No law has prevented murders and rapes. They never will. Even the most alert cops may not be able to prevent murders and rapes inside private homes or buildings but they surely can prevent these crimes on the streets in public. Communal riots don’t happen in private homes; they happen on the streets. It’s not as if there have been no sparks in Gujarat either. There have been cases of stone-throwing at Ganesh processions in some places but they were nipped in the bud. That is what is expected of Police and politicians. Of course, our criminal media tends to ignore and cover-up crimes by Muslims for obvious reasons and, like in UP, this may end up in more tragedies like Muzaffarnagar. They leave the window open for riots to escalate. And when rudely woken up, people like Rajdeep, Barkha, Arnab, Kanwal etc. will all start sermonising the world and do stupid sting operations and claim credit over each other. These are the real enemies of peace and harmony. Watch this stupid self-righteous aggression by Rajdeep (2.51 mins):

Subramaniam Swamy rightly points out that Hindus cannot be constantly put back. They cannot endlessly suffer the extremists within the minority community. If Rajdeep wants reconciliation has he gone and talked to any Muslim group? Has he ever condemned any Muslim group directly for violence? The media morons even swallowed the fact of their property and people being damaged and injured at Azad Maidan. The rioters at Azad Maidan molested female cops, burnt vehicles, destroyed a Jawan Memorial and the cops just watched. What moronic reconciliation is this man talking about? If your sister or wife is harassed by anyone I doubt anyone is going to say a prayer. If your religious procession is stoned frequently, it is bound to enrage people. If you burn 59 people in a rail coach for no particular reason it becomes impossible to hold back passions. And what’s their anger? Even reasons like somebody burned their holy book? Fine, if someone burns the Gita or dumps it in the garbage I would consider it silly. It will not offend me, but even if it offends and enrages me I am certainly not going to pull a gun or a sword and start killing people. Muslims need to learn that. Category 4 moron Ashutosh wonders if he would be considered a “nationalist” if he were to criticise Islam. This is his sly tweet to Hindus. No, you won’t be a nationalist, but chances are you’ll be dead.  

The extremists who create such fears have made it impossible for anyone to talk reason to them. Their extremism is not restricted to India, it’s universal. They are in conflict wherever they are, in Britain, France, USA and even Marijuana-legal Netherlands. Forget these western nations; they are in conflict even in the purest of pure Pakistan.  Terrible fact is that Hindus are increasingly being called “cowards” in various forums for tolerating a lot of offences. Hindus are not Amish. The media can’t stop crying and screaming Muslims aren’t being allowed to get into the “mainstream” Indian life. But do they want to? Swathes of towns and villages in UP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra. Bihar and some more States have more or less become “Islamic” towns. The 3rd wave that Asad Owaisi promised in the parliament has already been in operation for many years, he said nothing new (Read Tavleen Singh’s article). And what are Congress, SP, JDU, RJD and similar “Sickular” parties telling the Muslims? They’re telling them ‘Look, you people are different. Look you people are pathetic victims. Look you people can’t make a living on your own. Look, you need us or you will die’.

Special courts, special subsidies, reservations, pilgrimage subsidies, separate marriage laws, instant divorce laws, no alimony for women, Islamic banking and on and on. And what’s the outcome? In places like Kishtwar, the attempted ethnic cleansing was completely blacked out by govt and the media. And who is to blame for all the miseries of Muslims and the communal violence? Of course, Hindus! As if Hindus have nothing else to do in life other than indulge in violence against Muslims. This is what the media morons tell you. The Central govt conveniently blames States for all this but they don’t even have accurate statistics as RPN Singh shows. Pathetic! Among the media folks only Gaurav Sawant had the guts to speak the truth. I had to jokingly tweet back to him to get Z-plus security.

Let’s face it! As long as there are different laws for different communities and “sickular” politicians and media-politicians like Rajdeep, Ashutosh dividing the country there will be communal riots. As long as there is appeasement of Muslims there will be communal riots. It’s an unfortunate fact of life. Lately, there are reports of an Islamic University being set up and constructed at Tirupati, one of the holiest towns for Hindus. This is not prevention, this is further invitation to communal disharmony. This is mindlessly breaking a window that isn’t broken. With the University will come up a lot of residences and supply stores. With the university will come up a lot of mosques. A mini Islamic town in a Holy Hindu town is likely to be created. There are plenty of towns where this university can be created but choosing Tirupati is not without its own motives. The Islamists wanted to create an Islamic centre near the disaster site of WTC of 9/11. It was protested and suspended. The Tirupati Islamic University too needs to be moved. Not because it is bad but because the very nature of India’s appeasement policies leads to disharmony and violence. Stop appeasement and the feeling of victimhood, being different will slowly dissipate or it will last for eternity. 

