My Page: Nick Gier
The Destruction of Afghan Cultural TreasuresDuring the 7th Century AD Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley was home to ten monasteries and over 1,000 monks. Many of the monks lived as hermits in caves in the cliffs where giant Buddha statues were chiseled out of solid rock. The elaborate cave art is the first ever painted with oils, six centuries before Europeans perfected this medium. Eight years ago this month the Taliban destroyed these statues. For images before and after and a sample of the painting see the full version at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/Bamyian.htm. [more]
Internal Pick Best for New UI PresidentAfter being burned in our enthusiastic support for Elizabeth Zinser in 1993, my faculty union is no longer recommending presidential candidates. My personal favorite, however, is Donald Burnett, currently dean of the UI law school. Burnett has the all the makings of a great president: solid integrity, eloquent speaker, politically astute, and excellent interpersonal skills. He knows Idaho and the university and we know him well. [more]
Iraq War not Worth the SacrificeTaking the history of Palestinian refugees as a guide, Nir Rosen, author "In the Belly of the Green Bird: The Triumph of the Martyrs in Iraq," predicts that the 2.4 million Iraqi refugees, especially the youth, in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon will be radicalized by their experience and be tempted to join jihadist groups. See full version of column at www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/Iraq09.htm and all of Gier's column on Iraq at /IraqColumns.htm. [more]
500,000 Embryos Cry Out to be BornIn a heated argument on RadarOnline.com, octuplets mom Nadya Suleman's mother reminded her daughter that she could have kept some of her embryos in the freezer. Suleman shot back that her embryos "were lives . . . you either use them or destroy them." For her discarding them was definitely not an option. For the full version see www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/Suleman.htm. [more]
Religion and Society
Somali Woman Rejects Islam With a VengeanceAyann Hirsi Ali is on a crusade against her former religion, claiming that Islam is inherently violent and is particularly destructive of the lives of women. In 2004 her anti-Islamic activism led to the murder of a Dutch filmmaker and resulted in death threats against her. Five years later as a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Hirsi Ali still requires full-time bodyguards. See full version with Ali's picture and an image from film at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/HirsiAli.htm [more]
High-Speed Rail Key to Infrastructure RenewalOne of the sad ironies of infrastructure renewal is that Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were raising huge sums of private money for this purpose until they both crashed. Read the full version and view the iconic image of Bullet Train/Mt. Fuji/Cherry Blossoms at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/BulletTrain.htm [more]
Obama’s Strengths: Intellect, Openness, and PragmatismPeggy Noonan, former Reagan speech writer, claims that intellectual "start all the trouble in the word," but of course this is absurd. An English philosopher named John Locke gave us the idea of three branches of government and the principle of religious tolerance. Early American intellectuals such as Roger Williams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln read Locke and other thinkers of the European Enlightenment and founded the most successful liberal democracy in world history. See full version at www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/ObamaIntellect.htm. [more]
Major Issues Remain from the War in GazaSince I wrote this column both Hamas and Israel have agreed to a cease fire. Let's hope that the rocket launchings stop and that the people of Gaza get the the food and medical care that they so desperately need. The blockade has to end and aid trucks need to cross through the check-points unhindered. Read the full version at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/Gaza.htm. [more]
Forgiveness: Human and DivineGeorge Bush has just released his list of presidential pardons, so perhaps some of you, as part of your new year's resolutions, have decided that you would also forgive those who have hurt you. One would think that religion would be a good guide for this process, but deeper reflection shows that it may not be. Read the full version at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/forgiveness.htm. [more]
UI Athletics Gets Big Breaks in Financial CrisesIf any academic program had a record as poor as the University of Idaho football and men's basketball teams, it would be eliminated or at least reduced in its mission. But since 1999 state funding for UI athletics went from $1.78 million to $3.04 million, a 71 percent increase. By comparison general education budgets for Idaho higher education have increased only 46 percent during the same period. Something is terribly wrong with this picture. [more]
