Reasons to move to France, Vol II or maybe III:
On Thurs., Sept 23 at 9:00 PM, the Commonwealth of Virginia proved once again that vengeance is alive and well in America. Teresa Lewis, judged barely mentally competent to stand trial for the contract murder of her husband and stepson, was executed by lethal injection. Republican Governor Bob McDonnell denied a plea for clemency. Shocking!
Teresa Lewis did the crime. She confessed to it. The actual murderers who were hired to do the deed testified against her. Both are serving life, having bargained their testimony to avoid the gurney. So the happy conclusion here is that the prosecutors in Richmond decided to allow the actual killers to live in return for a slam-dunk capital murder case against a woman with the IQ of a bag of Doritos. See, the way that works is, we here in Virginia are so tough on crime and criminals we'll execute feeble women, children (except the wussy Supreme Court says we can't) cute dogs, even people already dead. Naturally, the civilized world is outraged. Wimps!
Still, when you get a lesson in double standards from Iran you might want to pay attention. Everybody's favorite pain-in-the-ass Mahmoud Ahmadinejad compared the lack of Western outrage over the execution of Teresa Lewis to that of the possible stoning of an Iranian woman sentenced to death for adultery. Although it's hardly a parallel case, adultery isn't murder and stoning isn't lethal injection, he has a point. When the subject is state sponsored executions we have a serious blind spot. We kill our citizens for offenses deemed sufficient to warrant the punishment. Should we not also allow other countries the same latitude? As to the method of execution: beheading, electrocution, hanging, stoning; tomatoes-tomatos, right. Dead is dead. Face it, we have a lot more in common with Bedouin tribes and theocratic dictatorships than with civilized countries when the subject is law and order.
As to how the state-sponsored death of a mentally challenged woman glorifies any aspect of life in these United States or makes us better as a country, I'm at a loss to explain. Maybe Governor McDonnell knows. Tea-baggers want government to accept that America is a Christian country. Explain how being Christian squares with capital punishment.
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But all is not lost. Executions in Kentucky and Oklahoma have been postponed. Sadly, the reason for the stays is not compassion but a shortage of sodium thiopental, the anesthetic portion of the lethal cocktail. Considering the speed with which Southern States are ordering the drug, no one should be surprised. Hell, why not just bang the condemned over the head with a ball bat. That would really offend the Iranians.
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An American staff sergeant is accused of planning the killing Afghan civilians for no other reason than hating them. Staff Sergeant Calvin R. Gibbs supposedly led a team of five American soldiers including Specialist Jeremy Morlock in the random murder of people whose only crime was- wrong place, wrong time. Can't you just hear Lee Greenwood singing "I'm Proud to be an American"?
This story isn't fully written yet and trials are a long way off but, if true, America needs to forget our Status-of-Forces Agreement with Afghanistan and turn these fine examples of American manhood over to the Afghans for sentencing. If they wish to appeal, tell them to call Bob McDonnell.
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But enough about executions and murder, how about Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Baptist in Atlanta? Having started with almost nothing, Bishop Long currently boasts a congregation of 25,000, up from 300 in 1987. On his way to celestial glory, (his followers believe he is "anointed". By whom, exactly, we're not sure) Bishop Long has offered spiritual guidance to famous athletes and a few politicians. Unfortunately he has also used his powers of persuasion to seduce four young men in his congregation. The four are suing Bishop Long for sexual abuse.
Naturally, Bishop Long has been a vocal opponent of gay marriage and the homosexual lifestyle. Note to self: When a preacher rails against promiscuity, check his car ashtrays for condom wrappers. When he cries to God about the evils of homosexuality, search his desk drawer for his La Cage aux Folles keepsakes.
This is just another chapter in the mega-church fraud game. Another talented carnival barker using religion to feed his own lusts and lifestyle. Bishop Long is a caricature writ large. He travels with an entourage. His car is a Bentley. His 230-acre Baptist complex is one of the largest and most powerful voices in the Black Christian universe. No one would normally care about another self-aggrandizing bible thumper getting caught not practicing what he preaches except that these charlatans have influence. It was the black Christians of California that denied the right of marriage to gays in the Golden State. Please, people, stop listening to these false prophets. Worship at Burger King. At least you'll get lunch.
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This just in...a man shot and killed himself on the sixth floor of the University of Texas Library in Austin. WOW. Who would have suspected that a library in Texas would actually have six floors?
