I got a postcard from Nerdstar today, in response to the birthday card I sent her a while back. It's amazing how the blogosphere can connect two people who would've never met and bring them together to support each other. That makes one letter from an acquaintence soldier and zero from my "best friend" from back home. Perspective.

Posted by: Sarah at 10:15 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I've been looking over the results of the morale survey posted on Blackfive's blog. There are two things about this survey that interest me.

1. TABLE 15
Amazing results. UN-sanctioned involvements ranked much lower on the "how do you think [country of deployment] will be after American soldiers leave" scale than Iraq does. In the other missions, the soldiers thought that their involvement meant very little in the long-run, but in Iraq it appears that they believe their presence will make a positive difference. That says something huge! Our soldiers appear to be saying that the Iraq deployment has focus and that, being run by Americans, has a much higher chance of success than if it were run by the UN. Fascinating finding, in my opinion.

2. TABLE 17
There is a big difference between officer morale in OIF and in WWII; in OIF there's a much higher percentage of reported low morale. Reasons for this? Other than the fact that maybe officers feel more comfortable griping these days, I can't come up with anything.

However, this was a survey of only 389 soldiers, so that means only 54 people out of all of the deployed soldiers said they have low morale. I have no idea how they got the results from WWII, but if the sample size is different, then the results mean little. I have not been able to find the original, and Blackfive didn't post a link, so I'm not sure where the WWII data comes from.

See, I did learn something from How To Lie With Statistics!

MORE TO GROK:

Since I am a grokking tyro, I enlisted the help of a bigger mind to check out the numbers. Mr. Den Beste wrote me back last night; as usual, he thinks of things I didn't catch:

Given your specific situation, it's easy to see why you'd be concerned about
this.

I'm not so sure that the difference to which you refer is really very significant or very mystifying. Officers, quite naturally, feel more responsible for a situation than enlisted, and the situation in Iraq is not really the same as it was in Europe. Americans knew more about Europe and understood the local culture much better, for one thing. Iraq is a more alien place.

A different thing I find myself wondering about is just when it was that the WWII survey happened. If it was about one year after VE day, that would be a
lot different than if it was perhaps three years after VE day. Europe was also pretty unsettled in the first year, but by three years things had stabilized quite a lot. Thus officers, feeling responsible, would have indicated greater comfort at the three year point than at the one year point.

Frankly, I didn't really see anything in that report that I found too surprising, or anything that worried me deeply. (Obviously I wish it were better than it is...)

Posted by: Sarah at 09:46 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I don't know exactly why reading this at Medienkritik triggered something in my mind, but it did. Back when I was in my Swedish class, our teacher was trying to briefly explain the Swedish political parties to us. She drew a sort of spectrum line on the board and put the various parties along the line from left to right. Someone in our class asked where our American Republican and Democrats would fall on the Swedish spectrum; our teacher put the Democrats on the far right edge of the spectrum and said that the Republicans would be located in the next room. We all laughed.

But it's something to keep in mind. There's no such thing as my sort of thinking in Europe. Well, there are some Americans Born Elsewhere, but for the most part, everyone is to the left of me. My Swedish friend just this year met the very first Swedish person in her life who supports the death penalty. The very first one she's ever met. She's 25. In contrast, we were making a sample outline in my ENGL class the other day, using the generic topic of the death penalty as a sample, and when I asked if they wanted to make the sample as for or against, they shouted For! in unison. No question in their minds. On questions of the government's role in health care and social programs, no one can touch how far right I go. There's just no such thing over here, at least not that I understand (correct me if I'm wrong.)

On a related tangent, Tim wrote the other day about patriotism and flag-pride in other countries. While living in France, we bought the same Swedish friend a Swedish flag patch to sew onto her bookbag. She wore it while she was in France, but she said that it was a little weird to sport it in Sweden. I can't say if she's representative of other Europeans, but I can't think of any other country -- besides flag-drenched Canada -- where the flag means so much.

Our flag means so much that people everywhere burn it. That says something.

MORE TO GROK:

Awesome. A blog in Sweden! With links to other blogs in Sweden. Fantastic -- now I have a way to prevent my Swedish from being completely eaten up by my pathetic German. I'm having tons of fun going through his posts -- did you know that Hans Blix participated in a WMD joke on a Swedish talk show that sounds quite similar to the scenario that Bush got ripped a new one for? Dude, he's so blogrolled.

