Every week, the Watcher's Council members nominate two posts each, one from the Council members and one from outside for consideration by the whole Council. The complete list of this week's Council nominations can be found at the site of our fearless leader, Watcher of Weasels
Do take the time and check out the non-Council links..they are always rewarding.
Here's this week's Council lineup:
1. JOSHUAPUNDIT - Desert Mirage: Bush Administration To Offer $20 Billion Arms Deal to the Saudis The Bush Administration wants to sell the Saudis $20 billion worth of high tech arms and aircraft with the idea that our `eternal friends', as the current occupant of the White House likes to put it, will become our proxies to help contain Iran.
This is a shockingly bad idea that will not accomplish its stated purpose and will work about as well as the administration's other desert mirages of 'Arab democracy' and our recent attempt to use Fatah to overthrow Hamas in Gaza.
Why? Click on the link and read on....
2. Done With Mirrors: More Disturbing Questions Callimachus uses Michael Yon's musings on how the military seems to be more competent in making basic infrastructure work than civilian authorities in Iraq as a takeoff point to discuss why this is a dangerous trend in our society as a whole.
As Cal points out, bad things happen to nations when the military is the sole entity capable of getting anything done.
3. You Can't Hurry Peace Soccer Dad has an extremely good bit this week that voices a truism about the Arab-Israeli conflict...that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Anyone who's been observing this balagan ( Hebrew for `mess') over the years can't help but be amazed at how articles and books written 20 and thirty years ago still reflect the current reality...only some of the players have changed.
To my mind, there are two reasons why. First, after each of their attempts to commit genocide on Israel, the Arab nations have not paid a significant price for their aggression, either in the international arena or on the ground. As a matter of fact, in each case, the victors were subjected to extreme pressure to stop the wars short of total victory and surrender...which has led to revanchist thinking and fantasies of ultimate victory on the Arab's part similar to what occurred in post-WWI Germany. Only after confronting the reality of defeat, surrender and/or the payment of a significant price do most aggressors feel the impetus to change the attitudes and policies that led to the aggression in the first place.
Second,of course, is the UN's abetting of the Arab's refusal to resettle the Arab refugees from the original 1948 conflict within their countries as Israel did with the almost 1 million Jewish refugees from the Arab world....thus retaining for the Arabs a cause celebre for continued conflict and a hope for the ultimate conquest of the Jewish State.
4. The Glittering Eye :Where's The Beef? This week, The Glittering Eye's Dave Schuler points out that for all the rhetoric, the Democrat front runners aren't really promising to do all that much different in regards to Iraq than the current administration. To my mind, they're just triangulating to play politics, regardless of how it hurts our efforts there or the questions it raises about their basic honesty and fitness to lead...something we should consider when we vote.
5. Bookworm Room: "He's Not My President." Ms. Bookworm's fine piece this week takes its title from a popular bumper sticker in her San Francisco Bay Area home, and she takes aim at how profoundly undemocratic the sentiment is.
6. Rhymes With Right: Some More Thoughts On Chief Justice Roberts' Health Greg writes in detail about Chief Justice John Robert's recent seizure and considers its possible impact.
7.Colossus of Rhodey: NEA Also Confused About SCOTUS Decision Regarding Race & Schooling Hube's well written piece continues his examination of racial policies as applied to education, thi stime in America.
Some people believe in the government micromanaging everything, including racial makeup in schools. I don't think the NEA is so much confused as disapproving of a policy that goes against their conventional `wisdom'.
8. Cheat Seeking Missiles: Perhaps We Should Dunk the Administrators in the Toilet Laer writes about a story that's been traversing the blogosphere lately...the charging of a suspect with a felony `hate crime' for stuffing two Qu'rans in a toilet.
As Laer and others who've written on this story quite rightly point out,one can diss Christianity by immersing a crucifix in urine and calling it art, desecrate a Bible, and demonize Jews and homosexuals as the Qu'ran does...but the rules, including the First Amendment change when we're talking about Islam's book.
The reason, of course is simple. It is the underlying fear of Islamic violence and intolerance, and of ubiquitous lawsuits filed by CAIR and funded by the Saudis and the UAE.
Dhimmi-itis in never pretty.
9. Iraq Wins Asian Cup -- LA Times Covers Iraqi Joy & Unity... Kinda This week, Okie writes about Iraq's soccer victory in the Asia Cup and his home town paper's coverage of the event. He compares it to the US hockey victory over the Soviets in 1980, and quite rightly notes that it's a morale builder and a unifier.
Okie takes exception to the fact that the article included some news of casualties back in Baghdad at the end. I appreciate his point, but I think it's more likely that the Times just threw that in as more `news on Iraq' rather than anything malicious.
10. Right Wing Nuthouse: Whose Freedom? What Is Speech? Rick's piece likewise discusses the Qu'ran flushing incident.
I'll repeat what I said above:the difference, which hardly anyone has mentioned is the fear of Islamic violence and intolerance, and of ubiquitous lawsuits filed by CAIR and funded by the Saudis and the UAE.
Simply amazing that we continue to tolerate it, here in our own Republic.
11.The Education Wonks: Yet Another Taxpayer-funded Incentive For Illegal Aliens? EdWonk takes on the Democrat's attempt to provide another gimmee to illegal aliens by including them in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)legislation currently on Capitol Hill.
Living as I do in a border state that has become a haven for illegal aliens and seeing the effect on traffic, crime, housing, the school system, emergency medical care and the increased taxation required to try and prop up basic elements of infrastructure, I can only conclude with EdWonk that it is ridiculous to continue to provide incentives to exacerbate an already serious problem.
12. Big Lizards: Miracle On Sand Another take on Iraq's winning of soccer's Asian Cup.
That's this week's lineup..enjoy
No comments:
Post a Comment