Commentary on Obama's Cairo speech

PBS provides some scholarly commentaries on the Cairo speech in their Religion and Ethics Newsweekly...including the words of my dear friend Omid:

Omid Safi is associate professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:

Historic. Brilliant. Nearly perfect.

The tone of President Obama’s speech in Cairo was most reminiscent of his masterly speech on race in America: acknowledging open wounds on all sides while laying out a hopeful vision for a shared future. It was a narrative rejecting the neoconservative nightmare of the past eight years that perpetuated the fallacy of the “clash of civilizations.”

Obama began by mapping his hope for a “new beginning between United States and Muslims around the world.” He then offered “the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive…they overlap.…” He went on to identify the common principles between Islam and America: “justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”

Words have power, and Obama spoke powerful words. He offered the Muslim greeting of peace (al-salam alaykum) to his audience and acknowledged the reality of Western colonialism, as well as his hope for a shared vision of coexistence and peace.
Powerful is the vision of an American president approvingly citing from the Qur’an [chapter 5, verse 32] that to save one human life is akin to saving the life of all humanity, and taking one human life is akin to taking the life of all humanity.

Obama hit many of the right notes. He conveyed to his audience that he is familiar with the vast and glorious history of Islam, such as the long periods of religious tolerance in Andalusia, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in peace under Islamic rule. He praised Muslim contributions to science, philosophy, and learning. His mention of “timeless poetry and cherished music” was a nod to the rich aesthetic tradition of Islamic cultures.

The nuanced position Obama took on Palestine/Israel was the most closely watched component of his speech. The tone was expected, affirming America’s allegedly “unbreakable” bond with Israel while also acknowledging that Palestinians suffer in “intolerable” conditions. Yet the specifics offered were bolder: two states living side by side, a rejection of illegal Jewish settlements on the West Bank, and Jerusalem as a city shared by Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

Many Muslims were offended that there was no mention of the recent Israeli atrocities in Gaza. Furthermore, it is maddeningly frustrating for Muslims to be repeatedly told they have to recognize Israel’s right to exist when the borders of the state they are being asked to recognize are not specified. Would it be the 1967 borders? 1973? 2009? In addition, this overlooks the multiple times Arab and Muslim states, including Palestinian authorities, have in fact recognized Israel.

As incomplete and, indeed, flawed as that portion of the speech was (delivered under intense preemptive pressure from the Israel lobby), there was a magical, Obama-at-his-best appeal to the Night Journey (Isra) of the Prophet Muhammad, when he prayed together with all the prophets, including Moses and Jesus, in Jerusalem. This is Obama at a level of rhetorical brilliance and inclusiveness that is simply unmatched in American politics.

There were other missed opportunities. There were no critiques of Egypt’s own violations of human rights, something Muslim human rights activists were eager to hear. As a committed Christian, Obama knows all too well the biblical challenge (Matthew 7) “you shall know them by their fruits.”

Obama’s words were historic, brilliant, almost perfect. Now comes the hard part of following up on the beautiful intentions and the inclusive words: righteous and courageous action that brings all those of good will together. He—and we—shall be judged, on Earth and in Heaven, by those actions.

From Obama's excellent Cairo speech:

America will align our policies with those who pursue peace, and we will say in public what we say in private to Israelis and Palestinians and Arabs. (Applause.) We cannot impose peace. But privately, many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away. Likewise, many Israelis recognize the need for a Palestinian state. It is time for us to act on what everyone knows to be true.

Too many tears have been shed. Too much blood has been shed. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of the three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra -- (applause) -- as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed, peace be upon them, joined in prayer. (Applause.)

Peace be upon every one of us.

The speech is here, in English and also translated into Arabic, Chinese, Dari, French, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu.

David Carradine Dies At 72

Our pop culture icons never age...they remain fixed in our minds as the character or characters they create; David Carradine is eternally on the screen as "Caine" in "Kung Fu" or "Bill" in the Kill Bill movies.

It's always a shock to me when an icon dies and their age (in "real life") is revealed. David Carradine is dead at the age of 72...and BBC News suggests that he may have taken his own life.

Never Too Early: Handicapping The 2012 GOP Race

It's true, it's true. The reason Iowa is first in the nation is that we can NEVER get enough presidential campaigning.

Well, that's not true. We like to take the Christmas after the general election off--but soon begin scheduling potential candidates at our banquets and fund-raisers in January.

Politics dominates coffee shop talk in Iowa. Some of the smartest national strategists hail from Iowa...because the non-stop political race is part of our culture. And we do pride ourselves on learning about..and winnowing...the field.