By the way, he says that there are right-leaning folks in Sweden, but they are even deeper in the closet than I am.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:31 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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A couple of links:
Lileks is good today, especially if you're one of those recovering young people.
And be prepared to cry when you read the story of CPL Chance Phelps.

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Andrew Sullivan linked to an article from an embedded reporter in Fallujah. The relevant bit comes at the end:

Well, it's surprising, to be honest. ... I have spoken to a lot [of Marines] who have been engaged in some of these firefights. In fact, I was in one of the combat surgical rooms where they were working on a couple of these guys.

Two of them had been ambushed, not where the main fight is going on tonight, but their unit had been ambushed east of Fallujah. And seven people rolled in. There were two that had gunshot wounds. And they pulled a huge slug, a bullet, out of the leg of one of the Marines. And another one had a bullet wound right through the back.

And, amazingly, they were trying to convince their commanders that they were ready to go and go back out. I have been really surprised at ... the high degree of morale that these Marines have shown. Remember, they have only been here for a month and a half. Many of these units that are here now engaged in the initial invasion last year and were in Iraq for several months.

Now they're back. But they seem to be engaged. They're taking casualties. But it's really surprising. You don't see much head-dragging or anything like that. I mean, you know, what you see is kind of more encouragement for these guys.

And, for example, the one who had the gravest -- the bullet in and out through his back -- was trying to convince his commander that he'd be back. And his commander actually promised him that his spot was still going to be there. Another soldier who was injured in that huge firefight yesterday who I spoke to earlier this morning, he wanted to get back out there. But the only problem was, was that half his shoulder was missing around his firing arm.

But he was convinced he would be able to sit there on a roof and not have to run anywhere and he could contribute that way. So it's been surprising. But ... the Marines that are here certainly appear to be geared up for whatever the future holds.

One of Sullivan's readers makes a simple point:

The line that struck me as most interesting in that piece from the embedded CNN reporter is near the end where he writes 'So itÂ’s been surprising'. I would love for him to further explain why he finds the actions & attitudes of these men 'surprising'. I would take a guess & say that this is this man's first exposure to our men in the military.
I was an Army brat from the day I was born until I was halfway through college, and my father was an Airborne ranger most of those years. This reporter's observations of our soldiers don't surprise me at all. Anyone who has spent anytime around our soldiers would not have expected anything different. These men take their code and their duty seriously. The fact that the reporter is 'surprised' I think reveals more than anything his (and no doubt a significant number of media people's) disconnect from what most people know, either first hand or instinctively, about our military personnel. We have the best military known to mankind and one of the primary reasons is the simplest one: The people who are in it.

Once I got my taste of military life, I never wanted to live any other way. Having taught soldiers, I never want to teach anyone but. I decided this morning that if my husband ever decides to separate from the military, I will require that we live near a military post so I can continue to work with soldiers. Once you see the caliber person the military fosters, you never want anything less.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:11 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Mail takes about two weeks to and from Iraq. Apparently email takes three days. Just this morning I got an email that my husband sent me on Tuesday. Weird.

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"As far as we know, Senator Kerry got three Purple Hearts for risking his life in Vietnam and President Bush got a dental examination in Alabama," Pelosi said.

This little quote tagged onto the Cheney-is-a-chickenhawk article is disgusting. I don't even know what else to say about it. It makes my blood boil to see such spin.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:52 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 "President Bush got a dental examination in Alabama" Perhaps Kerry OTOH let his teeth rot. War hero, maybe. Dental role model, maybe not. Knowing Fox's biases, the quote was probably included to create the very effect that it had on you (and me).

Posted by: Amritas at April 29, 2004 09:45 AM (clwfO)

2 I looked and looked, but nowhere in the Constitution does it say that one has to have been to Vietnam to be President. Nowhere does it say one has to have been in a war to lead the country during one. Did I maybe miss that particular amendment? Or is it in the one section that only Liberals can see, in the same place as the "right" to abortion??

Posted by: CavalierX at April 29, 2004 10:57 AM (KEdMI)

3 That isn't a contrail Kerry's sporting, it's smoke from the fire on his tail.

Posted by: Mike at April 29, 2004 11:47 AM (cFRpq)

4 CavalierX, Remember, the Constitution is a "living" document. Apparently, we missed out on the Vietnam Amendment. That one must've materialized after the golden age of Clinton ended. Always keep in mind that these sound bites are designed for voters who don't think things through. They don't have to make sense. Such is the nature of mass memetic warfare.

