Joe Lieberman and the Future of the Democratic Party. Before I say anything, let me emphasize that in no way, shape, or form is Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut, soon to be ex-Senator?!) even remotely conservative. Conservative intellectuals label him as one of THE most liberal senators (we're not talking hack partisanism here, but on an ideological ( Read more... )

North Korea and Its Missile Hubris. George W. Bush was absolutely right in calling North Korea a part of the Axis of Evil. Yesterday and today, North Korea tested seven Taepodong-2 missiles, bringing it closer and closer to having the capability to launch missile attacks against the United States, Japan, or South Korea. I cannot say I am surprised ( Read more... )

Wow, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I feel so cheesily sad right now.

Those of you who speak to me regularly know how madly obsessed with "American Idol" I've been the past few months. My growing disgust at the phoniness of it all (although Simon likes to criticize people's performances as "karaoke," the show itself reeks of karaoke-dom) ( Read more... )

Sadly, I have succumbed to the madness of "American Idol," and I have been avidly watching it every week. Aside from the cheesy theme song, predictably caricatured judges (oooh, what will the villainous Simon say next?!), awkwardly made-up contestants, and general aura of phoniness that encompasses this entire spectacle, "American Idol" has a ( Read more... )

Words cannot describe the horror and sadness and affront that I felt when I read about the plight of Abdul Rahman, an Afghan man who converted from Islam to Christianity 15 years ago. He faces the death penalty in Afghanistan on the sole basis of his religious conversion. Islamic mullahs, even the ones who are widely considered to be of the " ( Read more... )

I never did like France. French anti-Americanism seems to stem not from a purely ideological difference with American ideals and actions, but rather a bitter resentment that the French are no longer the superpowers of the world. (Oh, the glory days of Napoleon!...Do you really believe the self-righteous tone that France adopts when opposing ( Read more... )

http://www.radioislam.org/islam/roligt/roligt.htmRead more... )

So, angry protestors have set the Danish and Norwegian embassies aflame in Syria. Protests have spread in many other countries. The editors of the Jordanian newspaper that reprinted the cartoons have been sacked and arrested. (These are the guys who, alongside the cartoons, wrote, "Muslims of the world, be reasonable...What brings more prejudice ( Read more... )

Some thoughts on the recent international Muslim outcry (and threats) regarding a Danish (and subsequently, French, Spanish, and other European) newspaper's decision to run a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed. Basically, a conservative Danish newspaper ran some cartoons showing the prophet Mohammed, some insinuating a connection between him ( Read more... )

Happy Birthday, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Today was the 250th birthday of the greatest musical composer ever. Mozart's music--how can one describe the indescribable? It's so fresh, blithe, heartbreaking, and bursting with emotion (no, not the silly wishy-washy kind of the later Romantics) within the controlled confines of perfect meter and symmetry ( Read more... )