Plato’s Divided Line and the Iraq War

The Divided Line analogy of Plato’s Republic presents in a few lines perhaps the single greatest discussion of human epistemology among all philosophical works.  More than 2000 years later, we are still far short of realizing its full implications.
The passages identifies an essential distinction between discursive reasoning, dianoia, and a superior form of knowledge, noesis.
Modern [...]

The Senate’s Compliance in the Iraq War

Breaking headline:
Iraq report rips U.S. leaders : Senators: Invasion misused intelligence.
Don’t you think this is a little late?
Yes, the Bush administration lied. They willingly exaggerated the threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) as a pretext for invading Iraq. And you (John D. Rockefeller, the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the rest of the [...]

A Reply to Osama bin Laden

A Reply to Osama Bin Laden
John S. Uebersax PhD
Preface
Following the attacks of September 2001, Osama Bin Laden has delivered several addresses to Americans (e.g., October 2004; April 2006; September 2007). Since the American people themselves, and not their government or corporations, were addressed, and further since the people were the victims the attacks, I, as [...]

You Do the Math

You do the math.
Someone told me a couple of years ago that he thought we needed to militarily intervene in Iraq because “Somebody’s got to teach those people how to think, don’t they?”
Well, if we wanted to teach them to think, maybe we could have spent our trillion dollars (direct and indirect costs) a little [...]

The Kucinich Plan For Iraq

Rep. Dennis Kucinich has drafted a plan for ending the US military involvement in Iraq.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rep__den_070108_the_kucinich_plan_fo.htm
“There is a compelling need for a new direction in Iraq, one that recognizes the plight of the people of Iraq, the false and illegal basis of the United States war against Iraq, the realities on the ground which make a [...]

News: Roman Colosseum – Protest Against the Death Penalty

Credit is due the mayor and people of Rome for speaking out against the death penalty.
As the Roman Colosseum is a place sanctified by martyrs’ blood, may the demonstration have the force of prayer.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,21023287-5005961,00.html
ROME lit up the arches of its ancient Colosseum at dusk overnight to protest against the death penalty after Saddam Hussein’s hanging, [...]

Capital Punishment – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and Awad Hamed al-Bandar

I protest the planned use of capital punishment in the cases of Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and Awad Hamed al-Bandar.
Both men were convicted in connection with the killing of 148 men of the city of Dujail and with other reprisals against the civilian population of the city following a failed assassination attempt against Saddam Hussein in [...]

Arguments Against Death Penalty for Saddam Hussein

We pursue here a logical analysis of the question: Should Saddam Hussein be granted clemency and not executed?
1. Argument from the Nature of a Head of State
It is unseemly to execute a former head of state. It violates the dignity of the office. Regardless of his or her offenses, a head of state represents [...]

Iraq Study Group Report – The 79 Recommendations

The Iraq Study Group Report
James A. Baker, III, and Lee H. Hamilton, Co-Chairs
Summary: 79 Specific Recommendations of the Report
OUTLINE
II. The Way Forward–A New Approach
A. The External Approach: Building an International Consensus
1. The New Diplomatic Offensive
2. The Iraq International Support Group
3. Dealing with Iran and Syria
4. The Wider Regional Context
B. The Internal Approach: Helping Iraqis [...]

Most Americans Perceive a Negative Effect of Iraq War

Most Americans Perceive a Negative Effect of Iraq War
Since March 2003, the Gallup Organization has conducted regular–every one or two months–polls of American attitudes towards the Iraq war. The results here are from the March 2006 wave.
Question 23. Do you think that U.S. involvement in the war against Iraq has had a positive effect [...]