The War - Part 1

Every once in a while, I feel like getting my blood boiling. Not irrationally angry for the hell of it, just extremely agitated over some non-sensible theory or idea masquerading as conventional wisdom, maybe even "truth". In the past, I would accomplish this by simply reading the op-ed page of the New York Times. Alas, that is no longer possible or practical. I'm not even sure where the op-ed page of the Times is even located anymore. Nowadays, it seems to start on the front page and end on the last page. Besides, putting one penny in the pocket of the likes of Maureen Dowd, Paul Krugman or Frank Rich somehow feels unseemly, almost unjust. So now, when I'm in the mood to be in a bad mood, I visit the Defense and National Interest website. There is a lot of good writing and good ideas on this site, most of which centers around the thinking and theories of Col. John R. Boyd, USAF. Unfortunately, far too many of the contributors to this site treat Boyd as some mystical god who has uncovered the secrets of the universe with themselves of course as his apostles. Not all of them are like this and Boyd is not the subject of this post. This series is based more on a reaction to a post I read this morning on d-n-i concerning Afghanistan.

The post in question is here and is by William Lind. It is in many ways a reflection of the current thinking in both houses of Congress, the White House, the media, perhaps the Pentagon and more importantly, a majority of the American people. My agitation is not so much at the details of what Mr. Lind has written but in the theme and context he places the current struggle in Afghanistan. That context is looking at the "war" in Afghanistan as simply that; The Afghanistan War.

Shaping policy for Afghanistan strictly in the context of that nation only is a huge mistake. The struggle in Afghanistan is not a war unto itself. It is a theater of operations in a wider global conflict. This conflict escalated on 11 September 2001 but started long before that date. In order to understand the conflict, one needs to understand the enemy. Not the flesh and blood enemy, but the ideology that drives them to fight. I can go on and on trying to do so and will most likely continue to mention this ideology in future posts of this series. However, as an introduction to this ideology I will leave it the writings of someone far more eloquent and knowledgeable on the subject than myself.

Below are a series of links to articles written by Ibn Warraq, an apostate to Islam who has taken up the mantle of studying the inconsistencies within the Islamic religion which has led to the advent of what we call "Radical Islam". As I said, he is an apostate from Islam, a former Muslim schooled in a madrasah of Pakistan at an early age. Later, he was educated at a boarding school in England. It may be wise to read what he has to say. The below articles were written between January and March of 2009. They can be found, along with other writings at the New English Review, which an be accessed here. I've chosen these specific articles because they touch on not only the totalitarian nature of Islam but also on the nature of those apologists in the West who seem to help shape the current "conventional wisdom" of our decision makers. With that, read on:

1. Apologists of Totalitarianism: From Communism to Islam, Part I

2. Apologists of Totalitarianism: From Communism to Islam, Part II

3. Apologists of Totalitarianism: From Communism to Islam, Part III

4. Apologists of Totalitarianism: From Communism to Islam, Part IV


As I said, this will be a series of posts covering the nature of the current war and it's scope. At times it will be complicated and deep. More to follow.

Where do we go from here?

" Well, I guess I'll be busy tonight visiting all the convenience stores and beating people up." said the ignorant ass I worked with shortly after 9/11. "Really? But not everyone working at a convenience store is a Muslim. How will you know which ones to beat up?" I asked. "Easy, if they're wearing a turban, they get beat up." He said. " You idiot, Sikhs wear turbans. They didn't do this." I said, "You're going to beat up the wrong people. Since you don't know anything, let me help you. First we'll go to the restaurant I hang out at. The owner is a friend of mine and Muslim. Then we can go to this other restaurant where a friend of mine works as a waiter. He's Muslim too. Afterwards, we can go to my home and you can beat up my wife".


I didn't think of today's date right away this morning. It hit me on the drive to work. When I realized what day it was I had been mulling over a subject that has been part of several conversations I've been having lately with several people at different times and places. The subject was if life was predetermined. Several nights ago, I couldn't sleep; too much thinking lately. I was hungry so I made something to eat and went on Yahoo. While I was eating I saw an update on a blog I read, so I checked it out. It had been posted three hours earlier. The post was nothing but a question; "Do we shape our own destinies, or is everything predefined and we just have to walk blindfolded in this journey of life?" This was eerie because at the exact time this post was published to the site, I had been discussing this very same subject with a friend of mine. It's been on my mind these past few days, among other things. So I'm wearing a uniform driving to a job at an organization that is part of a war that didn't really start on 9/11 but certainly escalated that day. And I asked myself "How did I get here"?


The Personal:


As complicated as my life was up until 10 September 2001, those complications magnified ten fold on the 11th of September because the next day, 12 September 2001 , I got married to a woman who was Turkish ... and Muslim. There are a myriad of issues that arise in an intercultural/inter-religious marriage which I'll not get into at this time because it's a topic that would require a whole other post. But those issues exist and would have existed in our marriage whether 9/11 happened or not. Those difficulties became more complex on 9/11 and new issues arose for our marriage on that specific day, even though we weren't married yet. Muslims carried out the attacks and did so in the name of Islam. Because they did so in the name of Islam, their actions were in the name of or on behalf of Muslims, at least from the perpetrators point of view. Was I at the World Trade Center or the Pentagon when the attacks happened? No, but I was attacked because the targets weren't so much the buildings but ideas, beliefs, culture and so on that were associated with those buildings. Because I am an American, I am associated with those symbols. That put me in the camp of the attacker's enemy which in turn made them my enemy. The woman who would be my wife the next day was Muslim. Since the attacks were carried out on the behalf of Muslims, they were carried out on behalf of her. This put her in the camp of my enemy and so made her my enemy... in theory. She wasn't of course because I loved her. How could she be my enemy if I loved her? It makes no sense. Because I loved her I wanted to protect her from those that would do her harm. You don't protect your enemies. My, my, isn't this confusing.


On September 11 2001 the world changed and yet it didn't. My world changed though. That day did not start a war, it only escalated one that had started before. On that day, I entered that war whether I liked it or not. But I entered it confused as to who was the enemy. On a larger level, Al Qaeda was the "enemy", obviously. But they were also the "enemy" on a personal level because they would potentially do harm to the woman I loved. If they were successful in bringing about their vision it would impact her. She is an intelligent, talented, beautiful woman who has something to offer the world. If they win, all that could be wasted as she would be consigned to a life not as a human being but as a piece of property. Because she is a Muslim woman who married me, an infidel, by Al Qaeda's view of Islam her punishment is death. And so, out of love, I must defend and protect her; I really have no choice. But also out of love, I must defend and protect her from people like the ignorant ass in the story I started this post with. In theory, he is my ally and compatriot in this war by virtue of his citizenship, but in reality that's not quite true. He is a person who would do potential harm to someone I love because of who she is. I must defend and protect her because I love her so he is my "enemy" also. So once again, I ask "Who is my enemy"? But I also ask "Why are they my enemy?"


The Next Step:


Why are they my enemy? Well I ponder this question and the answer gets complex. Take the ignorant ass for example. He is not my "enemy" per se, he is just another human being. He becomes my "enemy" when he acts on an idea that can harm someone I love. It is an emotional response that drives him to act on the idea which in turn carries out the idea. That emotional response is caused by the actions of others who did the same thing though with a "different" idea. Him being my "enemy" is based on the idea that he is wrong, but it is driven by an emotional response to him and his actions. My emotional response to him is one of anger based on an idea of right and wrong but the anger is derived from my emotion of love. The same holds true in terms of Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is a movement, an idea. The actions of the people who are in Al Qaeda are driven by their emotional response to that idea which causes others to act on an emotional response to the same and other ideas which leads to even more ideas and more emotional responses. And so on and so on and so on. Culture, religion, science, philosophy, morals, ideologies, etc. etc., are the big grand "ideas" that govern and move our world. We may not think or even know about these grand ideas but they effect us at the personal level. Simultaneously, those effects cause us to do things which effect these ideas at a higher, larger level. As concepts, logic and emotion are opposite "realms" so to speak. But these opposites exist in each of us, so we deal with each everyday, every minute, every second. If we tried to organize the world on pure logic, we would most likely destroy ourselves which, paradoxically seems illogical. If we acted purely on emotion, we would not be humans, but simply another form of animal since emotions are really a form of instinct which is what drives the actions of animals. So there is a tug of war going on between both "realms" and this tug of war actually drives both "realms". What governs both of these "realms" and keeps one from overcoming the other is wisdom. Oddly enough, wisdom is derived from both logic and emotion. Is your head spinning yet? Mine is and I'm the one who is writing it. Now this is important to the subject of this post but is not the real subject of this post. However, you need to think about it and take it into account when you contemplate what you have read. With that I will move on.


So I still have to answer the question "How did I get here?" meaning this point in my life. At this point in my life I am a soldier in the United States Army. That army is involved in a war, a large war over big, grand ideas. I don't play any big role or make huge decisions concerning this war yet I still have a role. There is no one single reason I am involved in this war. There are many that have led me to be a part of it and these reasons are all interconnected in some way. One is my now ex-wife. Our marriage is over; it ended in 2006. She has remarried and has a good life. We are still friends, in fact I consider her one of my best friends. I still love her but in a different way. It's not a romantic love but something bigger and deeper. It's very hard to explain. It is also the topic of a different post at another time because to explain things would mean this post will never end. Suffice it to say, at the personal level, she is the reason I fight. I described her before as an intelligent, talented beautiful woman and that is true. She is so much smarter than I in so many ways. Because of those traits, because of who she is, she has something to offer the world. She has the potential to effect changes in a positive way. If she was consigned to a life of only making babies and serving a man; a life where she could not go to school, learn and make choices; a life as a second class person or even a piece of property then it would be a waste of a human being and the world would suffer for that loss. Not in any large way would it suffer but in some small way. And so, because I love her I fight for her in order that she live in a world where she can have choices and be free to be who she is. That is the emotional or personal level.


Since I see what I've just described in my ex-wife, it stands to reason that there are other Muslim women like her in the world today. There are, I know this because I have met them in so many different ways. Some are friends and family of hers. Others are total strangers whose stories I've read. One writes a blog I read and others comment on that blog. Each one in their own unique way have something to offer the world in the choices they make. If there are these women in the "Muslim world" then there must be more in other "worlds" also. Our world is small and interconnected so if the Al Qaeda idea "wins" it would effect these women also in the same way. Now, it also stands to reason that if there are women like this, there are also men who, if allowed to learn and question what effects their life, will make positive impacts on the world. Oh yeah, there are also children, some not born yet, who will do the same... if allowed. If I think the Al Qaeda idea "winning" will end the freedom of my ex-wife, then I must also conclude it will do the same to all these other people. So when I fight, it is for all of them. Not to impose one way on them, but to give them a world to choose what way they think is right and change their mind if they see fit. I will stand against totalitarianism no matter what name or form it takes. That is who I am because that is who I have become and I have become that person because that is my role in the grand scheme of things.


On Predestination:


A long time ago, I got into a debate with a guy about whether life was predetermined or not. Being in my twenties and headstrong, I totally disagreed. "No way something or someone had laid out my life and all the things I did were predetermined. I had free will and made my own choices". No matter how I argued it though, I could not win the argument. The other guy countered everything I said in a logical way. So I left the debate aggravated and refusing to accept the idea.


Later in life, after many experiences, some good and some bad, I started to come around to the idea that life is predetermined. It's a complicated story, but basically I started with the question why? So I mapped my life backwards, retracing the steps all the way. Not just the events, but also the people involved in those events and what had happened to them. Some things I know because those people are still around. Other things I don't. Some questions remain to be answered because time still marches on. What I began to see was all these interconnections and patterns. This led me to realize that the things that had happened in the past had to happen in order to bring about where I am today. But it's not just about me, it's about all the people who have had an effect or influence on me. Certain things had to happen to them in order for our lives to intersect. It grows and grows into this huge amount of interconnections between people throughout time and space. It's a very complex thought and hard to comprehend therefore hard to explain. The best way to do so is with examples which I will do in future posts or responses to comments.

