Prudes don’t know Your grace the way we do, and strangers cannot know You as Your close friends do. You said, “If you commit a sin I will consign you to hell!” Yeah, sure- tell it to someone who doesn’t know the real You! Translated by Juan Cole from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 204
Top Ten Bad Signs for Romney
1. The Fraternal Order of Police has refused to endorse Romney for president. This is the first time for 98 years they don’t have a favored candidate. Romney’s support of Wisconsin-style gutting of state labor unions (like. uh, the FOP) rather put them off. 2. After saying Sunday that he liked parts of Obamacare, including […]
America’s 9/11 response subverted our values, liberties (Cole @ Detroit News)
My column is out at the Detroit News, “America’s 9-11 Response Subverted our Values & Liberties. Exerpt: “Then-French President Jacques Chirac advised George W. Bush to avoid the phrase “war on terror,” and urged that 9/11 be treated as a crime by a cartel. It is not as if such rogue organizations are harmless. Mexico’s […]
A Rebuke to the American-Israeli Economic War on Iran (Cole in Truthdig)
My column is out in Truthdig: “A Rebuke to the American-Israeli Economic War on Iran” Excerpt: “In his acceptance speech in Charlotte, N.C., President Barack Obama said, “The Iranian government must face a world that stays united against its nuclear ambitions.” It wasn’t much noted in the Western press, but in fact the recent Non-Aligned […]
CIA Drone Strikes on Pakistan: Infographic (Leo)
Sarah Leo writes at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism The Bureau has been recording every reported CIA drone strike in Pakistan. The result is our extensive database which details every known attack and the numbers killed in a covert war that has been bitterly fought since 2004. Our detailed analysis has found that 344 strikes […]
Omar Khayyam (205) “when the waitress pours the Shiraz wine”
When you next hold a party, my dear friends, rejoicing in how stylish you all are; and when the waitress pours the Shiraz wine, remember poor me in your evening prayers! Translated by Juan Cole from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 205
A Tale of Two Insurrections: Syria, Iraq, and American Security
Both Iraq and Syria saw massive violence on Sunday. But there is a key difference between the two, and therein lies a cautionary tale for Syria. In Iraq, guerrillas of the so-called “Islamic State of Iraq,” an al-Qaeda affiliate, set off car bombs in almost every single important town and city in the country, leaving […]
Omar Khayyam (307) “clerics drink the people’s blood”
I am busier than you are, cleric of the faith! And, despite my drunkenness, I’m soberer than you. I drink the blood of the vine, while you drink that of people. Be fair, which one of us is more bloodthirsty? Translated by Juan Cole from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 307
Dear Mitt: *You* Don’t Get to Say That
Dear Mitt Romney: Your so-called Medicare reform is just a way of shifting health expenses from millionaires (whose taxes you want to lower) to middle class and working people (with whom you want to stick the bill). A 48-year-old today, who starts getting Medicare in 2030, would have to pay an extra $124,600 under your […]
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