This is an opium poppy in bloom, almost ready for harvest. Opium poppies were originally indigenous to Asia Minor and Thessaly, and were allegedly introduced to Afghanistan by Alexander the Great during his conquests there. This photograph was taken from… Continue Reading
Democrats — particularly Democratic legislators — appear to be made up of equal parts of corruption, incompetence, and half-baked idealism. Republican politicians, for their part, have responded to every opportunity to capitalize on this by proving themselves not only equally… Continue Reading
Iran falls into national paralysis as the nation reels from apparently-corrupted elections. Initially, there’s little way for us in the West to tell if the elections were less democratic than expected, but over time we learn that the returns came… Continue Reading
Just a few quick thoughts on the elections in Iran. First, has it occurred to anyone that maybe Ahmadinejad actually won? That the results are genuine? This doesn’t even seem to have been considered as a possibility in the western… Continue Reading
It’s hard to appreciate just how important this story will be. In a world where politics is polarized not around abortion and gay marriage but rather around secular/western versus religious/insular politics, it’s heartening to see democracy working and the Party… Continue Reading
President Obama is traveling to Egypt to deliver an “Address to the Muslim World.” (He’s in Saudi Arabia today.) Now, the President excels when he delivers “challenging” speeches, like his campaign addresses on religion and race. He can encourage people… Continue Reading
When I was in high school and college, lo these many years ago, the big flashpoint political issues that I can recall talking about were: Abortion Affirmative action The Cold War Balancing environmental protection with economic growth Illegal immigration Gay… Continue Reading
Elections were held in India yesterday, and the incumbent Congress Party not only remained in power but, somewhat surprisingly, convincingly beat back a challenge by a Hindu nationalist party. The margin of victory is such that Prime Minister Singh has… Continue Reading
It was only a couple of weeks ago that Utah’s Governor, Jon Huntsman, came up on the national radar as a potential rival to Barack Obama’s eventual re-election bid in 2012. Huntsman is young, competent, articulate, and appears to be… Continue Reading
Stumbling around the net tonight, I came across this bit of propaganda from Newt Gingrich — he is objecting to the domestic release of Guantanamo Bay prisoners, ethnic Uighurs who would otherwise be returned to the People’s Republic of China.… Continue Reading