Saturday pot pourri

SCIENCE AND RELIGION: Richard Dawkins recently interviewed the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams. To watch an excerpt of the interview at the Episcopal Café, follow this link. Archbishop Williams emphasizes how he is able to believe in God without adopting views contrary to the insights of modern science.

ISRAEL: Both the Times Online (Lindsay McIntosh, “The British public are demonising Israel, ambassador says,” May 5, 2010) and the New York Times (Paul Vitello, “On Israel, Jews and Leaders Often Disagree,” May 6, 2010) have featured stories about Jews in the UK and the US disagreeing with their political leaders about Israeli government policies. The hyper-sensitivity of Israel to criticism (cf. Ethical Musings, “Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict) is evident in the Times Online piece when the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom alleges that the British public “demonizes” Israel with respect to its policies toward Palestinians. If President Obama and other world leaders successfully tap into widespread, if silent, public opinion opposed to racist Israeli policies, perhaps this will help to end Israeli intransigence with respect to a viable Palestinian state and facilitate progress toward establishing a meaningful peace in that strife torn region.

TERRORISM AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS: South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham made some amazing, oxymoronic statements at a recent hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. On the one hand, he staunchly defended the second amendment rights of putative terrorists to own firearms. On the other hand, he vigorously denounced reading terrorism suspects their Miranda rights, rights at least equally established in the Constitution (e.g., the right against self-incrimination and the right to an attorney). (Gail Collins, “Congress, Up in Arms,” New York Times, May 5, 2010)

Graham provided no explanation of why suspected terrorists deserve one and not all constitutional rights. The political explanation seems obvious and highly likely: politically potent special groups like the National Rifle Association support Graham with campaign contributions and endorsements. In exchange, he toes the party line: citizens have an unbridgeable right to own and bear arms. Defenders of the right against self-incrimination, to a competent attorney, etc., neither endorse nor contribute to Graham’s campaigns.

Arguably, the Miranda rights are more basic and more important to preserving this nation’s democratic government in the twenty-first century. Ordinary citizens loosely organized into volunteer militias and armed with then state of the art weapons represented a worthy foe for eighteenth century militaries, as evidenced by the success of militias in the American Revolution. Too often, those militias receive more credit than they deserve. The colonies would never have won their revolution without both a national army (the Continentals) and foreign military aid. In the twenty-first century, loosely organized militias can fight effectively against modern military prowess only by relying on terrorist strategy and tactics (e.g., the Hutaree in Michigan), hoping to development sufficient momentum and international support to wage guerilla war with the support of foreign military assistance (e.g., as the mujahidin did against the Soviets in Afghanistan).

Rights that protect against self-incrimination, ensure adequate legal counsel, enforce due process, etc., safeguard the rule of law that is basic to democratic governance on a daily basis. Graham’s comments alarm me because they signal the extent to which at least some of this nation’s leaders place self-interest ahead of democratic fundamentals.

FAMILY VALUES: “Family values” (preaching abstinence, advocating couples never divorce, etc.) apparently weaken families. Recent research reveals that the states with the highest divorce and teen pregnancy rates vote republican, the party most closely aligned with family values. The converse is true as well; states that tend to vote democratic have lower divorce and teen pregnancy rates. To read the research, report in the National Journal magazine this month, follow this link.

ENERGY RESEARCH:

Technology companies spend 5 percent to 15 percent of revenue on research and development. Energy companies, on the other hand, spend only one-quarter of 1 percent. The federal government spends $30 billion on health research, but only $3 billion on clean energy research. (David Brooks, “American Power Act,” New York Times, April 29, 2010)

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND MIDDLE-AGE: Middle-aged brains are still developing, better at inductive reasoning and problem solving than younger brains, and better in social situations than younger brains. These improvements result from the neural pathways and information acquired through decades of living. The best scientifically proven method for enhancing brain function is physical exercise. Social involvement also can make a difference; some data suggests that exercising the brain (e.g., learning a foreign language or working puzzles) can also improve brain functioning. (Tara Parker-Pope, “The Talents of a Middle-Aged Brain - Well Blog,” New York Times, April 30, 2010)

SUNNI AWAKENING MOVEMENT: The Sunni Awakening movement, funded largely by the United States, purchased the “loyalty” of Sunni tribes. Those tribes feel disenfranchised in the aftermath of the recent Iraqi general election, having failed to establish a significant voting presence (Tim Arango, “Iraqi Sunnis Frustrated as Awakening Loses Clout,” New York Times, May 3, 2010). This represents another data point that supports my prediction that the nominal Iraqi democracy will give way to a dictatorship, probably Shiite. Sunnis who violently revolt against the Iraqi government or who align themselves with insurgents groups such as al Qaeda will likely face increasingly repressive government reaction.