The loose, global nature of al-Qaeda’s operations offer some advantages, but there are bound to be limitations: AP: Ethnic Rifts Tearing at al-Qaida It would be interesting to know what happens between the Arab, Central Asian, and Southeast Asian groups when resources grow more scarce.
Greensboro’s own Truth & Reconciliation Commission is rolling along on its project of uncovering the truth behind the violence of November 3, 1979. Laudable cause. Greensboro has already had occasional reflexive spasms of guilt over that particular crime, and as you can see, they haven’t seemed to do much good as far as reconciliation. I would love to see this commission actually bring about that reconciliation, but I’m not sure where the reconciliation part is going to come in. What is being reconciled, and with whom? Are we to be reconciled with our own memories of a miscarriage of justice, as Klansmen and Nazis walked free because, as a city at that time, we hated the idea of Communists even more? ...
Donald Rumsfeld warns the Iraqi government to not politicize the military. Yep, that’s our Rumsfeld.
Capt. Mbaye Diagne, Senegal, United Nations: He gave his life that others might live. Link courtesy of Obsidian Wings
I thought they had already announced that they had them? Maybe not.
The Christian Science Monitor describes a novel approach to dealing with Al Qaeda in Yemen. “If you can convince us that your ideas are justified by the Koran, then we will join you in your struggle,” Hitar told the militants. “But if we succeed in convincing you of our ideas, then you must agree to renounce violence.” I like the idea of the theological contest. I hope it continues to be effective. ...
Apparently there’s some controversy about University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill speaking at a college in New York because he wrote an essay back in 2001 calling the September 11 victims in the World Trade Center “little Eichmanns,” among other insults. Good. The only reason it didn’t happen earlier is because folks were a bit too shocked at the time to notice one more in a series of ignorant essays, but it looks like, paraphrasing what Mr. Churchill says, that the chickens do come home to roost. ...
Despite Alberto Gonzales’ role in the attempted justification of torture by this Administration, Republicans still voted for him in a straight party-line vote after his confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. You know, I used to be Republican. I’ve found I can’t call myself that anymore without being ashamed when loyalty to the party means condoning torture. How are the Republicans — the party of “patriotism” — becoming so unpatriotic as to tacitly accept an un-American value as torture in the name of retaining power in Washington? ...
Another writer makes the mistake of assuming faith is only present in religious belief and gets called on it in a review by Reason. If faith is “belief in things unseen” — the definition I grew up with — it’s not hard to see that we run a substantial portion of our lives on faith. And if that is the case, it’s pretty obvious that just because some people do bad things because of their religious faith doesn’t somehow mean it is qualitatively different when others do bad things because of their faith in a utopian system, a strong leader, or Jodie Foster finally noticing them if they just assassinate that president. ...
According to Newsweek, one proposal before the Pentagon now is to use Special Forces soldiers and local paramilitaries to target Sunni insurgents and their sympathizers, both in Iraq and if they crossed the border into Syria. Here’s a quote from Maj. Gen.Muhammad Abdallah al-Shahwani, director of Iraqs National Intelligence Service: “The Sunni population is paying no price for the support it is giving to the terrorists. From their point of view, it is cost-free. We have to change that equation.” ...