Now reader Rick Gaber points out a column by Walter Williams, in which we learn that economist Krugman can't even get the economics of 9-11 right:

The broken-window fallacy was seen in a column written by Princeton University professor Paul Krugman after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, "After the Horror" New York Times (Sept. 14, 2001). He wrote, "Ghastly as it may seem to say this, the terror attack -- like the original day of infamy, which brought an end to the Great Depression -- could do some economic good." He went on to point out how rebuilding the destruction would stimulate the economy through business investment and job creation. Again, do the smell test. If Krugman is right, wouldn't the terrorists have done us a bigger economic favor if they had destroyed buildings in other cities?

"In the original script, the bombardier's role included pointed questioning of the authenticity of Gen. Ripper's command-orders to nuke Russia. But as 'Dr. Strangelove' evolved into a satire, Zogg's voice of reason shrank to essentially a single question: 'Sir, do you think this might be some kind of loyalty test or security check?'"

In fact, Jones' line was:

"Major Kong, is it possible that this is some kind of loyalty test? You know, give the go-code and then recall, and see who would actually go?"

Ironic, then, that Jones goes on in the article to chide the film's director, the late Stanley Kubrick, for treating him harshly for forgetting his lines on the set. Of considerably broader interest is Jones' revelation of how Kubrick coaxed some of the greatest comedic moments ever recorded on film from George C. Scott:

"George C. Scott had some really difficult experiences with the director. George was headstrong by nature. It is what fueled his particular talent. Stanley was very much the same kind of man. The irresistible force met the immovable object when Stanley asked George to do over-the-top performances of his lines. He said it would help George to warm up for his satiric takes. George hated this idea. He said it was unprofessional and made him feel silly. George eventually agreed to do his scenes over-the-top when Stanley promised that his performance would never be seen by anyone but himself and the cast and crew. But Kubrick ultimately used many of these 'warm-ups' in the final cut. George felt used and manipulated by Stanley and swore he would never work with him again."

"I am the volunteer administrator for the Acne Resource Center..."

Posted by Donald L. Luskin at 2:21 PM | link