Politick

View From A Hilltop Near Jerusalem

Looking down into a wooded valley and seeing a 1500 year old monastery led to some meditations on what they must have been contemplating all these centuries.  Jerusalem has that effect.  What does God want from us?  Moses in the Old Testament boiled it down to Ten Commandments.  The first half were about our relationship with God; the second about our relationship with each other.  Jesus in the New Testament simplified it down to two rules: Love God, and Love Thy Neighbor.  A bit hard to match these talents.  Best I could do was three rules, or maybe four:

European Disunity and the New World Order

A loyal Yelnick reader and occasional guestblogger asked what the take is on the rejection of the European constitution. Two issues: the currency union (Euro) and the political union (Constitution).

The Jackson 12 - Justice, As Easy As ABC!

You gotta love this jury. The 'sussed out that the mother of the kid was a scam artist who had set her son up to blackmail Michael Jackson. Jackson may have been guilty of child molestation with some kids, but they weren't going to find it for this one.

You gotta love the Jackson 'madman' defense. He admitted sleeping and showering with little boys, but maintained his innocence. He acted odd. His very admission of suspicious acts made his defense plausible. He didn't act guilty or defensive, only puzzled. And he seemed weird enough to be innocent! Would any other 46 year old man be given this deference?

You gotta wonder about the media. They were ravenous on their desire to convict Jackson. Where was the perspective?

You gotta love the system. The general public had an uneasy feeling about this trial, given how the OJ case got turned into a political trial of the LA Police Dept. So sometimes the system fails. But despite The Reverend Jesse Jackson's attempts to paint this case with racism, this case had nothing to do with that, and everything to do with a scam artist in the hands of a ruthless prosecutor. Usually a prosecutor with all the power of government at his fingertips, backed by the strong winds of the media, can lynch anyone. The jury is the last bulwark of freedom. As easy as ABC, 123, this jury did its duty.

Who's on First

Who's On First for the Next Generation!

George:   Condi!  Nice to see you.  What's happening?

Condi:   Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.

George:   Great.  Lay it on me.

MODERN DAY ABBOTT & COSTELLO