The point is, things happen in our lives for a reason. We don't know what those reasons are when something happens because we don't see the effects right away. Sometimes we never see the effects. Sometimes we see the effects but there are so many degrees of separation that we don't know we contributed to them. When people think about whether life is predetermined, they think of it in terms of their life. In this context, it can be depressing because what's the point? If my life is predetermined and I have no say, I mind as well just sit back and let it happen. You see, that's the mistake. If my life is predetermined, then so is everyone elses' which means there is a bigger story going on that we all play a role in. Now go back and reread some things I have written about myself. The personal level and the higher level? My small role in a large war and the effects on myself and those around me. Maybe go back and read some past posts. Ask yourself the question why? Why did he write this? Why am I reading it? How did I even find this blog? Did I even find it or did it find me? What had to happen in order for me to be here right now reading these words? I would be curious to hear your stories.

The "Rebellious Arab Girl"

Hello dear readers, all two or three of you who actually take the time to read the meandering, confusing thoughts of a person, that would be me, with far too much time to think. Today, I would like to introduce you to "Rebellious Arab Girl", more better known to her fans and readers as Mona. Rebellious Arab Girl is the name of Mona's blog and what an interesting blog it is. I found her blog listed in the blog roll of another site and clicked on it out of curiosity. Oh the magic of networking. Anyway, after that first day of reading her posts and the comments from her readers, I have become hooked. Those of you who really know me are probably thinking it must be a blog filled with elaborate essays on feminist issues in the Arab world. Not quite, which is why I've linked to Mona's blog above. Check it out to understand what my interest is about.

OK, perhaps I will still have to explain my interest in the blog. First off, check out the banner to the site. Underneath the title it says "Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values". Wise words to live by. Far too often, we associate change with tearing down what exists and starting all over; Out with the old, in with the new. Doing so doesn't necessarily bring about change for the better. The funny thing about the name of her blog is how many people don't understand the context she uses the word rebellious. She is rebellious in the sense of not conforming to cultural norms because somebody told her to conform. Explain to Mona why she should act a certain way and, if it makes sense to her, she probably will act that way. Although, from what I've picked up on reading her posts, it will still be on Mona's terms. Mona is a 28 year old, Arab woman living in the West. She is educated, talented, opinionated and young. Her blog is much more like a diary, simply putting out to the world her day to day thoughts on her life and life in general. However, there is an underlying theme to the blog taken as a whole. That theme is the question "why"? Why do certain things happen? Why do people act the way they do? Why, why why?

I am 12 years Mona's senior, non-Arab and male. My life is and has been nothing like hers in so many ways. And yet I find her blog interesting. Since I found Mona's blog, I've been reading past posts going back to 2005 when she first started. Sometimes I disagree, sometimes I agree, sometimes I chuckle, especially when she relates an argument or discussion with her mother. I think no matter what gender we are or culture we come from, we all can relate to dealing with mom. That's the magic of her blog. If, like peeling back the layers of an onion, you strip away the culture, strip away her education, her occupation, even disregard her gender, you are left with a basic human being. That's where the commonality begins between Mona and me. That is why the blog is interesting to me. Because I can start to relate as a fellow human being which means that even when I may disagree with something she may write, I will at least think about it and consider her point of view.

On a wider level, my interest in Rebellious Arab Girl the blog is because between Mona's posts and the comments from her readers I see something bigger; The future. Mona and all those like her, whether they realize it or not, are the future. As an Arab woman asking the question why, she is the future of the Arab world. As simply a young woman asking the question why, she, and all those like her, are the future of all of us.

Black and White#2

First, some admin notes to start off. The theme of this series of posts is a discussion on perception, it's effects on our daily interactions and how our perceptions don't always match the reality of the situation. It is not about the incident in Cambridge Mass. between Professor Gates and the Cambridge Police Department. That incident was used only as a means of illustrating how two people can enter into a situation with completely different concepts of what is actually happening causing a conflict. A side theme to this topic is how outsiders not involved in the actual situation form perceptions and subsequently get involved, laying blame or finding fault with one side or the other. I'll be honest and tell you that is a pet peeve of mine because I believe not every situation that goes wrong or develops badly is due to the fault of one person or a group of people. But that is a subject for a seperate post. Now we get back to perception and reality.



Our perception of what is going on around us is influenced by a myriad amount of factors. These factors are too numerous to list but include such things as our emotional state, our physical state, the values we have, how we were raised, personal experiences, genetics, our knowledge base or lack thereof and so on. All of these factors effect how we "see" the world. They shape and influence the way we process all the information we absorb; the how we think. More importantly, these factors form what we think. The what is our final conclusion or perception. If the process stops at that point, the formation of a perception, then the perception becomes reality. In other words, truth.

