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August 06, 2002
Something's Got to Give
You'd think they would have mentioned at last night's showing of
Some Like It Hot that
today is the 40th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's murder by
the Kennedy brothers death by drug overdose. Or maybe that would
have put a damper on the ocassion. . .
Mutter mutter title of this entry mutter mutter.
Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima, makes with uninformed criticism of U.S. policy on weapons of mass destruction:
On the 57th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack in Hiroshima, the mayor of the city has criticised the US for pursuing its own interests, and urged a worldwide ban on weapons of mass destruction.As thousands gathered for the annual ceremony at Peace Memorial Park in the Japanese city, Tadatoshi Akiba suggested that Washington's policies in the post-September 11 world were misguided.
"The United States government has no right ... to unilaterally determine the fate of the world," Mr Akiba said.
He also urged US President George W. Bush to visit Hiroshima to see "with his own eyes what nuclear weapons hold in store".
I'm sure President Bush has seen Sum of All Fears, which had better special effects. Besides, do you really want one of them Bush boys in Japan? They tend to puke.
Missed this yesterday. In The Guardian, David Hencke reported that
Tony Blair was accused yesterday of sneaking through parliament a decision to give the Royal Nepalese Army two Russian-built military helicopters under an aid programme normally used to bring peace to war-torn countries, despite Nepal's record of human rights atrocities.The military expenditure was hidden in a paper laid 48 hours before parliament went into recess and was slipped through under the "global conflict prevention pool" - a fund backed by the Foreign Office, Department of International Development and Ministry of Defence.
The document lodged in parliament in the name of the MoD says the military assistance "will comprise two Mi-17 support helicopters, explosive ordinance disposal equipment, logistical equipment, communications equipment and equipment in support of the military intelligence support group which the UK are assisting the Royal Nepalese Army in setting up".
Britain is planning to buy the Russian Mi-17 support helicopters on the open market.
And foreign minister Mike O'Brien is visiting Libya. What are they up to over there?
In the registration-required Chicago Tribune, Salim Muwakkil writes on
The Middle East's political spillover
The political spillover of Middle East issues into U.S. politics is threatening the political livelihoods of some members of the Congressional Black Caucus and straining relations between black and Jewish Democrats.
This is a significant political development because blacks and Jews have been traditional political allies and both have been strong pillars of support for the Democratic Party. What's more, Jews were among the strongest supporters of the civil rights movement and remain prominent in the struggle for racial justice.
Warbloggers excepted, of course. Other than Condi Rice, they seem to hate the lot of us with an obsessive passion. They're not racist, of course. They just don't like black people.
The Congressional Black Caucus has been among the strongest supporters of Israel and the fiercest foes of anti-Semitism.
Not sure those two should be in the same sentence, since the number of idiots equating any criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism seems to be growing daily, but whatever.
But increasing cycles of Middle East violence and growing black support for some Palestinian issues have raised tensions between the two constituencies.
There follows some stuff on Hilliard's defeat, none of it new to anyone who's been paying attention in the slightest, then turns to arch-villain Cynthia McKinney and her newly-strained relations with the white folk:
McKinney, who came to office in 1992 with considerable Jewish support, since has alienated some members of the Jewish community with her increasing expressions of support for the Palestinians.In an April interview on a Berkeley, Calif., radio station, McKinney called for an investigation into whether President Bush might have had prior knowledge of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and if some members in his administration had profited from them.
While McKinney's behavior has angered some right-wing supporters of Israel, it has energized others with hopes that some legislators can defy the stifling conventional wisdom that has made U.S. foreign policy an embarrassment to the civilized world.
A number of progressive groups have signed on to McKinney's campaign and are doing their best to offset the influence the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
"Pro-Sharon [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon] forces have targeted this African-American Democrat for defeat for her strong stance in favor of both Israel and Palestine," wrote Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun, in the publication's recent edition. He said he backed McKinney's candidacy and called her positions on Israel a "reasonable critique."
But in these days of suicide bombings, full-scale occupation and targeted assassinations, even a reasonable critique can mark a candidate for political death.
Suppose that comment I made up there could trigger a discussion of whether or not Jews are people of color. I recommend against it. My contribution to such things is usually laughing myself silly for five minutes straight, regaining my composure, clearing my throat, then laughing myself silly again. Over and over and over. I mean, I'll grant you the Beta Israel, but if we're talking the warblogger crowd, if the motherfuckers were any whiter, they'd be clear.
It's been a crap day so far, though, and I could use a good laugh, so anyone wants to give it a go, feel free.
Posted by Aaron at August 6, 2002 02:25 PM
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