With cries of "I don't want to see a fat man dragging a bag behind him when I think of Christmas" there is a movement underfoot to ban images of Santa Claus in the Czech Republic. The goal of this Czech grass roots movement is to maintain the focus on the baby Jesus.
Odd that none of the Czech papers reported it though. Econo-Girl found it in a South African paper. To see the full article, click on the title to this post.
1.01.2007
What? "World Opinion Split Over Saddam Hussein's Execution"
It seems that in Turkey, the online publication Zaman.com has found a professor who thinks that Saddam Hussein's execution was illegal. This man's opinion is the basis for an article quoted in the title above.
And in TANJUG in Serbia at http://www.tanjug.co.yu/news.aspx?rbx=2&rbxn=Serbia%20and%20World, the Serbian Justice Minister Zoran Stojkovic said that the execution of Saddam Hussein will be a disaster for Iraq.
Econo-Girl thought her readers might be interested in another perspective, especially one so divergent from what is heard here in the U.S. We're certainly not hearing anything like that here.
And in TANJUG in Serbia at http://www.tanjug.co.yu/news.aspx?rbx=2&rbxn=Serbia%20and%20World, the Serbian Justice Minister Zoran Stojkovic said that the execution of Saddam Hussein will be a disaster for Iraq.
Econo-Girl thought her readers might be interested in another perspective, especially one so divergent from what is heard here in the U.S. We're certainly not hearing anything like that here.
Saddam Hussein's Execution
The world is simply different now. Expectations of privacy are passe, even at an execution. No concept of dignity attaches anymore as everyone has a mobile film recorder with them at all times. The most indecent, ill-thought action can be viewed by the entire world.
Not only that, it can define your whole life. Imagine spending the next fifty years having to explain why you spat out that birthday cake and it landed on the cat. Did you aim the semi-chewed sweet at the cat? Were you a cat-hater? My cat saved my life, you know. Such are the conversational openers you would hear for the rest of your life.
And Saddam Hussein is no exception. In the end, his defining moment was his execution. And Econo-Girl cannot complain about the sneaky filming of his death. What relief it must bring to those who suffered from Saddam Hussein's evil to see his reckoning. "There! That's the man who killed my family! Ha! He is not so big now!"
In a global spiritual sense, wouldn't the fear that you might be on t.v. cause a person to temper their behaviour? Econo-Girl thinks so. And if one were a despot, wouldn't the idea that one day you would have to answer for your choices influence them?
Not really. After all, Econo-Girl is sure that Rumsfeld never thought so.
Not only that, it can define your whole life. Imagine spending the next fifty years having to explain why you spat out that birthday cake and it landed on the cat. Did you aim the semi-chewed sweet at the cat? Were you a cat-hater? My cat saved my life, you know. Such are the conversational openers you would hear for the rest of your life.
And Saddam Hussein is no exception. In the end, his defining moment was his execution. And Econo-Girl cannot complain about the sneaky filming of his death. What relief it must bring to those who suffered from Saddam Hussein's evil to see his reckoning. "There! That's the man who killed my family! Ha! He is not so big now!"
In a global spiritual sense, wouldn't the fear that you might be on t.v. cause a person to temper their behaviour? Econo-Girl thinks so. And if one were a despot, wouldn't the idea that one day you would have to answer for your choices influence them?
Not really. After all, Econo-Girl is sure that Rumsfeld never thought so.
12.31.2006
Saddam Hussein Had Dinner At My House The Other Day...
What is it with these media types who insist on referring to Saddam Hussein as "Saddam" like they hang out at the same happy hour or something? They were not on a first name basis with him and probably never even met the guy.
Such pretension riles Econo-Girl. Do they refer to Andrea Merkel as "Andrea"? Would they even think to refer to the President as "George" while reporting the news?
Econo-Girl can picture it now. The anchor tilts his head in that special way that television anchors do. He looks at the camera with his toupee perfectly in place. "George was working around the ranch today clearing sagebrush and then took a nap."
The inference of intimacy implied by first name usage is very out of place for Total Evil Man Saddam Hussein. Try wearing a t-shirt with "I Hugged Satan Today" around town and see what it gets you.
