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, “The Four Pillars of the Socialist Revival, and the Rise of Islamofascism”

Pat Santy uses an extensive quotation from a speech by scholar Bernard Lewis (the post is worth reading for that alone) as a springboard for a discussion of how the Danish cartoons incident was fomented to exploit the shibboleths of today’s folk socialism which she characterizes as multiculturalism, political correctness, environmentalism, and terrorism.

In my own view the cartoons incident was less about exploiting today’s folk socialism than about exploiting ignorance and tribalism parading as Islam in the Third World.

Check out the fascinating diagram with which she ends the post. Interesting.

The Glittering Eye, “The Influence of Immigrants on American Political Thought”

In my submission for this week I consider how the political ideas that yesterday’s immigrants brought with them from their countries or origin has influenced America’s political culture.

Done With Mirrors, “Picture This”

Newspaper editor Callimachus critiques the reporting of the arrests of 17 Muslim men and teens in Canada as poor journalism and strongly implies that it was deliberately misleading. I think it was inept propaganda, too: an almost perfect example of evoking The Red Shoes—it makes you notice what’s absent even more acutely which, I presume, was not their intent. I plan to have more on this subject in a post of my own later today.

Gates of Vienna, “There Is Something About the Danes”

Dymphna posts on how the Danes are responding to the challenges presented by their Muslim immigrants in the aftermath of the cartoon controversy. Here in the United States we have historically viewed the ethnic character of the states of Europe, official languages, and an established church as flaws but they do have their advantages.

Joshuapundit, “A Few Words on Haditha”

Freedom Fighter comments on the incident at Haditha noting that Congressman John Murtha has rushed to judgment: we just don’t know what happened there and must wait until the investigation takes its course. I agree.

The Education Wonks, “Expelling Jr. ROTC From America’s Most “Tolerant” City”

EdWonk notes that the San Francisco school board is considering banning Jr. ROTC from the city’s high schools due to the military’s position on homosexuality. The analogy given by the school board member in the quoted article is flawed: there are specific protections from religious tests in the U. S. Constitution. Homosexuals are not similarly protected nor is sexual preference a protected class.

If the school board acts along these lines, it could result in a substantially greater cost to the school system than suggested in the article. Congress has lots of ways of influencing recalcitrant school systems. They could act to withhold Title 1 money, for example. Of course that House Minority Leader (and Speaker of the House Presumptive if Democrats gain control of the House in November) Nancy Pelosi represents a San Francisco congressional district may insulate them from reprisal. Some of the animals are more equal than others.

The Strata Sphere, “Big Day In CA”

AJ Strata comments on the contest in California’s 50^th Congressional District for Duke Cunningham’s old seat (before his unfortunate incarceration) and its significance for both political parties. It is, indeed, a stunning example of the American Boobocracy.

I wonder if this race actually has much in the way of significance for the Democrats. If they win, of course, they win and it will make their essay at gaining the House in November that much easier. If they lose, they can reasonably note that it was the expected outcome.

UPDATE: The Republicans have held the seat. And Democrats are responding as I suggested:

Democrats sought to paint the loss as a moral victory, a sign that they can compete even in districts that are heavily tilted to Republicans. Party officials also noted that the NRCC will not be able to spend $5 million in every competitive race in the country come November.

ShrinkWrapped, “Abolish the ‘N’ Word”

ShrinkWrapped points to a movement among African Americans to halt the acceptable use of the “N” word among African Americans. My guess is that, like Bill Cosby when he criticised the use of BE, they’ll be pilloried for it by blacks and whites alike.

On a peripherally related subject as I watched ABC’s Good Morning America this morning I wondered “Why don’t more black kids take Robin Roberts or Mellody Hobson as role models rather than the rappers or sports figures?” Those women have made it. I guess there are at least two reasons. First, they’re women. The sexual roles in America being what they are these days that tends to disqualify them as appropriate role models for young black men. And then, of course, they talk too white.

New World Man, “The Fourth Amendment’s Requirement of Probable Cause”

Matt Barr considers the requirements of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution which, if you recall, came up during Gen. Michael Hayden’s confirmation hearings (this post was written before Gen. Hayden was confirmed as CIA Director). I think that part of the furor at the time was that excessive legalism is unbecoming in anyone but particularly selectively excessive legalism.

Rhymes With Right, “Ugliness In Harris County Treasurer’s Contest (Was “Radack Attack!”)”

Greg posts on local politics and sees pretty much the same things as I see here: a sense of entitlement and corruption with a healthy dose of boobocracy.

Right Wing Nut House, “A Word About Courage”

Rick Moran considers the invasion at Normandy 62 years ago and how the word “courage” has been so debased today.

The Sundries Shack, “Yes, They Have Forgotten.”

Jimmie Bise believes that the media has forgotten about the War on Terror and, indeed, how horrible it was in both Afghanistan and Iraq before we invaded.

I think it’s less that they’ve forgotten than that they never believed to begin with. Many journalists like others in this country see the attack on September 11, 2001 as Timothy McVeigh writ large—a handful of isolated nutcases who did a horrible thing.

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