Islamophobes now highlighting the importance of nuance, in response to Oslo terror attacks.

An excellent little commentary on the hypocrisy of a number of right-wing figures who make a living blaming all Muslims for terrorist attacks committed by al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other organizations. Now that we have seen a terror attack committed by a fundamentalist Christian instead of Muslim who appears to have been influenced in ideology at least to some extent by these same right-wing figures, they demand we not conflate them with the terrorist. 


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/in-response-to-norway-attacks-right-wing-bloggers-suddenly-demand-nuance/2011/03/04/gIQAndgfYI_blog.html




As a side note, I find the hesitancy to label this guy what he is--a terrorist--just despicable, with some favoring the use of the "less-Muslim" sounding "mad-man" or "crazed gunman." What Anders Breivik did was a textbook act of terrorism, and we should not treat it as anything else. He was not operating as a function of some mental deficiency, but instead out of a clearly defined (though terrible) ideological stance with delineated political goals. That is terrorism, and he is a terrorist. It seems some want to save that label only for Muslim attackers so it fits into their larger Islamophobic narrative, but thankfully their transparency in doing so is not being unrecognized.

Dylan Ratigan: the host with the most? (or, "Future Love?")

Not even lying, I may be in the beginning stages of an intense and hopefully long-lasting loovvvvvve affair with Dylan Ratigan. When I'm angry I consider him the only one on MSNBC worth watching, and when I'm not I let Rachel Maddow share the podium, though EXTREMELY reluctantly. No candle, not even close. Love it. 1 pm PST. 

Represent'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/06/the-nerdiest-colleges_n_891182.html#s303832&title=MIT

Summer Reading Update.

Well, finished All the Shah's Men recently. Here is a by-no-means-comprehensive list of some of the major players in that world-changing 1953 coup.

United States President Harry S. Truman.

United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

 

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran.

Secretary of State under President Eisenhower, John Foster Dulles.

 CIA Director under President Eisenhower, Allen Dulles.

 Kermit Roosevelt Jr., the CIA's man on the ground in Iran. 

And, the big man himself, Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.

Summer Reading List

Consists of no less than eight books: 


All the Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Homer's Iliad, translated by Richmond Lattimore
Cowboy Metaphysics by Peter A. French
Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
No god but God by Reza Aslan
Franklin and Winston by Jon Meacham


I also want to get something to do with psychology to tide me over until the fall. I'd have to go to Barnes and Noble and peruse the section, but maybe Philip Zimbardo's The Lucifer Effect or John Kerr's A Most Dangerous Method (which would be nice in anticipation of the upcoming film, which looks SO damn good), though, like I said, I'd have to do a gentle review of the options. Anything about Milgram would be interesting. Maybe flow, if there's any literature on it. UGH GOTTA GO CHECK IT




Will the list be completed? We. Shall. See.