What? Too soon?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
...or should the Catholic Church stop taking public relations advice from BP?
"Every time I try to get out, they pull me back in." I know exactly how Michael Corleone feels. Each new article about how the Catholic Church is reinvigorating its efforts to get past the sexual abuse scandals reminds me that we have heard it all before. Whether the newest revelation occurs in Germany, France, the U.S. or Belgium the plot remains the same. Some Cardinal is forced into a public statement regarding new details of abuse by the priests in his diocese. The prelate is, of course, dismayed (he can hardly be shocked). New safeguards are promised, new apologies are made,victims are consoled. No one thinks it ironic that the consolation comes from the same source as the abuse.
The Vatican has depleted its supply of sackcloth and ashes. All the hair shirts have been distributed. We all know how very sorry you are. Tragically however the remedies remain half hearted and still smell of an incense-ladened cover-up. The Catholic Church in the person of his Holliless the Pope is still praying night and day that this sorry mess just goes away. Praying is all they have left. Blaming the media didn't work. Painting the Church in America as an isolated cauldron of sin failed miserably as Germany, Ireland and now Belgium exploded in the press. The clerical spin-doctors in Rome have blamed everyone short of Pontius Pilate for the consistent, pervasive, systemic patterns of sexual abuse inside the Roman Catholic Church. The time for blame is over. Fix it.
There is only one way to get passed this tragedy: call the cops. The Church in Rome has continually dodged the simple remedy of treating their abusive priests as the criminals they are. The Church wants to protect them as though the transgression was akin to stealing from the poor box or being drunk during Mass. The Holy See has attempted to enforce a statute of limitations on older cases hoping to leave adult victims without remedy. If Catholicism ever expects to restore any shred of moral superiority to its institutions, they must prosecute each and every verifiable case of abuse. Period. Anything less makes a mockery of the entire concept of organized religion.
No one should care if Rome continues to refuse ordination to married men or to women. If the Vatican wishes to see itself become extinct while clinging to out-moded traditions, so what? There is no shortage of churches to absorb the faithful. God will still be God. However, Rome must clean house. Any priest found guilty of abusing a child must be defrocked immediately and publicly. The time for "handling these things "in-house" has passed.Think Spanish Inquisition only without the rack.
By the way, just to show that Pope Benedict XVI hasn't lost his comic touch, attend the tale of his recent trip to the UK. While touring in England the Pope announced the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, a former Anglican priest and scholar who lived in the nineteenth century and converted to Catholicism. Cardinal Newman believed that the Church of England and the Church of Rome should reunite. Considering the thousands of Protestants barbecued during an earlier attempt at reunification this was not an especially popular notion. Also, Benedict had previously proclaimed that Popes should not participate in the beatification process. Apparently the Pope chose to break his own edict in order to poke a finger in the eye of the country in which he was a guest. Smooth.
The Vatican has depleted its supply of sackcloth and ashes. All the hair shirts have been distributed. We all know how very sorry you are. Tragically however the remedies remain half hearted and still smell of an incense-ladened cover-up. The Catholic Church in the person of his Holliless the Pope is still praying night and day that this sorry mess just goes away. Praying is all they have left. Blaming the media didn't work. Painting the Church in America as an isolated cauldron of sin failed miserably as Germany, Ireland and now Belgium exploded in the press. The clerical spin-doctors in Rome have blamed everyone short of Pontius Pilate for the consistent, pervasive, systemic patterns of sexual abuse inside the Roman Catholic Church. The time for blame is over. Fix it.
There is only one way to get passed this tragedy: call the cops. The Church in Rome has continually dodged the simple remedy of treating their abusive priests as the criminals they are. The Church wants to protect them as though the transgression was akin to stealing from the poor box or being drunk during Mass. The Holy See has attempted to enforce a statute of limitations on older cases hoping to leave adult victims without remedy. If Catholicism ever expects to restore any shred of moral superiority to its institutions, they must prosecute each and every verifiable case of abuse. Period. Anything less makes a mockery of the entire concept of organized religion.
No one should care if Rome continues to refuse ordination to married men or to women. If the Vatican wishes to see itself become extinct while clinging to out-moded traditions, so what? There is no shortage of churches to absorb the faithful. God will still be God. However, Rome must clean house. Any priest found guilty of abusing a child must be defrocked immediately and publicly. The time for "handling these things "in-house" has passed.Think Spanish Inquisition only without the rack.
