Sultans and Scarves
Three weeks ago, an Egyptian Muslim mother and wife, four months with child, was stabbed to death in Dresden, the civilian city bombed to the ground by the allies during World War II. She was stabbed in full view of her son and husband, and when her husband rushed to...
Obama In Cairo
Well, here he was. Massive hype, of course, an event touted as a game-changer for American/Arab relations and something that a lot of people were eagerly expecting. Even before the event, certain facts were being highlighted within the region - Unlike most, if not all, US Presidents of the last...
The Clinton Provides A Pass
Despite the supposedly promising move of making George Mitchell the Middle East Envoy – it appears that any work he attempts will be under the glowering shadow of none other than second of the two infamous Clintons, good old Hillary. Consider if you will, the article at Reuters entitled “Clinton...
Open Letter To Barak Obama
Mr. Obama, President Elect – you have won, and the people cheer – and in huge neon letters, or so the media would have us understand – the world itself now sees the words ‘Hope’, ‘Change’, ‘Obama’ all writ large pnto some bright fantastical chimera. My skepticism is founded mainly...
Hell
Hell is a darkness aborting the light and declaring itself to be true. It is cold and it is numb to the touch, and unyielding with certitude. It is a devouring un-tempered by kindness or grace, and it is absolute. Hell is the poverty of the slum in the City...
Mike Gravel : Why I Care.
Somebody asked me why I want Mike Gravel to win – why I care either way, since I’m not even an American, and this is, after all, an American presidential candidate. I’ve got more than a few reasons – and they all sort of come together. I spent some time...
So That’s What It’s All About…
I just read a blog somewhere in which an apparently well intentioned but horrifically mal-informed American woman was (god bless her heart for stretching that far across the sea) lamenting the continued existence of Farfur – described as a Mickey Mouse-Alike that urges resistance to the United States and to...
Like A Rolling Stone…
I received an email yesterday informing me that the Rolling Stones are planning a concert in Israel, and asking me to include my name among people who are asking the Rolling Stones to boycott Israel; as various other artists and academics have. I replied to the email, included my information...
Bush’s Veto or How To Dismantle A Cretin…
Having just read the text of Bush’s veto statement, I thought it might be worth a quick step-by-step deconstruction, for the benefit of any polar bears on a random island somewhere that may not have given it the once-through. It reeks. “Tonight”, says The Bush, in reassuring tones, “I will...
Who’s Afraid of Wolfowitz?
Well, perhaps you should be. With a dual American-Israeli citizenship, and strong political alliances, Paul Wolfowitz seems all but invincible. The media, as a whole, seems blind to the perplexing paradox that the current president of the World Bank, ostensibly an organization out to alleviate poverty, and aid development –...