Opinion: In today’s pages: Putin, Mugabe, and Mother Nature
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Georgetown’s John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed of Gallup’s Center for Muslim Studies says what you don’t know about Muslims can hurt you:
How much do Americans know about the views and beliefs of Muslims around the world? According to polls, not much. Perhaps not surprising, the majority of Americans (66%) admit to having at least some prejudice against Muslims; one in five say they have ‘a great deal’ of prejudice. Almost half do not believe American Muslims are ‘loyal’ to this country, and one in four do not want a Muslim as a neighbor. Why should such anti-Muslim bias concern us? First, it undermines the war on terrorism: Situations are misdiagnosed, root causes are misidentified and bad prescriptions do more harm than good....
The University of Chicago’s Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein apply the ‘choice architecture’ of grocery stores and cafeterias to public institutions. Columnist Tim Rutten says functioning anti-gang programs are held hostage in the L.A. City Council’s ongoing turf war.
The editorial board reacts to the Zimbabwean election, and finds itself in an unusual position -- agreeing with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Two editorial writers, Eryn Brown and Karin Klein, reflect on human efforts to mimic Mother Nature.
Readers don’t agree with Joseph S. Nye Jr’s claim that President Bush could be our Woodrow Wilson. See why Sierra Madre’s Howard W. Hays says, ‘I can’t think of two figures more dissimilar.’