By the way, just to show that Pope Benedict XVI hasn't lost his comic touch, attend the tale of his recent trip to the UK. While touring in England the Pope announced the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, a former Anglican priest and scholar who lived in the nineteenth century and converted to Catholicism. Cardinal Newman believed that the Church of England and the Church of Rome should reunite. Considering the thousands of Protestants barbecued during an earlier attempt at reunification this was not an especially popular notion. Also, Benedict had previously proclaimed that Popes should not participate in the beatification process. Apparently the Pope chose to break his own edict in order to poke a finger in the eye of the country in which he was a guest. Smooth.
...or can we no longer ingore the pestilence that is Newt?
Like squirrels in the attic, we must sooner or later address the problem that is Newt Gingrich. Newt was easy enough to ignore over the past few years. He was a regular on the conservative talk circuit and, sitting next to Laura Ingram or Neil Cavuto, he always appeared reasonable. OK, that's not much of a trick. Gingrich's rumpled manner and professorial speech patterns made audiences harken back to ancient classrooms and boring teachers.
We all knew that Newt's colorful personal life (two messy divorces, two messy ex-wives) would preclude his reentry into national politics. His persecution and prosecution of Bill Clinton for sexual misconduct while carrying on an extra-marital affair of his own (and trying to talk his wife into acquiescence) would be tough to overcome in the Iowa Caucus. Old Newt is bruised fruit in Republican politics.
Ah, but this is 2010. In the era of the twenty-four news machine any political bad apple has an opportunity to reinvent himself over and over again. John McCain can go from moderate to wingnut in the blink of an eye. Bill Clinton can wake up a sexual predator and go to bed a revered senior statesmen. Glenn Beck can present as a clueless conservative huckster today and a messianic clueless conservative huckster tomorrow. Reinvention is the new black. Enter Newt redeux.
Gingrich discovered that endless diatribes on economics and policy were putting his potential supporters to sleep. However there is one topic that will reinvigorate the heartland quicker than a new reality TV show: racism. 9/11 was nine years ago but the latent hatred for Muslims was always out there. We just needed someone to remind us. Enter the Gingriches (Newt enlisted his third wife for his new hate-speak video. Callista Gingrich makes Laura Bush look like Roberto Benigni.) Newt has brushed aside the subtleties about "moderate Muslims" and the distinction between terrorists and the fourteen gazillion followers of Mohammed. For Mr. Gingrich and his two-dimensional bride it's a simple equation: Muslim=anti-American=terrorist.
Hey, they're not like us, right? They dress funny. They pray weird...and way too often. They make their wives wear bedsheets. (If the women around Mr. Gingrich wore burkas, Newt might still be married to his first wife.) They hate us for our freedom. We hate them because we can't drive to Walmart without their oil. They will stop at nothing (including setting their BVD's on fire) to make Sharia law the law of the land in America. They are evil incarnate. Muslims are as perfect for this kind of hate speech today as the Jews were in Germany in the 30's. Note: No one is comparing Newt Gingrich to AH. I know better. The parallel exists only in the attempt to gain power by creating an "us vs. them" mentality in the U.S. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. The real enemy is bowing to Mecca.
Gingrich is so taken with the chord he believes he's struck that he has looped the current President into the soup. Newt believes that Barack Obama is somehow a creature of "Kenyan anti-colonial politics". No one in America has the vaguest notion what that means but it sounds subversive. In Newt's view, the President isn't really one of "us" either. His grandfather was Kenyan and Muslim. His mother married a man of color. He supports healthcare for everyone. What further proof do we need? We've elected a subversive.
Gingrich is a fear-mongering fraud and, if there is a God in heaven, he will never be seriously be considered as a presidential candidate. He's dull, pedagogical and toxic to the all-powerful religious right. His shut-down of Washington in 1996 is the stuff of legend. His $300,000 fine for ethics violations while Speaker of the House maybe old news today but problematic should he seriously contend for high office. His platform will however be considered pro business; especially if your business is the manufacture of pitchforks and torches.
We all knew that Newt's colorful personal life (two messy divorces, two messy ex-wives) would preclude his reentry into national politics. His persecution and prosecution of Bill Clinton for sexual misconduct while carrying on an extra-marital affair of his own (and trying to talk his wife into acquiescence) would be tough to overcome in the Iowa Caucus. Old Newt is bruised fruit in Republican politics.
