Actually, It's Because the Movie Sucked

Oliver Stone has figured out why his last epic, 'Alexander,' was an unmitigated stinkbomb at the box office. For those of you who think it was because of the inane dialogue, tedious plot and over-blown acting, you are wrong. It was actually a result of American young people's shallow grasp of history. While I may be inclined to agree that Americans in general, not just the younger generation, have an inadequate understanding of history, I fear Mr. Stone may be seeking a scapegoat for his own crummy movie-making. After all, the film served to bridge the generation gap by uniting both young and old in their mutual dislike of this monstrosity. Further, we have seen historically accurate movies that stood on their own merits as fine films (think of 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'We Were Soldiers Once,' etc.). I think the real problem for Mr. Stone was that young people's cinematic tastes weren't as shallow as their historical acumen in this instance.

--Josh

No Herbs for Me, Thanks

As the Times reports, a full-scale research study conducted by the The New England Journal of Medicine has concluded that the popular herb Echinacea does not prevent or treat the common cold.

Dr. Stephen E. Straus, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, is quoted as saying:

"This paper says it will not pre-empt a common cold, and it stands on top of prior studies saying it doesn't treat an established cold," he said, adding, "We've got to stop attributing any efficacy to echinacea."

This is news to me. I've been taking it for years, and I always thought it worked. Apparently, it's all in my mind.

--Ted

Crashing Weddings, Pulverizing Worlds

When it's this hot, you'd do well to spend a late afternoon in the cool air-conditioned world of the movies. At present, two of the hottest shows in town are Wedding Crashes (which rules) and Spielberg's War of the Worlds (which does not). Here's some reading concerning those involved:

On Slate, Field Maloney wonders "Was Owen Wilson the key to the Wes Anderson phenomenon?" This is a misleading query, for assumes--as so many critics have recently--that Wes Anderson has fallen from grace, after the utter failure of Zissou (I disagree: it was delightful) and the mess that was The Royal Tenenbaums (again I disagree, but this time with more fervor: I think RT is one of the best movies of the past ten years). At any rate, the article is engaging, if a little misguided. Snaps to Maloney for correctly identifying the best joke in Wedding Crashers

Better reading can be found in the New York Review, where Geoffrey O'Brien provides a stellar analysis of War of the Worlds. O'Brien's critique is right on:

This family drama seems too calculated an interpolation, fulfilling too neatly the Hollywood requirement that all movies must involve the "redemption" of at least one central character. The H.G. Wells novel followed a more austere and solitary course, as its anonymous hero mostly hid out and watched from the sidelines while the disaster unfolded. He was there as an observer; it was the fate of the race that was in question. Here we are often distracted from the magnitude of the catastrophe by worrying about what will happen to Ray, his teenage son, and his ten-year-old daughter, as if—with inescapable movie logic—the fate of the rest of humanity took second place to Ray's need to establish a good relationship with his kids and get them safely back to their mother in Boston.

O'Brien goes on to consider the import of Wells' text, and the movies, cultural landmarks, and general fear of aliens that it induced.

--Ted

Bob Mugabe: Statesman

The U.N., in keeping with its proud tradition of being completely worthless (in fact, worse than worthless) in the face of tyranny, has issued a report assessing the current situation in Zimbabwe. Apparently the recent displacement campaign Mugabe has waged against his people is a result of "improper advice" acted upon by "over-zealous officials." Mugabe himself is described "part of that exclusive club of African statesmen" who "fought colonialism and racial discrimination."

Actually, he's part of a not-so-exclusive club of African tyrants who slaughters political opponents, steals aid money, starves his people, and generally lays waste to his land. Robert Mugabe is on the short list of worst rulers in the world, and could make a strong push for the top spot were it not for Kim Jong-il's stranglehold hold on that particular distinction.

All of this goes to illustrate the point that the U.N. is a farce badly in need of reforming. To look to it as the final arbiter of international disputes is absurd and dangerous, yet many here in the West insist on doing so. The U.N. should remain only as a forum for countries to sit down together and air their grievances; it is badly flawed as an aid organization, but with stricter controls and a lot more courage it might be adequate in that regard eventually. However, there is never any excuse for adding to a tyrant's legitimacy: the U.N.'s report on Zimbabwe is an exercise in weak-kneed cajoling of a dictator who has proven his ruthlessness over and over again, not exactly the type of response one expects from an organization ostensibly committed to the universal rights of mankind.

