Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an incredible woman. But she is flatly wrong when she alleges that "moderate Muslims" have not been outspoken in their criticism of human rights violations by their peers. Indeed, the example she choices, the "Qatif" case in Saudi Arabia, is a textbook example of an atrocity that came to Western ears due to the tremendous outrage it sparked amongst Arab … [Read more...] about Right Under Your Nose
New Life Church: Female Security Guard Shoots Gunman Dead at Church
UPDATE: It's been determined that one man wounded five persons and murdered four persons at both churches which are about 60 miles apart. Matthew Murray, 24, a home-schooled son (one of two brothers) of a priminent Denver family did the shooting. Murray was five years ago an 'associate' At the Missionary Training Center, but was found 'healthwise' unfit for assignment after … [Read more...] about New Life Church: Female Security Guard Shoots Gunman Dead at Church
Frank Rich Agrees with Me
On November 22, here on TMV, I riffed off of an insightful column by David Broder, saying that as US voters prepare to pick a new President in 2008, they, above all, are looking for grown-ups, explaining the recent surges of Senator Barack Obama among the Democrats and former Governor Mike Huckabee among Republicans. Near the end of the piece, I wrote: Obama and Huckabee, … [Read more...] about Frank Rich Agrees with Me
The Anonymous Commenter
Do commenters on other sites have a right to their anonymity? IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I don't set any of the comment policies here. However, at my own blog, I have always respected the anonymity of my commenters and -- barring anything unexpected -- I don't see that changing for foreseeable future. … [Read more...] about The Anonymous Commenter
Reshaping the Debate on Raising Taxes
In the NY Times Article "Reshaping the Debate on Raising Taxes" Robert Frank wades into the middle of the controversy of whether taxes are too high or too low. In it he illustrates how framing questions to the public can illicit dramatically different responses. In the first survey, respondents were simply asked whether they favored the proposal (to repeal the estate tax). … [Read more...] about Reshaping the Debate on Raising Taxes
Nothing New Under the (Iraqi) Sun
Wherever you go in the world, people always blame most those with whom they most closely identify, and of whom they have the greatest expectations. This is human nature and an essential part of a working political system: complaints are leveled at those who are most directly accountable to the complainants, even if they are not the most responsible for the detrimental … [Read more...] about Nothing New Under the (Iraqi) Sun
Giving the “Enemy” a Field Day
Watching America has barely been able to keep up with all of the stories over the last week from the Middle East on the American Intelligence Report on Iranian Nukes (or not) The world looks on in wonder as the U.S. continues to perfect the art of removing the rug from under itself while it still stands on it. The Iranian press is full of "We told you so". Those closer … [Read more...] about Giving the “Enemy” a Field Day
How the U.S. Spies on Iran
One thing that I often get asked by audiences interested in our work at Watching America, translating foreign news about the U.S., is exactly how useful is the U.S. media in helping us understand what goes on beyond these shores. The reasons I can give for my answer, which is typically somewhere between "useless" and "next to useless", could be the subject of an entire book, … [Read more...] about How the U.S. Spies on Iran
Torturing Questions
News today that members of Congress, including Nancy Pelosi, failed to protest when they were briefed about waterboarding and other harsh techniques of interrogation five years ago recalls the disturbing Milgram experiments of the 1960s. A Yale professor wanted to find out how much pain people would inflict on others for what they believed to be a good cause. "Stark … [Read more...] about Torturing Questions
Guest Voice: Where’s The Shining City?
This is a Guest Voice column by Michael Reagan, Ronald Reagan's oldest son, who is also a popular radio talk show host. Where’s The Shining City? by Michael Reagan Republicans keep longing for a reincarnation of Ronald Reagan to pop up and win the GOP presidential nomination, but thus far not one of the current candidates has shown that he has the vaguest notion of … [Read more...] about Guest Voice: Where’s The Shining City?
