The War We Should Be Fighting

 Posted by Mike  Africa, Foreign Policy, Middle East, War in Iraq  2 Responses »
Feb 282006
 

The most important reason why the Iraq War was a mistake has nothing to do with WMDs, or the lack thereof. It doesn’t concern Saddam Hussein, Muqtada al-Sadr, Grand Ayatollah Sistani, or the Kurdish militias. The most important reason that invading Iraq was a mistake is Sudan.
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Bigotry

 Posted by Sarah  Bush Administration, Foreign Policy, Issues, Racism, Terrorism, U.S. Politics  3 Responses »
Feb 282006
 

Today’s Washington Post has an astonishing opinion piece: Bush, Speaking Up Against Bigotry. The author argues that Bush’s support for the Dubai port deal is a strong stance against anti-Arab bigotry. Later in the article, he goes on to list other evidence of what Bush has done to stand against anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bigotry in the years since 9/11.

I agree that the widespread opposition to the Dubai port deal has everything to do with the fact that the UAE is an Arab country. And as the author states, Bush should be commended for supporting the deal when measured by this standard.

However, on the whole, the Bush administration has done a terrible job of prosecuting the war on terror in an un-bigoted way. In fact, back in 2001, when Bush had a nearly 90% approval rating, this was the issue that concerned me most. While Bush may have quietly paid lip service to Arab and Muslim groups in the last four years, I’m afraid his actions and those of his administration belie his words.
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Here’s to the teachers who love to teach

 Posted by Sarah  Education, Issues  8 Responses »
Feb 252006
 

Earlier this week the Washington Post published an opinion piece painfully proposing Let’s Teach to the Test. The author argues that teaching to the test doesn’t mean what we think it does and moreover argues that it’s not as bad as we think it is. But today in a wonderful piece that reads as an unintentional rebuttle, Barbara Bachur writes about the challenge and joy that good teachers have teaching Standard Kids.

Amen, Ms. Bachur.
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Pet Peeves

 Posted by Mike  Bush Administration, The Media, U.S. Politics  2 Responses »
Feb 242006
 

Here are the things I most hate reading in the paper:

“We urge the leaders on both sides to exert a calming influence.”

This statement, or some version of it, is a favorite among newspaper editorial boards and politicians whenever there is rioting, chaos, or civil conflict in other countries. But do they really think that this is a solution to anything? “Wow, if Lincoln had only called Jefferson Davis and told him to exert a calming influence over his people, that whole Civil War could have been averted!” Uh, yeah, sure.
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Interesting Poster

 Posted by Doc Opp  Environment, Healthcare, Issues, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism  4 Responses »
Feb 242006
 

Today as I was walking to work I saw an interesting advertisment/poster taped to the wall of a building. It read:

This is the one issue that our generation can not afford to ignore.

What, exactly that issue may be was not obvious, and I wasn’t about to stop walking to look carefully and find out (it’s freezing here today). (So much for the effectiveness of that ad…)

But it left me wondering: what is the most important issue facing our generation? Is there really the ONE issue that we can’t ignore. And if so, what might it be?
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