Grim's Hall is like a box of chocolates. No, I don't mean a cheap, thoughtless, perfunctory gift that nobody ever asks for, unlike what my favorite character from The X-Files used to think, but more that you never know what you're going to get.

Today, Grim gives us a new word, one that I've got to use more often: Mufsidoon. Here's why:

This is the Arabic for "evildoer," and can be prefixed by "Saddam's" or "Osama's" as appropriate.

The idea is that Mujahedeen and Mahdi Army (Army of the Messiah) cast the enemy as soldiers of God. That makes Coalition forces the opponents of God, soldiers of the devil. Mufsidoon more correctly identifies them, and therefore, our forces likewise.

This may wind up being a new take on that whole "one man's mufsidoon is another man's mujahedeen" thing, but hey, who cares? It's an insult to these guys in their language, using their culture, and I'll be happy to use it. So what if it digs a little deep? As Khan Noonien Singh growled nigh on 22 years ago, "So much the better..."

Thanks a lot, Grim!

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Daniel Pipes has an article drawing from the latest work of Samuel P. Huntington, Who Are We : The Challenges to America's National Identity. In his article, Pipes says that there are three basic lenses through which an American will see their home and the world:

Cosmopolitan: America ?welcomes the world, its ideas, its goods, and, most importantly, its people.? In this vision, the country strives to become multiethnic, multiracial, and multicultural. The United Nations and other international organizations increasingly influence American life. Diversity is an end in itself; national identity declines in importance. In brief, the world reshapes America.

Imperial: America reshapes the world. This impulse is fueled by a belief in ?the supremacy of American power and the universality of American values.? America?s unique military, economic, and cultural might bestows on it the responsibility to confront evil and to order the world. Other peoples are assumed basically to share the same values as Americans; Americans should help them attain those values. America is less a nation than ?the dominant component of a supranational empire.?

National: ?America is different? and its people recognize and accept what distinguishes them from others. That difference results in large part from the country?s religious commitment and its Anglo-Protestant culture. The nationalist outlook preserves and enhances those qualities that have defined America from its inception. As for people who are not white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, they ?become Americans by adopting its Anglo-Protestant culture and political values.?

Mr. Pipes notes also that, "The left tends to the cosmopolitan vision; the right divides among imperialists and nationalists." He states that he wavers between the "imperialist" and "nationalist" modes, because he sometimes "want[s] the United States to export its humane political message and at other times [is] fearful that such efforts, however desirable, will overextend the American reach and end in disaster." (At the same time, Pipes notes that Huntington is strongly nationalist.) For what it's worth, the esteemable Rev. Donald Sensing considers himself to be one of the bilateralists, like Pipes.

This has bearing on peoples' opinions towards the Iraqi situation as well. more...

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I was reading Jeffrey A. Dvorkin's installment of his column as the NPR ombudsman. It's billed as a 'web exclusive' and focuses solely upon the soon-to-be-history Bob Edwards. Edwards, who's hosted Morning Edition since 1979, was recently given the boot by NPR management. Reasons vary on this, but the truth of it seems to be that a) Joan Kroc's $200 million gift makes men bold and b) the "new" management wants to appeal to different audiences. I'm amused at the ability of professional liberals to get a good thing from hard work and then blow it away.

Back to Dvorkin's piece. In it, he quotes a man named Peter Bye who says that, "I certainly understand a need for diversity and excellence. After all, my business is in the field of diversity and inclusion."

I'm curious: What is a business in the field of diversity and inclusion? Is it a fancy way to say that you're a temp agency?

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I've been highly suspicious of Andrew Sullivan since I first ran across him some time around the turn of the century. He was occasionally a good read---I'd never thought of myself as a "theocon" until reading his broad-brush efforts---but his positions taken post-11 September had gotten me to the point of giving him the C. Montgomery Burns sideways-glance-through-narrowed-eyes that CMB issued to Waylon Smithers once after an uncomfortable question.