--Josh

Michael Jackson and Genocide in Darfur

Yet another important article from Kristof in the New York Times today. He returns to Darfur and points to the lack of media coverage in comparison with the Michael Jackson and Martha Stewart trials. Hats off to Kristof for being one of the only reporters who thinks that the slaughtering of hundreds of thousands of women and children in Darfur is important to make known to the world. Shame on people like me who got bored with the conversation of genocide in Darfur.

-Shamefully D.R. Leonard

John Mallinen

Here at the Wissy, we try to keep things all in the family.

Recently, quite a chunk of our family gathered at 88.5 WXPN's World Cafe Live to watch John Mallinen and his cohorts (Steve Hoffman, Julia Shield, Devon Greenwood) make a little music.

There's going to be a DVD of the whole affair, but right now here's a little teaser.



-- Adam

Caligula+Nero = Kim Jong Il?

North Korea presents today's single most difficult foreign policy question: How, exactly, do you engage a dictator who is insane, yet has nuclear weapons? How do you help the poor people of North Korea, when the government steals 90% of the food aid in order to pay for its nuclear weapons program?

Let's be clear, the ultimate foreign policy goal for North Korea should be regime change. It's a slave state that makes Orwell's 1984 seem tame by comparison. But at the same time, nobody is in a hurry to go to war with North Korea (except the silly "anti-war" people who say that we HAVE to go to war w/ North Korea, since we went to war with Iraq). The problem is that China doesn't want regime change, b/c they fear a massive influx of refugees. Ultimately, North Korea's fate will be decided by the U.S. and China - that's where this war will be fought, not on the battlefield. My opinion? Regime change should be sooner rather than later, and if we could get China on our side, it would be easier than anyone thinks.

- dane

Look: Christian Symbolism!

In my recent response to Josh's query about the comparative quality of Harry Potter, I lamented the tendency of Christian writers (in this case, the venerable C.S. Lewis) towards allegory and one-to-one symbolism.

Even more distasteful is the predisposition of Christian readers to impose Christian symbolism (often in the form of the "Christ figure") onto the books they read. In recent years, the Harry Potter books have become a prime target of this sort of foolishness.

Take, for instance, this article from Christianity Today. It's taken from last year's Looking for God in Harry Potter, by John Granger. In this selection, Mr. Granger forces Christian symbolism upon the "beasts" of the Harry Potter universe: griffins, unicorns, hippogriffs, etc. Here's Mr. Granger on the griffin:

How does a beast that is half lion and half eagle symbolize Jesus Christ? Two ways. First, Christ is the God-man, so double-natured symbols are a natural match for him. More important, though, is that the two natures here are the lion and eagle. A beast that is half "king of the heavens" (eagle) and half "king of the earth" (lion) points to the God-man in his role as King of heaven and earth.

Come again? This is unsupportable nonsense--Granger has simply made something up, and put it in print. If you wish, read the rest of the article, where you will stumble across similar egregious claims.

I'm not sure what's more disappointing: the fact that Mr. Granger saw fit to write these sentences, the fact that a publisher encouraged him to do so for a whole book (which, I'm certain, turned in quite a profit), or the fact that Christianity Today thought it would be a good idea to reprint an excerpt.

In response, I say to those who wish to read so poorly: keep your grubby hands off my Harry Potter.

--Ted

Kristof in Korea

Nicholas Kristof, writer for the New York Times op-ed page, is travelling through North Korea depsite being banned a few years ago for unknown reasons. He has been writing some interesting articles on life in North Korea, which I would suggest we all read.
Today he wrote about the need for a new strategy for the Bush Administration to be more diplomatic. He writes that although this may be a long, hard, tedious process it may be the best of our bad options.
Is diplomacy with the ruthless "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il, hopeless, or is this our only option?

d.r. leonard

Much Learning Hath Made Them Mad

Ebonics is back. Apparently not content with black students' current down-ward spiraling levels of achievement, educators in California (of course it had to be California) have decided to accelerate their free-fall. Now black students are going to have a second-rate education inflicted upon them (well, actually third-rate, they're already getting the second-rate) by a group of self-congratulating dunces completely obsessed with multiculturalism and the sensitivity cult. The fact that a "coalition of black activists" would actually support this nonsense is revolting.

