So, remember the whole "Happy" video mess in Iran a couple of weeks ago? Well, all the folks who were involved in shooting the video are out of custody now, but the controversy seems to have opened some festering sores in the relationship between Hassan Rouhani and Iran's conservative religious establishment. Rouhani has, quietly, made … Continue reading Iran’s debate on the path to Heaven

Say, what's Eric Holder been up to lately? In reality, Holder’s task force will undoubtedly focus on the Obama administration’s political enemies, mainly returning military veterans, conservatives and those who identify with the Tea Party. Such groups have been increasingly linked to terrorism by multiple federal agencies. Geez, that sounds bad. Why would right-wing "homegrown" … Continue reading I wonder where they’d get an idea like that from?

From The Guardian, via Gawker: An 89-year-old veteran reported missing from a nursing home was found in France marking the anniversary of the D-day landings. The pensioner, who left wearing his war medals, has contacted the home and said his friends are going to make sure he gets back safely when the commemorations end. Sussex … Continue reading Today’s best D-Day anniversary story

Terrorism is back on everybody's mind it seems, with the number Salafi terror groups and terrorist acts on a sharp upward trajectory and with the number of "Al-Qaeda affiliates" (an incredibly loose term that can mean anything from "we take direct orders from Ayman al-Zawahiri himself" to "we train with Al-Qaeda dudes every once in … Continue reading Thinking about the “War on Terror,” at LobeLog

Hey. Hi. How are you? What, me? Anything new? Well, you know, nothing big. I mean, I did get cited by the big-time media for my insightful deeply silly writing retweeting of ridiculous conservatives, if you're into that sort of thing: Majority.fm's Matt Binder and LobeLog contributor Derek Davison noticed something funny: just before Bergdahl was released, … Continue reading More on Bergdahl, including my brush with the big time

This piece was supposed to go up around 11 this morning, but instead spent all day saved locally on my iPad, because I am A Idiot. Here it is anyway. Because I'm most likely going to be out all day, but am committed to bringing you fresh #content anyway, I'm directing you to Michael Collins … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern History: the Six Day War begins (1967)

I can't believe I missed this, after I helpfully explained the Iranian method for tamping out all unacceptably interesting internet videos, but apparently Sassan Soleimani, the director of the most scandalous video ever produced, in which Iranian youths of opposite genders danced in the same general vicinity of one another to the tune of Pharrell's … Continue reading Unconfirmed reports suggest that it may be safe to be happy in Iran again

There's been a small but I think growing chorus of observers who are critical of Burmese opposition leader and human rights icon (sort of) Aung San Suu Kyi for the way she's handled the ongoing genocide of the stateless Rohingya people in Myanmar's Rakhine province. She hasn't been totally silent; for example, last year she … Continue reading What’s the deal with Aung San Suu Kyi and the Rohingya?

continued from yesterday Has anybody checked what the Bergdahls' kitchen counters are made of? Meanwhile, neocons are very concerned that prisoners of war might start being called "prisoners of war" instead of the much more Orwellian politically useful designation of "detainees," or possibly "unpersons." To which I can only say, hey, if you want a … Continue reading Question on Bergdahl