The General vs the Radio Warriors- Elitist Oprah vs Plebeian Lady de Rothschild- Ethnocentrism vs Human Rights in the New Middle East
News reports mention today that Oprah may be appointed the new US ambassador to the Court of St. James, that means Great Britain to you moose hunters out there. Oprah has been Barack Obama's best female supporter, so the report surely means Obama will appoint her. Will she host her show from London?By the same token John McCain, in the disastrous event that he is elected, will probably appoint the very humble plebeian Lady Lynn de Rothschild as ambassador to the Court of St James, since she is his most vocal supporter, at least on Fox News. (I know, we've been there before but I find her ladyship's case very interesting. My wife even suspected I may be smitten with her, until she saw her talking on TV once, which disabused her of the notion). Besides, she probably has managed to recruit many struggling average middle class, especially lower middle class, American moms who are not hockey moms since Sarah Palin has first dibs on the latter. That would make her, the Lady de Rothschild, ambassador as well to her own husband Lord de Rothschild who is at heart just an average Joe although he doesn't look it. I suspect his lordship can do a mean cockney accent, but hey, she ain't no Wallis Simpson either.
Gen. Colin Powell has replaced all those others in the extreme right's pantheon of evildoers- for this week. As of today he is the target of the rabid talk radio hosts most of whom, I suspect all, never wore the uniform or served in a war. I've listened to bits of two of them in my car today: Rush Limbaugh and Michael Medved, and they are as livid as any desperate person can get. The same people who praised the general's credibility late in 2002 and very early in 2003 are getting hoarse trying to discredit him after his endorsement of Obama. Maybe they should call him erratic and lurching.
Saudi media (Asharq alawsat, Alarabiya) report that the Saudi Human Rights Organization is working on an extensive report on conditions of, you guessed it, human rights in the country. The report by the 'official' state organization will be submitted to international organizations when it is done in February. The head of the Saudi HR organization has also condemned many foreign HR and media reports which he said do not understand the history, culture, and legal system of Saudi Arabia. I think he is talking about ethnocentrism here, but chopping a head in public is chopping a head in public under any value system.
He also said that those who claim there is discrimination against women in his country are ignorant. He did not mention anything about any discrimination against other Islamic minority sects and other faiths. He especially ignored Santa Claus and why he is a persona non grata in Saudi Arabia, and why ho ho ho is frowned upon.
He did say that his country is depending on some foreign experts in preparing the report and critiquing it in an impartial way: he did not specify which PR firm he has hired these experts from. I am certain he prefers what is called the deductive method of scientific research in this case.
I can see where this whole report will be going. I know it will talk about some human rights issues relatively critically, perhaps some women issues and some expatriate labor issue, as a decoy to divert attention from other issues. It will also claim that the kingdom has made great strides in human rights in recent years and that it is heading toward more.
Meanwhile Iraq is witnessing new sectarians outrages with attacks on and in some cases forced expulsion of Christian communities by Jihadist takfiris. These acts are concentrated in northern cities and towns. The victims represent some of the oldest ethnic groups of Iraq, in fact they are descendants of the original Assyrians and Chaldeans who have been in Iraq since long before Islamic and Arab conquest in the 6thy century AD. And before Christianity itself, as a matter of fact.
Cheers
mhg
m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com
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