Eye on the Watcher’s Council

This is the first in what I hope will be a regular feature here—a brief highlighting of each of the Watcher’s Council nominations for the week. 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.

Dr. Sanity, “Appeasing Tyrants is a Bad Idea”

Psychiatrist and aerospace medicine specialist Dr. Pat Santy comments on Lawrence Summers’s resignation as president of Harvard University. Like Pat I see this as a wish by politically-correct Harvard faculty to stay in their nice, comfortable cocoon of isolation from ideas they don’t agree with but I can’t get very worked up about it. I doubt that such inclinations are compatible with academic excellence. Sic transit, etc.

The Glittering Eye, “Darkened earth: cartoons, ports, shrines, and the Islamic bomb”

I nominated this post of mine for consideration this week.

New World Man, “When People who think the Mohammad comics are a South Park bit get jobs with magazines”

Matt Barr critiques an article by Reason’s Nick Gillespie on the Mohammed cartoon controversy also taking Andrew Sullivan and half a dozen major news outlets to task.

Done With Mirrors, “Our George”

Blog-friend Callimachus reminds us why we love and revere George Washington and that his birthday didn’t always just happen to fall on a Monday. This marvelous post is almost as good as my own Washington’s Birthday (his real birthday) post. 😉

Rhymes With Right, “Why the Reaction?”

Greg is pretty hot under the collar about an article in The Leader in which they explore local Muslims’ reactions to the Danish cartoon. Greg is right: the article is remarkably dimwitted. There’s plenty of satire about Christians and Jews without their rioting in the streets. Now, I happen to think that the original publication of the cartoons was rude and keeping the ball up in the air by re-publishing them doesn’t accomplish anything positive. But the riots don’t call for understanding, explanation, or sympathy. They deserve nothing but contempt.

The Education Wonks, “History Friday: A Different View Of Black History Month”

EdWonk re-publishes an article critical of the notion of a Black History Month by Aubrey Kaplan from The Detroit News. I’d honestly like to hear more considered analysis of the history of African Americans in the United States but why are we keeping this ball up in the air?

ShrinkWrapped, “The Information War”

ShrinkWrapped notes how authority can shape, re-shape, and warp perceptions and, more particularly, memory. Good post.

The Strata-Sphere, “Weldon Blogger Conference Call”

AJStrata comments on a conference call in which he participated with Congressional representative Curt Weldon on the Able Danger affair (on which subject AJStrata is probably the blogosphere’s leading resource).

Right Wing Nut House, “About That Slippery Slope…”

Rick Moran, IMO one of the very best bloggers around, publishes a post on abortion, infanticide, and British Publish Health. Heart-wrenching stuff.

Gates of Vienna, “A Piece of the American Dream”

Dymphna, another of the blogosphere’s very best essayists, has written a post about mortality, immigrants, and the craft of building a stone wall.

The Sundries Shack, “Educating Sayed”

Do you wonder why Taliban spokesman Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi was admitted to Yale? So does Jimmie Bise. Presumably, Yale student is one of those jobs that Americans just won’t do.

New Sisyphus, “The Breach”

There are lots of things I agree with and lots of things I disagree with in this post on the consequences of merciful victories in which you remove governments without subduing or punishing populaces. Read it. Regardless of your position on Iraq or Afghanistan or the War on Terror I guarantee you that this post contains something to make your blood boil.

Well, I know who I’ll vote for this week. Which posts would have your vote?