Developments and Musing, Foreign Policy, Candidates and News from Me

We do not need to win in Afghanistan or Iraq for us, we need to win for THEM. Iraq we may not get, and never should have gotten into, but Afghanistan? That was action into which we were Invited by Afghanistan... which is another matter. It's also the battle with the right people in the right place, and could result, if we don't blow it, FOR Afghans who actually want democracy, peace, human rights, women walking about unsupervised, and an economy based on something less pernicious than opium. Remember, it was WE who left them in the lurch 20-odd years back and left room for the Taliban and bin Laden to get there totalitarian and terrorist hooks into them in the first bloody place.

Hence, Obama is correct. The Iraqi government Wants Us Out Soon. The Afghan government Want Us To Stay and Win. Are we to play Bush and not listen?

Ok, sigh, in other news:

When Tonka (my pitbull) chews on this one rubber chew-toy, which she freaking adores, the sound liquefies my spine. But, she's happy. Also, Foxy and Tonka got into it the other day, and Foxy realized half-way into the fight that Tonka is a pitbull. Tonka is basically laid back, happy, playful. She is a dog of peace. However, when pushed far enough she also has jaws that lock. Foxy now has some stitches and will hopefully stop trying to boss Tonka about.

I am employed at a small liberal arts college in Illinois. It's the size of my thumb, and old-old, with creaky floors and huge trees and the whole bit. They like me, I like them. The classes have only 18 students, it's Comp I but OK then, and it's part-time, but OK then, it's two classes and one prep. The commute is through the lovely farm country, so my worries there are Major Snow Events and tractors. The small money makes up for copyright fees and conference expenses recently discharged, which is enough. The dept. chair was not wearing shoes when I entered the office. Turns out that said chair has always thought with shoes off and plans to keep on doing so. Alright then.

I will likely intern with Tikkun Mag starting in Jan, with their editorial staff. I have homework and a writing assignment which amount to: Do some serious discourse analysis and learn our history, and then prove you can write for spiritual intellectual and activists instead of just in Academese. No freaking problem! Could lead to editing, writing, a job Elsewhere doing Something Even Cooler Than Teaching. We shall adventure and see.

And, I still have to finish my essay for the Murdoch anthology. Someone please order me to stop procrastinating on that. Because at this point, that procrastination will no longer serve!

More on Frisco in the days to come. I won't leave my pals hanging for too long.