From Galley Friend S.B., the trailer for the greatest, saddest, docu ever made–Darkon.

I can’t actually explain to you what this is. You have to see if for yourself. But I will say this: It’s only the second saddest thing I’ve seen in the last three days.

Here’s the abridged version of the Bloom County Islam flap:

A popular comic strip that poked fun at the Rev. Jerry Falwell without incident one week ago was deemed too controversial to run over the weekend because this time it took a humorous swipe at Muslim fundamentalists.

The Washington Post and several other newspapers around the country did not run Sunday’s installment of Berkeley Breathed’s “Opus,” in which the spiritual fad-seeking character Lola Granola appears in a headscarf and explains to her boyfriend, Steve, why she wants to become a radical Islamist. . . .

The Washington Post Writers Group syndicates “Opus,” and the Post is the cartoon’s home newspaper. The syndicate sent out an alert about the two strips in question, according to Writers Group comics editor Amy Lago.

Sources told FOXNews.com that the strips were shown to Muslim staffers at The Washington Post to gauge their reaction, and they responded “emotionally” to the depiction of a woman dressed in traditional Muslim garb and espousing conservative Islamic views.

There was also considerable alarm over the strip at the highest echelons of The Washington Post Co., according to the sources. . . .

“The strip came in and I knew we would have to send out an alert to all the newspapers,” Lago said. “I do that fairly regularly with materials that might pose issues for local areas. … We knew that because it was a sex joke, it could raise issues. And there is another client that has issues with any Muslim depiction whatsoever.”

The Aug. 19 “Opus” ended with a joke about the late Jerry Falwell. . . .

Lago said she didn’t flag newspapers about that strip because she didn’t think readers would misunderstand the humor. . . .

But she did alert newspapers about the Muslim-themed cartoon because there was a question about whether Muslim readers would be offended.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s poking fun [at Islam],” Lago said. “But the question with Muslims is, are they taking it seriously?”

The “Opus” strip in question takes swipes at Islamists — a term used for radical Muslims — as opposed to moderate Muslims, she pointed out, but there was concern that the distinction wouldn’t be clear.

Why wouldn’t it be clear? Are Muslim readers–like the “emotional” Muslim staffer at the Post incapable of making such distinctions? That sound an awful lot like prejudice?

Unless, of course, it’s true. The story continues:

As far as whether the Post and the Post Writers Group syndicate treated content about conservative Christians differently than it did content about conservative Muslims, it certainly could be taken that way.

“It appears on the surface to be a double standard,” Burford said, “but at the same time, the climate of the world probably informs their decision with how to go forward with it.”

Delicately put, no? So either Muslims really are incapable of making rational, reasonable distinctions, or there is a cultural double-standard created by Western secularists to protect Muslims and assail Christians. Either case presents an enormous set of problems for the West.

One of my favorite priests, Monsignor Bernard Gerhardt, died recently. The Washington Post gave him a beautiful and fitting obit, including a perfect final line.

Monsignor Gerhardt, who had lived at the rectory of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle since 1958, said the 7 a.m. Mass at the downtown church for many of those years. A practical man of regular habits, he was known among his friends and colleagues for his thoughtfulness, willingness to listen and reluctance to rush to judgment.

That trait was useful in his position on the Archdiocesan Tribunal, a type of church court where Catholics apply for annulments of marriage, where priests seeking to leave the ministry come before a judge and where issues of canon law are addressed and interpreted. His standard response was ” ‘Let me think about that,’ ” said the Rev. George Stuart, who worked with him.

Monsignor Gerhardt served on the tribunal for 37 years, holding a variety of positions including chief judge. . . .

Susan Gibbs, director of communications for the archdiocese, said that Monsignor Gerhardt would always handle the “weird” calls that she received, especially those following the 1973 release of the movie “The Exorcist,” when some young women were convinced they were possessed and needed an exorcism.

“He had a way of listening to people and making them feel better,” Gibbs said. When distressed people approached him on the street, he would instruct them on how to feel better: Go into a Catholic Church, make the sign of the cross with holy water and quietly say a couple of the prayers that he provided. And if it didn’t work, they should call him. . . .

Asked which was the most memorable of all the communicants he has served, Monsignor Gerhardt replied, “Brooke Shields.”

A native Washingtonian, Monsignor Gerhardt graduated from Gonzaga College High School. He spent two years in the Army Air Forces near the end of World War II, training as a gunner after officials determined that his eyesight was too poor for pilot’s duties.

After serving in postwar Europe, he entered the seminary at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Md., and graduated from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore in 1949. He completed his theology studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and was ordained a priest in 1953. . . .

In 1970, he received the papal honor, chaplain to his holiness, which gave him the title of monsignor. In 1978, he was named a prelate of honor and in 2002, he was named a protonotary apostolic, a rare honor and the highest non-bishop rank possible for a priest in a diocese.

“There was no arrogance about him,” said Monsignor Thomas Duffy, his friend since seminary days. “He dealt with people who had broken marriages, broken dreams really, and he just showed a great deal of compassion and understanding. . . . He was not looking to find people guilty of something but trying to help them out.” . . .

During his long residency at the St. Matthew rectory, Monsignor Gerhardt kept a schedule so regular that it amazed his friends. He rose at the same time each day, arrived at the office the same time and left at the same time. He ate the same breakfast — cereal, two poached eggs on toast — six days a week, and he once calculated he had eaten 44,000 eggs. On the seventh day, he had waffles.

He was a wonderful man. Kudos to the reporter, Patricia Sullivan, for doing him justice.

. . . same as the old economist. The National Association of Realtors recently replaced their in-house hack economist David Lereah. For a sample of his work, click here.

NAR’s new economist is Lawrence Yun. Today NAR released some data which looks, to the untrained eye, kind of grim:

sales of existing homes dipped by 0.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.75 million units.

The median price of a home sold last month slid to $230,200, down by 0.6 percent from the median price a year ago. It marked the 12th consecutive month that home prices have declined, a record stretch.

Amidst all of this, the number of sales in the Northeast rose 1 percent over the the June level.

So here’s Yun’s analysis of the big picture:

“The rise in sales and prices in the Northeast region on a fairly consistent basis in recent months is promising because this was the first region that underwent sales and price weakness after the boom. Now, it appears that it will be the first region to climb back, indicating that other regions could follow a similar path.”

What I don’t get is why the media generally treats “economists” such as Lereah and Yun as though they’re respectable academics. Aren’t these guys more like the “scientists” working for Big Tobacco in the ’80s and ’90s?

Is it wrong to have such high hopes for a movie?

Casey Affleck’s voice is just about perfect here.

David Lat is a golden god. Click here to here a song, commissioned by the big law firm Nixon Peabody, for internal use only. Only now it’s out. And it’s like a bad ’70s used car jingle done by Earth Wind & Fire.

Some things you just can’t un-hear.

All of this courtesy Galley Friend A.W.

Today’s front page of the Washington Post wins first place for least appealing headline of the week:

Elderly Staying Sexually Active

Was anyone really wondering if 80-year-olds were having sexual intercourse? Did you just now picture 80-year-olds having sexual intercourse? (Reminds me of the old punchline: “Whatever it was, it needed ironing.” But what was the joke?)