Eye on the Watcher’s Council

As you may know the members of the Watcher’s Council each nominate one of his or her own posts and one non-Council post for consideration by the whole Council. The complete list of this week’s Council nominations is here. Here’s what the Council members nominated this week.

Dr. Sanity, “Strategies for Dealing With Denial Part I: the Many Faces of Denial”

In this series of posts, Pat Santy comments on one of the factors that have impeded our ability to come to terms with the attacks on 9/11/2001: denial. In this first installment she gives a breakdown with examples of the many forms that denial can take. I think that there’s a danger of painting with too broad a brush in applying a model of psychological neurosis to political behavior and hope that in future installments Pat will distinguish between adaptive denial (which, as I understand it, is healthy) and maladaptive denial (which isn’t). Or between denial as a psychological defense mechanism and disagreement, a component of rational discourse.

The Glittering Eye, “The Sunday Lesson”

This is my submission for this week and in it I take note of some instances of the Bible in the news lately.

The Strata-Sphere, “Marc Grossman, Man of Mystery”

In this much-updated post AJ Strata provides a useful and extremely detailed backgrounder on Marc Grossman, who has emerged as a figure in the ongoing Wilson/Plame/Libby story.

Done With Mirrors, “Credo”

In this very brief post Callimachus proposes a different attitude toward one’s country than the word “patriotism” would connote.

Rhymes With Right, “Arrogant District Refuses to Protect White Students”

The prevailing narrative on racism at this point seems to be that it’s exclusively the province of white folks because without power it’s not racism (and all white folks have power, right?). What’s a not-unexpected outcome when this is, indeed, the prevailing narrative? Probably what Greg describes as happening recently in a Peoria school district.

New World Man, “Quadruple Aid to Hamas”

Matt suggests we dramatically increase aid to the Palestinian government. Really. The other alternative is that non-aggressive co-belligerents friendly nations like Russia and China will just fill in the shortfall.

The Sundries Shack, “Hate Central”

Jimmie Bise considers the “Angry Left”.

Gates of Vienna, “The Turncoat Generals: Et Tu, Brutus?”

Dymphna has harsh words for the retired generals who’ve called for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation or dismissal lately. Pet peeve: Dymphna, the vocative for “Brutus” is “Brute” (two syllables).

On a related note I re-affirmed my credentials as a gen-u-wine centrist yesterday by being condemned as a rabid lefty and castigated as a robotic echoer of the Bush party line for dropping essentially the same comment on this subject on two different blogs.

Joshuapundit, “Are the Palestinians Really Broke? Hardly”

Freedom Fighter considers the balance sheet. I’ll have more confidence in the protestations of dire need when top-ranking PA officials aren’t able to set themselves (or their wives or mistresses) in apartments in Paris anymore.

The Educations Wonks, “The High Costs of Subsidizing the Immigrant Nation”

EdWonk complains about the increases in health care costs resulting from the flood of illegal migrants into this country. My own view is that the costs of our non-system for immigration are being severely underestimated and that we’re hard put to come to an honest evaluation of the relative benefits as long as this is true.

ShrinkWrapped, “’Hope’ Is Not a Policy”

ShrinkWrapped considers the options in dealing with Iran with a brief digression on dealing with Saddam.

I believe I’ve mentioned it before but I spent my early years in a very tough neighborhood. When I was still in primary school we moved to a very, very nice upper-middle/upper class neighborhood. For the next several years I maintained the practice I’d learned in my earliest years: at the beginning of each school year I picked the biggest, toughest-looking 8th grader and beat the living snot out of him. It wasn’t the gentlest or most mature way of dealing with the situation.

However, I completely understand why we took Saddam out. The Middle East is a very tough neighborhood and if, following 9/11, we were to have significantly greater involvement there, Saddam had to go—he was the biggest, toughest-looking kid in the neighborhood. There may have been better ways of dealing with the situation.

Right Wing Nut House, “Anti-American? Or Anti-Bush?”

Don’t worry, Rick. No matter what you say or do you won’t deter the American Left from purging those who haven’t attained some obscure level of doctrinal purity from their midst.

Rick Moran considers the struggle for the soul of the Democratic Party. And, yes, I agree it’s important.

And IMO Katrina vanden Heuvel is an intellectually dishonest virago. But that just demonstrates which side of the party I’m on.

Well, I’ve made up my mind which Council posts I’ll vote for. Which would get your vote?

1 comment… add one
  • kreiz Link

    Best title? “Hope is not a policy”. I love it.

Leave a Comment