Do a quick Google on Prof. Behrend and discover his fundamental support of Islam, as well as his own Sufism. In a word, TB is an apologist for Islam, routinely seeking to minimise and "explain" its more violent and fanatical expression.

In the real world, Israel is here to stay. Elaborate fantasies involving its dissolution are absurd, no matter how elaborately expressed in the academic-speak that TB reverts to (here and elsewhere) when he's challenged on this suggestion.

TB's assertion that Indonesia is an example of democracy and Islam peacefully coexisting is equally fanciful. Whether you wish to ascribe the bombings, beheadings (nuns in Poso), and increasing Islamisation of the nation over the last 15 years to politicking (cf. "Civil Islam" and its discussion of Suharto's attempt to woo Islamist voters in his twilight years of power), or to religion-inspired fanaticism, misses any meaningful point. Democracy barely works in theory in Indonesia, and not at all in practice. If the pesantren in central Java continue turning out graduates schooled in the Koran and little else, expect the world's largest Muslim state to continue its march toward Islamofascism. Dan kalau itu terjadi, ndak ada salah satu bule yang akan hidup dengan aman.

(And no, a presidential election in which Suharto's Golkar party retained or recovered most of its power and influence does not constitute an example of democracy in action. It was KKN with a veneer of free-choice.)

Anyhoo, as Salon tends so often to give voice to those in opposition to Israel, I echo the sentiment that this article offers the whiff of a suggestion of some balance.

An article bemoaning the lack of "cool" young Baptists? Dyslexics? Left-handed Greek-Americans?

They're equally dumb categories. Go for it.

Terrific article and analysis.

A minor stylistic quibble: Caveats about an author not having enough "time or space" to go into greater detail were accurate from the dawn of the written word until about the last decade of the 20th century. Here on the web, such an assertion is silly. A 500,000 word epic would still only need a fraction of the hard disk space occupied by the shortest Video Dog inanity.

So, please, unless Salon editors actually instruct their writers to limit their pieces to x-number of words--lamentably shortsighted, if true--no more moaning about space restrictions.

Well, if you wanted football fans to jab ya, Patrick, you succeeded this time!

There was a great Simpson's episode that included a soccer game. The entire stadium watched robotically as the teams kicked the ball back and forth, like slow-motion ping-pong. Dead silence. Funny, yes, but also a perfect illustration of American ignorance of the game.

As others have and no doubt will point out, a sport with hundreds of millions of fans must have something going for it. There's incredible finesse to the game, and, perhaps best of all, no damned commercial interruptions on TV. And THAT, folks, is the reason it hasn't caught on in the States. No sponsors = no marketing.

As for baseball, please. Dull, dull, dull. Basketball? Fine, if you like watching glandular cases flinging sweat on each other for an hour or so as the score predictably heads toward 300-290. American football is an absurdity wrapped in body-armor. Try Aussie-rules football for the real deal.

Cheers.

Cary--You should putter around and repair things more often. No need to buy an uninterruptible power supply. Your response was fine.

Oh, and for the Bowen-critics, I can only assume that you grew up a single child in a single-parent household. Sheesh.

Have to share the puzzlement. Patrick, you're sounding positively Empire! Flying the flag across the globe, wot.

After thinking for a moment, I think I can honestly say that the last thing I care about is the flag painted on the fuselage. First is safety, second is service, third is convenience. (And, for the latter two reasons, I try my best NOT to fly US carriers.)

I recently flew from Vancouver to Jakarta via Frankfurt, Zurich and Singapore solely because it meant I got a sweet deal on SQ, the universe's finest carrier. More than worth the extra hours, and, as it happened, I suffered the least jetlag ever upon arrival.

(Oh, and please god, would someone at United ditch the Gershwin? Isn't 20 years of aural torture enough?)

Weird. "Follow your bliss" one day, "tough it out" the next.

At the moment I am also in SE Asia. At one time I thought I wanted to stay here for good, but as bird-flu and suicide bombers and American arrogance have conspired to make this option less attractive, I'm moving on. Tall white guys in a sea of short brown are too tempting a target. Most expats who are still here obviously disagree, though I do my best to avoid other westerners and always have.

Yet there are those, like you, Ms. Letter Writer, who enjoy the company of fellow expats. Of course you can bail the hell out of suburban stagnation and return to Jogya or Cebu or Seoul or wherever. No, the exact same group of people may not be there when you arrive, but that's not the key. The key is that you are fish out of water in suburban USA yet swim like a dolphin where you lived before.

Go back. Choose another city in the same country, maybe, but go back and continue moving forward with your life. The alternative is to flap around gasping until you asphyxiate from despair.

Check out the Bowen link that Cary provided, particularly the concluding societal theory. Interesting stuff. And tends to reduce the likelihood of the knee-jerk response evinced by the first letter-writer here.

LW--you're a narcissist. Look it up. Cure it now. Or you'll be a divorced, bitter, looney old coot living on cat food before you know it.