Muzaffarnagar is a clear case of provocation and violence that seems to have backfired on the rioters and some politicians. The Jats retaliated only as they would be expected and are known to do. They are a lot like proud warrior clans and are not going to tolerate offences like some other Hindu communities. Our sickular political parties and liars in media live in denial of some fake “communal harmony” and “unity in diversity” dream. As long as there are different laws, appeasement, intolerance of the majority community these communal lies will only lead to more disasters. 

Imported Garbage - From New York Times

This blog has always been dedicated to Indian news media as it was meant to be. However, considering multiple elections are looming and business abroad is not so great one can expect a lot of imported scumbags to fry their onions in the Indian heat. The American media is the inspiration behind the terribly corrupt and untrustworthy media in India. They too have fake reports, fake awards and even bogus reports to encourage war. Even the Pulitzer Prize can be hoodwinked. Don’t believe me? Read the story of Janet Cooke in “Barkha – The Queen of Telly Trolls”. The common misconception in India is that the longest running media competition is KBC. Actually no! KBC had many breaks. The longest running media completion is “Abuse Narendra Modi and win a prize”. Unfortunately, there is hardly any media crook in India who hasn’t already won that prize so now there are imported contestants. Any Tom, Dick and Harris would do! So ‘Enter Gardiner Harris’ of the New York Times (NYT).

This is what Harris’ profile on Twitter says (pic on the left). Usually when you have a grand title like “South Asia” correspondent you can assume there will be a lot of stringers and side-kicks assisting the person. To put it politely, these people usually peddle “second-hand stuff”. You know, like selling used cars. If you ever met a used-car salesman he will make you believe it’s even better than a virgin car. But the Twitter profile doesn’t say much else, so a more honest introduction to Harris is mandatory. Here’s how one introduced him (edited excerpts):

“The Inconstant Gardiner: The New York Times’ Fervent Disconnect Between Drug and Vaccine Reporting: The film “The Constant Gardener”—starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz… from the book by John le Carré—is the story of sacrifice and moral constancy against the corruption of fictional corporate giant KVH, maker of pharmaceuticals and pesticides. It’s a beautiful film in many ways, and terrifying; a cross between reality check and forecast…..  Isn’t tireless repetition of “emotional words” a technique of advertising and political propaganda? Or is Harris too bored with the issue to come up with fresher adjectives?  I suppose that could explain the—cough— inconstant reporting. Inconstant: adjective; likely to change frequently without apparent or cogent reason— in•con•stant•ly adverb … Gardiner Harris—who just came out with his first novel involving a possible conspiracy in coalmining  —likes to chastise vaccine injury claimants for being “misled by conspiracy theories”.  It’s funny if you think about it. Harris’s conceit is that he himself would be in on such a conspiracy if it existed— when in reality, Harris doesn’t make decisions about what gets printed in the Times any more than a drug rep decides what to sell”.

Isn’t tireless repetition of “emotional words” a technique of advertising and political propaganda? Asks the article about Harris. Oh yes, terms like “divisive” “controversial” “fascist” “chauvinist” “polariser” are all propaganda words that fit very much with Harris’ style as it does with most of his Indian counterparts. I recommend you read the full introduction of Harris that I’ve linked so that there is no selective interpretation. What I’ve quoted is actually the nicer part. So on what basis he wrote this crap called “Campaign for Prime Minister in India Gets Off to Violent Start” about NaMo can only be described as mindless propaganda and nothing more. It’s his “first time” I suppose, so we will throw back just a couple of his moroneries back at him.  Harris clearly tries to imply that the nomination of Modi as BJP’s PM candidate sparked off the Muzzafarnagar riots. Sounds a lot like our very own Diggy, doesn’t he? Here’s what he starts with:

“India’s most important election in a generation began in earnest this month the same way consequential elections nearly always start here — with a proclamation and a deadly riot. In New Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party announced last week that it had chosen Narendra Modi, one of the most divisive politicians in India’s history, as its candidate for prime minister in next spring’s national elections. Mr. Modi, the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat, is an unapologetic Hindu chauvinist who has been accused of mass murder”.

