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The neo-neocon has landed
Thanks for all the good wishes on my trip. I’m here in very sunny (and mega-hot) southern California–the San Fernando Valley, to be exact, where many of the people I’m visiting happen to live. I am just touching base for … Continue reading →
Travel day
Today I’m setting off for California, to Los Angeles and then San Francisco to visit relatives and friends and even to see a few sights. I should be gone until July 25. I do plan to post fairly regularly, since … Continue reading →
Families in the aftermath of terrorist attacks
Much fast-breaking news on the London bombings–so fast that, by the time I finish writing this post, new events may have taken over. Things will probably continue to change moment by moment, but the questions right now are: did all … Continue reading →
A changed mind who wants to change minds: Duong Thu Huong
In today’s NY Times (registration only, of course) there is a book review featuring a Vietnamese novelist who is new to me, Duong Thu Huong . Huong, 58, is an excellent example of a changed mind, not to mention a … Continue reading →
Terrorists feed off their hosts
Today’s NY Times contained a fascinating article, remarkable also because it managed to talk at length about Islamicist terrorists in London while taking only one swipe at the US and Blair. Here is the article in question, (available to registered … Continue reading →
Bathing suit anarchy
Now for something frivolous. It’s summer, although the weather here is back in its “Seattle in winter” mode. But I’m planning a trip to California, so yesterday I went off to get a bathing suit. It’s been a few years … Continue reading →
The timing of the London bombings
In the comments section, “camojack” made the following observation about the London bombings: At least they didn’t time the attack in such a way as to influence Blair’s recent re-election. Had that happened, it may very well have had the … Continue reading →
Explanations vs. excuses, revisited
The coverage of yesterday’s London terrorist attacks has shifted somewhat from facts about the bombings themselves to reactions and analyses of those reactions. Many express solidarity with the British and make references to their history of courage in the face … Continue reading →
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a quick-change artist
A certain issue has come up several times in the comments section, so I thought now would be a good time for me to try to set it straight. It has been raised mainly by some resident quasi-trolls, and I’ve … Continue reading →
The technology of death vs. life
I was watching a feature on CNN today that mentioned that terrorist bombers make a special effort to have their explosives go off in an enclosed space because it maximizes the carnage. Thus, today’s London subway bombers may have timed … Continue reading →
Thoughts on the terrorist strike in London
Some disjointed thoughts from me on the abominable bombings in London, which were timed for rush hour to maximize the loss of innocent life: Dennis Ross on Fox News just now. He expressed something that many of us have been … Continue reading →