Jan 5, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Andrew Sullivan on two of the Lord of the Rings actors:
I saw [Viggo] Mortensen on TV the other night saying that the "Lord of The Rings" was all about bringing people together, eschewing violence, promoting peace, etc etc. ... [John] Rhys-Davies is smarter:
"I'm burying my career so substantially in these interviews that it's painful. But I think that there are some questions that demand honest answers. I think that Tolkien says that some generations will be challenged. And if they do not rise to meet that challenge, they will lose their civilization. That does have a real resonance with me... What is unconscionable is that too many of your fellow journalists do not understand how precarious Western civilization is and what a jewel it is.
How did we get the sort of real democracy, how did we get the level of tolerance that allows me to propound something that may be completely alien to you around this table, and yet you will take it and you will think about it and you'll say no you're wrong because of this and this and this. And I'll listen and I'll say, "Well, actually, maybe I am wrong because of this and this." '
He points at a female reporter and adopts an authoritarian voice, to play a militant-Islam character:
'You should not be in this room. Because your husband or your father is not here to guide you. You could only be here in this room with these strange men for immoral purposes.'
I mean ... the abolition of slavery comes from Western democracy. True Democracy comes from our Greco-Judeo-Christian-Western experience. If we lose these things, then this is a catastrophe for the world."
Jan 1, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses, Dollars & Crosses 2
Mark Steyn on John Kerry:
... All over the planet, men in late middle age are pretending to like stuff just 'cause it's what the likes of Maureen Dowd tell them people want to hear. John Kerry pretends to like gangsta rap. Russia pretends it supports the Kyoto Accord. The European Union pretends Yasser Arafat is committed to peace with Israel. The Security Council pretends its resolutions mean something. Kofi Annan pretends the Oil-for-Fraud program is a humanitarian aid effort for the Iraqi people. The International Atomic Energy Authority pretends the mullahs in Tehran are good-faith negotiators on the matter of Iranian nukes.
It's easy to pander to fashion--whether on pop music, the environment, the Middle East "peace process" or sentimental transnationalism.
From Cox and Forkum:
Jan 1, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
A positive sign in the Middle East:
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan plans to release new textbooks for the 2004-05 school year that will distinguish between terrorism and armed resistance, a longstanding formula many Arab leaders have used to justify suicide attacks on Israeli civilians. The announcement yesterday comes as two other Arab states, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, are planning changes in their curricula to respond to criticism from America and other Western nations that many schools in the Islamic world spread intolerance and fail to prepare their students for the 21st-century economy.
...Until 2000, most Palestinian schools used Jordanian and Egyptian textbooks.These materials often praised martyrdom and drew maps of Palestine that obliterate Israel. [NY Sun]
Now if only someone would educate Reuters. [Hat Tip: Paul Blair]Jan 1, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
A letter to the editor from a former NYC public school teacher who reports that the inmates are running the asylum:
I can recall a beginning teacher who crafted creative, fine lessons. But, classroom management was difficult for her and she could have used some administrative guidance and support in the handling of her class. One day, a second grader in her class slammed a closet door into her back and then ran away and laughed. She brought him to the principal, and later it was she who received a disciplinary letter! In the principal's office, the child had been interviewed about the teacher's performance and his misbehavior was blamed on the teacher's weak behavior modification program. Flash forward to where students threw a chair out a window that hit a pregnant woman below. Did we not hear the question asked, "Why was the classroom door left open?" ... It's not uncommon for disruptive students to be given the third degree, behind closed doors, about a teacher's behavior. And there's not one scenario within a school for which the teacher cannot and will not be blamed....
When parents are called to school for a conference about an incident such as a fight, the principal and the parents will present a united front and turn the meeting into the teacher's trial. The meeting concludes with the parent "writing the teacher up" and sometimes the students "write teachers up" as well...! Teachers learn to talk in ineffective soft tones rather than be accused of "yelling," which is now considered corporal punishment! They learn to never physically intervene during a fight because they can and will be charged with assault.
Jan 1, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Andrew Wolf on the New York City Council:
At first, I was skeptical about their latest initiative, the potty parity law. Yes, our municipal legislative body is greatly concerned about the inequity in the number of men's and women's lavatory stalls. This vast societal problem has led to unfortunate situations in places such as movie theaters where men sail in and glide out in short order, as their wives and girlfriends wait on interminable lines for the chance to accomplish the same task. Many on the council would like to mandate that women get twice as many toilet fixtures as men. When I first heard of this, as soon as I finished laughing hysterically, I began to think that maybe this isn't such a bad idea. Anytime that our City Council spends on trivia is time that isn't spent doing serious damage in other areas.
