So Hillary Clinton and John Edwards were caught off-mic after the latest debate saying that they want smaller debates, with more “serious candidates” (read the details). “They’re not serious. They’re not serious,” Edwards said.This whole concept of “serious” and “not serious” candidates and ideas really sticks in my craw. The political elite, the media and … Continue reading “Politics: "Serious" Candidates?”
I found this on YouTube. It is testimony from Dahlia Wasfi, a physician with a Jewish mother (who fled the Nazis) and an Iraqi father, and she has done two long visits to Iraq recently to help during the war. This testimony is riveting. She is very angry, screen-melting angry, about America invading her country. … Continue reading “Iraqi Jewish Woman Very Angry At War”
In a new Newsweek Poll first posted Saturday, 41% of Americans say Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks . Thanks Dick Cheney! Thanks Rush Limbaugh! You are successfully duping a huge swath of the population. However this is down from 49%, a plurality, that believed this lie in … Continue reading “New Newsweek Poll: Misinformed Population ALARMS Me!”
I’ve been increasingly angry lately (nothing new) about how the Republicans want to slash aid to poor and disabled Americans because “we can’t afford it” but have no qualms whatsoever about funneling BILLIONS of our money to the worst evil dictators imaginable. Did you know we prop up the evil dictator in Ethiopia to the … Continue reading “Giving Your Money to Evil, Saddam-style Dictators”
Here’s a fun history tidbit I gleaned from the latest Hardcore History podcast: The Black Plague and the drastic changes it wrought on society, on supply and demand, on everything, had an incalculably deep impact on history. One thing it spurred was the English Peasants’ Revolt, aka the Great Rising of 1381, the 626th anniversary … Continue reading “The Serfs Are Getting Restive”
There is a very disturbing worldwide trend going on. In 1957 our president was Eisenhower and Israel’s PM was David Ben-Gurion. Say what you will about them, but they were competent. They weren’t bumblers or fools. In 2007 Israel is headed by the failed mayor of Jerusalem and the U.S. is run by the Clown … Continue reading “Why The Global Shortage of Good Leaders?”
In my last post, I talked about the Spanish-American War.I think the best parallel to the current Bush wars is not Vietnam, but the Spanish-American War, which was also fought with an all-volunteer military, and justified by an incident (Remember the Maine!) that the target of the war (Spain) may not have actually been responsible … Continue reading “Spanish-American War Coming Up on History Channel”
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” — Ecclesiastes 1:9-14I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Are the events shaping the U.S. just a part of an inexorable repeating cycle of history? In the 1920s the wealth inequality grew to … Continue reading “Inexorable Cycle of History?”
I wanted to post a quick note of my thoughts on the developing (and rapidly changing) situation on the Iraqi front. Check out this story from the AP wire, Iraqi Insurgents Now Fighting Each Other. It describes how some of the Sunni insurgents are turning against al-Qaida: MUQDADIYAH, Iraq — At least two major insurgent … Continue reading “Latest From The Iraqi Front, April 2007”
This life is full of sick ironies. Nick Israeli professor killed in US shooting As Jews worldwide honored on Monday the memory of those who were murdered in the Holocaust, a 75-year-old survivor sacrificed his life to save his students in Monday’s shooting at Virginia Tech college that left 32 dead and over two dozen … Continue reading “75-year-old Holocaust Survivor Killed In VT Massacre”
In my post, Why did they create the new nation of Iraq? I discussed T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) and his vision of the Middle East’s borders after WWI, which would’ve amounted to the Shias getting their own state in the Mesopotamian Basin, a single state for most of the Sunnis of what are now … Continue reading “What The U.S. Can Learn From “Lawrence of Arabia””
Guess who showed up in my city today ? Rudy Giuliani. I live in Mobile, AL, Alabama’s second largest city. The Port City. Today Candidate Giuliani showed up here. As far as I know he didn’t meet with any real people, any disability or elderly groups, nor did he visit the parts of the county … Continue reading “Candidate Giuliani Visits My City”
After World War I destroyed the Ottoman Empire, why did the British decide to create the new nation of Iraq out of the 3 different Ottoman provinces? The British divvied up the Ottoman Empire’s holdings and created Iraq out of the three Ottoman “vilayets” (regions) of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. Why would they do this? … Continue reading “Why did they create the new nation of Iraq? UPDATED”
The media, the pundits, the blogosphere is abuzz about the firings of the eight U.S. attorneys. As usual, most everyone is missing the point. The Senate Democrats are saying “were the firings politically motivated?” Of course they were, the documents even admit this. Move on to the crucial questions, you fools. The Republicans are saying … Continue reading “U.S. Attorneys Scandal: The Media Is Missing The Point”
I can’t help but blog about this. It’s just so history-making. The vice president’s chief of staff, Scooter Libby was convicted of four felonies Tuesday, becoming the first White House employee convicted of a felony since Spiro Agnew, who was the highest official working in the White House ever convicted of a felony. Thus, it … Continue reading “Libby: The First White House Felon Since Agnew”
Is the war on terra the only issue that matters in politics now? That’s the argument Ron Silver famously made at the ’04 Republican National Convention (old video). It’s the argument I hear over and over from Bush apologists. Prediction: it’s the argument that rightist politicians will be pitching throughout the ’08 election cycle, which … Continue reading “Is the "war on terra" the only issue that matters?”
