Iraq

There was a human being named Jumah at Guantanamo

/ Tim Ervolina / 1 Comment

George Bush's newest "new strategy" on Iraq looks for all the world like the same old strategy that hasn't worked for the last four years. Nothing's changed, not even the soldiers, many of who are being deployed for the third time in a foolish attempt to rescue Bush's failed and reckless war.Before the beginning of … Continue reading There was a human being named Jumah at Guantanamo

The New Bush Iraq Strategy: A Recipe For Protacting Failure

/ Tim Ervolina / Leave a comment

John, over at A Lie A Day, says that the George Bush's latest attempt to prolong the war in Iraq is "Nixonian." He's right, even though Nixon's tactic was a seven-year long series of troop reductions, rather than Bush's "troop surge." Though opposite in tactic, they are identical in strategy: stall, and try to think … Continue reading The New Bush Iraq Strategy: A Recipe For Protacting Failure

Let Us Now Praise (In)Famous Men: Saddam Hussein and Ted Haggard

/ Tim Ervolina / 2 Comments

We celebrated the festival of All Saints today at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, complete with incense, Russian Orthodox chant (with real Russians!), baptisms and hymns that shook the rafters. And of course we read old Ben Sirach's hagiographa on the righteousness of fame and power, "Let us now praise famous men..." (Ecclesiasticus 44:1).In the midst of all … Continue reading Let Us Now Praise (In)Famous Men: Saddam Hussein and Ted Haggard

What a Difference a Decade Makes: Commas–er, Comments from the 90’s

/ Tim Ervolina / 1 Comment

From the AP: “Thirteen U.S. soldiers have been killed in Baghdad since Monday, the American military reported, registering the highest three-day death toll for U.S. forces in the capital since the start of the war.”From CNN: "Admittedly, it seems like a decade ago," Bush went on. "I like to tell people when the final history … Continue reading What a Difference a Decade Makes: Commas–er, Comments from the 90’s

Entropy and Abdul Rahman

/ Tim Ervolina / 3 Comments

Nearly fifty years ago an Oxford sociologist named Bryan Wilson wrote the groundbreaking article "An Analysis of Sect Development" in American Sociological Review. He observed:"It is here hypothesized that sects experience different types of tension which vary according to their own constellation of values, as well as the circumstances of their origin. In response to … Continue reading Entropy and Abdul Rahman