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LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION
Posted by Ron Coleman on February 28, 2010
Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim. (Unlike the biblically-based Jewish holidays, this is one, like Chanuka, on which I’m allowed to blog!)
As well explained in the Book of Esther, it’s the holiday of turnabout, surprises, false identities, intrigue, perhaps some emotional legerdemain, and not a little spiritual confusion. The outcome isn’t always funny, or even fun, except perhaps in the sense of the divine comedy.
It all comes around in the end, though!
Posted in Faith and Works, Futurama, Heart and spirit, Orient, Past is prologue | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ron Coleman on February 16, 2010
New York Times:
U.S. Encounters Limits of Iran Engagement Policy
Well, let’s be sure and learn all this stuff from scratch. Each time.
Posted in Orient, Past is prologue, Politics and Poker, Stragety | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ron Coleman on February 14, 2010
In certain cultures, lying is not an issue.
In most cultures, lying about Israel is not an issue.
But for Palestinian “leaders,” lying about Israel is the default position.
Posted in O Mores!, Orient, Sisyphus | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ron Coleman on January 25, 2010
While most Saudi students are apparently taking the TSA’s revised security screening in stride, not all of them are. Saudi Gazette/Okaz report that some are very offended and that the National Society of Human Rights [NSHR] thinks them offensive to the dignity of Saudis. . . .
[A]nyone entering the US—of American or other nationality—can have his computer files checked. It’s not just terroristic materials that are the subject of searches; Child porn and other illicit materials are frequently caught. US courts have determined that the 4th Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches without probable cause, does not extend beyond the borders of the US. For travelers, the border starts inside the Immigration and Customs desks.
As for the NSHR, well… I do believe there are human rights violations taking place within the Kingdom which might more usefully take the focus of the organization.
John, is this the first time you’ve found selective outrage among in Arabia regarding “human rights”? 😉
Posted in Oppression, Orient | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ron Coleman on December 23, 2009
This was first published on January 6, 2009.
Ron Paul’s wickedness is not a big surprise — it was out there, as I told you, for anyone who wanted to know. But Cold Fury lays out Paul’s latest display of true, Jew-hating colors just so:
“Israel’s preemptive war.” “A few small missiles.” Palestinians “living in concentration camps.” America “rightfully to blame.” It’s all here in this rich, rich vein of vapid isolationism, utter stupidity, and contempt for the only functioning democracy in the Middle East . . . The line between Left and Right isn’t straight; it’s circular, and the ends meet right smack between this moron’s ears.
No, it’s not “merely anti-Israel” — you can’t be that morally blind about Israel’s moral position in this situation and not be an antisemite; and given the track record, this is not exactly a new insight. As blogger Rougman comments at the post, “I guess he doesn’t want to leave that Nazi vote on the table come 2012.” They never do.
So what’s scarier — that this wretched gnome is member of Congress? Or that so many people, otherwise capable of being taken seriously, were so seriously taken with Ron Paul?
Comments here.
Posted in Best of the Blog, O Mores!, Oppression, Orient, Right Wing to Nowhere | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ron Coleman on December 22, 2009
Iran’s nuclear arsenal is a problem for which the blame can be shared across all Western regimes. And I don’t blame Russia, China or North Korea, really, because they’re doing exactly what Russia, China and North Korea will do. But this is not a Republican or a Democrat thing; it’s a disaster thing and a lack of guts thing and a collective-action-dilemma thing.
So here’s the thing:
The international community can give Iran “as many deadlines as they want, we don’t care,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech to thousands of supporters in the southern city of Shiraz.
Ahmadinejad dismissed the threat of sanctions, saying Iran wants talks “under just conditions where there is mutual respect.”
“We told you that we are not afraid of sanctions against us, and we are not intimidated,” he said, addressing the West. “If Iran wanted to make a bomb, we would be brave enough to tell you.”
As the crowd cheered: “We love you, Ahmadinejad,” the Iranian leader lashed out at Washington, vowing Iran will stand up against U.S. attempts to “dominate the Middle East.”
If you wanted to make up a scenario where a modern-day, psychologically dented, ideologically bizarre and, natch, antisemitic regime vaulted itself into great power status and the ability to threaten the whole world with (small H) holocaust … and said all the leader of that country had to do was follow the Hitler-at-Munich playbook to a T … in what possible respect would it look any different from how Iran looks right now?
Cross-posted on Right Wing News.
Posted in Orient, Past is prologue, Politics and Poker, Sisyphus, Stragety | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ron Coleman on November 15, 2009
Instapundit links to IraqPundit (sigh), who says like this:
Will [Khalid Sheik Mohamed] beat the Americans at their own game? This is what Iraqis are asking about the case of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. It’s hard to say how many are paying close attention, but some Iraqis are watching the developments. The most common answer I’m hearing is that yes, KSM will win.
