Different Views

Experts cannot and should not be used to constitute or replace civil society. Indeed, the idea that anyone can claim to be a civil society expert is troubling. Civil society needs to be composed of a broad and diverse array of people throughout our societies. The internet offers us an opportunity to radically expand civil society, to debate all of the ideas and ideologies that shape the world, and to publish our speech around the world. We cannot abandon this field to experts, particularly not the much vaunted experts of civil society.

On the terror front, the world's attention has been trained on Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet recent developments in Algeria suggest that Al Qaeda has a renewed interest in establishing a foothold in the region, especially in the rough border terrain between Algeria, Mali and Mauritania. This is rugged country, difficult of access. In many ways a perfect staging ground for terrorism.

There is only one candidate in the 2008 GOP presidential nominees that appeals to conservatives. The problem is that the same candidate causes us to avert our eyes in shame and bow our heads in frustration.

In an attempt to lessen conservative dominance of talk radio, some Democrats want a return to the Fairness Doctrine, which would require equal time for opposing viewpoints.

The problem with a good deal of the rhetoric that presents Islam as a threat to Europe, is that much of it is alarmist and exaggerated. I bought into the alarmist view, until I took a closer look behind the scenes at what is actually going on in the immigrant communities of Europe.

This week I watched a few of the speeches that heralded a new era in N. Irish politics, and I have to admit, it was an unsettling vision for an ex-Belfast man like myself. One-time fire breathing Protestant rabble rouser Ian Paisley was up on the podium, shoulder to shoulder with Martin McGuinness, one-time provisional IRA commander in Derry.

Experts can be banal, elitist, authoritarian, biased, ideological, foolish and fallible. We need experts for many things, but we cannot surrender to experts our opportunities - our responsibilities - to engage the world as intelligent, passionate, informed citizens. Indeed, we must break off the tyranny of experts and actively strive to save our corners of the world one idea at a time.

Unilateral moves toward independence by Iraq's Kurds create significant problems for the United States in its quest for a peaceful and stable Middle East.

It's a wait-and-see situation with Sarkozy. The point is, something had to give in France. Considering that one third of the French populace claim to have "sympathies" with the far right, all I can say is that I'd much rather see Sarko at the helm than the likes of a Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Most interesting to the whole story is not only has Rudolph Giuliani's involvement in the NAFTA Superhighway not ever having been publicly addressed, but how a foreign company is awarded the building of a mass highway system, versus maintaining it, for the first time in U.S. history, and negotiated by the law firm of the top Republican candidate running for President of the United States.

Democrats need the President's surge strategy to fail in order to maximize the potential for political gain in the 2008 elections.

One of the chief characteristics of fundamentalists of both the Christian and Islamic variety, is the determined effort to reduce the complexities of life to a simplistic set of beliefs. In order to do this successfully, the language they use has to be direct and above all, literal.

While calls for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys continue, both Gonzales and President Bush continue to hold their ground. While members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have criticized Gonzales over misleading statements concerning the firings, others have denounced the whole situation as yet another Washington political witch hunt.

Hoarding has replaced erudition everywhere. People hoard e-books, mp3 tracks, and photos. They memorize numerous fact and "facts" but can't tell the difference between them or connect the dots. The synoptic view of knowledge, the interconnectivity of data, the emergence of insight from treasure-troves of information are all lost arts.

In our society we expect preachers and moralists to speak against immorality and licentiousness. Up to now psychiatrists and psychologists have had plenty of the products of media influence to study but have made few recommendations concerning it. That's changing even though it may be all too late.