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?
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