This is the latest official advert from the leaders of the Republican party. Really. :
Since you’re asking, why yes, I do feel safer. I feel safer because I believe the new President will actually consider reality before he makes decisions, and I feel safer because I do not think that he will use violence as his favoured method of dealing with the world’s issues. His willingness to talk to people who disagree with him, and to consider their points of view, make for a pleasant change to the insanity of the last four years.
The GOP is stuck in a behavioural loop. It failed to win the election by trying to incite terror of “The Other”, but that seems to be all it knows how to do any more. At the moment, they’re just engaging in self-parody. I’m surprised they didn’t stick a picture of a rabid fanged pig, Megatron, and some Goa’uld in there, just for good measure.
The GOP seems to think that they can bravely make the principled argument for torture, without disgusting the majority of Americans, and Planet Earth. “It’s alright when the US does it, because we’re the greatest country in the world.” is the belief that lies behind so much of the US foreign policy of the last few decades, but it is not an argument that has much traction outside of the US.
Incidentally, this advert has caused a bit of a kerfuffle, due to one of the pictures showing Obama meeting with the Hispanic caucus. Why Obama meeting with the grouping of Hispanic members of congress should be remotely frightening to anyone speaks volumes about how the GOP leadership’s minds work. Of course, they’re now saying that that picture was put in their advert accidentally. Bloody stupid mistake if that’s true.
Blimey, we’re up to date for pretty much the first time ever. My favourite bit this week was when Mr Colbert had the Decemberists on. I love me some electrofolk.
Saudi Arabia has demanded that the US retract a claim that King Abdullah met Israeli President Shimon Peres in 2008, in a rare rebuke towards its ally.
An unnamed Saudi official said the claim by US Under Secretary at the State Department, William Burns, was “completely false and fabricated”.
Mr Burns said this week King Abdullah and Mr Peres met at a UN interfaith conference in New York last November.
Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.
The unnamed Saudi official was quoted by Saudi Arabia’s state-run SPA news agency.
The official said that the US state department had to “deny the claim and provide clarification for the reasons behind such fabrication that does not serve the relations between the two friendly countries”. – BBC
The problem with that is, at the conference back in November, this was reported:
Israeli President Shimon Peres has praised the king of Saudi Arabia for his Middle East peace initiative.
At an interfaith meeting at the United Nations, Mr Peres told King Abdullah he hoped his would be the “prevailing voice of the whole region”.
When Mr Peres took to the floor, he broke off from his prepared speech to address King Abdullah directly.
“Your Majesty, the king of Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I was listening to your message. I wish that your voice will become the prevailing voice of the whole region, of all people. It’s right. It’s needed. It’s promising. BBC
I would suppose it depends what your definition of “met” is. In any case, the strength of the Saudi objection is pretty unseemly and aggressive. Whatever happened, I hope the administration sticks to whatever the truth is, and does not allow itself to be bullied. William Burns should have known better than to mention any meeting, as it is no secret that it is a very sore topic with Saudi Arabia, but now that it has been said, the new administration can not be seen to say that the sky is green just to placate their oil-dealers.
Considering Saudi Arabia is trying to promote it’s own peace plan for the region, this childish nonsense of refusing to talk to people, much as Bush refused to talk to Iran and Syria, needs to end.
My thanks to Pooh and Piglet who generously gave their time to help me with this PSA. The fight against today’s disgraceful lack of handkerchief ownership goes on!
Not entirely sure what I made this for, but when Pooh starts whispering in my ear, I can do naught but follow where he leads. Maybe it’ll be useful to a parent explaining why we need to use tissues. Or maybe it’d terrify the wee mites.
This is what we should have all been doing today instead of being cooped up inside. Dancing around the Maypole and making merry is not something we seem to do much, any more. I didn’t see a Maypole anywhere in Norwich. Perhaps they’ll come out on Monday. If I see any celebrations, I’ll try to take some pics.
A blessed Beltane to you all.
Update:
A Bonus Track. One of my favourite Madrigals, “Now is the Month of Maying.” by Thomas Morley. I was lucky enough to get to perform this many years ago. It’s splendid fun to sing! As so often with a lot of the folk music of the middle-ages, most of the recordings I can find are a bit too choral for my tastes, which sucks some of the sheer joy out of it, but this recording is fairly merry!:
