A while back a man was sent on a mission to Iraq. After some maritime delays, he arrived and accomplished his mission, to his own consternation. See, he didn’t want to see his mission accomplished—he wanted to happen what had been guaranteed to happen if he failed. The Iraqi city was Ninevah (near modern-day Mosul), and the man was Jonah. (more…)
On March 5, 1770 a British sentry guarding the Customs House in Boston was being harassed by a group of boys and men. The taunting group quickly grew more numerous and more aggressive. The guard was reinforced by eight more soldiers and their captain. The Bostonians began throwing things, and suddenly the British opened fire, killing five Bostonians. The incident was quickly dubbed the Boston Massacre.
Thirty-four year old lawyer John Adams was asked to defend the soldiers, as no one else would take the case. Knowing it would be a very unpopular thing to do, but caring more that justice be served, he mounted a defense that resulted in six acquittals and two convictions of manslaughter, punished with a branding on the thumb. One of the great lines to come from the dialogue of his defense was, “Soldiers quartered in a populous town will always occasion two mobs where they prevent one. They are wretched conservators of the peace.” (more…)
The Bush Administration is touting the success in Iraq of the Sunni Awakening, a program through which the local Sunnis are being encouraged to abandon support of al-Qaeda in favor of money and arms from the U.S. These groups are outside the purview of the Iraqi Army or Police forces, usually led by local warlords or community leaders.
So, essentially we have an oppressive Shiite majority and a threatened Sunni minority stirring up trouble. We originally helped the Shiites overthrow their government and now, not pleased with the outcome (sectarian violence and social strife), we’re arming and funding the Sunnis in an attempt to counterbalance the situation. Honestly, has the Administration never read a history book? (more…)