Britain Was Once Great Britain
But today, the sun not only literally sets on an extinct British empire; it is figuratively setting on Britain itself.
Two recent examples provide evidence:
One is the way Britain handled the recent act of war against it by Iran. Everything about the British reaction revealed a civilization in decline.
Whether the British sailors and marines should have put up more resistance — i.e., any resistance — to the unprovoked Iranian military attack is something for military and other experts to decide. Whether the captured sailors and marines offered more information and more cooperation, and more smiles than was necessary to the leader of their kidnappers, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will also be determined in ongoing investigations. Whether the British government engaged in appeasement of Iran or ineffective diplomacy will also have to be judged.
What does seem clear, however, is that the British government did not confront the Iranians in any way reminiscent of a great country, let alone of Britain’s great past. If we judge the British government’s reaction alone — without any reference to the behavior of the British sailors and marines — Iran was the feared power, not Great Britain, which acted like the supplicant.
But what really makes one weep for Britain’s lost greatness is what has happened since the sailors and marines were released.
The NY Sun has an interesting series of editorials on Antiquities and Patrimony; The New Yorker has more.
There’s a fatwa against the Jawa Report.
News Flash: People Get Nasty on the Blogosphere!
Last Fall Harrods was throwing out soldiers in uniform on Veteran’s Day. Now the trend’s crossed the Atlantic and we have Marines in Dress Uniforms Kicked Out of Target Store
Obama doesn’t know that Congressional ethics rules forbid the use of federal office space for political and campaign activity.
Thank you, Larwyn.
In a lighter mode, after last Friday’s item on bamboo and kudzu – where Siggy said that bamboo is polically correct kudzu – Obi’s Sister sent a link to this:
from the author of
I’m sure Ms Balwin will never run out of kudzu to write about, but if she does, she can move North and write about bamboo.
It turns out there are TWO more books on kudzu cooking:
I don’t think that even my friend who loves spinach would go for the kudzu.