It is almost too painful to point out all that is wrong with teaching ebonics, so I won't even bother. Suffice to say that there is a sociologist involved, which should immediately be a warning sign. Ms. Texeira nearly hits for the cycle, managing to work in a mention of prejudice, self-confidence, and starving children. It is up to Ratibus Jacocks, a member of the aforementioned coalition of black activists, to finish off the display and quell any future dissent by mentioning the civil rights movement.

This is a complete and utter farce. Somehow education has largely become the province of silly people with sillier ideas, intent on performing feel-good cultural experiments at the cost of actually educating students. To do so with a group that so desperately needs a superior education right now to help improve their lot is unconscionable, and a cause for shame.

Werd up, y'all.

--Josh

Harry Potter Is Better--Again

For those of you who didn't spend the first seven hours of Saturday's AM reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I can only express my deepest regret. Once again, J.K. Rowling has topped her previous efforts.

Try as I may, I cannot think of another series of books in which each successive title is clearly a marked improvement upon the last. But this is the case with the Harry Potter series--and it's certain that the seventh and final book will by necessity be the pinnacle.

For an excellent review, check out Michiko Kakutani's from Saturday's Times. It's right on target, and full of insight:

Indeed, the achievement of the Potter books is the same as that of the great classics of children's literature, from the Oz novels to "The Lord of the Rings": the creation of a richly imagined and utterly singular world, as detailed, as improbable and as mortal as our own.

Enjoy.

--Ted

The Limits of Humanitarianism

Great op-ed from Friday's New York Times. The author points out the limits of humanitarianism and (paradoxically) how doing things like "ending poverty" often increase suffering:

"But the truth is that it was not for us, for Africa, that the musicians at Live 8 were singing; it was to amuse the crowds and to clear their own consciences, and whether they realized it or not, to reinforce dictatorships."

The problem, as journalist David Rieff has pointed out, is that people often confuse humanitarianism with politics. The goal of humanitarianism is to relieve suffering. This means maintaining neutrality and helping anyone who is sick or hungry. The Red Cross is the prototype humanitarian organization - it has one mission: to make war a little less awful by taking care of the wounded from both sides of the conflict. The problem is that humanitarianism inherently recognizes the legitimacy of dictators. You must be polite to dictators if you expect them to let you into their country with medicine or food aid. Thus, humanitarianism often helps dictators solidify their rule.

But in most of Africa, poverty is a political problem, not a humanitarian one. Therefore, efforts like Live 8, which cast the problem in Humanitarian instead of Political terms, are often counterproductive. As Indian economist Amartya Sen has pointed out, the single best prevention against famines is a free press. In the last few decades, almost all the big famines in Africa have been caused not by Nature, but by corrupt politicians. If one is to tackle poverty in Africa, one must attack it politically. Live 8-style events are attractive, particularly among activist types b/c they pretend that it is unequivocably pure and apolitical. But, then, that is the problem.

- dane

Bastille Day

This is rich.

Here in Philadelphia, to celebrate Bastille Day, they put up an actress as Marie Antoinette on top of the Eastern State Penitentiary, she demands we eat cake, and then they launch hundreds of Tastykakes at the Francophile onlookers.

Then everyone gets drunk. (Unless they're already drunk.)

What a delightful holiday.

The observances are this Saturday, the 16th, at 5:30 pm. Here's the link.

Inside the mind of a Jihadist

(Courtesy of the boys at Coming Anarchy)

There is an unwillingness among many people to see the terrorist threat for what it is: a religiously-inspired totalitarianism (IslamoFascism, etc.) But we don't have to guess about what makes them kill people, because they never hesitate to tell us.

Mr Bouyeri said he did not hate Van Gogh but had been motivated by religious beliefs that “demand that I behead anyone who insults Allah”. He said he would have done the same to his own father or brother.

And yet, some are convinced that all people are motivated entirely by economics. They wouldn't be terrorists, you see, if we only doubled our foreign aid budget. This "motivational reductionism" isn't too surprising in secular Europe, but in America, we should be much more understanding of the power of religious beliefs to influence behavior.

