Just yesterday I finally stopped ignoring the Middle East and looked up a few things. Like who is Shia and who is Sunni. And who has nukes and where. And what exactly an Islamist is. It was....a useful exercise. Anyone else out there taking an interest in this juncture of history? I'm ready to be educated.

It just seems to me, after one *ok a fraction of one* day of looking into it, that the majority Sunnis in most of the Middle East have been supremely frustrated trying to deal with their less conservative, more secular Shia neighbors. And it seems clear to me that America has at least attempted to enact a separation of church and state, even though those words do not appear in the constitution. It was in the First Amendment to the US Constitution that Congress was to "make no law respecting respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". As wikipedia points out, lots of nations have this idea in their code, and there is a great range of shades of gray in its execution. Here in America we do fairly well, but nowhere near a perfect score. For one thing, the constitution has no control over the states and what local laws might be passed. Which may be how we have gigantic crosses along Interstate 5 in Washington State. Not so different from other places, where religion is supposed to guide personal and political life. Here we seem only able to elect Christian presidents. We like to think that we are above it, but we are surely not.

So I know I am rambling and I will call it quits. If you have an opinion about what is the crux of what is going on--in Syria, Turkey, Kurdistan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Russia or any other involved party, feel free to comment and tell me! I'm building a mind map.

**Created Syria tag.

The Pentagon began tracking active duty military suicides in 2001. They begin rising in 2006, soared in 2009 then leveled. Military suicides hit a record high in 2012. Exceeded combat deaths in Afghanistan in 2012. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta calls it an epidemic. All branches are suffering.

The most living moment comes when
those who love each other meet each
other's eyes and in what flows
between them. To see your face
in a crowd of others, or alone on a
frightening street, I weep for that.
Our tears improve the earth. The
time you scolded me, your gratitude,
your laughing, always your qualities
increase the soul. Seeing you is a
wine that does not muddle or numb.
We sit inside the cypress shadow
where amazement and clear thought
twine their slow growth into us.
--Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks)
( a little about RumiCollapse )

The farther the lips are rolled in, the more intense the emotion. General McChrystal is deeply ashamed in this photo.

This is what General David Petraeus said to Joe Scarborough (on MSNBC 12/2/09) when he asked if Obama had been "dithering" about our course of action:

This process was actually quite good, Joe. It was a very substantive discussion. Everybody's assumptions and views were tested. I think out of this have come sharpened objectives, a very good understanding of the challenges and the difficulties and what must be done in a much more detailed and nuanced fashion.

I have a thought about Obama and his new move to increase funding for our military engagement in Afghanistan. MoveOn has taken the position that it is "wrong" to escalate the war and that we should keep our money at home and deal with our own crises before spending our wealth across the globe. I happen to agree with this argument, but I also see a possibility that I haven't heard mentioned by either side.

The possibility that I hope for is this: that Obama is not entirely a pawn of the military industrial machine, and that the US approach to military efforts under his administration might be a world apart from what happened under Shrub. In other words, Obama and his clan might just cause some positive change with the funding that he seeks. His military extravagance might set the stage for a whole new political balance in the middle east. His attempts to influence matters diplomatically will be bolstered by a strong and controlled military presence.

So while I have a peacenik predilection, I can imagine that this troop surge could potentially be a completely different endeavor than the last one. Good work could be done through military funding, if the leadership and strategy are brilliant. I like to think that Obama is capable of brilliance in many spheres. Or, to entertain the darker side possibility, Obama may be in the grip of the politico-military-industrial machine and this surge could just be another pilfering of our coffers by Haliburton et al. I don't know, but I still have the audacity to hope.
( Image of Obama with some of the shine rubbed off.Collapse )

Just discovered The Real News Network. WOW! It's a group of people doing intelligent reporting that is non-corporate and non-partisan. They're offering their reports on youtube for now, and begging for money so that they can get a television slot. I would LOVE to see this kind of news broadcast into homes across the US. I may actually send money. I watched three broadcasts this morning, all on foreign policy, and the best was this one. The main commentator has a thick accent, just get what you can. I was able to comprehend a lot of what he has to say, and it's a real education on the midle east. I will take in more of the Real News Network.

Aside: I just can't get over the fact that we now have a president who is enjoyable to listen to. Though in this clip when he starts talking about how we are going to help them "grow their economy" it gives me chills. In one of the other programs I watched they had a Pulizer prize winner saying that he thinks Obama has the rudiments of a real strategy for the middle east, and that it is a good one. That was reassuring. I still think Obama's pretty darn good, even though I disagree completely with the bailouts.