Posted by: Amritas at April 29, 2004 12:03 PM (7TKgY)

5 The Dems try to confuse the issues here. Everybody recognizes Kerry as a "war hero", earning the unprecedented 5 awards in 4 months of service. The issue was what did he do immediately after his "heroism", such as accusing American soldiers as baby killers, mass murderers, and rapists.

Posted by: ic at April 29, 2004 04:54 PM (X4gTE)

6 "Everybody recognizes Kerry as a 'war hero' " Not "everybody." Some deny that. What he actually did in Vietnam has been disputed. There is, however, no doubt about what he did after he came back.

Posted by: Amritas at April 29, 2004 07:58 PM (7TKgY)

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A storm's a-brewin' over at RWN where Hawkins is discussing women vs men bloggers. The background is too complex to summarize here -- you can read it on RWN -- but Hawkins goes on to ask an interesting question:

So let me branch out: Why are comparatively so few female bloggers of note in the political blogosphere?

Personally, I have come to suspect it's just a numbers game. On the whole, women aren't as interested as men in politics, so therefore there are a lot less women than men writing about politics, and hence there is a much smaller pool of female bloggers with the talent to move up the ranks.

Some people probably won't like that answer, but hey, why aren't there as many women who are sports fans as men? Why are there a lot more women than guys who enjoy romance novels? Maybe it's nature, maybe it's nurture, maybe it's some combination thereof, but men and women on the whole don't have the same level of interest in politics.

As an aside, I see nothing sexist in that quote at all. I'm reminded of a heated argument that erupted a few years ago when one of my female friends took extreme offense when my brother made an offhanded comment that his college basketball team could whoop any WNBA team. Cries of Sexist! insued, but there's nothing sexist about saying something that's probably true. But I digress.

Maybe that's why I'm having a hard time finding wives who want to talk about this stuff with me. Maybe that's why I was so disappointed to find out Kim du Toit is a man. But you know what -- it doesn't really matter. I started to write "it's too bad women don't want to blog about politics" and then I erased it because it doesn't matter. Who cares if you're a man or a woman; in the blogosphere, it's ideas that count. Reynolds and Green do a lot of recipe blogging, which should be a "woman's" topic. Who cares? They say important things on the majority of their posts, so they can write the occasional post about chicken, or whatever. I don't care if I'm writing back and forth with a man or woman, as long as we have common ground and we a trying to help each other grok.

I sometimes write about girly things like knitting or how I think Stephen Green is cute. But I most certainly will never give up trying to grok politics and current events so I can, as Hawkins joked, "have more time to blog about make-up and house plants." I can't even do make-up -- I've never bothered to learn how to apply it properly, and it shows -- and I have one houseplant that I just remembered to water after reading Hawkin's post. Make-up and plants ain't never gon happen on my blog.

MORE:

By the way, I just got introduced to Cassandra and Debbye through Hawkins' post. So far I like what I see. I need to check back in with them often.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:01 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Well DANG, Sarah... And here I was getting all ready to write up a snarky post announcing my retirement from poliblogging and going on and on about makeup and houseplants. Except I have abso-fricking-lutely NO idea what I would say on either of those topics, so I was going to email you for ideas. Are you telling me I'm SOL? sigh...

Posted by: Cassandra at April 29, 2004 11:08 AM (ee4ft)

2 I was going to offer to divide the labour with you, one of us taking make-up and the other taking house plants ...

Posted by: Debbye at April 29, 2004 11:08 AM (iMG32)

3 All three of you - PLEASE keep up what you're doing! I've really enjoyed your perspectives - it's great to hear insights from thoughtful women who are interested in what's going on in the world at large.

Posted by: Lyana at April 29, 2004 02:29 PM (ps81A)

4 Sarah: I enjoyed your post a while back about being at the party with that woman who went off about hoping Kerry would be elected so her husband would come home. I don't have enough time to read other blogs, but will definitely make time to read yours. Military wives should stick together. If you ever get discouraged, shoot me an email and we'll trade "war" stories - I've got 23 years worth You sound like a gutsy and intelligent lady.

Posted by: Cass at April 29, 2004 10:33 PM (ee4ft)

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Tim has a good post today about what's going on in Fallujah, from a military strategy standpoint.

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I'm way too young to know anything about the Vietnam era, which is why I found Mrs. du Toit's new post quite interesting. Have a look.

I spent all night last night up sick, so blogging is the furthest thing from my mind. I'm skipping German and crashing tonight. More tomorrow.

