Thomas Friedman writes for the New York Times: Iraq today is a land of contrasts — mostly black and blacker. Traveling around the central Baghdad area the past few days, I saw little that really gave me hope that the different Iraqi sects can forge a social contract to live together. The only sliver of optimism I find here is in the one region where Iraqis don’t live … [Read more...] about Kurdistan – Paradise
Muhammed Cartoons Publisher: Apologies, No Regrets
The cultural editor of the Danish newspaper that published the infamous Mohammed cartoons has been interviewed by Turkish Daily News. In the interview, Flemming Rose apologizes for insulting Muslims all over the world, while at the same time saying that he does not regret the decision to print them. Personally I believe that he either should have said "I apologize for … [Read more...] about Muhammed Cartoons Publisher: Apologies, No Regrets
Polls Spell Disaster for Dutch Social Democrats
This article at MSN is in Dutch, so let me summarize the key findings of the latest poll: the social democrats would lose bigtime if elections were held today. The traditionally biggest - or nearly biggest - party in the Netherlands, the PvdA, would win a mere 20 out of 150 seats. At this moment, this party holds 33 seats in Parliament. They won these seats during the elections … [Read more...] about Polls Spell Disaster for Dutch Social Democrats
Bush Makes Surprise Visit To Iraq To “See For Himself” Situation
It's holiday time and you truly could have predicted this one: President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq Monday, shortly before a White House deadline to report to Congress on the U.S. troop increase there. After exiting the aircraft, a line of military officials, including top war commander Gen. David Petraeus, welcomed Bush with smiles, salutes and handshakes in … [Read more...] about Bush Makes Surprise Visit To Iraq To “See For Himself” Situation
Grassroots reconciliation: A new bogus talking point
With the Washington establishment of both political parties giving up on Maliki's government, supporters of the surge in Iraq have launched a new talking point: if the central government cannot pull the various peoples of Iraq together, a bottom-up movement of Iraqis from different ethnicities and sects will somehow come together and agree to disagree. Or something like that. … [Read more...] about Grassroots reconciliation: A new bogus talking point
Chinese Chocolates: Worms?
A NNN Japanese news report below posted on You Tube alleges Chinese chocolates have worms in them (not so "sweet"!): … [Read more...] about Chinese Chocolates: Worms?
A Military Wife Speaks Her Mind to William Kristol
Book Paints White House As Peppered With Guarded Dissent
A new book has come out that paints a different portrait of the Bush White House -- one peppered with dissent that often came from surprising quarters, managed by a President who sent out conflicting signals: Karl Rove told George W. Bush before the 2000 election that it was a bad idea to name Richard B. Cheney as his running mate, and Rove later raised objections to the … [Read more...] about Book Paints White House As Peppered With Guarded Dissent
The Secular Elite vs. The Popular Islamists
Good news: Turkish Daily News published another OP-ED written by yours truly. The main subject of the column is the tension that exists between secularists and moderate Islamists. One of the major problems is - quite simply - that the two sides greatly distrust each other. Secularists fear that if they give up an inch, Islamists will demand a foot; moderate Islamists fear that … [Read more...] about The Secular Elite vs. The Popular Islamists
Happy Labor Day!
Bush Bail Outs
Monte Wolverton, Cagle Cartoons … [Read more...] about Bush Bail Outs
Choosing Your University by Political Ideology: Should We Litmus the Joint Before Handing Over The Bags of Cash?
The underlying conservati/liberati philosophies of various professors has been given some sharp sunshine lately. Inquiries have surfaced about which profs/schools are too much of one and not the other. This has apparently led to a new genre of publishing for parents and students who wish to even more precisely target Universities which carry their own affiliations/ affinities … [Read more...] about Choosing Your University by Political Ideology: Should We Litmus the Joint Before Handing Over The Bags of Cash?
A Racial Angle to the Larry Craig Case?
You knew it was coming from me, didn't you? Actually, I just wrote that title to provoke. I don't think there is a "racial angle" to Craig's arrest in any meaningful sense--I think the crime, arrest, and conviction were pretty well divorced from a racial context (though not a gender one, as I've written). But even still, the comment of the cop is illuminating, not that Craig … [Read more...] about A Racial Angle to the Larry Craig Case?
UPDATED: We Have a Happy Hurricane on Our Hands
9 PM EDT: It has now reached Category 5. Hurricane Felix has reached Category 4. … [Read more...] about UPDATED: We Have a Happy Hurricane on Our Hands
Chuck’s Being Mouthy
OK, we're ALL mouthy. This item from The Hill, however, is more than a bit Chutzpadik! Schumer: Dems can win Craig's seat Less than an hour after Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) announced his resignation on Saturday, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats can win his seat next year. Schumer, head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, called the bathroom … [Read more...] about Chuck’s Being Mouthy
When is Enough Tribute Enough?
That is what some Americans seem to think: Again it comes, for the sixth time now — 2,191 days after that awful morning — falling for the first time on a Tuesday, the same day of the week. gain there will be the public tributes, the tightly scripted memorial events, the reflex news coverage, the souvenir peddlers. Is all of it necessary, at the same decibel level — … [Read more...] about When is Enough Tribute Enough?
Senator Larry Craig: Right Here In Boise City, With A Capital H That Rhymes with Hay
There's been a retelling of a huge sex scandal in Idaho 52 years ago. The two op ed writers, Seth Randal and Alan Virta, detail how in Boise on Halloween night in 1955, several men were rounded up who were accused of having sex with teenage boys. But then the dragnet harrowed out of control, far, far further, arresting 'hidden' gay men, citizen businessmen of Boise, who … [Read more...] about Senator Larry Craig: Right Here In Boise City, With A Capital H That Rhymes with Hay
Uncle Sam Underwear
Mike Lester, The Rome News-Tribune … [Read more...] about Uncle Sam Underwear
Changes
Chuck Adkins informed me that his blog is back to its original address. It seems that something went horribly wrong with the company that hosted his new blog. Be sure to update your bookmarks. … [Read more...] about Changes
Death of a Salesman
An interesting article was published at The American Thinker, written by Thomas Lifson. The subject of the article: Arthur Miller, famous playwright. It seems that Lifson is not a big fan of Miller's work. For one thing, he considers Miller's plays to be too negative about America. Besides that, he also believes Miller was something of a moralistic phony. Recently, he was … [Read more...] about Death of a Salesman