Ah, but this is 2010. In the era of the twenty-four news machine any political bad apple has an opportunity to reinvent himself over and over again. John McCain can go from moderate to wingnut in the blink of an eye. Bill Clinton can wake up a sexual predator and go to bed a revered senior statesmen. Glenn Beck can present as a clueless conservative huckster today and a messianic clueless conservative huckster tomorrow. Reinvention is the new black. Enter Newt redeux.
Gingrich discovered that endless diatribes on economics and policy were putting his potential supporters to sleep. However there is one topic that will reinvigorate the heartland quicker than a new reality TV show: racism. 9/11 was nine years ago but the latent hatred for Muslims was always out there. We just needed someone to remind us. Enter the Gingriches (Newt enlisted his third wife for his new hate-speak video. Callista Gingrich makes Laura Bush look like Roberto Benigni.) Newt has brushed aside the subtleties about "moderate Muslims" and the distinction between terrorists and the fourteen gazillion followers of Mohammed. For Mr. Gingrich and his two-dimensional bride it's a simple equation: Muslim=anti-American=terrorist.
Hey, they're not like us, right? They dress funny. They pray weird...and way too often. They make their wives wear bedsheets. (If the women around Mr. Gingrich wore burkas, Newt might still be married to his first wife.) They hate us for our freedom. We hate them because we can't drive to Walmart without their oil. They will stop at nothing (including setting their BVD's on fire) to make Sharia law the law of the land in America. They are evil incarnate. Muslims are as perfect for this kind of hate speech today as the Jews were in Germany in the 30's. Note: No one is comparing Newt Gingrich to AH. I know better. The parallel exists only in the attempt to gain power by creating an "us vs. them" mentality in the U.S. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. The real enemy is bowing to Mecca.
Gingrich is so taken with the chord he believes he's struck that he has looped the current President into the soup. Newt believes that Barack Obama is somehow a creature of "Kenyan anti-colonial politics". No one in America has the vaguest notion what that means but it sounds subversive. In Newt's view, the President isn't really one of "us" either. His grandfather was Kenyan and Muslim. His mother married a man of color. He supports healthcare for everyone. What further proof do we need? We've elected a subversive.
Gingrich is a fear-mongering fraud and, if there is a God in heaven, he will never be seriously be considered as a presidential candidate. He's dull, pedagogical and toxic to the all-powerful religious right. His shut-down of Washington in 1996 is the stuff of legend. His $300,000 fine for ethics violations while Speaker of the House maybe old news today but problematic should he seriously contend for high office. His platform will however be considered pro business; especially if your business is the manufacture of pitchforks and torches.
Monday, September 13, 2010
...or have we all had way too much of Betty White?
Seriously. Watching an old lady swear or talk about sex was funny for maybe 30 seconds. Enough already. Send this old bag back to central casting with Wilford Brimley and Robert Wagner to do AARP ads and ads for Medicare supplement insurance.
Speaking of old broads who need to get off the stage, Cher wore her black mesh, almost-a-costume from 1989 to the MTV Music Awards. Email to Cher: "Babe, just because you can, doesn't mean you should." Lady Gaga was there in her "meat dress" which was presumably made from the pieces and parts medical science has removed from Cher over the past fifteen years.
OK! I feel better now.
American "hiker" Sarah Shourd was released by the Iranian government this week. Ms. Shourd, along with her fiancee Shane Bauer and a third companion Josh Fattal have been held by the Iranians since July 2009 when they were arrested for entering the country illegally. Family members said that Ms. Shourd is ill and that the Iranian courts are releasing her after bail of $500,000 was posted. Naturally, everyone hopes that the other two Americans are released as quickly as possible.
That said, please tell me who in their right mind goes for a stroll in Kurdish Iran? Was Yellowstone closed? Were the Irish repainting the Twelve Bens? Was Galapagos under renovation? What would prompt reasonably sane, well educated 30 somethings to pack up and head for the most dangerous place this side of Mogadishu? The three prisoners are from Berkley so the lure of really fine weed is a possibility but, with San Francisco so close, why bother?
The press persists in referring to the three Americans as "hikers" which is an attempt to belittle the Iranian position that they are sneaky American spies. "Dopey Americans with oatmeal for common sense" might be a more apt description. Memo to young America: when you get bored or restless, drive to Philly for cheesesteaks. At least we can be grateful that Reverend Terry Jones of Gainesville, FL hasn't promised to burn anything in protest. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer did, however, take the opportunity to call for a stricter immigration policy in Iran.