But wait a minute, if we all have different perceptions that would mean there are multiple truths? How can that be? If something is true to me, if it is a reality, how can it not be true to someone else? I'm going to stop here to let this sink in but I'm going to leave off with a question. Is there such thing as one reality or are we all creating different realities around us. Is there an absolute truth?

Lost in Translation

Here's an interesting article on Arabic discussing the differences between Standard Arabic and Spoken Arabic. Standard Arabic is written only, while spoken Arabic is based on dialect and only used for conversation. These language rules affect and make difficult communication and literacy in the Arab speaking world.

Reading this article brought to mind how language, while a means of communication and conveying ideas, can also be an impediment. I don't know how many times in conversation with friends from other countries I missed out on a joke because the premise for the joke was lost in translation. My friends would sit there flumoxed because they couldn't find the right English word to convey the idea. This wasn't neccessarily because they didn't know English well enough but because there was no word existing in the English language.

Culture effects the way people think which effects the ideas they develop. I've always found it interesting that there are concepts out there in different cultures that when passed to other cultures either lose their meaning or are totally incomprehensible because of language. It's fascinating how the mind works. I can't understand something because the words to describe it don't exist, at least in the language I speak. We are born into a native tongue which steers u through our learning and development processes. Even if we learn another language later on, all we are really doing is converting the words from one language to another in order to process the thought being conveyed, so we still end up thinking in our native language. When we come across a word in our second language that has no counterpart in our first language, we have to find a similar idea and the word or words that describe it in order to translate. By doing this, we run the risk of changing the idea. It all just makes me wonder how many good ideas are out there in the world that never spread because of language barriers.

Black and White

The absurdities that arise from political correctness amaze me. The newest is the Professor Gates affair. As usual, driven by media hoopla, people are lining up to take sides on an issue that really isn't an issue but more a misunderstanding blown totally out of proportion. This drama is in fact a perfect illustration of how the world is not black and white. It is complex.

Professor Gates teaches classes on African-American history and race at Harvard. As such, he is steeped in the history of slavery, racism, Jim Crow and all other matters of concerning race in the United States. Add in his age and the fact that he teaches at Harvard, one can assume that his viewpoint is shaped by the Leftist narrative of American history so prevalent in academia today. My point is not to talk about Mr. Gate's viewpoint or ideaology but intstead to illustrate how his perception of the situation was formed. That perception is what drives his actions.

I don't know as much about Officer Crowley's background except what has been reported in the news. He is white, a police officer with a good record and also an instructor for the Police Academy on racial profiling. I don't know if he has prejuduces, a history of racism or a record on anything pertaining to race. I can assume, however, that by the nature of his profession he approached the situation from the perspective of his training as a police officer. Police are trained to approach a potentially dangerous situation from a position of authority in order to establish calm and keep the situation from escalating. I'm not just talking about situations involving crime but even times like an accident scene. Two of the biggest factors in such situations are stress and confusion which require someone on the scene to remain calm and be decisive. For example, in every First Aid class I've ever taken, one of the first things I was taught to do upon arriving on the scene is take charge and designate someone to go call 911. I wasn't taught to politely ask anyone in the crowd " Can someone, anyone, please call 911 for help?" Instead, I was taught to authoritatively, even forcefully designate a person; "YOU! Call 911 for help!"

What we have in this whole affair in Cambridge Mass. is an example of two individuals entering a situation from totally different perspectives that clash causing an escalation into issues unrelated to the actual event. The initial event had nothing to do with race relations. It had to do with a possible crime that in fact did not exist. However, because one participant is black and the other white, the intrusion of interlopers with agendas and the tendency we as a people have to simplify complex situations down to an "either one side or the other", the whole situation has escalated to a point of ridiculousness.

My point in talking about this event is to show that behind every interaction you have with another person is a complex chain of circumstances leading up to that interaction. Perceptions are formed quickly and easily, often without all the facts. Sometimes without any facts. Perception and reality are two different beasts. Reality is not always black and white.

More to follow...