Hmmmmm

Democracy seems to be doing good these days. The funny thing is, if you set things in motion in the right direction, over time, life gets better and better and things will start to smooth out. I firmly believe that. It is one of the reasons I got into film...I knew I would like it and be decent at it, but it's such a big hump to dive into and it's still a rough and shakey beginning. I do have confidence, however, that in the long run, it will work out for me. I'm not sure why. I guess it's that American optimism.

Same thing applies to democracy, I think. It can be rough at the beginning, real rough...but once started, it compounds on itself and before you know it, it's ten years later and all of a sudden those dreams people had about living peacefully and in prosperity ten years prior, dreams that seemed impossible at the time, have suddenly become real. It's actually quite amazing. So I think it's important to look at the little signs of progress that happen in between the bad news that makes the media money.

Another thing...as Glenn Reynolds notes, why is it that the Muslims acting the most democratically are the ones living under Israeli and American occupation? The more important question is, of course: are Muslims noticing it? According to this article, they are not...

...."there are more women with PHds in Iraq than in America, why do you think that is?" asked my boss at the old internship. I said, "Well, the standards are probably less." Racist, sure. But if I had to be honest, it's what I would suspect. Judging by this article, I think I'm correct. How is this guy a professor? He offers no alternative to the election process in Iraq, he simple espouses not voting. What does he propose? Nothing. This is a childish article written by a hack. My question is: how the hell is he a professor in the UK?