Speaking of old broads who need to get off the stage, Cher wore her black mesh, almost-a-costume from 1989 to the MTV Music Awards. Email to Cher: "Babe, just because you can, doesn't mean you should." Lady Gaga was there in her "meat dress" which was presumably made from the pieces and parts medical science has removed from Cher over the past fifteen years.
OK! I feel better now.
American "hiker" Sarah Shourd was released by the Iranian government this week. Ms. Shourd, along with her fiancee Shane Bauer and a third companion Josh Fattal have been held by the Iranians since July 2009 when they were arrested for entering the country illegally. Family members said that Ms. Shourd is ill and that the Iranian courts are releasing her after bail of $500,000 was posted. Naturally, everyone hopes that the other two Americans are released as quickly as possible.
That said, please tell me who in their right mind goes for a stroll in Kurdish Iran? Was Yellowstone closed? Were the Irish repainting the Twelve Bens? Was Galapagos under renovation? What would prompt reasonably sane, well educated 30 somethings to pack up and head for the most dangerous place this side of Mogadishu? The three prisoners are from Berkley so the lure of really fine weed is a possibility but, with San Francisco so close, why bother?
The press persists in referring to the three Americans as "hikers" which is an attempt to belittle the Iranian position that they are sneaky American spies. "Dopey Americans with oatmeal for common sense" might be a more apt description. Memo to young America: when you get bored or restless, drive to Philly for cheesesteaks. At least we can be grateful that Reverend Terry Jones of Gainesville, FL hasn't promised to burn anything in protest. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer did, however, take the opportunity to call for a stricter immigration policy in Iran.
Friday, September 10, 2010
...or are we all doomed to be judged by the most depraved among us?
Random musings:
Germans are scrutinized more than any other nationality when the subject is race. I'm guessing it has something to do with that unfortunate business with the Jews...and the Gypsies...and the gays...and some Christians back in the '30's and '40's. Anyway, most European leaders can stand up in any assembly in any country and pontificate about how some minority is ruining their culture and their way of life. No one notices. No one cares. However, like Pierre The Bridge Builder (get someone to tell you the joke), if one German makes one comment about any race or ethnic group, he will be on page one quicker than you can say Adolf What's-his-name.
Thilo Sarrazin, economist, author and Goebbels wannabe is the talk of Berlin these days thanks to his theory that Muslim immigrants, mostly from Turkey, are dumbing down the German culture. He asserts that (stop me if you've heard this before) heredity factors give the Turks and Kurds a "genetic predisposition" toward lower intelligence. It would appear that some foul supplier has cut off Germany's supply of irony. A quick glance at Germany's historic devotion and maniacal worship of its Chancellor from 1936 to 1945 would lead one to believe that the German people need no help in the dumb department.
Professor Sarrazin is careful to include the Jews on his team this time. I'm sure the 37 Jews left in Germany are thrilled. Nevertheless, Sarrazin still manages to touch all the third rails. He asserts that Germans are dumber thanks to " congenital disabilities" caused by "inbreeding by Turks and Kurds". Holy Eichmann, Batman! Naturally, as with racist morons in the U.S., Sarrazin has something of a following. A national poll shows that something approaching a third of Germans agree with the man who would be fuhrer. One suspects that the same one third might very well be the people negatively affected by the "dumb Turkish/German disease".
Go figure.
...on a related note
Try as we might, it appears impossible to disinfect our media coverage enough to remove the stain that is Reverend Terry Jones of the World Outreach Center in Gainesville, FL. Rev. Jones is the walrus-faced asshat who thought it would be a nifty idea to burn several copies of the Koran in tribute to the causalities of 9/11. If this pissant is a minister of God there's hope for every bedbug at Marriott. The book burning is on hold at the moment while the good Reverend attempts to dial up the Almighty on his toaster oven seeking further instructions.
This is the sort of behavior that makes sane, non-tea-party Americans want to buy a 30 second spot on al jazeera and proclaim that, while we have serious fundamental issues with radical Islam, we request that the Muslim World not judge us by the actions of Reverend Dingbat. Also, we would not like to be judged by the actions of people who parade through Lower Manhattan in hardhats with misspelled signs complaining that there are no churches in Mecca. (Like, who would go anyway? They're all Muslims. duh!)