Recently, because someone's had the nerve to think that maybe homosexuals shouldn't be able to force the state to grant them some benefits, Sullivan's gone off the deep end, ranting and raving about the evil religious right, sneering and heaping scorn whenever he gets the opportunity. Yes, it got old after about one week, and I quit reading him. Whoopy frickin' doo, to paraphrase Private W. Hudson, USCM.

Anyways, I was kicking around The Evangelical Outpost and got directed to fraters libertas, which put a few torpedoes (Sorry. Unacceptable innuendo, say the guys at Standards & Practices. --Ed.) into ol' Andy.

I've been uncomfortable with him being lumped into the "right" at all, because of his rather self-centered views on human sexuality and his religious viewpoints. These guys, instead of grumbling, decided to read the riot act to Sullivan. A key quip:

So Sullivan is gone from the political right, perhaps revealing that despite his September eloquence of three years ago, he never really evolved in his political philosophy at all.

Enh.

Tip of the Wisconsin hat to Evangelical Outpost.

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First the annoying Gavin Newsom and his followers, and now this.

I've got nothing to say other than, "Rick Santorum was right." There are days when the country's civilization just can't win.

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This post stems from a response I was concocting to the Interested-Participant's comment in regards to my post on the death of Fabrizio Quattrocchi. I asked, "Good God, when does it end?" The IP wrote: "I'll answer your question. It will end when all of the enemy are dead or pacified. But, you knew that already."

Reading about scenes like this, and the thing in Fallujah, sorely tests one's civilized character, I think. There are times when you simply want to lay the mantle of civilization down, and wreak havoc on your opponents.

The illustration that occurred to me was that of Benjamin Martin in Mel Gibson's "The Patriot". I would like to think of "the West" in general as Mr. Martin, elegant coat, stockings, refinement, and all that. He doesn't want to wage terrible, awful war because he's seen the elephant. Western civilization has seen the elephant, especially in the twentieth century. We are tired of war, and many long for respite. The Europeans, having suffered two terrible wars on their continent inside a quarter-century, have largely lost their appetite for conflict. Given their losses, I can almost understand it.¹ When people from Europe made war, we didn't mess around.

Benjamin Martin had done awful things in war, and he wanted to put it behind him. In fact, he tried very hard to do so. He argued against the notion of fighting the British, because he so hated war. At this time, the West as a whole is Mr. Martin, arguing with Colonel Burwell in polite company over the proper course of action. There are some (be they the United States and the United Kingdom in the present day or men such as John Adams or Colonel Burwell in the film) who have chosen to fight, and there are some who have not made up their minds (Mr. Martin at that point in the film and much of Europe itself today) about what to do.

Let me pause the metaphor at this point, and look at things from the position of the Islamist. Let us assume for a second that Western Civilization is the very devil and that the Islamist is pursuing said devil with all his might. Let me offer a warning from history:

ROPER: So now you'd give the Devil benefit of law!

MORE: Yes. What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?

ROPER: I'd cut down every law in England to do that!

MORE: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you - where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country's planted thick with laws from coast to coast - man's laws, not God's - and if you cut them down - and you're just the man to do it - d'you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake.

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The Country Pundit, being of English background by way of Pennsylvania some time between the 1760s and the 1890s, doesn't generally fit in where Scottish heritage issues are raised.¹ With that being said, I'm also generally supportive of "British Isles" heritage celebration, due to my Angophilic interests and for some ill-defined reason that probably runs deep into post-graduate explorations of culture and society, none of which I'm willing to do.

Nevertheless, I present something called "Tartan Day", sponsored by a gal named Ith over at Absinthe & Cookies. The significance of this is as follows, borrowed from I Love Jet Noise:

Why Tartan Day? On April 6th, 1320, the Declaration of Arbroath was drawn up at Arbroath Abbey, declaring Scottish independence from England.

