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On being a Jewish 'fundamentalist'
Writing in the national Jewish weekly Forward, Klinghoffer points out that the "fundamentalist" label is regularly used to cast people who hew to foundational religious beliefs as "stupid," "obnoxious" or "backward." Klinghoffer's context is the assertion by former New Republic editor and current Time magazine blogger Andrew Sullivan that fundamentalists - i.e. people with deep religious beliefs - are inherently arrogant, because they believe they know what is right and what is wrong and apply their convictions to political and social issues. Instead, Sullivan advocates "spiritual humility and sincere religious doubt" and champions "a faith that... picks and chooses between doctrines under the guidance of individual conscience."
Klinghoffer makes the obvious point: If one's conscience is one's only guide, then he is "his own ultimate authority," hardly a reflection of humility.
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Fox has a trailer up for the next season of "24". Suicide bombs explode across the US and someone in government wants to run roughshod over the Constitution. Premieres in January. I was nervous just watching the trailer. God, I love that show.
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Toddler gets stuck in vending machine
This happened to me the other day, but I just knocked the machine around after putting in the two dollars and the kid came out fine. It happens a lot with the bagsof potato chips too.
Someone out there has a strong opinion. The Unconscionable Claims of Michael J. Fox
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I'm about halfway through Rory Stewart's "The Places In Between" about his walk through the heart of tribal Afghanistan shortly after the Taliban fell from power. It's very interesting for the first 50 pages or so, but then seems repetitve to me. Every village has it's wary elders, destroyed ancient sites and lies near the same river. I was palnning to follow up with is book on Iraq, "The Prince of the Marshes", but now I'm not so sure.
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