Your news links for January 8th are…

Terrorism in Paris

Islamic terrorists invaded a magazine’s offices in Paris and killed cartoonists, visitors, and two police officers, ostensibly because the magazine, Charlie Hedbo, had previously published cartoons depicting Mohammed in less than flattering positions. Here is the BBC’s description. Also, I wrote a post on the free speech implications of such actions here. Previously, the White House was critical of Hedbo’s decision to publish the cartoons.

Jim Webb–Democrat Who Can Compete for White Male Votes

Jamelle Bouie, a frequent contributor to Slate, has an interesting piece on Jim Webb, a potential candidate for the Democrat Party’s presidential nomination. Bouie’s primary argument is that Webb represents an important constituency (white men) that is critical for Democrats’ future prospects. Interesting and worth reading.

Boston Time Capsule

Boston recently uncovered a time capsule buried by, among others, Paul Revere and Sam Adams. The capsule contains coins, newspapers, a medal–depicting George Washington–plaques, and other items.

Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter

Finally, my favorite story of the day. Kirby Delauter, a councilman from Frederick, Maryland, has made the news for all the wrong reasons. His local paper, The Frederick News-Post, published a story on the city council’s sometimes public, yet heated, arguments over their own parking spaces, mentioning Delauter by name. Delauter responded by threatening a lawsuit for the paper’s “unauthorized” use of his name. Appropriately, the paper responded with this, an editorial that belittles Delauter in all the best ways. Look at the first letter of the first word of each paragraph for a bonus.

Stay warm on this chilly Thursday.