Odd Juxtaposition

The New York Times reported yesterday, “[Defense Secretary Robert] Gates arrived in Iraq. . .to urge accelerated efforts to reach a series of political benchmarks to lower tensions among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds (G.I.’s in Iraq Open Big Offensive Against Al Qaeda.)

[General Petraeus] said troops would continue operating in neighborhoods of Baghdad to calm Sunni-Shiite tensions and “ensure that fault lines do not once again produce a spiral of violence.”

I wonder if I am the only one thinking that people outfitted as combat troopers might not be the best bet to calm tensions.

In the sidebar to this story, the most emailed article for the day regarded meditation in public schools (In the Classroom, a New Focus on Quieting the Mind.) The article says a Miss Megan teaches loving kindness and mindfulness to kids in Oakland schools.

Student Tyran Williams defined mindfulness as “not hitting someone in the mouth.”

Alex Menton, 11, said “I was losing at baseball and I was about to throw a bat. The mindfulness really helped.”

Mind you, I am not hopeful. It is just a wry article positioning.

--Lisa