So the “proclamation” is connected to a deadly riot – the Muzzafarnagar one. Of course, Harris doesn’t forget to state Modi has been “accused of mass murder”. Now who has accused Modi of this? Not a court and not even an FIR. It is scumbags like Harris in the Indian media who have done this; most prominently Vir Sanghvi and Rajdeep Sardesai. Bravo, second-hand crap is passed off as gospel. Here’s another one from Harris:

Okay, in the above para he links to an article about the Muzzafarnagar riots. This is from his own NYT barn. That linked article is “Fear and loathing in North India’s sugarcane town”. Nice! Very nice! Harris also states the riots were due to a “fake video” by a legislator from Modi’s party. See? This guy is a fast learner. Bad things it’s Modi’s Gujarat, Modi’s aide, Modi’s right-hand man. Good things? It’s Gujarat or Gujarat govt. I guess this guy must have attended classes at NDTV and CNN-IBN. Anyway, here’s what the article he linked says:

Oh, the fake video theory has been busted. But trust used-car salesmen to tell you how virgin the car is. So the riots, which actually started in August, escalated on September 7 as the NYT report  says. Modi was nominated PM candidate on Friday the 13 th. Yet, like the usual Indian liars in our own media Harris makes a fake connection. I hope the UPA awards him a Padma Shri before they exit. Then Harris proceeds to write the tripe that has been peddled over and over again in India. He’s just about some 10 years late, that’s all. Oh and then he quotes the great Sushil Kumar Shinde too:

“Sushil Kumar Shinde, India’s minister of Home Affairs, said that there had already been 451 cases of sectarian violence this year, surpassing last year’s total of 410. He warned that violence was likely to intensify as elections approached”.

451 cases of sectarian violence this year? What? Did you hear any of that? Did you see of any of that being reported by NDTV, CNN-IBN, TOI Group, Headlines Today or ABPNews all of whom are clones of NYT and American media? Oops! He reveals something else too. There were 410 last year. Did you hear most of that either? Thanks to Harris, at least he exposes the criminal cover-up artists in Indian media. But the Inconstant Gardiner misses something. None of the 451 or 410 happened in Gujarat or under Modi’s watch. So he will learn slowly those aren’t sectarian violence. The only communal clash ever in India was Gujarat 2002.

Harris also grandly states Modi rarely speaks to Western media. He is wrong. Modi rarely speaks to any media because he knows how they are criminally ranged against him. He is smart and throws words in his speeches and lets them grovel for crumbs. But even here “second-hand” news peddler Harris is inaccurate. Modi gave an interview to Reuters just some weeks ago. Obviously, Harris is not a lover of Puppies or he would have heard of that. No?

But like I said those “South Asia” type specialists are usually assisted by local sidekicks. In this case there is one Hari Kumar from Ahmedabad and Nida Najar from Muzzafarnagar. In a tribute to John Lennon this is what Elton John wrote about the gardener he was:

What happened here

As the New York sunset disappeared

I found an empty garden among the flagstones there

Who lived here

He must have been a gardener that cared a lot

Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop

And now it all looks strange

It's funny how one insect can damage so much grain.

It’s true; one insect can also damage the NYT as they know so well. “Reporter Judith Miller retired after criticisms that her reporting of the lead-up to the Iraq War was factually inaccurate and overly favorable to the Bush administration's position, for which The New York Times later apologized. One of Miller's prime sources was Ahmed Chalabi, an Iraqi expatriate who returned to Iraq after the U.S. invasion and held a number of governmental positions culminating in acting oil minister and deputy prime minister from May 2005 until May 2006”…. “In May 2003, Times reporter Jayson Blair was forced to resign from the newspaper after he was caught plagiarizing and fabricating elements of his stories. Some critics contended that Blair's race was a major factor in his hiring and in The New York Times' initial reluctance to fire him”. The NYT has won a lot of awards and also has the experience of weeds. One hopes they don’t let an insect damage the good crop.