While few of us will ever know the complete truth (at least this side of the eschaton), it looks as though the Coalition finally made good on its threats to take matters into its own hands in the tribal areas of Pakistan. According to local reports, three helicopters deployed a team of Coalition and Afghan […]
Religion in the News – the Presidential Campaign
September 9, 2008 By
Some people are shocked to learn that there are still Christians who actual believe that Christianity is the True Faith, that all other religions are false, and that we must constantly engage in spiritual warfare. Of course, this made the news because (GASP!) the GOP VP nominee is a Pentecostal Christian. Pentecostalism focuses on the […]
The Coming Storm in Pakistan
August 27, 2008 By
News reports are full of optimism about Pakistan’s increased cooperation with NATO on the War on Terrorism now that Musharraf has been replaced with a democratic government. I don’t see this happening. In fact, I don’t see any likely course that makes things better. In fact, for the next couple of years, I think following […]
The Impeachment of President Musharraf – we will miss him
August 18, 2008 By
Former President Musharraf, was a favorite target of just about everyone. Islamists of every stripe (Al Qaeda, the Taliban, the religious parties, and many among the religious elite) hated him because of his attempts to rein in (and stop funding/supporting) militant and terrorist Islamists in his country, his attempt to moderate the practice of Islam […]
Orthodoxy and the State – Preliminary Thoughts on Immigration Policy
August 18, 2008 By
[FIRST POSTED ON AUGUST 18 2008; UPDATED ON OCTOBER 10, 2008] I am not a political activist – my activism is “in the trenches”, building up the community of Christ rather than than trying to lobby the government. But as a citizen in a democratic country who pastors the same, and as an amateur political […]
AF President – NIMBY on Bombing
August 14, 2008 By
Last weekend, the beleaguered President of Afghanistan made a passionate plea on behalf of innocent civilians for an end to airstrikes. This is not the first time that he has done this (last year he was moved to tears on the subject), and it does point to the difficulty of the situation. On the one […]
Should Clergy Talk about Politics from the Pulpit
August 3, 2008 By
The Johnson Amendment of 1954 changed the IRS code so that churches that support or oppose candidates for public office would lose their non-profit status. This past Sunday, a group of pastors challenged this by using Scripture to analyze the campaign positions of Senators McCain and Obama. They did this hoping to challenge the constitutionality […]
PK PM Gilani Defends COIN Strategy
July 29, 2008 By
The Prime Minister of Pakistan said almost everything he needed to say if he is to have any hope of keeping aid flowing and keeping us out of PK territory. FWIW, this is the same script that the Musharraf regime used, although PM Gilan did not mention (or at least the APP did not report) […]
Throwing a Wet Blanket on Campaign Promises
July 24, 2008 By
Bottom Line Up Front: Government programs can help improve life “on the margins”, but the potential harm they can cause is immense. This belief leads me to support limited government that protects liberty, markets, and provides those necessary goods that cannot be provided by markets or charity and to oppose programs that would increase the […]
Measurement Errors and Sample Bias in the FATA
July 24, 2008 By
It is very difficult to get good information about insurgencies. This is because they: 1. IO. They run their own information operations through their own dissemination channels, traditional channels (e.g. bazaar, mosque), and local, national, and international media of all types. In the case of the Taliban, they are very adapt at dissinformation (especially regarding […]
