Most Americans are not aware that visitors to the US are subjected to questioning whose intrusiveness is exceeded only by its absurdity.
It comes mainly in the form of an online form called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization that you must fill before you travel. An airline pilot has written an article titled How Not to Attract Tourists that discloses some of the questions visitors are asked. [Read more…]
It is a puzzle why people would want to join organizations that seem to actively work against their interests. Jason Jones of The Daily Show explores the weird logic used by those Muslims who want to join the Republican party and by the Republicans who are trying to keep them out. [Read more…]
There is a job opening to head the World Bank and there have been some interesting maneuverings to fill it.
Ever since its creation in 1944, the job has gone to an American while the corresponding position at the sister institution the International Monetary Fund has gone to a European. While the decision is ostensibly made by consensus, the actual voting strength depends on the contributions of each country and the US has about 16% and the EU countries have about 29%. As long as they stick together, it will be hard for other nations to get one of their own into the position. [Read more…]
One of the bizarre turns that this election campaign has taken is the assault on women’s rights by the Republican party. It seems crazy for politicians to advocate steps that could alienate potentially 50% of the electorate. Valerie Tarico argues that this is merely the flip side of their desire to appeal to their fundamentalist religious base. [Read more…]
During the time that Rick Perry was still in the running for the Republican nomination, I argued that, while the policies he advocated were as bad as those of the others, he was one of the less obnoxious choices in that he did not seem to have the same level of gratuitous meanness. My feelings were based on some articles I read that said that his administration in Texas actually had a good record on diversity and that he had little to do with that state’s policy on the death penalty and had not shown any particular enthusiasm for putting people to death. [Read more…]
He elaborates on his article that I linked to earlier where he says that we are over-reacting to the danger posed by Iran obtaining a nuclear bomb. [Read more…]
The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williamson, the head of the Anglican church, is stepping down at the end of the year. I could not quite figure the man out. He seemed a nice enough sort but wishy-washy. He epitomized the dilemma of the liberal Christian, trying to make nice with science and modern liberal sensibilities on issues of women and gays, while at the same time constrained by the absurdities of the Bible and his own institutional traditions that set limits on how far he could go. [Read more…]
In the aftermath of the cold-blooded murder of 16 Afghans by a US soldier, we have been treated to a flood of details about the soldier and his family, all seeking to understand why he might have done such an appalling thing. This process tends to arouse greater understanding for his motivations and even some sympathy for his plight. This is not unreasonable. It is always useful to learn what drives people to commit horrific acts. [Read more…]
The great thing about the internet and blogs in particular is that it enables immediate feedback and criticism. Most authors welcome this by enabling comments but even those who do not allow comments (Andrew Sullivan at The Dish is one such prominent blogger) get rapid-fire feedback from other blogs. Once you enter the blogging world, you must expect criticism, sometimes in quite harsh terms. It simply goes with the territory. [Read more…]
