Last Week

For years, The Spectator has published a weekly review of world and UK events in a fascinatingly dry and non-judgemental fashion. It is usually a wonderful read and mightily useful if one has been 'out of commerce' for a while. Harpers has commenced a similar weekly review on it's website. www.harpers.org

George Bush delivered his State of the Union address. Hesaid the country was "confident and strong," then announcedhe would reduce or eliminate 150 government programs. Hecalled Social Security "a symbol of the trust betweengenerations," then discussed proposals for the reduction ofits benefits and an increase in the retirement age. Hesuggested that his tax cuts be enshrined in perpetuity andthat "the spending appetite" of the federal governmentshould be restrained. He said he would "confront" MiddleEastern nations in the name of peace, but insisted theUnited States had "no right, no desire, and no intention toimpose our form of government on anyone else." Bushdescribed marriage as "a sacred institution and thefoundation of society," but he failed to mention the mayorof New Paltz, New York, who stands accused of 27 counts of
attorney general, and Senator Arlen Specter described him asa man who had made it "up from the bootstraps without evenboots." Another senator dismissed accusations of Gonzales\'scondoning torture as "exaggerated." The King of Nepal saidhe was a proponent of multiparty democracy, then fired thegovernment, sent troops to the house of the Prime Minister,and assumed direct ruling authority. Cambodian oppositionleaders were stripped of their parliamentary immunity andfled the country. John Kerry claimed that Osama bin Ladencost him the presidential election, and Howard Dean admittedthat he hates Republicans. Shiites claimed victory in theIraqi election, the Association of Sunni Scholars declaredthe vote illegitimate, and election officials confirmed thatalthough Saddam Hussein was eligible to vote, he didn\'t.Iraq\'s president called the notion of a U.S. troopwithdrawal "complete nonsense," and President Bush said thatU.S. soldiers were "unrelenting in battle, unwavering inloyalty, unmatched in honor and decency, and every day theyare making our nation more secure." He also put the value oftheir death in combat at about $100,000.Condoleezza Rice insisted that attacking Iran was not on theU.S. agenda "at this point." Israeli and Palestinianleaders agreed to attend a peace summit in Egypt, and Hamasthreatened "all-out martyrdom attacks" if raids and killingsin the occupied territories did not stop. Darfur\'s violenceand mass killings failed to qualify as genocide, accordingto a U.N. commission, and South Korea downgraded North Koreafrom "main enemy" to "military threat." The Irish RepublicanArmy denied that it robbed banks, then said that it was nolonger interested in disarming. Secretary of HomelandSecurity nominee Michael Chertoff said the government couldnot "protect everything, everywhere, every time," and that",1]
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marrying gay people. Alberto Gonzales was confirmed asattorney general, and Senator Arlen Specter described him asa man who had made it "up from the bootstraps without evenboots." Another senator dismissed accusations of Gonzales'scondoning torture as "exaggerated." The King of Nepal saidhe was a proponent of multiparty democracy, then fired thegovernment, sent troops to the house of the Prime Minister,and assumed direct ruling authority. Cambodian oppositionleaders were stripped of their parliamentary immunity andfled the country. John Kerry claimed that Osama bin Ladencost him the presidential election, and Howard Dean admittedthat he hates Republicans. Shiites claimed victory in theIraqi election, the Association of Sunni Scholars declaredthe vote illegitimate, and election officials confirmed thatalthough Saddam Hussein was eligible to vote, he didn't.Iraq's president called the notion of a U.S. troopwithdrawal "complete nonsense," and President Bush said thatU.S. soldiers were "unrelenting in battle, unwavering inloyalty, unmatched in honor and decency, and every day theyare making our nation more secure." He also put the value oftheir death in combat at about $100,000.Condoleezza Rice insisted that attacking Iran was not on theU.S. agenda "at this point." Israeli and Palestinianleaders agreed to attend a peace summit in Egypt, and Hamasthreatened "all-out martyrdom attacks" if raids and killingsin the occupied territories did not stop. Darfur's violenceand mass killings failed to qualify as genocide, accordingto a U.N. commission, and South Korea downgraded North Koreafrom "main enemy" to "military threat." The Irish RepublicanArmy denied that it robbed banks, then said that it was nolonger interested in disarming. Secretary of HomelandSecurity nominee Michael Chertoff said the government couldnot "protect everything, everywhere, every time," and that
