Hamas government

Comrades,

I'd be interested in your opinions. My own feelings are incredibly mixed. I think it's the sovereign democratic right of a people to elect whatever damnfool government they choose to, and their painful obligation to live with whoever they choose. Of course, the Palestinian people have chosen to elect a government that is made up of terrorists who refuse to recognize the right of Israel to exist, which is an unacceptable position from my point of view. On the other hand, my country has twice chosen to elect someone who is little better than a terrorist, who mouths platitudes about democracy but who refuses to accept as legitimate any government he doesn't like; and Israel has done the same innumerable times.

Apart from sensible people from all countries getting together to settle the outstandign issues like rational people, which is clearly not an acceptable idea to anyone, what do we do next? I admit I am baffled.

Blair supports Gitmo closure?

A senior British minister also called for the camp to be closed.

Speaking on the BBC television Question Time programme, Peter Hain said he would prefer to see Guantanamo Bay close.

He also indicated that the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, agreed with him.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4722534.stm

yay bike!

I went out for a ride this morning, which was very pleasant. I was very sad to see, however, that between the snow and wind several trees in the neighborhood have been damaged and one of the screen of fir trees at the bottom of our hill has been uprooted (looks like its root network was pretty shallow). That's very sad!

I got about halfway around my basic course before I had to stop; I went down the big scary hill :-) and up all three of the small ones on the route without dismounting. I did two ofthe three side streets and only walked when going back up the big hill (actually riding up that is something I can only aspire to at this point. :-)

I seem even to have inspired someone; I passed one chap, an older South Asian man, who was walking outside near his house, and as I came back down his street, he'd gotten out a bike and was riding ahead of me. He turned around and we exchanged greetings and pleasantries as we passed. :-)

(no subject)

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/13871545.htm

thanks to percyprune for pointing to this article. Current History had a related article in their November 2005 issue, entitled "From Desert Storm to Metal Storm: How Iraq Has Spoiled US-Turkish Relations". Interesting reading (I wish one could read individual articles online without a subscription; if one could, I'd have linked to it.)