But, I am a Liberal!

My Normblog Profile

2009-11-27T06:54:00.001-06:00

Norman Geras over at Normblog was kind enough to do a profile on yours truly this week. Definitely one of the larger honours I have received since starting this blog.

I have a few more posts over at the music blog, Some Lost Some Found, covering some classic Jazz, Japanese nu-soul, and so-cal pop.

Hitchens on Q TV

2009-11-26T13:12:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday St. Margaret Mary

2009-11-23T12:04:00.001-06:00

St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in my hometown of Brawley, California celebrated its 75th anniversary recently. The local paper has pictures from the event.

Odds and Ends

2009-11-20T11:46:00.004-06:00

It sure gets dark early here in Scotland. I don’t know how the Scots handle it!

In other news, I have started a new music blog with a few other bloggers from around the web (including The New Centrist) called “Some Lost, Some Found.” Each day we should have up a new post that contains streaming audio and/or mp3s to download. We will also hopefully give a little information about the music we are posting and why we think it’s worth a listen. So drop by when you can, take a listen, and leave a comment.

Speaking of the New Centrist, he has returned from his sabbatical and has returned to posting. It’s good to have him back.

Here are a few recent posts worth checking out from some other fine bloggers.

Anti-German Translation - Some disgusting "anarchists"

Airforce Amazons - The Short of It (on Afghanistan)

Bob's continuing conversations, 1 and 2. Definitely worth looking through.

Greater Surbiton - The Difficult Road to Balkan Stability

Harry's Place - No Sharia Law: Support Muslims fighting religious tyranny

Martin in the Margins - Frank talk on Education

Michael Totten - Post Communist Postcards (more wonderful pictures from Michael).

Normblog - Ways of Respect

Poumista - Democratic Green Stalinst?

Simply Jews - Too Many Dupes

Terry Glavin - What Do You Mean You're "Pro-Palestinian"?

The Contentious Centris - "Jew Flu"

The Poor Mouth - Q: How do you find a Nazi war criminal?

Evan Daniel - Pathology and Ideology: Major Nidal Malik Hasan and the Case of Leon Czolgosz

Christopher Hitchens - Palin's Base Appeal

On Health Care Reform

2009-11-17T06:19:00.002-06:00

I would never have imagined that I would at one point support a hack like Harry Reid over Joe Lieberman, but then came along health care reform, and the specific plans the Democrats are pushing. Lieberman said he will filibuster to stop the Democratic plan that is now headed to the Senate, something I find terribly unfortunate. On the issue of health care, I am still very much to the left of the debate in the US, as I think a universal single-payer system is inevitable and desirable. The fact that it is so incredibly difficult to even implement a “public option” that covers just a handful of Americans is a depressing reflection of how politics is currently practiced in the good old US of A.

You may have noticed that this is my first post on the whole health care debate that has engulfed American politics for the last few months. It’s not that I don’t think it’s important, I think it is perhaps the most important domestic issue the US currently faces; it’s that I truthfully have little to add to the debate in any meaningful way. I read the papers and browse the alternative bills offered up by members of congress and various think tanks, but the specifics behind the plans is beyond my realm of interest.

I haven’t lived in the US for some time now which adds to my dislocation from the debates around domestic issues back home. A few years back I was slamming the Democrats for their foreign policy naivety and posturing, and found myself conversing with other liberals and lefties who believed the US needed to commit itself to the promotion of democracy, and should not make the mistake of falling back into the realpolitic trap. Many of us still supported liberal and socialist programs, but that debate took a backseat to the foreign policy one. Now that American attention has focused intensely on local issues and less on international concerns, I find that I have little of substance to contribute to the things other bloggers and commentators are arguing. Which is why, in a nutshell, I have said nothing of America’s healthcare woes.

I do however hope that a better system will be in place by January, but I have serious doubts we will see any type of change.