Scientists determined that sunlight helps fight cancer, thatbarbecue causes it, that overweight people have a strongerbiological need to sit than others do, and that rats areresponsible beer drinkers. Picking up women was outlawed inCosta Rica. The telecommunications industry had mergerfever, and the Pope caught the flu and was hospitalized.Cable provider Adelphia entered the age of pornography, andthe Nashville police paid informants $120,000 to have sexualencounters with prostitutes. Convicted murderer Michael Rosswithdrew his offer to "volunteer" to allow Connecticut toexecute him, and a man and woman were arrested for beating,chaining, starving, and pulling out the fingernails of fivechildren. Laura Bush explained that she likes fashionbecause it\'s fun. Sgt. Javal Davis, a former Abu Ghraibprison guard, pled guilty to charges of battery anddereliction of duty, two British terrorism detainees choseto remain in prison rather than accept house arrest, and aU.S. judge ruled that foreigners held in Guantanamo Bay hadthe right to challenge their detainment. Donald Rumsfeld hada clear conscience.Evolution was not being taught in many U.S. high schools,and teenagers in Texas were having more sex, a survey found.Investing in Google was a good move. Investing in Russianoil companies was not. Thirty-year-old actor LeonardoDiCaprio accepted a lifetime achievement award, and rapperCalvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus was accused of sexual assault. AMarine general described the pleasures of shooting Afghanimen, and a gas leak killed the prime minister of Georgia.Good relations with Halliburton were more important to theU.S. Army than $2 billion in disputed bills. Malaysia\'s HomeMinistry gave illegal immigrants one last chance to leavethe country before being whipped, and scientists learnedthat birds are not dumb. Sweden was considering raising",1]
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he needed a staff member who "really understands computers."Scientists determined that sunlight helps fight cancer, thatbarbecue causes it, that overweight people have a strongerbiological need to sit than others do, and that rats areresponsible beer drinkers. Picking up women was outlawed inCosta Rica. The telecommunications industry had mergerfever, and the Pope caught the flu and was hospitalized.Cable provider Adelphia entered the age of pornography, andthe Nashville police paid informants $120,000 to have sexualencounters with prostitutes. Convicted murderer Michael Rosswithdrew his offer to "volunteer" to allow Connecticut toexecute him, and a man and woman were arrested for beating,chaining, starving, and pulling out the fingernails of fivechildren. Laura Bush explained that she likes fashionbecause it's fun. Sgt. Javal Davis, a former Abu Ghraibprison guard, pled guilty to charges of battery anddereliction of duty, two British terrorism detainees choseto remain in prison rather than accept house arrest, and aU.S. judge ruled that foreigners held in Guantanamo Bay hadthe right to challenge their detainment. Donald Rumsfeld hada clear conscience.Evolution was not being taught in many U.S. high schools,and teenagers in Texas were having more sex, a survey found.Investing in Google was a good move. Investing in Russianoil companies was not. Thirty-year-old actor LeonardoDiCaprio accepted a lifetime achievement award, and rapperCalvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus was accused of sexual assault. AMarine general described the pleasures of shooting Afghanimen, and a gas leak killed the prime minister of Georgia.Good relations with Halliburton were more important to theU.S. Army than $2 billion in disputed bills. Malaysia's HomeMinistry gave illegal immigrants one last chance to leavethe country before being whipped, and scientists learnedthat birds are not dumb. Sweden was considering raising
Watergate reporting notes for $5 million, and a reportshowed that the former head of the New York Stock Exchangepaid his personal assistant $240,000 a year. The founder ofHabitat For Humanity was fired for sexual harassment,Richard "Kinky" Friedman announced he would run for governorof Texas, and the selection of a jury of Michael Jackson\'speers began. Frozen urine dropped from the sky in Scotland.Permanent URL for this column:http://www.harpers.org/WeeklyReview2005-02-08.html