For some background on the murder of Theo Van Gogh and its implications for Europe, check out an article I wrote for IGE here

- dane

Blogosphere

Interesting article on web blogs. Looks at the consequences of "telling all" online. Are blogs a symbol of American pop culture and teenagers identity crises? Why do so many people expose themselves online?

d.r. leonard

In praise of stoicism

Andrew Sullivan sees victory in the way the English responded to terror. Want to infuriate a terrorist? Shrug off a bombing like its an annoying fly. Sullivan gets it just right when he says that we need to brace ourselves for casualties, failures, and mistakes along the way. Everytime something bad happens, we don't need to consider quitting, withdrawing, or doing exactly what al-Qaeda wants. We need to live like its worth something.

We need to fight back militarily when appropriate. We need boldness and aggression. But we also need to steel ourselves for casualties, for failures, for mistakes along the way. Victory in this war will be elusive and never complete. As long as some maniac wants to kill himself and others in a subway or supermarket, we will not be able to stop him. And so stoicism matters. Getting on with our lives matters. Spelling bees, college football, celebrity gossip, high school proms: the simple continuance of these things is integral to the meaning of freedom.

- dane

The Space Shuttle

Tomorrow afternoon, NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery is set to enter outer space. This is the first time a Space Shuttle will have been launched since the Columbia disaster in 2003. There's heaps of news about it, and this link will get you there as good as another.

Does anyone remember in what month the Columbia disaster took place? Spring sometime?

It was February, and I'm sure plenty remember, but most people don't care too much about the space program. It's just a big money pit with mixed results, etc. And the critics are right, that's exactly what it is.

But I'm a total sucker for the space program, and I don't think I'm in the wrong here.

One time, on the West Wing, Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) was being asked by an old friend to help push legislation through to fund a "superconducting supercollider." Sam had reasoned: unless he could find the justification for the expenditure by the superconducting supercollider's contribution to humanity, there was no reason to fund it.

But eventually, his reasoning simplified itself. The billions set aside for the superconducting supercollider were, in Sam's words, "for discovery."

Tomorrow I hope there are plenty well-wishers keeping their fingers crossed for discovery.

--Adam

With enemies like these...

For the fighters of tyranny, there is no greater champion than Christopher Hitchens (I am perpetually grateful that my political views do not dictate that Michael Moore and Noam Chomsky are my defenders). Hitchens, once again, demonstrates why those who believe in fighting tyranny to the death need not cower before those who argue that "peace is always the answer". Among the appeasement Left, there were immediate calls last week for withdrawing English troops from the Middle East. Those rascally terrorists, they claim, have perfectly reasonable demands (even if they are over-exuberant in making their point) and if we only do what they tell us, they won't bomb us anymore. But that silliness doesn't fly with Hitchens:

There has been a great deal of nonsense published in the last week to the effect that an alliance with the United States can put other countries like Britain in the position of being "targeted." Why deny this? I reflect on what was not done at Srebrenica, and on what ought to have been done in Rwanda, and on what was put off too long with the Taliban and the Baathists, and I think what an honor it is to have such enemies. Co-existence with them is not possible, which is good, because it is not desirable or tolerable, either.

In a related note, A week after 9/11, Slate's William Saletan effectively rebutted those who argued that the best defense against terrorism was simply to acquiesce to their demands.

- dane

Seasonal Recipes

This recipe comes from one of my new favourite bloggers.

Recipes--as you ought to know by now--need to be filled with witty commentary, that's what makes them better than instruction manuals. Well done, Bjorn Again.

He's in Tennessee, so if you're in Philadelphia, you'll need to wait a while before the blackberries come in.

Click.

-- Adam

Western Self-Loathing and Italian Idiocy

Here's an interesting article concerning an author who is being tried in Italian courts, and very possibly may be convicted, for "villifying" Islam. Obviously, such a ludicrous situation raises a lot of issues to discuss, freedom of speech not being the least of them, but what I found most interesting was a quote the author mentions from the new Pope, Benedict XVI: "The West reveals . . . a hatred of itself, which is strange and can only be considered pathological; the West . . . no longer loves itself; in its own history, it now sees only what is deplorable and destructive, while it is no longer able to perceive what is great and pure."

I think the Pope is absolutely correct. Here in the U.S., besides the dismal history education (and actually their entire education in general) students are receiving, they are also subjected to texts that consistently harp on the moral failures of the U.S.; her triumphs are given only the briefest examination. One need only think of the wild popularity of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States to realize the truth of what the Pope is saying, or read anything by Noam Chomsky.