Wise Words from Mark Twain

2009-11-16T13:21:00.000-06:00

"Monarchies, aristocracies, and religions....there was never a country where the majority of the people were in their secret hearts loyal to any of these institutions."
- Mark Twain in The Mysterious Stranger.

Reconciliation in the Iraqi Military

2009-11-10T06:55:00.002-06:00

Gina Chon of the Wall Street Journal reports some positive developments between Kurdish and Arab military personnel in Iraq, which has been one of the largest hurdles peace and cooperation within the government. Gina writes:

“Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has said Arab-Kurd tensions are the country's biggest security threat. But over the past six months, in parts of Iraq's north, American commanders have brokered a quiet, if uneasy, détente between the two sides' military forces. Officers from Iraq's mostly Arab national army have started working with counterparts from the Kurdish regional government's armed militia, the peshmerga.

American military officers in Kirkuk have persuaded Arab and Kurdish commanders to cooperate partly by emphasizing what it means to be a professional soldier, which is not being involved in politics. They tell them that the problems between Kurdish and Arab politicians in Baghdad, and between the Kurdish regional and Iraqi governments, need to be solved by the politicians -- that their job as soldiers is to take care of security.”

Is the Catholic church a force for good in the world?

2009-11-10T06:33:00.002-06:00

More Christopher Hitchens. This is really the type of program they should have on all major television stations. If the cable news networks need something to drone on and on about everyday as they attempt to make every piece of news an important event worth aimlessly discussing, they could at least have folks on to have a serious debate.

There is no reason this type of program isn't the norm.

Turkish Psychedelic

2009-11-08T02:03:00.000-06:00

Another rare find I came across here in Edinburgh. This is a track from the Turkish west-meets-near east act known as Hüsnü Özkartal Orkestrasi. As far as I can tell, they only released one record in 1972.

Mahmoud Vahidnia, A Very Big Man

2009-11-06T01:09:00.002-06:00

A math student in Tehran has done the unthinkable: asked why Iranian citizens can't criticize the clerical leadership in the country.

"I don't know why in this country it's not allowed to make any kind of criticism of you," said the student, wearing a long-sleeved blue polo shirt and appearing calm.

"In the past three to five years that I have been reading newspapers, I have seen no criticism of you, not even by the Assembly of Experts, whose duty is to criticize and supervise the performance of the leader," he said, referring to the clerical body that chooses the country's supreme leader.

Khamenei countered, "We welcome criticism. We never said not to criticize us. ... There's plenty of criticism that I receive," according to accounts in state media and on opposition Web sites.

Hitchens vs. Turek

2009-11-05T13:59:00.005-06:00

Well recorded, and while Hitchens hits the same points for the past year now, it's still worth a watch. Turek makes some rather poor arguments, and seems to think that if he simply throws every possible contention at Hitchens he can win the debate. He surely doesn't come out well. Part 1 of 13, so make some coffee or get some scotch and sit back. Hitch comes in in the third part.

Edinburgh Castle

2009-10-29T14:40:00.001-05:00

Recent Joshua Muravchik

2009-10-26T16:44:00.003-05:00

Joshua had an interesting interview on Public Radio Tulsa, specifically on Iran.

Newsmax interviewed him for a piece they did on the Obama administrations plan to cut Pro-Democracy funds for Iran.

He also appears in a new DVD aimed at high school students titled "Deadly Mistakes?", which deals with American military intervention overseas.

Elsewhere

2009-10-26T15:47:00.003-05:00

Pic from Zombietime.

Another week, Fascism Still Undefeated - Bob from Brockley

Thirty Mahdi Army commanders assassinated in Damascus - Iraq the Model

Hungarian MP: Jews taking over Hungary and the world - Adam Holland

I Rang Up the Taliban in Quetta and Complained - Airforce Amazons

From Bucharest to Chernobyl - Michael Totten

Child's Play - Terry Glavin

Unknown Occupations - The Contentious Centrist

A Hollow Victory for Goodies - Your Friend in the North

You Cannot Kill the Truth with a Bullet - The Poor Mouth

Bill Maher on vaccination: we have to debate this... - Simply Jews

Some choice Democratiya from Poumista

Anti-German Translation also has some nice links that I approve of.

