Monthly Archives: December 2013

Polk on Gas Weapons in the ME

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Pat Lang

"… because the Government has not come forward authoritatively with whatever it had found out and the UN investigation was ordered to avoid fixing the source of the attack. But the story we have been given, that the Syrian government … Continue reading →

Posted in Syria | 21 Comments

Open Thread – 9 December 2013

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Pat Lang

pl

Posted in Open Thread | 38 Comments

“Whose Sarin?” by Seymour Hersh

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Pat Lang

"Barack Obama did not tell the whole story this autumn when he tried to make the case that Bashar al-Assad was responsible for the chemical weapons attack near Damascus on 21 August. In some instances, he omitted important intelligence, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Syria | 41 Comments

Homer by Richard Sale

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Pat Lang

  How others study and learn is a mystery to me.  Unfortunately, for me, I study and learn by fits and starts.  When I read a book, and it is like watching a torch burn, watching it catch fire and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Poetry | 17 Comments

The “Death Ship” and Chaplain McDonnell

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Pat Lang

It is Pearl Harbor Day.  All too often remembrance is confined to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  That attack was immediately followed by a Japanese invasion of the Phillippine Islands, an American possession at that time.  After months of heroic … Continue reading →

Posted in The Military Art | 29 Comments

HARPER: AIPAC’S WATERLOO

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Harper

A monumental battle is shaping up in the United States Senate over the issue of new draconian sanctions against Iran.  The House of Representatives has already passed a sanctions bill that would effectively shut down all remaining Iranian oil exports. … Continue reading →

Posted in Harper, Iran, Israel | 35 Comments

Mandela dead but de Klerk yet lives.

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Pat Lang

   Nelson Mandela died today.  He was one of the 20th Century's great men.  Forebearing, and long suffering, he early turned from the path of violence.  I have never heard anyone suggest that he was personally anything other than a … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs | 94 Comments

“Sayyid Qutub’s Fundamentalism and Abu Bakr Naji’s Jihadism” William R. Polk

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Pat Lang

The Arabic word used of Fundamentalist – now usually thought of as revolution-friendly — Islam is salafiyah. Even native Arabic speakers usually translate it as “reactionary.”  But the concept is far more complex.  The word salafi in classical Arabicmeans a … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion | 35 Comments

Martin Bashir is at least temporarily – Gone!

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Pat Lang

  I wonder/hope that/if Christopher (the prophet) Matthews might follow a similar trajectory.  His recent ravings on MSNBC indicate a belief in his own sem-divine nature.  Matthews is going to interview Obama tomorrow.  It will be a contest of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | 8 Comments

Dulling the Mind: A Protest by Richard Sale

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Pat Lang

Newspapers daily retail the abruptly horrific, the superficial, the instantly shocking, the bizarre and the unstable, and in so doing, they smother any attempt at personal observation or personal thought.  If a bucket of water is constantly poured over your … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 20 Comments