Pointless Rambling

I'm sorry. This isn't a proper LYRC blog entry. But, fuck it. I'm going to post it anyway.

I was watching a discussion hosted by the Pritzker Military Library late last night on WTTW (Suicide Bombing: Who, Why and What Can Be Done About It) and it reminded me of other interesting tidbits on the subject of suicide bombers. That, in turn, got me thinking about this terrible lecture and two mp3 files (downloadable from this site via eponymagain). On top of which, I watched this on my commute to work this morning and have been reading (when time permits) the second part of Taylor Branch's trilogy on the Civil Rights Movement, Pillar of Fire. Anyway, all this miscellany had me reflecting on the amoral vacuity of cost-benefit analysis and how what we consider "rational" behavior takes a back seat to bedrock notions of identity and morality when it matters most – when everything is on the line. When all is said and done, I'd much rather have a dyed-in-the-wool Marine conducting a war in my country's name than a CEO. Marines, generally speaking, hold principles of honor, glory, sacrifice, trust and heroism sacred. CEOs, generally speaking, hold nothing sacred.

As the Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday approaches, it occurs to me that he never relied on cost-benefit analysis to rationalize his plight. Nor did he demand that anyone accept a fundamentalist religious position. Instead, he talked – relentlessly – about Justice and Love.

This brought me back to suicide bombers and widespread misconceptions about their prevalence, efficacy, motivations and goals. And I had a kind of epiphany.

Unfortunately, it's time to log off and go home so I don't have any time to get into it. Fuck it. I'm going to buy a bottle of wine, watch a DVD, and try to get through another evening.

See? Not a proper blog entry.