30. november 2003

Huffing and puffing over Baghdad visit Some journalists (but by no means all) are getting all riled up that the White House flat out lied to them to conceal President Bush' surprise Thanksgiving visit to Baghdad. This is one example where journalists are just too full of themselves. They will get no support whatsoever from the public for whining about being mislead in this case. Yes, the White House lied, but even a child can understand it was necessary to do so. And everybody learned pretty soon where the president really was. PS: When we're on the subject, check out leftwing loonie Wayne Madsen at Counterpunch who made a whole conspiracy article out of the idea that the thanksgiving dinner in Baghdad was really an early morning breakfast, because he couldn't understand the difference between AM and PM. 10:12:20 PM    comment []  trackback []

The sacred Anglican marriage The below text is making the rounds on the Internet these days, purporting to be a letter to the editor of a number of newspapers, but whatever the source is, it is very funny. The subject is of course the openly Gay bishop being ordained in the Episcopalian/Anglican church. "The actions taken by the New Hampshire Episcopalians are an affront to Christians everywhere. I am just thankful that the church's founder, Henry VIII, and his wife Catherine of Aragon, and his wife Anne Boleyn, and his wife Jane Seymour, and his wife Anne of Cleves, and his wife Katherine Howard, and his wife Catherine Parr are no longer here to suffer through this assault on traditional Christian marriage." It is actually true. The Anglican church exists because Henry VIII wanted to divorce Catherina of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn instead. At least the Spanish woman kept her head. 6:45:53 PM    comment []  trackback []

Yet another Hitler book It seems every historian in the world has to write their own Third Reich book. Can there really be anything more to say about Nazi Germany and Hitler? Neal Ascherson ponders this question as he reviews yet another book in the crowded field, Richard J Evans' The Coming of the Third Reich. The standard bibliography of works on the Nazi period stood at more than 37,000 entries in the year 2000, having increased from 'a mere 25,000' in 1995. Maybe it will be worth a look after all, because the review actually gave a piece of information that had previously escaped me: Most revealing of all - to me - was Evans's treatment of the negotiations which finally let Hitler into the chancellorship. Was it concern for freedom which made old President Hindenburg so reluctant to appoint him? The hell it was! For the authoritarian monsters who were now running Germany, the Nazis were actually too democratic. 'Appointing a government led by the leader of the party which had won the elections would now look too much like going back to a parliamentary system of rule.' In that single dry sentence, the terminal sickness of Weimar democracy is summed up. I guess that is the lesson we should never tire of repeating, and pondering. Anti-democratic elitism can be a serious threat. 3:19:35 PM    comment []  trackback []

Palestinian prime minister says security barrier threatens peace talks Ahmed Qureia, prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, has all but stated that there is no point in meeting with Israel's Ariel Sharon if the work on the security barrier is not halted. "If the Israeli government says it will continue building the wall ... then there is no need for any meetings," he said, referring to possible talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "I am not saying this is a precondition, but I want serious positions (from Israel)."   Israel will not stop work on the fence unless the PA managed to rein in the militants and stop the terror attacks. And the PA now says it will refuse to negotiate unless the building of the fence (or, as it likes to say, the "wall") is stopped. And there we go again. 1:05:38 PM    comment []  trackback []

Guantanamo officer charged Intelligence officer Army Col. Jack Farr has become the fourth person charged with breaches of security at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He is being charged with "wrongfully transporting classified material without the proper security container on or around Oct. 11" and of lying to investigators. Earlier, two Arabic translators and a Muslim chaplain have been charged in security breaches. 11:23:31 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.12.2003; 01:41:20.