Bursa Vortex's Open Salon Blog

US Army Proselytization Corps?

Tue, 5 May 2009 15:05:47 -0400

A reporter for Al Jazeera documented meetings among US army personnel during which soldiers were encouraged to be "witnesses" for Jesus Christ to Afghans. Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley,the US's head chaplain in Afghanistan, told a group of American troops that "The special forces guys - they hunt men basically. We do the same things as Christians, we hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down."

In addition, the Al Jazeera reporter observed thousands of Bibles printed in Pashto and Dari for distribution to Afghans. One chaplain noted that while US personnel could not directly proselytize, they could give the Bibles to locals "as gifts." This appears to be a way for the chaplains to skirt General Order Number One, which forbids US troops from proselytizing.

Apparently, this was just one example of the thriving evangelical community at Bagram and other US bases. Bagram, of course, is also home to one of the infamous "internment centers." I wonder if any of the good Christians so concerned with the souls of the Afghan people are also engaging in some recreational torture on the side.

Former Afghan Prime Minister Ahmed Shah Ahmedzai said that "this is very damaging for diplomatic relations between the two counties ... everyone knows people are very conservative here, very faithful to Islam."

It's this kind of shenanigans that cripples America's ability to operate in the Islamic world. We can't speak out both sides of our mouth on the religion issue. This plays directly into the hands of religious extremists like the Taliban who can now argue that the US is attempting to proselytize Muslims at gunpoint. It pulls the rug out from under small native Christian minorities in the Arab world by rendering them vulnerable to pogroms by Islamic groups trying to punish apostasy.

Post-mancy: Compliment or OS faux pas?

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 01:03:08 -0500

This post is what happens when one drinks one too many Coors Original (the gold can), discovers an OS writer that one had previously overlooked, and reads a New Yorker bio/review of James Baldwin.

In most internet forums, threadmancy (n. origin: necromancy) is considered rude. Thread-mancy being the practice of "bumping" a thread from a long time ago. How long "a long time" is seems to be dependent on how active a particular forum is. On a popular forum, threadmancy might be bumping a thread only several days old. On that forum your buddy started in middle school computer class to keep you all entertained, it might be several weeks.

Given the incredibly rapid speed of the hungry feed here at OS, which devours posts in mere minutes even during the slow 4 AM EST time slot, one would assume that OS falls into the category of "popular internet forum." So does this mean that bumping a post from several months ago by rating or commenting puts one seriously behind the curve? Perhaps even to the point of committing an OS social faux pas?

Of course, OS aspires to be more than 4chan or some other temporary internet thing. It aspires to RealQualityWriting (TM). And surely no one feels bad discussing Go Tell It On the Mountain instead of Just Above My Head. Or discussing Crime and Punishment instead of The Idiot. In literature, it seems fine to bump the relatively old "post" in light of its superior artistic merit.

"But wait," says the contrarian, "OS is a topical site; full of timely postings on current events, witty movies mocking Republican politicians, and screeds by lost right-wingers." To which I would respond, "true, except for those posters who favor such timeless arts as poetry, personal memoir, or artistic commentary."

And so I put it to you, OS, dare I comment/rate a post from December 2008, or should I return to surfing the feed for only the freshest posts? Those with "born on" dates within the past several days?

Best 7 Billion Dollars Ever Spent

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:02:20 -0500

The most exciting thing in President Obama's new budget was seven billion dollars for the National Science Foundation. That's an increase of $800 million over 2008 and $150 million more than the agency itself requested for 2009.

Sure, it's not the biggest item in the budget. It's not the most immediately important. It's not glamorous or full of immediate impact. It won't save our country from the recession/depression/apocalypse. But basic research is incredibly important, especially in light of the environmental and resource challenges that will be facing us in the near future (see half the posts on OS lately).

But it clearly shows the difference between this administration and the previous one. Investment in science shows a concern for the future and a desire for progress that just wasn't there during Bush's time in office, thanks to research budgets from other traditional sources like DoD and NASA slashed by foolish wars and ludicrous plans for new moon landings. The increase isn't enough (the American Association for the Advancement of Science estimates that only 25 percent of NSF research proposals get funded), but I'm encouraged by a step back from the brink that was the Bush administration.

Addicted to Man Hugs

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:02:00 -0500

I'll admit it. I have a problem. But thanks to George Will, I now understand that I'm addicted to man hugs.

Video from HuffPo.

Catzilla!

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:02:51 -0500

Catzilla: Definitive proof of canine inferiority?

Catzilla battles FeliKong in the kitchen (later destroys Tokyo).

TOKYO, Japan -- Earlier today, giant house cats began attacking suburbs outside Tokyo. Sources high up in the Japanese government confessed that ministers are clueless as to the origins of the rampaging beasts. One source in the Defense Ministry believed that "radioactive contamination in Friskies" might be the source of the abnormal overgrown pets. The Japanese press has dubbed the angry feline “Catzilla.” The Japanese SPCA cautioned restraint and warned that giant cats should not encourage the government to engage in "giant cruelty" and that all efforts should be made to find the cats a good home instead of putting them down.

The Japanese government is dispatching emergency relief teams to clean up giant two ton hairballs. The Self Defense Force is mobilizing helicopters trailing mile long strings and shining giant laser pointers in the hopes of luring the massive felines away from the most heavily populated areas. International aid is pouring into Japan to aid refugees and their families. Refugees have fallen into desperation and there are reports of growing Bastet cults, who are worshiping the Egyptian cat god in the hope of appeasing Catzilla.

Residents are warned to keep away from fish markets and catnip farms since these areas have been hardest hit. The Defense Forces are also warning residents to hide bubble wrap and to avoid making kissy noises. If giant cats are sighted, authorities recommend finding cover immediately. However, one expert noted that if one is caught in the open with the beasts, banging pots and pans or shaking a newspaper might have a chance of convincing them to move on.