See No Evil


Baer, Robert (2002). See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA’s War on Terrorism. New York: Three Rivers Press.

If I had read this book when it first came out, or even before I saw the movie Syriana (that is loosely based on this book), I don’t think I would have given it quite the attention and thought it deserved. So, first of all – go see Syriana. It’s a terrific story, and it is done very well.

Secondly – read this book, and think about what Baer is telling us. That, through a series of unfortunate accidents and bad policy decisions, the United States has been, by design, woefully ignorant of the cultures, languages, and peoples of the Middle East. That, because of our stubborn dependence on oil, we are also dependent on what goes on in the Middle East. And that, because we have failed to learn about the people that live there, we are helpless and foolish and stupid.

Rating: Three Oogs (because evil – especially as described in this book - is truly the stuff of nightmares)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Colorful Booties and Socks

Image
It is the Year of Colorwork, but mostly what I've done so far is produce a few color ful items!  I've been making this baby bootie pattern for years, mostly from leftover sock yarns.  This particular yarn is what remained from last fall's Flamewalker Socks .  That these booties stand up all by their jaunty selves makes them particularly appealing. These are  Crazy For You socks.  They haven't told me yet exactly whom they are crazy for , but I'll let them ponder that for a while.  It appears I may have caught a bit of Knitting New England's Tangerine Tango  with all of these orangey colors!
Read more

Wingspan, Part I

Image
I have two skeins of Classic Elite Alpaca Sox yarn that absolutely refuse to become socks. They pool, they gap, they otherwise cry and carry on in all sorts of ways. So, they are becoming Wingspans instead. I finished the first one last night, and cast on the second one this morning. They are, indeed, a pleasurable and addictive knit!
Read more

Wedding Pillows

Image
I've been busy, but I don't have much to show for it - yet. You will be seeing a lot of finished lace in the coming days, so stay tuned! In the meantime, here are two pillows that I dyed and knit for friends who are getting married next week.
Read more