While the U.S.'s shortcomings must never be forgotten, neither must the good that she has accomplished be swept under the rug. It is not surprising that the cultural and moral relativists that dominate academia would consistently disparage the U.S.'s contributions to the world, but to accept their bleak interpretation of history will lead inevitably to the same type of paralyzing moral relativism that animates the attacks in the first place. If we as a nation do not believe that we have a positive contribution to make, why should we undertake to fight terrorism, poverty, or AIDS, since we're just going to make a bloody mess of it anyways? That type of thinking can and will result from any campaign trying to strip the U.S. of its claim to moral authority in some areas.

--Josh

Don't Go There

Christopher Hitchens' response to the London bombings is terse and powerful. He preempts those who may fall into foolish ennumeration of the "grievances" of the killers behind these deeds:

We know very well what the "grievances" of the jihadists are.

The grievance of seeing unveiled women. The grievance of the existence, not of the State of Israel, but of the Jewish people. The grievance of the heresy of democracy, which impedes the imposition of sharia law. The grievance of a work of fiction written by an Indian living in London. The grievance of the existence of black African Muslim farmers, who won't abandon lands in Darfur. The grievance of the existence of homosexuals. The grievance of music, and of most representational art. The grievance of the existence of Hinduism. The grievance of East Timor's liberation from Indonesian rule. All of these have been proclaimed as a licence to kill infidels or apostates, or anyone who just gets in the way.

Finally, Hitch proclaims:

It is a big mistake to believe this is an assault on "our" values or "our" way of life. It is, rather, an assault on all civilisation

Right on.

--Ted

A sad day

This is the nightmare scenario. Everyone who lives in a city and uses subways knows how vulnerable they are to a terrorist attack. Today's attacks in London only reinforce what we already know: we are in a war with these terrorists and it is a war to the death - either theirs or ours.

- dane

Somalia in Anarchy

Somalia remains in anarchy. Well at least in Mogadishu, the "sort-of" capital of Somalia, where the exiled governement, stationed in Kenya, has been attempting to return for over 10 years. The most peaceful place of Somalia is in the northern place of Somaliland, where warlords have created their own autonomous country, unrecognized by the international community. Today, talks continue to ensue between the exiled government and the warlords, over whether they will allow the government to return to a place called Jowhar, north of Mogadishu. Hope for Somalia to be normal is diminishing rapidly, as are the lives of Somalis.

At risk of being the downer of the years biggest party. And being aware that I must sound like a broken record. It is worth noting that in the beginning of this mess in Somalia, our heart felt actors and actresses mistakingly helped the warlords by irresponsibly sending aid right into their pockets. This is important to remember on the heels of Live 8, as we are set to boost aid to Africa. Is Live 8 therefore a waste? No. Does Africa need aid from the international community? Yes. But it is beyond important that aid be given responsibly, less we aid corrupt regimes and rebel groups, making problems even worse.
For more on Somalia, check out the bbcnews at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4655959.stm.

d.r.leonard.

Al-Qaeda in India?

Nah. The Muslim extremists who stormed a Hindu Temple in Ayodha weren't part of al-Qaeda's latest foray into South Asia. Actually, there is a very specific - and local - history of animosity between the Hindu nationalists and Muslims in Northern India. It all started when Hindu nationalists burned down a Mosque that had been built in the 16th Century. The mosque, you see, was built on the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram, and therefore had to be removed. It was, and to make a long story short, religious riots ensued. This latest attack is just a continuation of a long feud between the 2 groups. India's government must ensure that there is no overreaction or vigilante justice by the Hindu nationalists, and refrain from framing this as a part of the global "war on terror." The violence between the Muslims and Hindus in Ayodha is sad and potentially explosive, but it has nothing to do with bin Laden's Jihad.

For a historical background on the 2002 pogrom of Muslims by Hindu nationalists, click here.

Live 8 - Party of the Year

1,000,000?

Yesterday marked the not-so-long awaited Live 8 concert, drawing several fans to Philadelphia, though the Philadelphia Police Department has refused to give a crowd estimate (presumably because they are unable to count).

It was a mighty day for our beloved city.

