Newt Gingrich continued to put his entire lack of logic on display on Thursday, when he criticized President Obama for apologizing for the desecration of the Qur’an at Bagram Base. Gingrich said Obama had not similarly sought an apology from Afghan president Hamid Karzai for the killing of two US soldiers by a uniformed Afghanistan […]
Archives for February 2012
Syria: The Horror of Homs, a City at War
Some 70 percent of the district of Baba Amr in Homs has been destroyed by artillery fire. Channel 4 in the UK rebroadcast video footage of the carnage at Homs
Afghan Parliamentarians call for Jihad Against US
The USG Open Source Center paraphrases Arab satellite television reports on the protests in Afghanistan of the incineration of Qur’ans by the US military. FYI — Al-Jazirah, Al-Arabiyah Coverage of Koran Burning in Afghanistan (1) Middle East — OSC Summary Thursday, February 23, 2012 … Al-Jazirah Doha Al-Jazirah Satellite Channel Television in Arabic coverage of […]
Tomgram: Engelhardt, The Arrival of the Warrior Corporation
In the American mind, if Apple made weapons, they would undoubtedly be drones, those remotely piloted planes getting such great press here. They have generally been greeted as if they were the sleekest of iPhones armed with missile…
Iran the Beautiful
Most Americans never see Iran on television, don’t know an Iranian, and speak of “striking Iran” entirely in the abstract. No one talks about the release of radioactivity and toxins on Iran as a result of a “strike.” Iran is depicted as a dreary, ugly theocratic dictatorship as though high politics were the only marker […]
Omar Khayyam (41)
When I am sober, I don’t feel lighthearted; but when I’m drunk my reason is defective. There is a state between being tipsy and clearheaded. I’m a slave to that state because that is life. Translated by Juan Cole from Whinfield 41
Logical Errors and Propaganda in Republican Debate on the Middle East
The candidates to be the Republican standard bearer in this year’s presidential campaign addressed Iran and Syria in the course of their debate. Except for Ron Paul, they resorted to propaganda and logical fallacies. This use of erroneous arguments by canny men who have been in positions of high responsibility can only be explained if […]
Arizona Republican Debate: The Middle East
Transcript of the Middle East-related portions of the Republican debate in Arizona hosted by John King of CNN: “QUESTION: Hi, my name is Ken Taylor (ph) from Wickenberg, Arizona and my question to all the candidates is, how do you plan on dealing with the growing nuclear threat in Iran? KING: It’s a pressing question […]
Omar Khayyam (39)
If a stranger proves faithful, I adopt him into the family. But if a relative sins, I take a dim view of him. If poison proves helpful, it is actually an antidote, and if an antidote attacks me, it is really a toxic sting. Translated by Juan Cole from Whinfield 39
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