OK, so the Scottish were ungrateful. Go to all that trouble to exploit them going and coming, and they have the cheek to go and declare independence. Well, you'll note that William Wallace gets it in the end! Snide Derbyshire-ian remark aside, this is a neat little thing, and I'm happy to publicize. (Bob in legal says we can't use that; it would suggest that we've actually got readers. --Ed.)

Oddly enough, I have in recent years had a fair affinity for "Highlands" culture, be it Irish-Celtic or Scottish in origin; a bagpiper's always a good way to get my favorable attention, and I've always enjoyed a Celtic festival or two in terms of music. What's creepy is that it just happened. Perhaps my ancestors predicted the trans-Atlantic flight patterns of the 1940s and 1950s in reverse, stopping off in Shannon before heading to the New World.

So with that, Happy Tartan Day.

Now Playing: The overture from Elizabeth. I swear I didn't pick that on purpose; it was a random selection by me out of my carefully hoarded folder of home-made MP3s. However, you've got to admit that it's an amusing coincidence, considering the issue of Scotland and Mary Stewart comes up during the movie.

¹ I did however figure out that my ancestors et cetera were from the county of Yorkshire. This is appropriate, if creepy, on three levels: Yorkshire was important to Richard of Gloucester, who reigned as King Richard III. I'm actually kind of fond of old Richard, having sunk money into the McKellen movie of the same name and at least two books on the guy. Secondly, Yorkshire is the home of John and Charles Wesley, the two men most famous for founding what is today's United Methodist Church. Thirdly, Yorkshire has the Settle-Carlisle line of the old Midland Railway, which is represented in Microsoft's Train Simulator, and which I occasionally play at driving upon. Richard III, religion, and railroads-if I could raise an eyebrow, I would. Curiouser and curiouser.

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1 Google is a wonderful thing (you didn't leave a link in your lovely email) I'm actually totally English ancestry on my father's side of the family (Scottish and a bit o' Irish on my mum's). My grandparents met in Canada after their families moved to B.C. when they were teenagers. I'm very proud of that aspect of my ethnic heritage as well. Though with the mix,I do tend to do mental battle with myself sometimes! Elizabeth I has been a long time heroine of mine. I never much cared for Mary though.

Posted by: Ith at April 06, 2004 08:34 PM (yriZm)

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I was bouncing around the blogosphere recently, when I found Quent Cordair Fine Art, by way of Cox & Forkum.¹

Now, I'm a relatively simple guy, and my tastes in art are pedestrian. That means that I don't dig a crucifix in a Mason jar full of urine, and Robert Mapplethorpe leaves me cold. (Or grumbling about a waste of good film.) Most modern art doesn't do much for me, and I daresay that most of the non-realist art of the 20th century falls flat where I am concerned. A lot of modern art seems to be an exercise in hoo-hah, wherein a fast-talking artist suckers some city slicker out of several thou by throwing around buzzwords that sound in vogue or something.

Conversely, I like things like Rembrandt's Night Watch, and I was very fond of the artwork of Michelangelo that I saw when I was at the Sistine Chapel. In other words, old & realistic=good. After visiting QCFA's website, I realized that I'd found something else to add to the mix, namely the notion of "Romantic Realism". In QCFA's own words:

Romantic Realism, the movement which renews the high esthetic standards and techniques of pre-20th century ateliers, brings a rebirth of comprehensibility, beauty, romanticism and stylization to contemporary subject matter. The gallery's collection emphasizes themes which celebrate the moments of happiness, joy and success possible to Man on earth.

Some examination has revealed that Randroids² are fond of this style for some reason---which boggles the mind---but yet I'll not let that get in the way of enjoying the works of one Bryan Larsen.

Mr. Larsen has two works that I wish I had the money for, and since I'll never have the money in time to buy the things, I figured that I'd make a brief note of them here. My evaluation is monstrously unsophisticated---dare I say that it lacks nuance?---and falls down to something on the order of "It's cool", but I thought I'd give it a shot. Pictures and the very brief remarks are in the extended entry. more...

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