I whipped up this simple, amateur animation to make a point. India and Europe are roughly the same land area, but India is considered a subcontinent. Why is Arabia dubbed a “peninsula” and not a subcontinent? These are all pretty arbitrary designations based on little but cultural history. We forget that about 40% of humanity … Continue reading “Of Continents and Subcontinents (animation by Nick)”
Serving the good, not false idols, is incredibly important Idolatry. In Hebrew, avodah zora (strange service). The concept of idolatry is central in the Torah (Five books of Moses). Throughout the narrative, the Israelites often revert to idolatrous practices, the most famous of which is the sin of the Golden Calf. In that episode, Moses … Continue reading “American Idol(atry)”
O Rly? At a President’s day celebration Tuesday, “President Bush linked the ideals of the first president to the war being fought by the 43rd” (full story here). This was so incredible, the disembodied spirit of George Washington ripped through the space-time continuum and said:
Any Valid Social Contract Requires Universal Health Care That’s Not Socialism, It’s Judaism My last blog post, Vigorously Insisting On A More Perfect Union: Fighting Cuts, Demanding Universal Health Care garnered a good response over at MySpace and here at blogspot where I always simulcast the blog. The first response I got was this: Universal … Continue reading “Any Valid Social Contract Requires Universal Health Care”
Vigorously Insisting On A More Perfect Union: Fighting Cuts, Demanding Universal Health Care I Take On Health Care Policy Once Again It has almost become a spring ritual for me. President Bush submits a new budget to Congress, unabashedly filled with loathsome cuts to the lifeline of the poor and disabled (Medicaid) to finance more … Continue reading “Vigorously Insisting On A More Perfect Union: Fighting Cuts, Demanding Universal Health Care”
In Response To Bush’s State of the Union, Remember MLK I’m going to respond to President Bush’s State of the Union, but not in the way every blog is. As always, I want to be atypical and different. 🙂 In response to Bush’s weak, conservative agenda to address problems at home (tax deductions will enable … Continue reading “In Response To Bush’s State of the Union, Remember MLK”
My Thoughts On Hillary Last weekend Hillary Clinton announced she’s running for president. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson also announced. Senator Sam Brownback announced for the Republican side.Barack Obama jumped in last week. Senator Biden and Senator Dodd and Senator McCain got in weeks ago. But about Hillary: Although the hatred of Hillary in the … Continue reading “My Thoughts On Hillary”
U.S. Foreign Policy In Deep Shi’ite An in-depth analysis In 2007, the dominant news story will be the ongoing bloodshed in Iraq. War is also the dominant spiritual and moral issue of my generation. It’s impossible for me not to blog about this. The president has ordered a “surge,” or increase of 21,500 troops, which … Continue reading “U.S. Foreign Policy In Deep Shi’ite”
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
U.S. Foreign Policy Lumbers, Hobbles and Bleeds Into New Year Thoughts on a “regional conflagration” in Iraq. Also, Israel in the spotlight Your foreign policy forecast for 2007: Iraq will be partly cloudy with a high chance of scattered shrapnel, and heavy sectarian bloodshed expected to the north, south, east and west of Baghdad. Earlier … Continue reading “U.S. Foreign Policy Lumbers, Hobbles and Bleeds Into New Year”
“Liberated” Iraqis Free To Join Forces With Hezbollah Hezbollah and Iran Training Shia Militias In Iraq Poster from the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi Shiite militia led by Moktada al-Sadr (upper left). Hezbollah, under Iranian auspices, are training the Shiite Mahdi Army (seen above). How sweet and helpful of them. According to the New York Times … Continue reading “Freed Iraqi Shias Joining Forces With Iranian Military and Hezbollah”
Global Warming Now Wiping Out Species Someone forgot to tell the animals global warming is a hoax. Damn. WASHINGTON – Animal and plant species have begun dying off or changing sooner than predicted because of global warming, a review of hundreds of research studies contends. These fast-moving adaptations come as a surprise even to biologists … Continue reading “Global Warming Now Wiping Out Species”
Arab Monarchs To Bankroll Bush Library Institute For Democracy OMG THE IRONY!!! In my last post, I showed the Administration snuggling up to evil Arab tyrants. Today, I see this from the New York Daily News: Bush sources with direct knowledge of library plans told the Daily News that SMU and Bush fund-raisers hope to … Continue reading “Arab Monarchs To Bankroll Bush Library Institute For Democracy”
Latest Mideast News: Dick Cheney Hugs Saudi Despot So the Vice President of the United States went to Saudi Arabia yesterday for talks about stopping the Iraqi civil war and stabilizing the Mideast. It was all over the news. These images were all over the TV: Video here That’s right, Dick Cheney hugged Saudi Arabian … Continue reading “Latest Mideast News: Dick Cheney Hugs Saudi Despot”