Opinion: In today’s pages: Supreme Court TV, Guantanamo, SAG
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The Times editorial board notes the end of the Screen Actors Guild’s two-year contract saga but cautions that peace is ‘illusory.’ SAG remains bitterly divided between hard-line factions and more moderate ones, and relations remain strained with the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists. Oh, and the Directors Guild of America isn’t a happy camp either.
The editorial board also notes that despite the political upheaval in Iran, with political rallies and surprisingly open criticism of the government, the winner of the presidential election tomorrow probably won’t be able to circumvent the ruling mullahs and bring about real reform.
Lastly, the board hopes that if her nomination to the Supreme Court is confirmed, Judge Sonia Sotomayor will urge her colleagues on the bench to permit television cameras in the court. Technological advances, among other reasons, make objections to broadcasting oral arguments quaint:
The contention that cameras would alter the traditions of the court has been undermined by recent innovations such as the same-day release of audio recordings of high-profile arguments and the prompt posting on the Internet of transcripts.
Over on the Op-Ed page, UC Berkeley professors Laurel Fletcher and Eric Stove say the best way for the United States to prevent radicalization of prisoners freed from Guantanamo Bay is to help them readjust to life at home:
As the U.S. prepares to close Guantanamo, it also needs to plan for post-release services to help detainees reintegrate into their communities. U.S.-supported programs should provide former detainees with job training and psychological support and help them secure stable employment...By helping re-anchor released detainees in their communities, we will reduce the risk of terrorist attacks against the United States.
Further down the page, columnist Meghan Daum muses about a study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research and the University of Pennsylvania that found women’s ‘subjective well-being’ has declined. No one knows exactly why this is, but Daum blames Angelina Jolie. With her Oscar, Brad Pitt, pilot’s license and mega family, she sets a standard other women simply can’t meet.
Lastly, Mark Steinberg, a retired partner at O’Melveny & Myers, writes about the political $kills he learned growing up in Chicago.
Update: The DGA accurately noted a discrepancy between the editorial published in today’s pages and its scrunched up summation on the blog. The editorial notes that factions in the talent unions remain bitter about the DGA’s deal wth studios while writers were striking, not that the DGA itself is unhappy.