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The secret that I was keeping a while back is now not really a secret anymore, so I can tell you all the good news: my husband is getting his tank! One of my students had to deploy to send the tanks down to Iraq, so that's how I found out about it, but now that it's common knowledge around our post and in the Stars and Stripes, and the tanks are on their way, I can happily say that I kept my mouth shut the whole time.

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I know there's some expression about things getting darkest right before dawn or something like that, but I can't put my finger on it right now. Nonetheless, it fits me today: I've had two really great conversations today and I feel like the friend situation here is really looking up. It was a tide-turning day.

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I wonder if my husband is happy to no longer be in Najaf or bummed that he didn't get a piece of the action? Probably a little of both.

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Depending on your connection speed, this might take a while to load, but it's most definitely worth it if you want to feel close to our servicemembers...

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I think this morning I'm going to limit myself to writing about uplifting things. And, man, have I found something that makes my heart sing: the running totals for money donated by bloggers to Spirit of America. Three groups of bloggers, headed by Castle Argghhh!, Dean Esmay, and A Small Victory, are raising money for alternate media sources in Iraq. So far they've raised over $30,000! And bloggers are starting to auction things: an original Cox & Forkum, a picture from Saddam's palace that Chief Wiggles took, plane tickets, bayonets, everything!

I didn't join up with any specific "team" for the competition, and it's probably too late to join in since it ends Thursday. If I had been paying more attention to getting in on this, I would've knitted a sweater for the reader who pledged the most. Instead I will just have to encourage you to go pledge through someone else...

And now that I see how much money everyone else is giving, I have to go donate more! $30,000! Look at the impact we bloggers can have.

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I started to formulate a post while talking to Tim over the weekend, and it just came together on the exercise bike. I've managed to nail down more firmly why I feel I have a hard time fitting in, why I relate so well with my students but not as well with other wives.

Soldiers signed up for this; wives didn't.

I realize this will take some generalizing here, but bear with me. Soldiers know what they're getting into when they raise their right hand. They know the risks and agree to take them. Wives, on the other hand, seem to have a sense of "why me" when they fall in love with someone who has chosen to take that oath. There's some crossover of categories -- conscientious objectors, anyone? -- but for the most part, soldiers are willing participants in the war on terror and wives are dragged along kicking and screaming.

The majority of wives I know either suffer in silence or express their bitterness at any appropriate moment. None are hooah the way I am. They look forward to the day their husbands leave this mess behind and get a regular job, and though they feel a vague sense of pride that their husbands are doing a noble job, they would welcome him home in a heartbeat and flip the Middle East the finger if they could. They seem to think that since they never took an oath, they are exempt from any obligations to portray Army Values and to selflessly support the mission.

I don't think I've met anyone yet who feels the way I do (except for Tim, but he raised his right hand a while back.)

I don't suffer. Sure, I miss planting kisses in my husband's dimples, but I don't feel the bitterness many wives feel over the separation. I don't feel angry at the President for forcing us to go through this, nor do I feel like I've been cheated out of 14 months of my life. I don't have any illusions that his return next April will signify the end of our family's involvement with all things Muslim, nor do I plan to inform him that I have personally decided he's leaving the Army when he gets back, as some wives will.

My husband is contributing something to this world in a way that many wives just don't seem to grok. I think that's why I feel more comfortable with soldiers than wives, because there's common ground in the idea that soldiers are supposed to soldier. I'm having a hard time seeing that understanding in the wives I know.

On Saturday, Tim asked me how I cope with the deployment. To be honest, I do most of it alone. But when I need empathy in a rough patch, I turn to Tim or Mike or Carla. When I need someone to be sympathetic and get my mind off of it, I turn to Marc. When I'm down, I turn to the blogosphere for support.

I turn to you guys to help me cope. Thank you.

MORE TO GROK:

Amritas adds some insight.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:29 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Sarah, you are not alone. Well, maybe since I'm in Giessen in you are, but I feel the same way you do. My husband and I were married for a year when he brought the subject of joining the Army up. He had dropped out of high school, couldn't hold a job and was going nowhere. He felt that the Army could help him become a man and provide for his family. Well, it's almost 10 years later and gues what? The Army did turn him into a pretty good man and has allowed him to provide for his family. At the moment, I think I am more pro-Army than he is. When he made the decision to enlist (and the numerous re-enlistments), the decision was mutual. I sometimes even talked him into staying IN. So, in a way, I feel as if I have raised my hand also. I couldn't be prouder of him or the Army.