Aside from that, Econo-Girl cannot profess complete ignorance of this phenomenon. She knows that Saddam Hussein was particularly riled by being referred to by his first name only. The anchors also knew and goaded him with their false familiarity.
But is that really their role? Just report the damn news and keep your toupee on straight. Tilt your head in bizarre affectations and report the news. You are not supposed to be a part of it, tempting as it is.
Such pretension riles Econo-Girl. Do they refer to Andrea Merkel as "Andrea"? Would they even think to refer to the President as "George" while reporting the news?
Econo-Girl can picture it now. The anchor tilts his head in that special way that television anchors do. He looks at the camera with his toupee perfectly in place. "George was working around the ranch today clearing sagebrush and then took a nap."
The inference of intimacy implied by first name usage is very out of place for Total Evil Man Saddam Hussein. Try wearing a t-shirt with "I Hugged Satan Today" around town and see what it gets you.
Aside from that, Econo-Girl cannot profess complete ignorance of this phenomenon. She knows that Saddam Hussein was particularly riled by being referred to by his first name only. The anchors also knew and goaded him with their false familiarity.
But is that really their role? Just report the damn news and keep your toupee on straight. Tilt your head in bizarre affectations and report the news. You are not supposed to be a part of it, tempting as it is.
Saddam Hussein
Is it important to be convicted of all your crimes before execution?
Does execution mean ridding the world of a bad guy, or calling someone to account for what they have done? If it is the latter, then they would need to be convicted for that crime first.
In the case of Saddam Hussein, he was responsible for gassing the Kurds, his own countrymen, because he thought the Kurds were going to join Iran's side while Iraq was at war with them. Five thousand people died in that gas attack. Tens of thousands more died in the ensuing drive by Saddam Hussein to dominate the Kurds. So let's just say, they are angry.
And a little disappointed. I guess they wanted to throw a big party, and who can blame them? But don't underestimate the power of having your day in court. It is very strong. People want a feeling of justice and of being heard. And that is exactly what the Kurds did not get with the sneak execution of Saddam Hussein.
Of course the practical reasons for the surprise execution include limiting riots and violence and bloodshed. Understandable. And the upcoming trial of Ali Hassan al Majid, a.k.a. Chemical Ali, will give the Kurds their day in court. But it is not the same as looking your father's killer and confronting him. So anticipate that the Kurds will not be quieted with the mere absence of Saddam Hussein. They were looking for something more: the vindication of being heard.
Does execution mean ridding the world of a bad guy, or calling someone to account for what they have done? If it is the latter, then they would need to be convicted for that crime first.
In the case of Saddam Hussein, he was responsible for gassing the Kurds, his own countrymen, because he thought the Kurds were going to join Iran's side while Iraq was at war with them. Five thousand people died in that gas attack. Tens of thousands more died in the ensuing drive by Saddam Hussein to dominate the Kurds. So let's just say, they are angry.
And a little disappointed. I guess they wanted to throw a big party, and who can blame them? But don't underestimate the power of having your day in court. It is very strong. People want a feeling of justice and of being heard. And that is exactly what the Kurds did not get with the sneak execution of Saddam Hussein.
Of course the practical reasons for the surprise execution include limiting riots and violence and bloodshed. Understandable. And the upcoming trial of Ali Hassan al Majid, a.k.a. Chemical Ali, will give the Kurds their day in court. But it is not the same as looking your father's killer and confronting him. So anticipate that the Kurds will not be quieted with the mere absence of Saddam Hussein. They were looking for something more: the vindication of being heard.
12.29.2006
You Have To Want Democracy
"Sobriety is for the people who want it, not for the people who need it," is a well-known 12 step cliche. Econo-Girl believes the same idea applies to democracy and many other things in life.
Iraq must WANT democracy. The neo-conservatives wanted it for them. And maybe, in their own minds, Iraqis thought they wanted democracy too. But look at how they are acting.
The United States cannot make Iraq into a freedom-loving state. We cannot force democracy where people are not willing to compromise to get it. If you are not willing to do what it takes, you will fail. Econo-Girl will go as far as to say this is a spiritual truism.
