] Iraqi civilians fleeing heavy fighting have stunned and
] delighted hungry US marines in central Iraq (news - web
] sites) by giving them food, as guerrilla attacks continue
] to disrupt coalition supply lines to the rear.

Yahoo! News - Iraqi civilians feed hungry US marines

] In spite of recording artist Sheryl Crow's strong
] protestations, including the wearing of a "No War" guitar
] strap, the U.S. went to war with Iraq last week. "Making
] the decision to go to war is never easy, but it's that
] much harder when you know Sheryl Crow disapproves," White
] House press secretary Ari Fleischer said at a press
] conference Monday.

I'm recommending this weeks whole onion issue... High Quality Journalism.

The Onion | Operation Piss off the Planet

] Federal investigators have arrested an enigmatic Wall
] Street wiz on insider-trading charges -- and incredibly,
] he claims to be a time-traveler from the year 2256!

I don't think he's lying.

'TIME-TRAVELER' BUSTED FOR INSIDER TRADING

Jeremy wrote:
] Paul Berman writes for the New York Times Magazine on Sayyid
] Qutb.
]
] This is some rather deep reading for a Sunday
] afternoon.

So, the problem with this philosophy is obvious, and I mentioned this to you when I met with you in Boston, and I considered writing about this to the English newspaper in Malaysia when they printed an editorial along these lines when I was there. (I still wonder if that wouldn't have been a good idea.)

When you put God and the king in the same chair the result must be despotism. Because you cannot question God. To question God is to commit heresy. And if God is the king, then you cannot question the king, and so the king may do anything that he wants, and there is nothing that you can do about it, lest you be branded a heretic. It is patently naieve to think that the disciplines of Islam will keep leaders from taking liberties. We have, at this late stage of the game, loads and loads of real experience running states like this and we know exactly what happens. THIS is the lesson of human history, these people are quite correct that you cannot build a philosophy which ignores human nature.

Of course, Mcluhan is the only person that I know of who has ever provided a justification for the duality of western society. Religion, he said, acts as a buffer for progress, as progress is disruptive and therefore tends to be painful for people who lag behind. The duality moves things forward at a pace that people can manage.

That having been said, Empires, no matter how benevolent in their intentions, always end in despotism as well. The problem with empires aren't taxes levied nor can I honestly even reconcile the concept of social self-determination with the idea of forcing people to have a liberal democracy even if they don't want it. The problem is that if the king has overwhelming force, you cannot question the king, lest you wind up dead. Eventually, the king always takes liberties with this power. THIS is the lesson of human history. We have, at this late stage of the game, loads and loads of real experience running states like this and we know exactly what happens. If you can force them to have a liberal democracy you can force them to do all kinds of things. Social self-determination means they aren't being forced.

The "neo-conservatives" as they are now being called, much like the radical Islamists, have allowed their self confidence and conviction to blind them to their flaws.

I continue to feel like I'm standing between poles that I cannot align myself with. I've yet to find anyone in this mess who represents what I would consider a solution that will not end in a bloodbath. Northern Canada is sounding like a nicer destination every day.

RE: The Philosopher of Islamic Terror

Paul Berman writes for the New York Times Magazine on Sayyid Qutb.

This is an absolute must read.

The Philosopher of Islamic Terror

] Both bills would flatly ban the possession, sale, or use
] of technologies that "conceal from a communication
] service provider ... the existence or place of origin or
] destination of any communication".

OK, who knows who in TN. This is a huge mistake and it needs to be combated. Anyone know Donna Hoffman? Can we get a copy of this thing?

Law in TN MUST be defeated

] Perhaps most alarming, US policy towards Iraq has
] alienated many of the important moderate voices, both
] secular and religious, which until now had been unwilling
] to join militant anti-American forces.

Osama must be laughing - theage.com.au

] This amazing image is included in the standard US
] Department of Defense briefings on North Korea. It was
] mentioned in a news briefing on 23 December 2002 by
] Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, who stated that "If you look
] at a picture from the sky of the Korean Peninsula at
] night, South Korea is filled with lights and energy and
] vitality and a booming economy; North Korea is dark."

North Korea Is Dark

] You can add the Iraq Satellite Channel to your
] 500-channel universe with a little tinkering.

The Saddam Show - How to watch Iraqi TV on the Web.

] While flipping through the channels last Saturday night
] trying to pick up news on the war, I came across a show
] that was teaching kids about the conflict. It looks like
] the show (or segment) is called Kodomo Nyusu (Kid's
] News). They were using toy props and cartoons to show a
] trio of very glum-looking kids what was happening in
] Iraq. It was too bizzare to pass up, so I grabbed my
] camera and started snapping photos.

Teaching Japanese Children about the Iraq War