Posted by: Lani at April 26, 2004 05:09 AM (rZmE1)

2 "They also serve" has lost some of its meaning. I grew up in a military family. It was then a real community. We were poor. Everyone in the military was poor except those who came from well-to-do families. So everyone shared. When we lived in Europe, it was soon after the end of WWII, and I was in France when the Berlin Wall went up. Americans felt kinship only among themselves. Much of that has been lost with the decent pay and two-income families which are now the norm. I saw this during my career, and I would guess it is even worse now (I don't like using that word--different?). Options are much greater now for many quality of life issues. And I have to say, my generation spoiled yours. You don't have that "my career" mentality. Other wives miss having their family next door to watch the kids. They want to stay in the town they grew up in. You've grown beyond that. When you are "the Colonel's wife", you'll get them all in line!

Posted by: Mike at April 26, 2004 09:01 AM (cFRpq)

3 Amen Sister! Not many wives feel the way you do. I am one though.

Posted by: Ellie at April 26, 2004 11:12 AM (JQ67/)

4 You're a "soldier" in your right--thank you.

Posted by: david at April 26, 2004 12:57 PM (1+76a)

5 Sarah, you and the other wives who grok are my heroes. I think I've told you this before but we have so many heroes right now, here in the US and all over where families are stationed. And while I feel compassion for anyone who has someone stationed in harm's way I feel great admiration, respect and love for those of you who stand and wait with respect for your spouse, with understanding, love and pride.

Posted by: Ruth H at April 26, 2004 02:13 PM (TBNk6)

6 With all due respect, maybe you aren't listening to the right wives! There are many just like you in our community. Most do not have a blogpage to express themselves so eloquently. Some do not speak out because they don't want to upset spouses or suggest another spouse's (their friend's) complaints are not legitimate. Some do not speak so that other wives aren't cut off from expressing themselves within the spouse group rather than voicing complaints to their deployed significant others. Everyone needs a sounding post. I can assure you that most of the client-spouses I see feel like they support the Army by supporting their husbands. And, in their defense, many have been cast aside after suffering through a year of deployment by husbands who have returned with a calloused cynical attitude or a girlfriend. I think you might be oversimplifying? We can discuss over a beer if you like. It's wonderful that you have such a good attitude right now. But I can also identify with spouses who have been through five or six of these deployments and are raising two to four kids as essentially solo parents. I do not blame them for, in low times, putting their feelings out there and asking for sympathy. My husband only comes home once a month for a long weekend. I am happy for the time with him and dread the fact that he will deploy in March, when everyone else will be returning. AS a former military member, I can also understand the excitement he feels that he will be able to use his training and leadership skills in a significant way. I also feel somewhat guilty that I get to see him when others in our group miss their husbands so much. You should be flattered that the wives feel like you are someone they can open up to and express their frustration and anger. That must be difficult for you at times. But don't feel like ALL spouses are like that. You come across as an exceptionally nonjudgmental empathetic person. As with all good things, I guess there is a downside and you're seeing it! Glad you had a great Saturday with Tim.

Posted by: Oda Mae at April 26, 2004 06:06 PM (IgwHZ)

7 Sarah, thanks for posting this. I am an Army Reserve wife and we just finished a 14 month mobilization/deployment. I observed many of the same things you did as a reservist's spouse, and I experienced some of it myself. My husband's decision whether to retire or not is ultimately up to him. I have made no demands and while I expect him to take my feelings into consideration, the mobilization has taught me to appreciate what a fine man I married, and to be more flexible. I was angrier with myself going in to the mobilization, because deep down I knew I would have to make some career sacrifices and I was not ready for those. I struggled to keep the career going full time, but eventually, to my detriment and unfortunately to my employer's detriment, my performance was not up to par and I made a major career change. Adjusting is really hard to do. Remaining continually angry over things we have little control over does not make the adjustments any easier as a military spouse. I appreciate your posts and I have enjoyed the comments to this one.

Posted by: Lynn at April 27, 2004 03:10 PM (puWe2)

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Hey, do you collect anything? I collect lots of stuff. Not nice things like china patterns, but real dorky collections. Touristy magnets. Bottle caps. Matchbooks. Buttons. Tourist t-shirts from Las Vegas. Weird stuff. What do you collect?

