Alas, our recent Columbia teach-in on the war, which included some of the university’s leading luminaries in all departments, was singlehandedly derailed by the asinine comments of one anthro prof, Nicholas De Genova. Said De Genova, “The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military…I personally would like to see a million Mogadishus.” He also argued that all self-proclaimed patriots are in fact white supremacists. Sigh…it’s freak show guys like this who give the entire anti-war movement a bad name. As you can see, Eric Foner calls the guy idiotic in the article, and Alan Brinkley has also declared his comments “abhorrent” and “immoral.” (In fact, even Columbia’s President has now distanced himself from De Genova.) The point is, this joker in no way speaks for the majority of Americans against the war, although he’s already getting a lot of run in the warblogger nation regardless. And, while I don’t want to disparage an entire department, I’m not entirely surprised he emerged from anthropology – I’ve heard similar rants from other radical post-structuralist and post-colonialist-enamored students over in Schermerhorn.
Month: March 2003
Green Party.
Hmm…apparently the new non-green twenty dollar bill mentioned in this post was supposed to be officially unveiled last week, but I can’t find any news about it, at the Bureau of Engraving or elsewhere. Couldn’t they at least tell us the color? (How about a nice, soothing, all-American blue?)
Dollar Diplomacy.
This is old news at this point, but I missed it back in the day. 2000 Presidential candidate Bill Bradley comes out against the Iraq war after hearing Dubya’s State of the Union address. Particularly with Moynihan now gone, we could use Dem statesmen like Bradley to cultivate a higher profile. The questions facing America today aren’t going to get any easier, even if we took out Saddam tomorrow.
War Games.
Who’s running this war, anyway? As the American offense tentatively bogs down, more information surfaces that the Bush Hawks ignored the Pentagon and downplayed possible guerrilla resistance by the fedayeen in order to sell their war to the American people. I never thought I’d agree with Barry McCaffrey, but there you have it. Why would you ever put American lives at risk without preparing for the worst possible consequences? God willing, the Bushies bet correctly and our forces will be able to break the back of Saddam’s regime regardless. But, if our men and women start dying because of Rummy’s unbridled optimism, there’ll be hell to pay. Update: The wartime hubris of Rumsfeld is further explored in this week’s New Yorker.
Advise and Dissent.
As the protests heat up in NYC, Slate‘s David Greenberg evaluates the many contributions of American antiwar efforts over the centuries, and reminds us anew that anti-war advocates are also more often than not pro-troop. Something for the Right to consider before they break out the paintball guns.
Music for the Masses.
One minor comfort as war rages in Iraq: Some of my favorite artists are emerging from obscurity to step up with new material. Michael Stipe and R.E.M. have released “Final Straw”, while the Beastie Boys offer “In a World Gone Mad.” (The former and better song via WebGoddess.)
The Gentleman From New York.
R.I.P. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan 1927-2003. At a time when the Democratic party needs articulate, intelligent, and principled statespersons more than ever, we lose one of the big ones. He will be missed.
Crichton Signs Off.
I didn’t get a chance to say this while I was in Vegas, so I’ll do it now…So long, Farscape. Your time came much too quickly.
Voting, Schmoting.
Also via Medley (and Genehack), GOP ops in several midwestern states, trying to stay afloat after the Dubya dip, have keyed in on the ultimate money-saving device: cancelling primaries. I mean, we all know Bush is going to win again anyway, right? Right?
High-Power FM.
Paul Krugman explores Republican radio conglomerate Clear Channel’s role in inciting pro-Bush rallies around the country. (Via Medley.) You have to wonder if the people smashing Dixie Chick paraphernalia felt even a little bit sheepish. After all, it’s not like they’re French or anything.