A Painful but Necessary Process in Afghanistan - Max Boot

Is California Finished? - John B. Judis

BNP Official's Mask Falls Off - Little Green Footballs

Shame! Galloway and Crow aid diehard admirers of Stalinist tyranny - Workers Liberty

Islamist Extremism and the Murder of Daniel Pearl - Joseph Lieberman

The Joy of Records

2009-10-25T06:04:00.001-05:00

Slate has a great set of photos of folks playing records. Very nice stuff.

Griffin on Question Time

2009-10-23T04:38:00.002-05:00

Nick Griffin, the head of the fascist British National Party, was on Question Time last night and it made quite a stink on this side of the pond. The BBC has some info on the event.

If you are interested in watching the whole program, you can do so here.

I knew from the get-go that it would be 60 minutes of folks hammering Griffin on the racist and stupid things he says and believes, which did made for some good entertainment. The problem with Griffin is that he is much smoother than your average fascist nut job, and I fear his arguments may have resonated with a number of folks across the country.

But in democracy, you get the government you deserve. Let’s hope this is the high point of the Nick Griffin’s career, and not another stepping stone.

Bob has some thoughts on the program. As does Oliver.

And now, the Lyndon LaRouche Choir

2009-10-16T11:06:00.002-05:00

I am not sure if the Iraq and Afghanistan protests a few years back were simply too large and had enough wild characters that the LaRouche cult couldn’t be heard, but they sure seem to have surged forward since Obama was elected. Here is one of their new protest tactics.

The ADL has a list of recent LaRouche "Obama is Hitler" protests.

And the President of Europe is...

2009-10-13T12:49:00.003-05:00

Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg. That is, assuming I had to place a bet on any one of the candidates currently in consideration (which I actually did today with other grad students in the department). Let me explain why I think this will be the case.

First of all, when we talk about the future President of Europe (assuming the Czech government goes forward and agrees to the EU’s Lisbon treaty), we are actually talking about one of the three executives that will carry out authority in the EU. There will still be the President of the EU Commission (the Commission is made up of heads of state from each EU member, with a single leader being appointed president for a set period of time). The EU president often mentioned in the public debate concerns the President of the European Council (a position that already exists, but currently operates under a six month rotation between leaders of EU member states). There is also an office titled the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, which acts in an executive fashion in a couple of EU areas. Got all that?

What makes this new “President of the EU” important is the desire by many EU member states to place a greater importance in the office in the hope that the individual can streamline and direct integration within the organization, a goal that has received considerable flak from more than a few member states, and concerns that the position may take power away from member states and provide a global platform for a charismatic leader to push the organization in directions that may be at odds with local authorities and interests.

Here in the UK, and the Anglo world as a whole, Tony Blair’s name has been thrown around a great deal, and for obvious reasons: he is surely the largest name in the short list of those being considered for the position, and his credentials on the world stage would bring increased attention to the EU’s work, as well as help cement the new Presidency as an significant office to be valued and respected.

Which is why I doubt Tony will get the gig, even if I would like to see him in it. Even among states that are in favor of increased integration and would like to see the EU take a firmer leadership role in world affairs, there is a reluctance to have this new, imperative position bestowed upon a man who would unquestionably upstage the lot of them in the international realm.

Juncker is a man of far slighter standing and his role as a dedicated bureaucrat will likely be what EU member states look to when filling the position. It is unlikely that they will hand over the keys to Europe to a man who they would be unable to control.