Hillary Clinton’s Negatives Surface In Iowa
The scuttlebutt about Iowa is that Senator Barack Obama could win...but on the other hand he could lose. Or Hillary Clinton could win, or she could lose. Why? Because their margin of error is slim. But there's one thing about which the margin of error is not slim: the growing perception that Senator Hillary Clinton now carries some negative baggage that is so notable that … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton’s Negatives Surface In Iowa
Head Winds for the Reign of the People
Arethe boom years freedom over and the forces of democracy in retreat? According to this column by Thomas Klau of Germany's Financial Times Deutschland, with the world of 'capital' migrating toward authoritarian regimes like Russia and China and 'decoupling' from the liberal democracies, 'democracy could be only a matter of an era, and not the end of history.' "Supporters of … [Read more...] about Head Winds for the Reign of the People
Torture: Did the American Psychological Association Collude With Torture of Human Beings?
That the Justice Department and the CIA announced today, three days after it was first noted that ‘interrogations’ video tapes were missing, that they will probe destruction of taped interrogations... that may be less important to many of us, than this other issue.... There’s another critical reason why many of us who are shrinks want to retrieve and view, not just the two … [Read more...] about Torture: Did the American Psychological Association Collude With Torture of Human Beings?
This is America, not ‘the Americas’
How much do people in Latin America resent the way the people of the United States refer to their nation as 'America'? This op-ed article from El Caribe of the Dominican Republic offers people in our country a taste of this long-simmering 'Latin American' angst. "It seems that for all the world, America includes only the United States. The rest of the hemisphere is something … [Read more...] about This is America, not ‘the Americas’
“And That’s the Way It Is…”
After the Tet offensive in early 1968, the Most Trusted Man in America announced the war in Vietnam could not be won. "If I've lost Cronkite," the President of the United States said, "I've lost America" and conceded by announcing he wouldn't run for reelection. Walter Cronkite is 91, and George W. Bush is no Lyndon Johnson, but America's news nanny, who tucked us in every … [Read more...] about “And That’s the Way It Is…”
Inquiry Begins Into Tapes’ Destruction
3:20 PM ET: AP via NY Times: The Justice Department and CIA announced a joint inquiry Saturday into the spy agency's destruction of videotapes of interrogations of two suspected terrorists. The review will determine whether a full investigation is warranted. AND THE LAST PARAGRAPH OF THE ARTICLE: The decision to destroy the tapes was made by Jose Rodriguez, then … [Read more...] about Inquiry Begins Into Tapes’ Destruction
“Climate Catastrophe” is the Word of the Year 2007 in Germany
The Word of the Year says quite a bit about public debates. In the last two years, the Society for the German language has chosen the words "Fanmeile" ("fan mile," referring to the public viewing and celebrating spaces during the Soccer World Cup in Germany in 2006) and "Bundeskanzlerin" (the female version of the word "chancellor") as word of the year. And now … [Read more...] about “Climate Catastrophe” is the Word of the Year 2007 in Germany
Iran: Merkel, Sarkozy and “The Desperate Man”
No, the headline refers to a painting by French artist Gustave Courbet. The NY Times used a picture of Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy in front of this painting as an illustration of its article "Despite Report, France and Germany Keep Pressure on Iran." Apparently the German and French leaders said they had not changed their minds despite the findings of the … [Read more...] about Iran: Merkel, Sarkozy and “The Desperate Man”
On The Destroyed CIA Interrogation Videotapes
So what was it REALLY all about? This make sense -- and is our MUST READ of the day. … [Read more...] about On The Destroyed CIA Interrogation Videotapes
I Like Ike!
I like Ike. A version of what became Dwight Eisenhower's 1952 campaign slogan existed in the late-1940s. In an Irving Berlin Broadway musical of that period, after Eisenhower had become a national hero for his work as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II, an ensemble sang a satirical overview of prospective 1948 presidential candidates, finding … [Read more...] about I Like Ike!