Israeli Double Standard Time: The AP kept using qualifiers like “Israel says” when covering the 500 tons of weapons discovered on a ship headed for Hezbullah. But there’s no problem whatsoever quoting Iranian newspapers as truthful sources when it comes to discussing the whereabouts of a missing Iranian general. He’s in Israel, of course, being held in “Zionist prison.” Go read both the articles, and tell me which nation the AP thinks is more trustworthy.
Toldja so: No way the U.S. goes along with the Palestinians going to unilaterally declaring a state. On the other hand, how the hell is it going to be contiguous when Israel lies between the West Bank and Gaza?
This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside: The IAEA, the one that couldn’t find the secret Iranian nuclear enrichment plant, says that it’s all set to be up and running within a year or so. Great news! Another plant Iran can use to cheat and retreat and build a nuclear bomb, and what’s the UN doing about it? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Warm and fuzzy, part 2: Gee. The IAEA seems to have noticed that Syria is, indeed, looking to make a nuke, too. Go figure. Iran’s their patron, they hate Israel—who knew?
Bow wow wow: You know, we have such an amateur as president, he never got the memo that the U.S. President bends the knee only to God. Seriously, has any other American president been so obsequious? But hey. He’s the president of the world, right? Uh, except that even the Europeans are losing their affection for The One. So soon?
I find it interesting that people are commenting or calling in to say that past presidents like Eisenhower and Nixon also “bowed”. What they ignore is that in societies where bowing is done, the actual body postur, depth of bow, and precise method of bowing are all significant. Among the bows that are possible.
Two equals on the home ground of one of them
Junior (in age) to equal elder
Junior to senior
Senior to junior on the junior’s home ground
employee to employer
servant to master
subject to monarch.
Of course there is also the acknowledgment bow and the greeting
Apparently Japanese media recognized the inappropriateness of what he did as many of them were careful not to show the bow that he made to the Emperor as they felt that publishing it would be insulting to the United States. They did publish the bow to the Emperess as it could be treated as a bow of “superior to older lady of high rank”.
I find it interesting that people are commenting or calling in to say that past presidents like Eisenhower and Nixon also “bowed”. What they ignore is that in societies where bowing is done, the actual body postur, depth of bow, and precise method of bowing are all significant. Among the bows that are possible.
Two equals on the home ground of one of them
Junior (in age) to equal elder
Junior to senior
Senior to junior on the junior’s home ground
employee to employer
servant to master
subject to monarch.
Of course there is also the acknowledgment bow and the greeting
Apparently Japanese media recognized the inappropriateness of what he did as many of them were careful not to show the bow that he made to the Emperor as they felt that publishing it would be insulting to the United States. They did publish the bow to the Empress as it could be treated as a bow of “superior to older lady of high rank”.
“On the other hand, how the hell is it going to be contiguous when Israel lies between the West Bank and Gaza?”
Simple: Israel gets bisected, as it was in Ehud Barak’s Camp David offer (the one Arafat rejected, and declared war on Israel shortly after).
“I knew that, if Israel was willing to give up so much, then they were about to fall and the time had come to give them one last push.” – Arafat, explaining his decision to walk out on the Camp David negotiations and start the Second Intifada
He is not being obsequious, Maryl. He is simply showing his deep respect for the ancient customs of Japan. Same for bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia. And of course, you can’t possibly claim he’s obsequious to other heads of state, like Gordon Brown, the Queen, Netanyahu, or the leaders of Poland and the Czech Republic.
By the way, in a sense I hope the Palis do declare a state. If the Israelis were to ask me, I’d then say: “Recongize it as a full state like other states. Then remind it of clear international law about how a state can react when another state foments aggression against it. Remind the leaders of the new state about the UN Chartr’s right of a state to defend itself against attacks from other states.”
You want to be a state, fine, but then you’re responsible for being one.