Veeeeeeery interesting

This is pretty interesting:  It seems that a papayrus fragment (early writing paper) that was discovered in 2012 and has become known as "The Gospel of Jesus's Wife" is likely real and not a modern day forgery.  

Researchers at Colombia, Harvard, and MIT (and The National Enquirer?) did their fancy-pants analysis and said it was almost certainly part of an ancient manuscript that wasn't edited or tampered with.  

The papyrus, ink, etc was all genuinely ancient and not a modern reproduction.  On it is supposedly written, "Jesus said to them, 'My wife....'." and goes on to say, "She will be able to be my disciple...".

I'm sure women's groups are ecstatic, reminding everyone of the old saying, "Behind every good man is a good woman" and saying this should open the door for women to become priests.

And atheists are probably stirring the pot, too, suggesting that Jesus might have just been a guy looking for an excuse to get away from the Mrs, the in-laws, taking out the trash, etc.

I'm thinking this will eventually just go into that "unsolved" file along with the Shroud of Turin and that supposedly divine piece of toast that looked like Jesus.

I doubt it will change many minds.  Carry on.  :)

S

Somebody please refresh my memory....

Why are the US and other allied nations fighting in Afghanistan?  As I recall from 12 years ago, the US was pissed at the Taliban government of Afghanistan because it wouldn't close the terrorist training bases there and turn over Osama bin Laden and friends to stand trial for 9/11.  So we sent in a few dozen special forces with some communications equipment and CIA agents with suitcases full of cash.

We bribed the various tribal leaders to pull together (the Northern Alliance), at least temporarily, to fight their common enemy the Taliban.  They did, the Taliban abdicated, the terrorist bases were closed, and Osama went underground.  So why didn't we just have a parade, declare victory, and come back home?

Why did we stay and try our hand at "nation building"?  First of all, Afghanistan, like most Middle Eastern countries, isn't really a "country" at all.  It's just a bunch of tribes that were arbitrarily fenced in together by a line drawn on a map by their colonial "protectors" a century ago.  Their loyalties are to their tribe.  Period.

The three richest men in Afghanistan?

And now the Afghan Supremo Crooko, el Presidente Humid Carbide, is telling us he is breaking off "long-term security talks" with the US because we dissed him.  Well cry me a river, Humid.

Why do we keep sending him his monthly shakedown?  As with most of the foreign aid we send to Mid-East "leaders", little makes it to the people.  Most stops with the leaders and their families and cronies.

Listen up Humid...."long term" to you means about 30 seconds after the last US soldier gets back on the plane and comes home.  That's about how long it will take for your Afghan "security detail" to sell you out for a couple of goats and whack you and return life to the tribal warfare that has been the Afghan way for eons.  The Brits didn't change it.  The Rooskies didn't change it.  And neither did we.

We can just keep an eye on any terrorist activity that might pop up there and impact us.  If we find any we can just send in another CIA agent with another suitcase full of cash to bribe the appropriate warlord, things "happen", and the problem goes away.  Easy.  Then they can go back to living their life however they want.  Live and let live I say.  Er....

I call it "Scott's Foreign Policy".  I doubt they'll be teaching it at the Harvard School of International Relations.  They should.  What they're teaching now isn't working.

S

Well...DUH!

I wonder how much Harvard spent on this gem of a research project?.......


Harvard report: Housing recovery hinges on return of demand


Really?  I coulda told 'em that for half of what they paid one of their tenured eggheads, I'm sure.  Must have been a government funded study.  Jeez!


S