Obsidian Wings has a very important post about a bill in Congress which will allow the US to legally send suspected terrorists to any country for torture. The Republican leadership of Congress is attempting to legalize extraordinary rendition. “Extraordinary rendition” is the euphemism we use for sending terrorism suspects to countries that practice torture for… Continue reading Legal Torture
Air Marshall on No Fly List
I can’t understand why so many so-called libertarians defend no-fly lists and related actions like refusing to let Cat Stevens into the US when it is clear to me, a social democrat, that the government can be quite incompetent. I have posted previously about members of Congress being on no-fly lists but now comes the… Continue reading Air Marshall on No Fly List
Urban Vs Rural = Democrat Vs Republican?
Via Political Animal, there is an interesting data analysis about the Democrat-Republican divide. The two parties today not only represent different political philosophies but find their core support in different kinds of communities. The nation has gone through a big sort, a sifting of people and politics into what is becoming two Americas. One is… Continue reading Urban Vs Rural = Democrat Vs Republican?
Anglo-Sikh War Journal
Sepoy of Chapati Mystery has started posting the journal of an anonymous subaltern from the second Anglo-Sikh war in the Punjab in 1848-49. It should be interesting reading. Some historical background is available here. Sepoy promises another journal from the 1857 war of independence/mutiny later. Fascinating!
National Interest = Narcissism
It would be funny if the fate of 160 million Pakistanis did not depend on it. I grew up hearing General Zia talking about justifying every stupid act of his on Islam and the nation. Now, it is Musharraf’s turn. Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s president, said Thursday that he may renege on his pledge to… Continue reading National Interest = Narcissism
Roller Coasters, Hijabs and Terrorists
Via Amygdala comes this New York Times story about the Muslim Youth Day organized by ICNA-NJ which included a day at the Six Flags here. Accompanied by a half-dozen classmates, Ms. Khan was among the estimated 15,000 Muslims who came out for Muslim Youth Day on Friday, when the Great Adventure theme park was set… Continue reading Roller Coasters, Hijabs and Terrorists
Google Mail
I have 6 Gmail invites. If you want a Gmail account, leave a comment with a valid email address or email me. UPDATE: The original 6 are gone, but I got some more invites. So if you want an account, let me know. UPDATE II (Nov 9, 2004): All the invites are gone!
Rosh Hashanah
Shanah Tovah. Happy Rosh Hashanah, everyone.
Pakistanis or Arabs?
Via Al-Muhajabah, I found an interesting article in the Detroit Free Press. A new national poll challenges the view that Arab Americans were the only victims of bias and profiling after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. A survey conducted by Florida-based Bendixen & Associates found that Pakistani Americans reported higher levels of discrimination and… Continue reading Pakistanis or Arabs?
Partition
In keeping with my motto of blogging yesterday’s news, I bring you a three weeks old post by the Head Heeb about the India-Pakistan partition 57 years ago. With such a [bad] track record [post-partition], it’s inevitable that many people would question whether partition was a wise idea in either case. Randy McDonald, for instance… Continue reading Partition