"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
Smearing the mother of a killed soldier is not only awful, it is also counterproductive. You can look at what she says–it discredits her without anything else needed: MATTHEWS: All right. If your son had been killed in Afghanistan, would you have a different feeling? SHEEHAN: I don’t think so, Chris, because I believe that … Read more
by von I’VE BEEN QUITE pessimistic on our chances in Iraq of late. There are things that we’ve done which cannot be undone; there are errors of execution and judgment that can never be taken back. But we needn’t lose Iraq. Or, better put, we need not continue to do the things that make losing … Read more
Those who divide people into categories, and those who do so obsessively. Open thread, but feel free to discuss any and all upsides/downsides to obsessive categorization. Frankly, there was far too much there to even begin considering, especially after a mere four hours of sleep.
by von I’ve read the comments to my post on Ms. Sheehan; here are a couple quick thoughts in response: 1. Erick Erickson of RedState did not call Ms. Sheehan a "whore"; he called her a "media whore." There’s a difference, and it’s not a small one. And the insane harrassment that’s currently plaguing him … Read more
Although there’s a lot I agree with in Hilzoy’s post on Cindy Sheehan (e.g., Michelle Malkin = jerk), having lost a son in Iraq does not give Ms. Sheehan’s words any greater emphasis or render her immune from criticism. Frankly, I think that her proposals are idiotic and her decision to wait out President Bush … Read more
Work is beating me like the proverbial red-headed stepchild (and, sicko that I am, I’m kinda enjoying it). In unrelated news, I bought a new car. In even more unrelated news, the IPod is the greatest thing since sliced bread. This is your totally unrelated open thread.
by Charles London subways were hit again with terrorist bombings today, this time not as lethal as 7/7. BBC: A number of Tube stations have been evacuated and lines closed after three blasts in what Met Police chief Sir Ian Blair says is a "serious incident". Sir Ian appealed to Londoners to stay where they … Read more
–Sebastian Here is a little tidbit that I’m happy to pass on even though I don’t have a cell phone (yes I know that is very disappointing Mom, but it’s still true). The idea is that you put ICE in front of the entry of the person in your cell phone who should be contacted … Read more
by Charles
Continuing the journey from Part I, a piece by Philip Ball titled Is Terrorism the Next Format for War? points to research which claims that "terrorist patterns of attack might be the natural endpoint for all modern armed conflicts."
Ongoing wars in Iraq and Colombia, which had quite different causes and began as very different kinds of conflict, are developing a characteristic signature of long-term terrorist activity, say economist Mike Spagat of Royal Holloway, University of London, and his co-workers.
They have found that the death statistics in both of these conflicts are converging on a particular mathematical pattern. This pattern is shared by fatality counts from terrorist attacks in countries that are not major industrialized nations.