Politics and Culture

Baghdad, December 14: Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani says that 13 people arrested over connection to deadly bombings in Baghdad last August are to face justice and be put to death.

“We have completed 80 percent of the investigation over the bombings against the ministries of finance and foreign affairs,” Bolani told lawmakers during a grilling session in parliament on Sunday in the aftermath of the multiple coordinated bombings on December 8, which killed 127 people and injured over 450 others.

“The court was convinced by the evidence the Ministry of the Interior brought, and the 13 terrorists implicated will be executed,” Bolani stated.

More than 100 civilians lost their lives on August 19 when a wave of explosions ripped through Baghdad's civilian and diplomatic areas close to government buildings including the finance and foreign ministries.

Here.

If President Obama is planning on entering negotiations with Iran over their nuclear program while also letting video footage of our new bunker-busting bombs seep onto youtube, he'd be doing a very smart thing. Heck, he should just go up to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, open up his laptop, play it for him, and smile.

What would Iran do? If they're sane, they'd stop their program. If not, negotiations are a waste of time anyways.

Looking at this year's nominees, as well as some of the more inspiring past winners, one comes to the conclusion that bravery is something of a requirement for winning the Peace Prize, an observation that makes at least partially true the old trope that it takes more courage to walk away from a fight than to engage.

With that in mind: what, exactly, is so brave about telling foreign audiences already somewhat hostile to one's own nation that one's own nation is at fault for a particular negative situation?

It's like a reverse scapegoat: Obama falsely places the blame on the insider, ourselves.

Or, is he? It's always been a feeling on my part that when leftists criticize the United States, they're not, as they sometimes claim, engaging in self-reflection. What they're doing is attacking the "other" Americans, to which they ascribe all manner of evil intentions and actions.

It's why leftists are more often comfortable claiming that Americans are stupid (with the exception of the claimants, of course).

I can also bring up my operative theory that every religious phenomenon has a secular equivalent. "Prophets aren't welcome in their own country," "some are blind to the truth," etc.

One of my working assumptions is that religious feeling is built into each human being. It's not just me, either: people who aren't dumb like Andrew Newberg believe this as well.

Materialists think that those parts of the brain we now use for religion at one time helped us hunt sabretooths and get jiggy with cavewomen, who may not have been as desirable to cavemen for their ignorance of Nair and toothpaste.

I think that we were created that way.

Raquel Welch in prehistoric times. Religion helped primitive man, who eventually produced Raquel Welch, for whom we should be grateful.

This understanding of human nature allows me to see innate religious feeling in many seemingly secular phenomenon. Remember when environmentalists wanted the world to turn off the lights? What did that accomplish? They actually used more energy.

I'll get back to that later. In addition to the innate impulse to worship, some secular philosophies resemble theologies. Many of my protestant brothers and sisters believe that faith alone- as opposed to the Catholic and Orthodox inclusion of good works- saves (one from Hell).

A similar principle is operative in leftist politics: policy positions alone makes a good man. Think of the Kennedy memorials and Wellstone funerals. Gloria Steinem attacked Clarence Thomas during phony Anita Hill affair, but defended Bill Clinton in the real Lewinsky scandal. The difference? Well, Clinton defended women's choice to abortion. The belief that one's politics is the most important part of one's character has a long pedigree. Paul Johnson points this out in Intellectuals.

In the entertainment world, ultra-aesthetes estimate a man's worth by their "talent" or, when that's not readily apparent, "artistic attitude." Michael Jackson worship is an example of this. So's the current controversy over Roman Polanski. Go here for a list of people who think that talent trumps behavior (by the way, it's very disappointing to see Monica Bellucci on the list. I almost have a "saved by hotness" philosophy).

Too bad Monica Bellucci is a moral fool.

50-50 that they'll follow their advice. 50-50 that we do abandon our allies.

It's clear that to get any respect from the Obama administration, a nation has to brutally suppress demonstrators, illegally pursue a nuclear weapons program (preferably both), or place nuclear weapons next to staunch allies (article headline should read: "Russia finally stands up to Poland").

All Honduras did was follow its constitution and, at the same time, resist a malevolent America-hater like Hugo Chavez and his stooges across America including, apparently, in the Obama White House.

Now, through pressure from the U.S., Honduras has allowed the president who attempted to ram through an unconstitutional referendum back inside the country.

Strangely, few, if any leftists cheered when this tiny nation attempted to resist American pressure.

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran de facto ruler Roberto Micheletti said on Saturday the United States has revoked his visa to pressure him to step down and reinstate exiled President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a June military coup.

Micheletti, however, was defiant of the latest move by Washington, which said earlier this month it was cutting more than $30 million in aid to the poor Central American country.

"We will not back down. Dignity does not have a price in our country," Micheletti told Honduran radio.

Asked if he his visa had been canceled, Micheletti said: "Yes."

"We received letters from the U.S. Consulate in Honduras which say that because of the what happened on June 28, our visas have been suspended," Micheletti said.

It's actually the most angering action by the Obama administration this year. Couple this with it's buffoon-like move over missile defense in Poland and Hungary and you have the dumbest foreign policy since Jimmy Carter.

Wow! I'd like to see Barbara Boxer and Hillary go at it.