The Personal is Political. The Political is Personal.

 
symptomologies

Via Eschaton, we read Rep. Jean Schmidt's reminiscences of her college days.

I wonder if Schmidt's "very valuable professor" at the University of Cincinnati in 1970, one "Wie Zuefabushi (ph)," the one who allegedly said "If we don't create freedom in that region it's going to come back and attack us," was one I. Tzvi Abusch, now at Brandeis. Perhaps some enterprising journalist could call him up, and see if he's the guy, if he remembers Ms. Schmidt, if she characterizes his past views correctly, how he feels about being invoked in a news conference by a House Republican, and what he thinks about Dubya's war.

Abusch's areas of interest include ancient "magical and medical texts in the form of symptomologies, diagnoses, and therapies: rituals, prayers, incantations, and medical treatments" and "researching the healing 'message' in the anti-witchcraft literature of Babylonia and Assyria." I wonder if someone could pour a little of that ancient healing wisdom on the U.S. House of Representatives.

[update 11/18/05, 9:15 p.m.: Less crappy researchers than myself have uncovered that Rep. Schmidt's prof was probably one Prof. Wasif Abboushi. I am disappointed by this because I would have appreciated the possible injection into the debate about the U.S.A.'s GWOT a discussion of whether it needs to start to incorporate "anti-witchcraft" strategies. Such a discussion would add yet another surreal note to the already darkly absurdist ambient melody and reinforce the notion that the U.S.A. will overlook no tool, however ancient.]

posted by TiR at 7:17 AM