Mark McKinnon gets into the spirit of things by handicapping the 2012 GOP field.

"Change In Policy" = Ripping On Israel

President Barack Obama has given his much-touted speech to the Muslim world. The reaction of Muslim leaders: speeches aren't enough, US policy must be changed.

However, read this round-up of reaction to get an idea of what "policy change" these leaders desire:

..."His call for stopping settlement and for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and his reference to the suffering of Palestinians ... is a clear message to Israel that a just peace is built on the foundations of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."

...I think there is clear support of a right for a Palestinian state, and their right for a life, but Arabs are waiting for pressure to be exerted on Israel so it can stop its violations in Gaza and the West Bank."

..."In this context, where we see an Israeli government who is refusing even the least principles of the two-state solution, he made clear the American vision ... There is nothing innovative."

...He (Iran's Supreme Leader) also called Israel, which Iran does not recognise, a "cancerous tumour in the heart" of the Muslim world.

Mira: en Barranquilla se baila así

Shakira is on a mission to bring attention and dollars to issues of early childhood development in Latin America. Check out the NY Times Magazine piece...it's another reason to love the Columbian singer. Shakira's group, ALAS (Spanish for "wings") has

a policy focus — early-childhood nutrition, education and medical care — that is on a scale beyond the reach of private charity. It requires the steady effort of the state. It cannot be addressed by rich countries’ check-writing. So the trick is to take pop celebrity, marry it to big business and permanently alter the way Latin American governments help care for the young and the poor. What the golden-haired young woman staring at her laptop was trying to do was a tall order, given the fragility of celebrity influence, the dubious track record of Latin American governments in providing social services and the lengthening shadow of a global recession that was straitening everyone’s budget. But she is not someone whom it would be reasonable to underestimate.
...
“It has been scientifically proven,” Shakira said — as Bono told me in an e-mail message, “When she gets going on the subject of child poverty she can be pretty scary” — “that a kid that receives proper stimulation and nutrition during these early years will develop all their potential in life: intellectual skills, learning abilities, social and emotional abilities. . . . So many other countries in Asia or in Europe are already putting early-childhood development at the top of their agendas, and we want our heads of state to do the same.” To that end, she told me she would insist on obtaining promises of action and the establishment of an early-childhood working group at this year’s Ibero-American Summit. “We want that every president walks out with a firm commitment. We want to make sure that they will go back to their countries with those children between zero and 6 years old in their minds, and understanding very well what early-childhood development initiatives mean.”

Here Comes "Stretch Armstrong" And The "Hasbro" Films

I'm as sentimental as the next guy about my childhood days...but when I read this article I had to check that I was, indeed, reading "Variety" and not "The Onion." Hollywood is developing a film featuring "Stretch Armstrong" as part of a series of movies highlighting Hasbro toys and games.

Universal and Hasbro are also developing pics based on Monopoly, with Ridley Scott; Clue, with Gore Verbinski; Candyland, with Kevin Lima directing; Battleship, with Peter Berg at the helm; and Ouija, through Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes.

Anaconda: Trail Of Profits

Redblog explains why "Anaconda" movies are still getting made: the movie studio keeps the budget at the same amount for each film and tracks the profit margin. If the profit margin remains constant--bingo!--another "Anaconda" sequel gets filmed. When interest flags, the sequels stop.

With that in mind, this summer features the release of the fourth film in the "Anaconda" series. I am sure it addresses the many unanswered questions posed in "Anaconda III."

I have an affectionate spot in my heart for films like "Anacondas: Trail Of Blood." I spent many a teenage night at the local drive-in. Many weekends, the drive-in scheduled THREE features. If you had pumped enough caffeine into your system, you could climb into the back of a classmate's pick-up and enjoy films like "Cheerleaders vs. Werewolves" or "Friday the 13th Part XIX: Terror In The Nursing Home."

News Flash: Bin Laden Still Hates Us

We haven't heard from him since 2007, but CNN reports that Osama bin Laden is back with a statement that basically says, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

What's That Evil Clarence Thomas Up To?

He's sitting in coach, talking to high schoolers, then agreeing to speak at their commencement ceremony.

I've watched Thomas speak on C-Span--he's an intelligent, inspirational guy. I've also commented on this blog that, even if I have ideologically disagreements with him, I think Barack Obama would be a great guest at my backyard barbecue.

Political dialogue has taken an ugly turn since the practice began of "demonizing" the opponents. It's gotten to the point where a Politico writer decided it would be funny to link to a Playboy.com article in which the author fantasized about sexually brutalizing conservative women.

