The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal as well as the Independent Bloggers Alliance and the Peace Tree.

Trying to make sense of tribal politics in the Middle East can't be done with simple bumper sticker slogans. The history, entangling relationships, religious dimension, shifting alliances, geography and multiple cultures are a Byzantine maze of complexity. Specifically, the Muslim world is often regarded by people in the west, especially Americans, as a large bowl of alphabet soup. As a result, policy makers who look for quick and easy fixes by force in the region overreach and miscalculate.

One tragic example of miscalculation and overreach is Lebanon. Once regarded as the "jewel" of the Middle East, Lebanon endured a brutal civil from 1975 to 1990. Surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Syria and Israel, this small country the size of Connecticut has flummoxed leaders in Jerusalem and Washington for two decades.

The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

Marisa Handler lived in South Africa until she was twelve. Both her parents are Jewish liberals and they actively opposed South Africa's racist apartheid system. Their values heavily influenced Handler during her formative years. Perhaps she was destined to become an activist as early as nine years old while attending Camps Bay Primary School in Cape Town.

He said... "You are Perfect Already" by egg theorem

Teach Your Children Well... An essay by Lorcan Ortway...

There is a museum downtown, in New York City, which preserves a board game produced in Germany during the time when that nation was under the sway of nazism. In this game, Jews are rounded up, and neighborhoods cleared of Jews. Looking at this children's game, leaves one feeling empty and cold. I had the same feeling reading about this a game, about to go on the market this Twelfth month, some call December, to be given as a present on the day some call "Christmas."

My friend Jon Hutson, wrote to tell me that Wal Mart is about to sell a game, " Left Behind: Eternal Forces" In this game, the object is to kill those who have not converted to Christianity, while the on screen characters shout "Praise the Lord..."

Read More

This is not my America and I don't think it's yours either. Are YOU going to be the one to let that stand IF true?

This morning on local radio, a morning show team interviewed Shirley Phelps-Roker, the attorney representing Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church.  Phelps and his gang have gained recent attention in this part of the country from their presence at the funeral of a local soldier.  On par with their typical pattern, they held signs and tried to make the case that military deaths are direct payback from God for America's general immorality.

The audio from this interview has been posted, and I must warn you, it ain't pretty.  (MP3 format, 13M)

To paraphrase, Phelps-Roker opened with a predictable bang:

"What we are doing is, we are putting the cup of the fury of God's Wrath to your lips, and we are making you drink it.  We are helping you connect the dots from the filthy manner of life of this nation to the dead soldiers, to the whirlwind."

"God is punishing America, and his weapon of choice is the IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices) that blow the fruit of America to pieces, punishing this nation."

"I am so sorry that those parents raised that child for the Devil, and sent him to hell early."

Finally, the stumbling, bumbling, outraged show host spilled out: "You are Osama bin Laden!  You have taken a religion and perverted it in a disgusting way!"