I for one would rather watch a 24 hour telethon staring Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin (better known as Fox News every day) than see one more minute of Reverend Sanctimonious.
on a related subject:
It's reprehensible for a Pat Robertson wannabe in Florida to burn books but it appears that, when the firebug is your own Department of Defense, well, that's OK. The folks at DoD are attempting to buy and destroy the initial printing, 10,000 copies, of a book called "Operation Dark Heart". No, it's not the details of Dick Cheney's medical history. It's an account of America's misadventures in Afghanistan in 2003 when all the focus had shifted to Iraq. The author, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer was serving in Afghanistan at the time. The book was originally cleared by the Pentagon but there are about twelve other government agencies, including CIA, who have issues with some of the details. I'm guessing that the book is not scheduled to be included in the recruitment packet at Langley.
The Defense Dept. assures us that the recall is about naming names and classified materials, niceties that didn't trouble the Bush Administration in the Valerie Plame affair. A sanitized version (as in redacted) is scheduled to hit the book stores soon.
In the meantime, DoD has sent an email to Rev. Jones in Gainesville. The text reads "got a light?"
on an unrelated note:
Today's Wall Street Journal reports that colleges all across America are erecting statues to former football heroes and to coaches who have won championships. This all sounds fine when the honored include Bear Bryant of Alabama (we'll forget about the racism), Joe Paterno of Penn State (who, I believe once coached William Penn in 1664) or Tom Osborne of Nebraska (who once refused to suspend Lawrence Phillips in the Orange Bowl "for the benefit of the team" after a felony conviction for beating his girlfriend.). The problem arises when the sculpture honors a newly minted or even current legend who just might have an equipment bag full of skeletons. Think Nick Sabin at Alabama.
Take the statue of former football coach Lou Holtz which currently decorates the pavement outside Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish were only too happy to immortalize the achievements of Holtz, the last coach to provide sustained excellence on the football field. They were less willing to remember the NCAA infractions during the Holtz years that earned Notre Dame two years probation in 1999. They also ignored the violations that earned Minnesota, Holtz' previous coaching job, two years on the post game bench. After all, Notre Dame is a Catholic School and Catholics are all about forgiveness; especially when you deliver a record of 64-9-1. Touchdown Jesus would forgive John Wayne Gacy if he could beat Southern Cal every year.
Alabama has decided to commission a statue of Coach Sabin on the theory that he has returned the Crimson Tide to former glory. A darker reason might be that the student body in Tuscaloosa has been cutting the classes on Alabama football traditions. After all, Bryant retired (and died) in 1983; six years before the current graduating class was born. (Unlike at Notre Dame where every student knows Knute Rockne's mother's maiden name.)
A recent poll asked Alabama students who Bear Bryant was. Answers included:
"The first black student to play Alabama football." (actually that was John Mitchell in 1971) "The last guy voted off the island on Survivor."
"The guy who invented 'Death Zombies 2000' for x-Box."
OK I made up the poll but wanna bet there will be more than one student entering the Bryant Denny Stadium next season asking, Who's the bronze guy and what's he done for us lately?
Germans are scrutinized more than any other nationality when the subject is race. I'm guessing it has something to do with that unfortunate business with the Jews...and the Gypsies...and the gays...and some Christians back in the '30's and '40's. Anyway, most European leaders can stand up in any assembly in any country and pontificate about how some minority is ruining their culture and their way of life. No one notices. No one cares. However, like Pierre The Bridge Builder (get someone to tell you the joke), if one German makes one comment about any race or ethnic group, he will be on page one quicker than you can say Adolf What's-his-name.
Thilo Sarrazin, economist, author and Goebbels wannabe is the talk of Berlin these days thanks to his theory that Muslim immigrants, mostly from Turkey, are dumbing down the German culture. He asserts that (stop me if you've heard this before) heredity factors give the Turks and Kurds a "genetic predisposition" toward lower intelligence. It would appear that some foul supplier has cut off Germany's supply of irony. A quick glance at Germany's historic devotion and maniacal worship of its Chancellor from 1936 to 1945 would lead one to believe that the German people need no help in the dumb department.
