Silent Servants...

Silent Servants...

... of the Used, Abused, and Utterly Screwed Up.

A Secular Franciscan looks at the world...
with a more jaundiced eye than ever...
and lots of ellipses for you to fill in the missing text...
(with thanks to Thomas S. Klise for the title)



Showing posts with label Middle East. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Middle East. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Progress?





Progress and Rat Poison in Morocco

It may seem so for some people, but it really alway depends on where you are in the culture. What may seem to be progress and freedom to some is anything but for others.








Saturday, December 31, 2011

Every year this happens


Priests brawl in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity

This, in miniature, shows the tensions of the Middle East. They weren't arrested because they're all men of God? Really bizarre!




Tuesday, December 13, 2011

On the other hand


it is always good to get corresponding archaeological 'biblical' news from secular or non-evangelical news sites.

Archaeological Evidence for Sodom: Recent Findings Shed Light on Discoveries of ‘Biblical Proportions’

Questions are asked and answers given that support whatever religious persuasion is asking the questions. It's also always important to realize that, unless they find a sign that says 'Welcome to Sodom, Your Home Away From Home. Pop. 23,476' there's no way of knowing, truly, for certain that it is or isn't what they claim...


Tuesday, December 06, 2011

It is really sad...


...that certain groups of people don't want to live in peace with others.

Afghanistan bombs kill 58 in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif

All they really want to do is kill anyone who doesn't believe exactly as they do. And if they ever managed to do that they would start killing each other. I think all they really want to do is kill...




This is very high on my list


of places I'd like to visit one day.

Petra: The city of stone

It has always fascinated me...


Saturday, October 01, 2011

I hope it's not just me

Islamist cleric Anwar Awlaki killed in Yemen
"US-born radical Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a key al-Qaeda leader, has been killed in Yemen, the country's defence ministry said."
Does anyone else have a problem with the American military bouncing around all over the world firing missles and sending military excursions into the sovereign territory of other countries? For the most part it's happening in the Middle East, but if they feel threatened, where will it end? And who appointed them the world's police anyway?

They're not the richest country in the world anymore, and arguments can be made that they're no longer the most powerful. I started worrying when I saw on the news one time that the F.B.I. came into Canada and took over an investigation simply because it affected the U.S.. What authority do they have to do this? It happened in Canada to Canadians, but no, they have to be in charge.

I think they're running on their past glory...


Thursday, September 22, 2011

I admire the political tenacity

of so many people, particularly since it is extremely obvious that the Taliban really have no desire to enter any kind of peace talks.

Former Afghanistan President Burhanuddin Rabbani assassinated

There's no talking with murderers...



Saturday, January 29, 2011

Why would any group


need to be 'urged to condemn' any unprovoked attack on a civilian population?

US Congress urged to condemn Egypt church attack

Isn't politics wonderful?


Tuesday, June 15, 2010

It doesn't matter who it was

who committed this unspeakable crime, they are still monsters!

Taleban hang 7-year-old boy to punish family

There isn't a punishment severe enough for people who would do something like this...


Saturday, March 06, 2010

I've read

Lawrence's book, and one weighty biography of him, and he has always fascinated me as an individual. There are many unknown sides to him, I believe, and I think that was admirably portrayed by one of my favourite actors, Peter O'Toole, in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia...

The Lessons of Lawrence

(Though why this review should be on a website called InsideCatholic with no religious discussion seems a bit unusual. Still, a fascinating subject...)



Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Ummm... at least

it's powered by biofuel...?.?...

Abu Dhabi Oil Billionaire's Absurd Mercedes Benz

I'll bet this is the kind of conspicuous consumption that the prosperity gospel preachers would admire...



Tuesday, December 15, 2009

It will be interesting

to find out who is behind these various acts of vandalism...

Israeli premier denounces attack on a mosque

Is someone framing Jewish settlers, or are fundamentalist Jews trying to strike back at who they see as their historical enemies?

Nothing is ever easy in the Middle East...


Monday, December 14, 2009

Politics, religion,

and war...

Jesus Day, Baghdad

There is no way to separate religion and politics and, in this case, the threat of violence and killing...