I've had an extremely hard time with this whole Osama thing. Not because I thought he was an amazing human being, but because of the schadenfreude and all the fallout I've seen from the action.

What I've come to realise is that even though he was murdered, he actually beat us in several ways. That disgrace that I see is what I'm having the hard ( Read more... )

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that." - MLK

Alright, so we're no better than those who want to kill us.  Now the jihad will continue under a different leader.  What next?

Of course, I have little love for Osama bin Laden, a fundamentalist, ignorant, hateful person.  But when one looks at things from his perspective, they see a ( Read more... )

A staggering amount of the Islamic crescent is currently in revolt.  I'm heartened and amazed at the human dignity that I hope this leads to.  The BBC has run a really nice synopsis section on their website about each country and the elements at play.  You can view it here.

Qaddafi, in his old age, is practically blaming "those damn kids and their rock music".

Meanwhile, much of the country is "getting off his lawn".

Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has told state TV that Osama Bin Laden and his followers are to blame for the protests racking his country...

He said that the protesters were young people who were being ( Read more... )

Amazing...

The democratic revolution is continuing, now in Yemen.  People are calling for the end of yet another long-serving president.

Congrats to you!

"Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed control to the military on Friday after 30 years in office. The announcement by Vice President Omar Suleiman electrified hundreds of thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, who hugged one another and chanted, "The people have brought down the regime!" "
-Read more... )

I remember way back in the day, say 2003/2004, the American administration said that our troops would be greeted in the streets with flowers.  Eight years later, we're still embroiled in the epic, empire-busting battle in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Tunisia and now Egypt are, on a grass-roots level overthrowing, or at least attempting to overthrow, ( Read more... )

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I find it interesting that just about every time I listen to Radio Lab and This American Life, I'm floored.  It isn't just the amazing presentation, but it is generally the subject matter: real, important issues that are brought to life from a personal perspective.  That is empowering and engaging.

Today, I'm listening to Iraq After Us, where in the ( Read more... )