Archives for September 2001

Noam Chomsky

September 18, 2001 by Michael Boyle

: Rally round the flag? “There are two kinds of patriots: The ‘God Bless America’ kind and the ‘This Land Is Your Land’ kind. I’m the latter. […] Here’s one of the verses school kids don’t sing: ‘As I was walking, I saw a sign there/And that sign said ‘No trespassing’/But on the other side, it didn’t say nothing/Now that side was made for you and me.'”

Francis Fukuyama

September 18, 2001 by Michael Boyle

: The End of American exceptionalism. This may be the only time I’ll ever agree with Fukuyama, but he’s got some very good points in this short article.

American exceptionalism? It applies in many ways, but none more striking than in foreign policy. For example? The US worked very hard behind the scenes for many years to gain a treaty banning land mines, then refused to sign it. The US works hard at developing consensus rules for everyone to adhere to, but then ends up not signing on itself.

Make no mistake, I am NOT blaming the US for the acts of last week in any way. I am, however, concerned with a) how it reacts, and b) how it, along with others, contributed to the context in which it happened. Because if those root issues are not dealt with, no amount of fire and brimstone from the world’s only superpower will be successful.

Edward Said

September 18, 2001 by Michael Boyle

: The Events and Aftermath.

Still an ignorant

September 18, 2001 by Michael Boyle

demagogue: Jerry Falwell apologizes (again), this time for having his words quoted, for being ill-timed, not actually for what he said.