I should add that I'm reading the book now, and I'm finding it as an extremely satisfying account of the everywoman's tale of American exceptionalism. Full Article at Lawyers, Guns and Money

On official Pentagon statistics about one per cent of members of the US armed forces today are Muslims, though the actual quotient is no doubt higher, since the 1 per cent number is based on initial declarations of religious persuasion on an official... Full Article at Counterpunch

As PM, Kevin Rudd is yet to back strong words with brave decisions. KEVIN Rudd, like most politicians, cares a lot about his political legacy. Full Article at The Age

We live in an age when everyone is encouraged to have their say on Twitter or blogs. Full Article at New Statesman

the stern rebuke of the law." SOME OF THE best histories have been written by amateurs, including Thucydides, Edward Gibbon and, in our own time, Barbara Tuchman, Shelby Foote and David McCullough. Richard Schwartz is another one. Full Article at Inside Bay Area

Polls consistently show that soldiers do not want the armed services turned into a laboratory of social experimentation. But a president who spends more time in the company of Oprah than his generals has no intention of listening to them. Full Article at American Spectator