Posted by: Sarah at 03:28 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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1 I collect blogs

Posted by: Pixy Misa at April 26, 2004 03:46 AM (+S1Ft)

2 I collect Mardi Gras masks. My husband collects shot glasses.

Posted by: Lani at April 26, 2004 05:11 AM (rZmE1)

3 Books. Every time I move, 25% of the weight is in reading material!

Posted by: Mike at April 26, 2004 10:02 AM (cFRpq)

4 I collect pens with logo from different places. Hey Cuz how about some from Europe?

Posted by: linda at April 26, 2004 10:23 AM (LaQYb)

5 We do the shot glass thing. We get a shot glass from every place we have been on vacation. We have a lot of shot glasses now Now we just need to build the bar to display the shot glasses on!

Posted by: Machelle at April 26, 2004 11:48 AM (W/eGG)

6 Keychains. I collect keychains. I have a hell of a lot, too.

Posted by: Taron W at April 26, 2004 12:06 PM (s915e)

7 good one Pixy! LOL me: root beer bottles, shot glasses from colleges, books, fountain pens, cute stuffed animals

Posted by: annika at April 26, 2004 05:49 PM (zAOEU)

8 Chickens... all kinds of chickens... stuffed toys, brass ornaments, wooden carvings, salt/pepper shakers, kitchen towels, anything else with a chicken on it.

Posted by: Madfish Willie at April 26, 2004 10:22 PM (gB6gJ)

9 Hours of college credit...I think I'm up to 170 without a degree. But I'm close! ...And dust buffalo's; I store them in my roommate's closet.

Posted by: Beth at April 26, 2004 11:41 PM (S4qEY)

10 Spoons. I'm not sure why, but I do.

Posted by: fad at April 27, 2004 12:38 AM (pW+Wv)

11 Shooter glasses (the tall, cylindrical shot glasses), from everywhere I go. The more garish the better. They are tucked away in a closet, and I have no idea what I will ever do with them. Go figure.

Posted by: Parkway Rest Stop at April 27, 2004 02:17 AM (Apafo)

12 I collect caps both for myself and for my 12 yr old nephew. I just got a couple of new ones from my little road trip to TN. One that is great is from Austin Peay SU which says: "Let's Go Peay!" Get it? Haha. HEY - it's the simple humor in life that keeps a person going.

Posted by: Toni at April 28, 2004 01:07 AM (HhQC8)

13 You surely have one of the most interesting sites in net. I believe in your way of doing, so go on this way. ItÂ’ surely the right way.

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Posted by: Sammy Joan at February 01, 2005 06:04 AM (n8oSF)

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Posted by: casino at September 03, 2005 02:55 AM (8ZQwj)

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The only blog I read where I can remember precisely the first entry I ever read is Lileks'. It was his post on Ed Harris. Ed Harris, you say, Mr. Link on Andrew Sullivan? I like him. Let's go see what this so-called Lileks character has to say about him. How's that, Harris said something moronic? And this Lileks guy writes about this kind of stuff every day? I'm hooked.

That was January 2003. I've followed Lileks ever since; he holds a sweet spot in my heart, though he'll never know it. I listen to all the crappy music he makes. I look at all his regrettable food. And I feel a certain connection with him today when he apologizes for not making more time for his readers. And he means it, you can tell he really means it.

He makes me smile.

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In addition to finishing my book on the train, I also finished my current knitting project.
Well, 50% of the project...

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I finished reading Bernard Lewis' What Went Wrong? on the train, and one thing really caught my attention. I'm no expert on the history or nuances of Islam, but Lewis is, and I trust his analysis when he says

Christians sometimes speak of "The Synagogue" and "The Mosque" to denote the religious institutions of the Jewish and Muslim faiths. But these are inappropriate terms, the projection of Christian notions onto non-Christian religions. For the Jew or the Muslim, the synagogue or the mosque is a building, a place of worship and study, no more. Until modern times and the spread of Christian norms and influence, neither ever had, for its own worshippers, the institutional sense of the Christian term.

When the Marines bombed the mosque in Fallujah, Charles Johnson said

The wire services are already reporting that 40 “worshippers” were killed at one mosque in Fallujah. But the simple fact, borne out by hundreds of posts here at LGF, is that mosques in places like Fallujah are not simply “places of worship;” they are centers of incitement, and hiding places/staging areas for murderers.

Before reading Lewis' book, I thought Muslims were disgusting, hiding their weapons in places of worship. I figured they knew their religion was so intricately tied to jihad that it didn't really matter if they defiled their mosques. Now I wonder if maybe it's just our Christian upbringing that makes us unable to grok how a place of worship could be full of RPGs. If to Muslims a mosque is simply a building, then it's no wonder we see photos like these:

And now I feel even less sorrow at bombing that Fallujah mosque.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:35 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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