On Assassination and American Exceptionalism
But Soleimani Was a Bad Guy!
Islam as Default Adjective
I read these headlines and their associated articles and felt inclined to respond. Look, it is not my intention to rehash the same old arguments. This project is not an echo chamber. The hypocrisy of requiring the "Islam" modifier in reference to specific acts of violence while ignoring this syntactical requirement for, say, The Lord`s... Continue Reading →
Chris Kyle: A Useful Sociopath
And The Militarism That Gives Such Men a Platform I've largely stayed out of the ludicrously impassioned debate raging through social media on the Michael Moore/American Sniper debate. Frankly, I have no money on this horse race. I am a fan of Michael Moore's documentaries, even if I don't always agree with his conclusions. Likewise, ... Continue Reading →
Don’t Let the Right Wing Breathe New Life Into the Old Iraqi WMD Lie
It was bad enough the first time Back in 2001, I was actively involved in the peace movement. This was, of course, a losing proposition. Our nation had been violently awakened from our delusions of insularity from an otherwise unsafe and uncertain world. Our people were killed, our buildings were burning, and the taste of... Continue Reading →
The Die is Cast in Iraq
US Military Assistance Will Not Work Just a quick word on Iraq. The situation in Iraq may be ugly, but it's a fairly easy mess to understand sociologically. Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire shortly after World War I, the cards have always been stacked against Iraqi stability. Iraq could be understood as a... Continue Reading →
Lessons on the Meaning(lessness) of War
Soldiers are imbued with war's transcendent purpose, and despair when it is all for naught In the 1960's young American men were, once again, called to duty to protect their country from tyranny. In this case, the imminent threat was an innocuous rural nation called Vietnam. Many Americans had never heard of this place, but... Continue Reading →
On Post-War Buyer’s Remorse
Or…The Vietnam Iraq Syndrome I have to admit, I'm feeling pretty satisfied watching President Obama twisting himself into myriad contortions to justify US military intervention in Syria. I'm satisfied because I see this as one further step in a paradigm shift in which Americans reject the legitimacy of war and militarism altogether. The long march... Continue Reading →
Theyre All Our Children
When tragedy strikes our own children, we collectively mourn. The world would be a better place if we did the same for the children of others. Figure 1: Pakistani Children Keeping Vigil for the Sandy Hook Victims Click image for the source In my novel, The Revelation of Herman Smiley the title character is... Continue Reading →
On the End of a War
Toward the End of War On February 15-16, 2003, an almost miraculous event took place. Millions of people in over 60 cities across the globe took to the streets and, in a unified voice, protested a war that had not yet begun. While the Bush administration was beating the drums of pre-emptive war, as many... Continue Reading →
So Much for Democracy in Iraq
If you wanted proof that the Iraqi/US government is not the least interested in "democracy," the recent approval of continued American military presence by the Iraqi government is proof positive. This decision can only mean trouble for American troops as well as American contractors, and further delegitimizes an already shaky government in the eyes of... Continue Reading →
The Mad Sociologist Blog 