I recently had a friend laugh at my conservative label simply because I am willing to discuss both sides of a political argument, rather than staunchly and angrily defend my position. Maybe conservative isn't the right label anymore--I'm a populist!

This blog is meant to be a place where Tara and I express our disagreements in a civil, and sometimes humorous, way. But the more I read the news and scan the Internet, the more I think that Tara and I are unusual beasts.

Wii Fit Plus to debut this fall

Hooray...the folks at Nintendo have been paying attention to web comments (or reading my mind with their new "Vitality Sensor")...the new version of Wii Fit (dubbed Wii Fit Plus and due out this fall) will allow more customization. I love the Wii Fit, but am frustrated that each 30-minute workout takes nearly an hour to accomplish. You have to choose each exercise individually, backing out to the main menu for your chosen workout type (strength, yoga, balance, aerobic) and picking new activities over and over again. I have longed to be able to program in a workout routine and simply do it. Here's hoping that Nintendo gets this one right. I could also do without the flying panda heads.

How cool are my friends?

I love keeping up with pals via Facebook. Many of us had lost touch over the years, but now I know that my 6th grade crush flies Air Force Two, my junior high friend just lost a beloved aunt, my daughter's former babysitter is expecting a baby son, and my friend Omid is (once again) visiting Turkey and keeping his college students enthralled with stories and history lessons.

And tonight I learned that my brilliant high school friend Ray has been featured on the PBS program "Poetry Everywhere," hosted by the incomparable Garrison Keillor. Here's a link to the poet himself, reading from his published book, Saltwater Empire. I've mentioned Raymond before, but it's delightful to hear him read his own work. Click over and see if you can detect the Southern accent...I promise, when he's not reading, he does say, "y'all."

The mommas have found the internets

I am loving the site "Postcards from Yo Momma." Check it out...it's instant message chats, emails, and texts from mothers to their adult kids (mostly daughters). Here are a few that got me giggling:

Me: I’m piercing my nose
Mom: Fine, I’m not raising your illegitimate children.
Me: What?
Mom: You’ll pierce your nose, get a trashy boyfriend and end up with illegitimate children. You and your trashy boyfriend are not living in my house, and neither are your kids.
Me: Wow mom, thanks for the credit. Clearly that’s the natural progression after piercing your nose.

Mom: So when we come to Sydney can we stay at yours?
Mom: Hello?
Me: Oh. Sure. Well, actually there are a number of awesome hotels just a two minute walk from my house. I’ve just emailed you a bunch of links. Have a look! Am happy to book any of them for you. But, yeah, of course you are welcome to stay at mine, if you really want to.
Me: Mom?
Mom: You were welcome to stay in my uterus for nine months, and then my house for 17 years. But I understand, a week at your apartment might be a bit … much.
Me: Don’t you passive-aggressive-smile-face-ME, woman.

Friday I’m doing something fun as well. Joan and I are starting a club called The Grown-Ass Woman’s Club. Our mascot is Gert Boyle (One Tough Mother) from Columbia Wear. Your stepfather is making fun of us but I think he’s just petty and jealous. I finally told him to shut up. That’s what GAW do when they are confronted with negativity. One of our field trips is going to be on a Saturday and we’re going to find those Red Hat Ladies and shove them down. They’re ridiculous and need to be eliminated.

Backstory: Two nights before my wedding mom thinks we need to have “the talk”.
Honey,
I just want to let you know that if you have any, you know, QUESTIONS, you can ask me anything. Your father isn’t the best lover in the world, so I also know a lot about toys. Let’s get dinner tonight.
Love,
Mom

Mom: How do I unfriend on Facebook?
Me: What, you only have like 8 friends, who do you want to get rid of.
Mom: That’s really none of your business, and I have 40 friends thank you very much.
Me: That’s right, Dad has 8 heheh
Mom: Not for long!

You'll be ROTFL (ask your mom what it means) if you click the "sex" tag in the cloud on the main page.

MTV Finally Admits That It's Lost All Relevance

I am a child of the 80s. Both "MTV" and cable television programming arrived in my hometown of St. Louis at the same time. During that decade, MTV set the trends in both music and style.

Last night, my kids watched as the movie "Twilight" swept the MTV movie awards, including "Best Picture." "Twilight" only missed out on "Best Song," which went to "The Climb" from the Hannah Montana movie.

What it all means: MTV has become the network for kids who find "iCarly" a little bit too edgy.