RUTHFULLY YOURS

The feeling remains that these child-rape crimes are still passed over or covered up. An independent official inquiry found failures at every level of the institutions of state. Crimes of this nature are still being kicked under the carpet — for reasons of “political correctness” — with no concern for harm done to the children. The issue is a true tinderbox.

Last week, the local council in Rotherham moved to ban anti-child grooming marches. But by even thinking of banning these marches, the members of the Rotherham council are making ones of the greatest mistakes imaginable. People will assume there is something even worse going on.

A town whose authorities allowed child-rape to go on for a decade, but which now bans marches objecting to child-rape, is setting up a whole new narrative of victimhood from which no good can possibly come. Howls of rage — especially such howls — must be protected speech, especially when they have a basis in fact.

There are some decisions so stupid that a person who lacked restraint might howl. One such case arose last week in the Britain.

When America invaded Iraq in 2003, then-President George W. Bush said our goals were to create an Iraq that had never existed before — a democratic Iraq that would be capable of defending and sustaining itself and would be an ally in our long war against terrorism.

None of those goals was achieved. But Bush remained convinced our pledge to nation building shouldn’t end and that we had to commit American troops to combat — and continue to sacrifice lives — indefinitely.

In July 2007, Bush warned against premature withdrawal from Iraq. He said that to leave before our military leaders confirmed that we were ready would be dangerous for Iraq, for the region and for the United States, and could mean that American troops would have to return to Iraq to fight again.