So then the question becomes: what does America do now? Do we pull out and let them figure it out? Do we establish order first and then turn things over to the Iraqis? Can 0rder even be established there? What will neighboring countries do if we suddenly leave? Will we be handing the Middle East to Iran on a platter? A lot of thinking needs to go into this choice. Thinking that wasn't done beforehand.
Iraq must WANT democracy. The neo-conservatives wanted it for them. And maybe, in their own minds, Iraqis thought they wanted democracy too. But look at how they are acting.
The United States cannot make Iraq into a freedom-loving state. We cannot force democracy where people are not willing to compromise to get it. If you are not willing to do what it takes, you will fail. Econo-Girl will go as far as to say this is a spiritual truism.
So then the question becomes: what does America do now? Do we pull out and let them figure it out? Do we establish order first and then turn things over to the Iraqis? Can 0rder even be established there? What will neighboring countries do if we suddenly leave? Will we be handing the Middle East to Iran on a platter? A lot of thinking needs to go into this choice. Thinking that wasn't done beforehand.
12.26.2006
New Perspectives From the World
In adding these links, Econo-Girl is providing English publications she has already evaluated and that have international coverage that dovetails with issue American news readers will be interested in. Here will be the source of differing perspectives on the same issues you read about in the U.S. press. Perspectives that are too local to the region will be omitted, as will sites that don't give enough free content to make looking at them worth it. The links will provide information you can get on a 15 minute break, without needing to become a scholar.
Econo-Girl will be adding noteworthy blogs and photo blogs in the future.
Econo-Girl will be adding noteworthy blogs and photo blogs in the future.
Belgrade Perspective on Iraq Study Group
http://www.b92.net/eng/
B92 is a paper in Belgrade well-known in the region.
What you're going to notice in these publications are displaced Americans and Brits writing for them.
On the Iraq Study Group:
"Equally obvious without one word of direct criticism was the total scorn which the Study Group and specifically former Secretary of State Baker feels for the foreign policy that President Bush and his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, have conducted. " as written by William Montgomery.
Love the way he puts that: "total scorn."
B92 is a paper in Belgrade well-known in the region.
What you're going to notice in these publications are displaced Americans and Brits writing for them.
On the Iraq Study Group:
"Equally obvious without one word of direct criticism was the total scorn which the Study Group and specifically former Secretary of State Baker feels for the foreign policy that President Bush and his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, have conducted. " as written by William Montgomery.
Love the way he puts that: "total scorn."
South African Perspective on News
http://www.mg.co.za/
The Mail and Guardian Online is an exclusively online paper published in South Africa. It is fun and won't have Iraq on the front page at all.
Great cultural perspective. I mean, there's a whole section of the site dedicated to "The Selebi Saga." What is that, for God's sake? Americans don't even know. It's interesting to see how people on the other side of the world are just as gossip-oriented as we are, but about different things. It will have news stories not found in the U.S. For example, look at this:
"Gaza doctors say patients suffering mystery injuries Doctors in Gaza have reported previously unseen injuries from Israeli weapons that cause severe burning and leave deep internal wounds, often resulting in amputations or death. The injuries were first seen in July, when Israel launched operations in Gaza following the capture of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian militants."
Have you seen anything like this in U.S. papers? No.
Check out The Week In Pictures. And what paper in the world has a section for only good news? And yes, only good, positive news is reported there.
The sports coverage isn't even remotely familiar, but still fun.
The Mail and Guardian Online is an exclusively online paper published in South Africa. It is fun and won't have Iraq on the front page at all.
Great cultural perspective. I mean, there's a whole section of the site dedicated to "The Selebi Saga." What is that, for God's sake? Americans don't even know. It's interesting to see how people on the other side of the world are just as gossip-oriented as we are, but about different things. It will have news stories not found in the U.S. For example, look at this:
"Gaza doctors say patients suffering mystery injuries Doctors in Gaza have reported previously unseen injuries from Israeli weapons that cause severe burning and leave deep internal wounds, often resulting in amputations or death. The injuries were first seen in July, when Israel launched operations in Gaza following the capture of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian militants."
Have you seen anything like this in U.S. papers? No.
Check out The Week In Pictures. And what paper in the world has a section for only good news? And yes, only good, positive news is reported there.
The sports coverage isn't even remotely familiar, but still fun.
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