It is often the case in democratic societies that reasonable people get saddled with extremist governments. Israel is in such a situation at the moment. Shibley Telhami, the Sadat Chair at the University of Maryland, has released an [pdf] opinion poll of Israelis concerning the possibility of a strike on Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment facilities. […]
Dear MSM: Andrew Breitbart was not a Blogger
Dear Mainstream Media: Andrew Breitbart was not a blogger. He was a political trickster, a serial frame-up artist, a con man, a fraud, a flimflam man. In the Nixon days he would have been called a “plumber.” A blogger is an independent observer, a citizen journalist. Breitbart tinkered with video to falsify what people said […]
Hizbullah: Israeli attack on Iran would “ignite the region”
Sheikh Naim Qassem, the number two man in Lebanon’s Hizbullah, told Reuters on Wednesday that any Israeli strike on Iran would spin out of control and “ignite the region.” Qassem said that the Shiite party-militia’s stance toward Israel is “defensive.” But he was clearly warning that a strike on Iran would not remain a bilateral […]
Mark Twain on Education
Does this make you think of anyone in the news these days?
A Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in the Middle East: Fathollah-Nejad
Ali Fathollah-Nejad writes in a guest column for Informed Comment A Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in the Middle East Why It Would Be in the Long-Term Interest of Both Iran and Israel The conflict in Western Asia (the “Middle East”) is escalating. In order to escape its dead-end logic, a nuclear-free zone should be established […]
Omar Khayyam (47)
No one can pierce the veil of mystery. No one’s soul is aware of this arrangement. Only in the heart of the black earth do we have a home. A shame this story isn’t short. Translated by Juan Cole from Whinfield 47
Top 5 Stratfor Revelations
Wikileaks is publishing internal memos of the Stratfor security analysis firm. A few tidbits have emerged in these very early days, to wit: 1. Up to 12 Pakistani active-duty and retired officers from the Inter-Services Intelligence agency knew that Usama Bin Laden was in Abbottabad and were in regular contact with him. The Pakistani chief […]
Israel – Iran Military Comparison
With all the hooplah about a possible Israeli attack on Iran (which I view as rather unlikely), it is worthwhile revisiting the issue of how weak and how much of a nothing the Iranian military is compared to powerhouse Israel. Statistics mostly 2011 from Global Firepower. Note that some comparisons are invidious, as with Israeli […]
Romney’s “Across the Board” Tax Cuts benefit the Super-Rich
In his acceptance speech for his primary victories in Arizona and Michigan, Mitt Romney repeated his pledges to cut taxes 20 percent “across the board” and to balance the Federal budget at the same time as creating jobs and promoting economic recovery. You don’t have to have had Economics 101 to know that Mitt Romney […]
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