Sunday links.
The amazing photography, politics and life work of Danny Lyon is featured in the NY Times Arts section today.
“I’m okay with discrimination against young Arab males from terrorist-producing states. I’m okay with that,” says Northshore Republican Congressman Mark Kirk. Ahmed Rehab confronts him.
A school in Topeka, Kansas named after gay poet Walt Whitman makes the homophobic Christian right go all buggy.
Mike comments on the bond that unites Al Sharpton and New Gingrich.
If you love doing the math, skoolboy Aaron Pallas will show you how to figure out whether NY charters make a difference in student performance. Be sure to show your work.
All the talk about the Pakistani government falling within 6 months, or of a Taliban takeover, flies in the face of everything we know about the character of Pakistani politics and institutions during the past two years.
My guess is that the alarmism is also being promoted from within Pakistan by Pervez Musharraf, who wants to make another military coup; and by civilian politicians in Islamabad, who want to extract more money from the US to fight the Taliban that they are secretly also bribing to attack Afghanistan.
Advice to Obama: Pakistan is being configured for you in ways that benefit some narrow sectional interests. Caveat emptor. Juan Cole