Ah, so that’s how you get onto the front page of the biggest right of center blog these days: Anonymously quote anonymous foreigners of no particular (known) credentials to the effect that something will go badly — very badly — for the United States in foreign policy.
Not hoping that it happens that way, mind you. Not at all.
Well, I will say this much. If the Obama Administration really wants to make political points, they will do so by making their tactic pay off big for American interests, because the knee-jerk right has certainly set the stage and indeed leaked the script (i.e., that it is the Bush Administration that is being put on trial here, with a war criminal as proxy for the American left) for a disastrous finale.
Which outcome should Americans hope for, again? Which “side” are we on?
Posted in Orient, Politics and Poker, Stragety | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ron Coleman on November 12, 2009
I asked, in a comment to a post on Dean’s World once again debating whether or not “Islam” is what does all this killing, or is it merely Muslims, or maybe none of the above, the following question: But what’s the point of all this? What if we all agree, even our friend Aziz Poonawalla — yeah, Islam, or something that calls itself Islam with some meaningful level of authority, has a tendency, and a bad one, to give potential killers an internal moral, psychological and social green light to follow through on their rage and pull the trigger, in a way that no other “major religion” has?
Now what? Where does that get us?
This guy’s ravings were lunatic enough that he should have been put on ice a long time ago, and the Army completely dropped the ball. Is our point that it did so because it treats Muslims with kid gloves (even as the military most assuredly does not do regarding certain other religious minorities)? If so, then let’s focus on that point — because we aren’t about to outlaw Islam or do anything that is either constitutionally or politically impossible about it.
Dave Price, always insightful, answered as follows — and I think he’s right:
“Now what? Where does that get us?”
The first step in dealing with any problem is an honest assessment of the problem. In fact, it is often the most important step.
The acknowledgement of a uniquely Islamic problem with religious violence should lead to increased efforts to moderate Islam — shunning violent radicals, embracing moderate imams, separation of mosque and state, as well as an increase in efforts to reconcile Islam with women’s rights and gay rights.
If the problem was Christian extremists, we would not be having this discussion; they would be openly mocked and derided. There is a cult of political correctness in the West: “Ooh look how tolerant and inclusive I am! I am above tribalism! (except of course my tribe of PC moral relativists which is actually the best tribe!11!1!).” It shuts down debate by refusing to acknowledge any reality that might involve anything resembling xenophobia.
Well, as I alluded to in the link to the David Tenenbaum story above (here’s another), which unfortunately is not unique — it’s not as if the military is scared of anything resembling xenophobia. But, you know, it is usually different with the Jews, right? Anyway, Dave’s point is an important one.
Posted in Faith and Works, Orient | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ron Coleman on October 19, 2009
The New York Times gives us a primer on how Red is Red:
Like an envious underachiever, Vladimir V. Putin’s party, United Russia, is increasingly examining how it can emulate the Chinese Communist Party, especially its skill in shepherding China through the financial crisis relatively unbowed.
United Russia’s leaders even convened a special meeting this month with senior Chinese Communist Party officials to hear firsthand how they wield power.
In truth, the Russians express no desire to return to Communism as a far-reaching Marxist-Leninist ideology, whether the Soviet version or the much attenuated one in Beijing. What they admire, it seems, is the Chinese ability to use a one-party system to keep tight control over the country while still driving significant economic growth.
And that differs from Stalinism exactly how? Besides not being called Communism, I mean.
The Kremlin’s strategy was apparent in regional elections last week, when United Russia lieutenants and government officials used strong-arm tactics to squeeze out opposition parties, according to nonpartisan monitoring organizations. United Russia won the vast majority of contests across the country.
Far behind was the Russian Communist Party, which styles itself as the successor to the Soviet one and has some popularity among older people. The Russian Communists have also sought to build ties to their Chinese brethren, but the Chinese leadership prefers to deal with Mr. Putin’s party.
Sure. Why deal with loser commies when you can deal with the new, improved winning kind?
One from Column A
Posted in Oppression, Orient, Past is prologue | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ron Coleman on October 13, 2009
Uncle Joe
The late-evening ruling was a rare victory for Stalin’s critics in their fight against efforts to rehabilitate the dictator, who according to the rights group Memorial ordered the deaths of at least 724,000 people during a series of purges that peaked in the late 1930s. But defendants said that having the case even make it to court was evidence of a chilling tendency to question the dark side of Soviet history.
Well, you can’t have everything, comrades. It’s all you can do sometimes just to un-make an omelet.
Posted in Oppression, Orient, Past is prologue | Leave a Comment »