Professor Sarrazin is careful to include the Jews on his team this time. I'm sure the 37 Jews left in Germany are thrilled. Nevertheless, Sarrazin still manages to touch all the third rails. He asserts that Germans are dumber thanks to " congenital disabilities" caused by "inbreeding by Turks and Kurds". Holy Eichmann, Batman! Naturally, as with racist morons in the U.S., Sarrazin has something of a following. A national poll shows that something approaching a third of Germans agree with the man who would be fuhrer. One suspects that the same one third might very well be the people negatively affected by the "dumb Turkish/German disease".
Go figure.
...on a related note
Try as we might, it appears impossible to disinfect our media coverage enough to remove the stain that is Reverend Terry Jones of the World Outreach Center in Gainesville, FL. Rev. Jones is the walrus-faced asshat who thought it would be a nifty idea to burn several copies of the Koran in tribute to the causalities of 9/11. If this pissant is a minister of God there's hope for every bedbug at Marriott. The book burning is on hold at the moment while the good Reverend attempts to dial up the Almighty on his toaster oven seeking further instructions.
This is the sort of behavior that makes sane, non-tea-party Americans want to buy a 30 second spot on al jazeera and proclaim that, while we have serious fundamental issues with radical Islam, we request that the Muslim World not judge us by the actions of Reverend Dingbat. Also, we would not like to be judged by the actions of people who parade through Lower Manhattan in hardhats with misspelled signs complaining that there are no churches in Mecca. (Like, who would go anyway? They're all Muslims. duh!)
I for one would rather watch a 24 hour telethon staring Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin (better known as Fox News every day) than see one more minute of Reverend Sanctimonious.
on a related subject:
It's reprehensible for a Pat Robertson wannabe in Florida to burn books but it appears that, when the firebug is your own Department of Defense, well, that's OK. The folks at DoD are attempting to buy and destroy the initial printing, 10,000 copies, of a book called "Operation Dark Heart". No, it's not the details of Dick Cheney's medical history. It's an account of America's misadventures in Afghanistan in 2003 when all the focus had shifted to Iraq. The author, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer was serving in Afghanistan at the time. The book was originally cleared by the Pentagon but there are about twelve other government agencies, including CIA, who have issues with some of the details. I'm guessing that the book is not scheduled to be included in the recruitment packet at Langley.
The Defense Dept. assures us that the recall is about naming names and classified materials, niceties that didn't trouble the Bush Administration in the Valerie Plame affair. A sanitized version (as in redacted) is scheduled to hit the book stores soon.
In the meantime, DoD has sent an email to Rev. Jones in Gainesville. The text reads "got a light?"
on an unrelated note:
Today's Wall Street Journal reports that colleges all across America are erecting statues to former football heroes and to coaches who have won championships. This all sounds fine when the honored include Bear Bryant of Alabama (we'll forget about the racism), Joe Paterno of Penn State (who, I believe once coached William Penn in 1664) or Tom Osborne of Nebraska (who once refused to suspend Lawrence Phillips in the Orange Bowl "for the benefit of the team" after a felony conviction for beating his girlfriend.). The problem arises when the sculpture honors a newly minted or even current legend who just might have an equipment bag full of skeletons. Think Nick Sabin at Alabama.
Take the statue of former football coach Lou Holtz which currently decorates the pavement outside Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish were only too happy to immortalize the achievements of Holtz, the last coach to provide sustained excellence on the football field. They were less willing to remember the NCAA infractions during the Holtz years that earned Notre Dame two years probation in 1999. They also ignored the violations that earned Minnesota, Holtz' previous coaching job, two years on the post game bench. After all, Notre Dame is a Catholic School and Catholics are all about forgiveness; especially when you deliver a record of 64-9-1. Touchdown Jesus would forgive John Wayne Gacy if he could beat Southern Cal every year.
Alabama has decided to commission a statue of Coach Sabin on the theory that he has returned the Crimson Tide to former glory. A darker reason might be that the student body in Tuscaloosa has been cutting the classes on Alabama football traditions. After all, Bryant retired (and died) in 1983; six years before the current graduating class was born. (Unlike at Notre Dame where every student knows Knute Rockne's mother's maiden name.)
A recent poll asked Alabama students who Bear Bryant was. Answers included:
"The first black student to play Alabama football." (actually that was John Mitchell in 1971) "The last guy voted off the island on Survivor."
"The guy who invented 'Death Zombies 2000' for x-Box."
OK I made up the poll but wanna bet there will be more than one student entering the Bryant Denny Stadium next season asking, Who's the bronze guy and what's he done for us lately?
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