May he rest in peace

If you don't already know, William F. Buckley, Jr. died yesturday. He was 82. Buckley is widely regarded as the father of the modern conservative movement. He was the founder of National Review a once great conservative magazine. I can't say I know much about Buckley, I've only read a few of his essays, and I've seen him on Hardball a few times. His writing was impressive, even if I almost always disagreed with it. I always thought that he had a really cool, almost untraceable, accent. For more on Buckley, check out this article by the great John B. Judis up at the New Republic.

A Note on the Troops (Cross Posted from Facebook)

I've noticed lately as I peruse facebook profiles a growing number of people that have as one of their favorite quotes, "If you don't stand behind the troops, please feel free to stand in front of them." I mean...what? This is perhaps one of the most repulsive quotes I've ever laid eyes on. There are so many aspects of this quote that are utterly tasteless and maddeningly stupid, one could almost write a 20 page essay examining them. I have two main points to make in respect to this madness. First, everybody supports the troops! For people to continue to suggest that those who oppose the war (a large majority of the American poplulation) are also opposing the troops is a travesty. The disagreement is over the war itself, not the troops. Many of the people that opposed the war from the beginning and continue to do so (myself included) have family and friends that have served in Iraq. I find it offensive that I am accused of being unpatriotic or anti-American because I disagree with the preemptive invasion of a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 and posed no threat to the United States. It's even more offensive that this quote suggests that my opposition to the war means that I hate the troops and wish harm to come to them.
Secondly, the quote implies that not supporting the troops means that you deserve death. It does, read it: "If you don't stand behind the troops, please feel free to stand in front of them." Let's assume, hypothetically, that there are some people that oppose the troops. This quote suggests that failure to support the troops is an offense punishable by death. Everyone with a goddamn head on their shoulders understands that our troops face immeasurable dangers on a daily basis in the warzone. We admire their bravery in doing so, in the name of their country. According to this quote, your decision to not support the troops, means that you deserve to die in the desert from a Taliban's bullet, or an insurgent's IED. It's very disturbing that there are Americans that buy into this demagoguery. This country was built upon the freedom of speech and belief. American citizens have the freedom to believe whatever they want, no matter how offensive it might be to others. That being said, there is nothing illegal about having this quote in your profile. It's your right, I'm just arguing that its a tasteless quote, and anyone that has this quote on their profile is insulting themselves by having it equated with their name. But if you want to keep the quote go for it, and even if you think I hate the troops, I will still continue to oppose the war in Iraq. These rights belong to us as Americans. There is no doubt in my mind that our soldiers serving on the battlefield cherish these rights and they are proud to defend them. Therefore, placing this quote in your facebook profile is as much a slap in the face to them as it is to those that oppose the war. People, let's have a civilized debate. Demonizing the other side, as this quote does, only results in inflamed passions that prolong the conflict. We are all Americans, we support our troops whether we agree with the war or not.
Disclaimer: This note is not directed at any particular individual or group of individuals. I don't have an exact count, but I must've seen this quote on at least 20 different profiles. Therefore, I'm requesting that no one see this as an insult targeted towards them. I'd also appreciate feedback on this post, even if you disagree!

Hussein is a GOOD Middle Name

I can't possibly find the words that would convey how strongly I recommend this superb article by Juan Cole. Barack Hussein Obama is actually a very fortunate name. According to Cole, a Middle East expert and professor at the University of Michigan (he has a great blog here), Barack is derived from the Hebrew word barak meaning "to bless." Hussein is derived from the semitic word hasan which means "good" or "handsome." You should really read the whole article; its a quick and interesting read and Cole has numerous examples of famous Americans (including 14 presidents!) that have names that are derived from Arabic or other middle eastern languages.

Cole wrote the article in response to comments made by Bill Cunningham, a right-wing talk radio host, while introducing John McCain. Cunningham repeatedly referred to Obama as Barack Hussein Obama and accused Obama of wanting to meet with people that "want to kill" Americans. I have to hand it to McCain (I know, I've never done that before!) for his response to Cunningham's comments. McCain immediately apologized for Cunningham's "inappropriate" remarks and vowed that it will never happen again at one of his rallies. Now I'm still no fan of McCain's but I have to admit that was an extremely classy move on his parts and he deserves credit for it.