My boyhood, and the Arab political culture I have been chronicling for well over three decades, are anchored in the Arab world. And the tragedy of Arab political culture has been the unending expectation of the crowd — the street, we call it — in the redeemer who will put an end to the decline, who ... Continue reading
Don’t worry, be happy!
October 22, 2008 By 1 Comment
There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life. — London advertising slogan paid for by gadfly atheist Richard Dawkins and the British Humanist Association British "bendy-buses" — those monster 60-foot, articulated, people-movers — will soon be sporting light-hearted "God is dead" ... Continue reading
Christianity and racial politics
October 22, 2008 By Leave a Comment
In both 2000 and 2004, the most reliable indicator of a voter's support for one presidential candidate or the other was that voter's commitment, or lack thereof, to religious faith. Most pundits were predicting a similar result this year, which explains the massive effort by the Democratic party to ... Continue reading
Bulletin: Democrats more fair than God
October 3, 2008 By 7 Comments
IFILL: Sen. Biden, .. [y]ou proposed raising taxes on people who earn over $250,000 a year. The question for you is, why is that not class warfare...?BIDEN: Well Gwen, where I come from, it's called fairness, just simple fairness. The middle class is struggling. The middle class under John ... Continue reading
Moral politics is no oxymoron
October 2, 2008 By
I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there's nobody ... Continue reading
The myth of private vice
September 21, 2008 By 3 Comments
My blogging friend Ken Brown, writing at C. Orthodoxy, has been thinking a lot lately about how we use technology (specifically birth control, but the trend is wider than that) to try to mitigate the consequences of immoral behavior. The goal is to make that behavior (promiscuity, for instance) ... Continue reading
Experience is not enough
September 18, 2008 By 4 Comments
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. — Douglas Adams In the late 90's, any company with dot-com in its name became an overnight sensation with investors, whether it was ... Continue reading
The need for speed
September 13, 2008 By
Maverick: "I feel the need..." Goose: "...the need for speed!" — Top Gun, 1986 Trailways Bus Lines and its competitor, the Grey Dog (Greyhound), were once the undisputed kings of long-distance travel. "Leave the driving to us," the TV ads crooned, as gleaming buses piloted by singing drivers ... Continue reading
