John Stewart’s commencement address at William and Mary. Pay particular attention to the section the “greatest generation,” and where he talks about Bethseda. We do need a new greatest generation, but not necessarily a military one. This country needs to be rebuilt, and we need to find the passion that makes us Americans; we just can’t be “no them.” We are better than that.
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British Elections and Muslims [update][4x]
I just saw this piece over at TPM. I don’t know enough about “Gorgeous George” to make a detailed comment yet. However, at least superficially, the argument makes sense. There is a potential for anti-Muslim backlash. [update]: More from the Exiled Afrikan. [update 2]: ThaBit weighs in, as does Crooked Timber. Follow the trackback as well. [update 3]: Apparently the stupidity regarding Muslims has begun. [update 4]: Galloway is now officially included in the oil-for-food debacle. Muslims as a fifth-column rhetoric should begin soon. Technorati Tags: George Galloway
Central Asian Elections
First hat-tip here. The NYT is not allowing perma-links on the issue. Try to check out their coverage. Tajikistan, the country with which I’m most familiar, has a great deal of potential in terms of human capital. It would be a shame if the corruption of the government kept it from realizing its potential. While the initial blush of post-Soviet headiness in the international community has faded, I believe there is enough aid and interest in Tajikistan that it still has a short window in which it could develop a sustainable economy.
Blog Quake Day
As many of you know a horrific earthquake hit South and Central Asia almost a month ago. The need for donations remains immense. DesiPundit has nominated today as Blog Quake Day (found via Chapati Mystery, Danial, and Planet Granada; see also Avari-Nameh for more good links). Please donate to anyone you feel comfortable with. In addition, I’ve been working with people on the ground to get supplies and money over there and a friend is working with the UNDP to raise funds. His details are below (if you do donate this way, please indicate in the notes field that you…