I just started Lee Smith's new book on Middle East politics called The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations; he is refuting the thesis that anti-Americanism in the Arab world is a product of government propaganda and an opinion of a few terrorists and dictators, and that it is more endemic in the culture, which is still very tribal at the core-- and this reminds me of a time, probably in 2002, when we were in the Western Desert between Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, on our way to Amman in a service taxi, and we stopped for gas at a godforsaken station and while we were browsing candy bars, a guy asked my wife, "You like bin Laden?" and then showed her his cell phone screen: on it there was a simple cartoon of a plane hitting the World Trade Center followed by a laughing Osama face.
Lee Smith should know from Pete Rose -- writing a book does not help your chances at Hall of Fame induction. The fact is that Smith, while undeniably one of the game's top closers in his career and regarded right alongside Eckersley and Sutter, threw too few innings in his career as far as many BBWAA folks are concerned. He's holding steady in the mid-40% range, but that's a long way from 75%. Lee . . . don't blame the Arabs.
ReplyDeletethis is the kind of incisive commentary that we need from the populus in order to have a functioning a democracy.
ReplyDeletethe populace would like to know what trees have to do with a functioning democracy?
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus
oops. i thought that was latin for populace. my just desserts for trying to sound smart. what is vox populi?
ReplyDeleteit means voice of the people . . . oh well, i guess i don't know how to conjugate latin. who does?
ReplyDeleteVox Populi is a meatmarket/bar/restaurant on Boylston Street.
ReplyDelete