In case you weren't there, I've prepared a recap.

Bon Jovi and Def Leppard rocked out.

so did Kanye West, the Kaiser Chiefs, Jars of Clay, Destiny's Child, the Black-Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, and Toby Keith. They were all very forgettable, partly because they were using tracks, which didn't sound very good. If you're going to rock out outside, you should probably be a rocker.

But then Bon Jovi and Dave Matthews were quite good. And so was Keith Urban, the country music superstar, who did a bang up version of Phil Collins's "Another Day in Paradise." Good work, Keith, way to be appropriate.

Then, the highlight, Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder is the guru of a new religion for the slightly old. His music, and his aura, was saving souls left and right yesterday.

Things we could've done with:

TWO STAGES - Which would have facilitated longer sets and less riff-raff.
MORE INNOVATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE

Things we coul've done without:

THE VULGARITY - The crowd was often trashy and crude. The trouble is you can never exorcise the vulgarity around you, you just have to shake the dust off your shoes and find a new location.
THE "PHILLY!" SIGNAGE ON THE ART MUSEUM - For God's Sakes we're not Philly. If you're going to abbreviate our city's name, use PHILA or PHL. Plus, you don't need to ornament the Art Museum, it's pretty cute as it is. Plus, it's unlikely people won't know where they are. Plus, exclamation marks are by far the most nauseating form of punctuation.
DIALOGUE DIRECT - A company who outsources verbal marketing for charities. Mostly young people who lie and yell at you to become more charitable. Belligerance is such an underrated marketing tool. I've always said that.

Live 8 Fashion Dos:

SHIRTS FOR BANDS PERFORMING IN OTHER CITIES - e.g. REM, Pink Floyd
THE WISSY TEE - cf. the Wissahickon t-shirt sales page.

Note the Wissy Tee in photo.

Live 8 Fashion Don'ts:

LIVE 8 SHIRTS - don't be that guy
VOTE FOR PEDRO SHIRTS - real cool guys

As for what Live 8 did for the country of Africa?

Well, I'm not sure, but it's better than nothing, I guess. Plus I got a bracelet.

- Adam

How to Be Cool This Weekend

If you're going to Live 8, meet at Rodin's Thinker. That's where all the cool kids will be. If you don't find enough cool kids there, text 215.205.5225 to see where they are.

Happy party of the year.

Adam

The Lineup

Today's Inquirer, in a rare moment of adequacy, has posted tomorrow's Live 8 schedule to the minute:

12:14: Black Eyed Peas
12:33: Bon Jovi
1:00: Destiny's Child
1:16: Kanye West
1:30: Will Smith
1:56: Toby Keith
2:13: Dave Matthews Band
2:40: Alicia Keys
2:52: Def Leppard
3:10: Linkin Park and Jay-Z
3:56: Sarah McLachlan
4:11: Maroon 5
4:34: Keith Urban
4:48: Jars of Clay
5:00: Rob Thomas
5:21: Stevie Wonder

Also, I've found times for notable live feeds:

12:04 -- Paul McCartney & U2 Live from London
12:54 -- Madonna Live from London
1:50 -- Coldplay Live from London
3:50 -- Tim McGraw Live from Rome
4:56 -- Pink Floyd Live from London

--Ted

The Judicial Branch

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has just retired. With the expected resignation of Rehnquist, this leaves two posts to be filled (hopefully) by October.

Last week, Slate posted an excellent feature summarizing the prime candidates' positions on critical issues.

We can only hope and pray that it won't be Alberto Gonzales.

--Ted

This makes sense to me...

For once it's nice to hear from a Middle East expert instead of a politician or a pundit. The Brookings Institute's Kenneth Pollack suggests a shift in strategy to beat the Iraqi insurgency. As many military officials have pointed out, the way to beat an insurgency is to strip them of their domestic support. The Iraqi insurgency is doing their part by targeting innocent Iraqis, but the U.S.'s primary concern is to make the streets of the cities safe so people can go to school, the market, and their jobs. The U.S. military should be creating "Safe areas" protected by joint patrols of U.S. and Iraqi forces, which would have 2 major benefits: 1. giving Iraqis the sense of security which is a precondition for a functioning civil society, and 2. giving Iraqi policeman and soldiers the experience and confidence necessary to learn how to do their jobs.

- dane