James Brown, Still the Best

2009-10-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

The War in Georgia and Europe

2009-10-09T03:08:00.002-05:00

Ronald Asmus has an excellent piece in the New Republic, on the damage done to the EU by the War in Georgia. He writes:

"In August 2008, the system faltered. The war represented a clash between the core principle embodied in the Helsinki process, which granted countries the right to choose their own domestic and foreign policy courses--including alliances--and Moscow’s growing determination to create a sphere of privileged interest on its borders. As Foreign Minister Lavrov told Condi Rice at the height of the conflict, Russia’s goal was regime change and the removal of Saakashvili.

So we should have no illusions. The underlying conflict between Georgia and Russia has not been resolved. Tbilisi still wants to go West, and Moscow still wants to stop it. Having just returned from Georgia, I suspect some in the Kremlin wish they had finished off Saakashvili when they had the chance a year ago, since he seems as firmly in the sad dle as ever. The conflict is not over; it has only been postponed. And while the "peacekeeping" mechanisms on the ground today may be different--over 200 unarmed E.U. observers--they remain inadequate.

Ultimately, the most important questions left unanswered by the E.U. commission are these: Have we drawn the right lessons from the war? Are we any smarter or better positioned today, if we wish to prevent another conflict in Georgia? What about in nearby Ukraine, where trouble also seems to be brewing? These questions are essential, because if we do not learn from our mistakes, we have a recipe for another war--and perhaps another commission to determine why it happened."

Update:
In related news, NATO held a talk recently concerning the future of the organization after Georgia. The entire event has been recorded, and can be found here. Well worth a listen.

From Ethiopia, With Love

2009-10-08T12:54:00.005-05:00

Living in a new city, along with having new roommates from around the globe, has broadened my musical tastes a spot since coming to Edinburgh. One of my fellow graduate students in the international politics program is an Ethiopian citizen, and while I had a decent understanding of Ethiopia’s contribution to the world’s music collective, he has turned me on to some excellent musicians from the country I had never heard before.

Chief among them has been Afewerq Yohannes and Girma Hadgo. Here is an excellent track that can be found on the Ethiopian Urban Modern Music compilation.

"This is What a Communist Party Looks Like!"

2009-10-08T07:01:00.001-05:00

One last bit from the UCSC Occupation that quickly faded out.

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If that is the case, then socialism is truly dead.

Elsewhere

2009-10-07T14:53:00.003-05:00

Iraq's Minorities Caught Between Arabs, Kurds - Quil Lawrence

Jews versus Stalinists in the Spanish Civil War - Poumista

Iran Isn’t Stalinist Russia - Michael Totten

“Remember them all. . . their faces, their names.” (Marek Edelman) - Terry Glavin

1,195 Days – Compare and Contrast - Modernity

Silvio's House of Cards - Mara Delius

9/11 Truthers work to free convicted 9/11 conspirator - Adam Holland

One-time enemies become ‘brothers’ - Iraq the Model

21st Century Blood Libel - Contentious Centrist

Anti-German Translation also has a set of links worth check out.

The end of history and the decline of "The Special Relationship"... - David Rothkopf

Hitchens, Still Ruling

2009-10-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

From an Australian Q&A program.

The UCSC Occupation Ends in a Mess

2009-10-02T07:28:00.004-05:00

Well, the activists who occupied the UCSC Graduate Commons have called it quits, and like most of these actions, have left a wake of opponents behind. From the Santa Cruz Sentinel:

"Demonstrators who staged a weeklong occupation of the UC Santa Cruz Graduate Student Commons left on Thursday in an agreement with the students who govern the building's use.

But anthropology graduate student Chelsey Juarez, president of the Commons board, said the protesters who called themselves Occupy California left the center "filthy" despite agreeing to clean the second-floor space before vacating. She said the group left clothes, pillows and other trash behind, as well as graffiti outside the building and in a women's restroom.

Juarez said the group soiled $26,000 worth of new furniture, and created stains on carpet that the Commons board had just spent $40,000 to clean before the fall quarter started."

Great foresight guys.

Update:
A Series of Tubes has a good wrap up of the occupation.