From the Editor's Desk
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          What does it mean for the future of world affairs when perhaps the best insights and strategic plans on foreign policy come to bear in a tongue-in-cheek monologue from Jon Stewart, underscored (and immediately followed by) more tongue-in-cheek proposals from Adam Carolla?

Don't get me wrong; Stewart and his writers hide keen political analysis behind their flippancy and sarcasm, and Carolla has been dishing fundamentally sound man-on-the-street advice since the early days with  Drew Pinsky  -- but their identification of the nuances behind Islamic fundamentalism and the follies of the war on drugs, and their proposed solutions, sound more thoroughly explored and more likely to succeed than the philosophies espoused by the analysts on CNN and Fox News. Am I the only one concerned here, people?

Stewart started things off on his August 10th show with a monologue addressing the motivations behind acts of terror, and Rob Corddry brought home the (mostly accurate) conclusion that hopelessness and disillusionment among Islamic youth provide the fuel for the violent Islamic movement. The punch line took the form of a question: Why can't these kids just do drugs like all the disillusioned teenagers that came before them? The road to 72 virgins should be easier paved with a good stash than with explosives strapped to the chest.

Carolla's new show follows the Daily Show on Comedy Central, and his theme for August 10th was the Bush administration's determination to clamp down on pot use. (Fallacious reason being: Pot is a gateway drug to more serious narcotics; let's cut that problem at it's source.) Carolla's takeaway from the new strategy for the war on drugs is that the millions of dollars and man-hours spent policing communities for Cheeto-eating dope smokers could be much better invested patrolling our ports and borders to ward off terrorist interlopers.

The Bush administration spent $15 millions to install Charlotte Beers and develop the Shared Values campaign -- since discontinued -- but it might be better served with a non-traditional approach: how about Snoop Dogg and the Shared Chronic campaign? It's really not much of a stretch. The youth in most cultures already embrace American trends and celebrities, even when they protest U.S. foreign policy. Start Snoop, Dre, and Warren G in a somewhat U.S.-hospitable Arab state (maybe Saudi Arabia, Egypt or even Palestine), equip them with a well-armored low-rider and an endless supply of herb, and let them road trip through the Middle East. It may not alleviate the hopelessness, but it will show Islamic teens the proper way to cope: drug-induced temporary amnesia. Pretty soon they'll be "workin' for the weekend" like the rest of us who are disillusioned and have no hope for independent wealth or financial security. Follow this campaign with some well-marketed professional sports (and easy access to an ancillary sports wagering industry), and I believe many of these radicals in training will forego extremist Web sites for CBS Sportsline.com.

Since September 11th, Islamic experts in the United States have been quick to reassure us that behind the differing customs and traditions of our faiths, people and their instinctive habits are strikingly the same. Did it take two Comedy Central jackasses to remind us we should capitalize on that?
 

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