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.

The Glittering Eye, “Day Book, October 23, 2006”

In my submission I consider two events that took place on that day: the beginning of the Hungarian insurrection of 1956 and the murder of American Marines and sailors in their Beirut barracks by a suicide bomber in 1983.

American Future, “The Least Bad Choice”

Marc Schulman explains why he wants to maintain a Republican-controlled Congress.

Joshuapundit, “Rats in the Kitchen: a Parable”

If only there were a way to tell the rats from the benign rodents and household pets!  There is, of course:  you know they’re rats when they’re gnawing their way into your house, chewing on your stuff, and attacking your children.   That way you’re always in a defensive posture and you’re nearly guaranteeing that, eventually, your children will be attacked by rats.  What’s worse, if you get more aggressive and start killing the benign rodents, too, some of them will become violent and become as bad as the rats.  Choices, choices.

Gates of Vienna, “Female Genital Mutilation in Georgia:  Who is the Perp?”

Dymphna considers a case of female genital mutilation in Georgia and finds the reports just don’t add up.  The problem here may be that real life isn’t like television or mystery stories.  Not everything is explainable and the resolution may not tie up all the loose ends.

Done With Mirrors, “You Would Weep”

Callimachus finds parallels between our first military action in the Muslim world, the one hallowed in the Marine Hymn, and the war in Iraq.  The incident of “Shores of Tripoli” wasn’t resolved nearly as honorably as you may think.

Soccer Dad, “The Best Hasbara”

Unlike Soccer Dad I don’t think confusing Israel’s detractors with facts is likely to improve the image of Israel in Europe.  “Image assertion” won’t do the trick.  When the only prism one has for evaluation is oppressed on the one hand and oppressors on the other, colonialism is ipso facto oppression,  colonialism and Western presence are completely conflated, and Israel is Western, Israel will automatically be cast in the role of oppressors whatever the Israelis do.  That the Israelis are in an untenable situation doesn’t help.

Right Wing Nut House, “Enough Is Enough”

Rick Moran considers the mudslinging in the Allen-Webb contest for the Senate in Virginia and decides that sometimes going negative just isn’t worth it.

AbbaGav, “Cheney Pimps for Torture?”

AbbaGav analyzes various statements by members of the Bush Administration and the press’s coverage of the statements and finds that they’re asking “Have you stopped torturing your prisoners yet?”

ShrinkWrapped, “Reproaches of Our Fathers”

ShrinkWrapped uses a review of the movie Flags of Our Fathers as a jumping-off point for a reflection on mythologization, heroism, post-modernism, Viet Nam, and the present day.

Rhymes With Right, “Gays Win in New Jersey—GOP Handed Winning Issue”

Will the recent New Jersey supreme court decision requiring that the state legislature craft a system equalizing the rights of homosexuals and heterosexuals with respect to marriage bring evangelicals out nationwide to support the GOP?  Frankly, I doubt it.  Despite the best (and, I think, frequently misguided) efforts of both parties to nationalize the election politics remains local.

The Education Wonks, “Enter the Knife:  Legislative Buffoonery in Florida”

EdWonk always seems to be able to come up with new, interesting, outrageous stories from the world of public education to get our blood boiling.  This time around Florida legislators seem to be realizing that decriminalizing the possession of knives in public schools was a mistake.  Well of course you should allow knives in school.  But it seems to me that the real problem here is poor skills in conflict resolution both on the part of students and teachers.  Any tool is a weapon effective in direct proportion to its effectiveness as a tool.

The Sundries Shack, “John Kerry Says That Soldiers Just Aren’t That Smart”

Count me among those who don’t think that’s what Kerry intended to say.  However, I do think that Kerry is a complete idiot who shouldn’t be dogcatcher let alone a U. S. Senator.  Or president.

Well, I’ve decided which posts will get my votes.  Which would you vote for?