| The Kensington Review |
26 October 2005 |
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Volume IV, Number 128 |
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US Troops’ Death Toll in Iraq Hits 2,000 -- Once his family had been notified that he wouldn’t come marching home ever, Staff Sergeant George Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Texas, went down in history as the 2,000th American patriot to die in the Iraqi war. As the wise von Clausewitz wrote, war is politics by other means. In other words, a prudent military strategy is dictated by political goals. So at this time, a little reflection about political goals is in order -- dispassionate, forward-looking, honest and skeptical about easy answers.
Brazilians Reject Gun Ban by 2 To 1 Vote -- Normally, the US gets the focus whenever gun-related death is the topic of conversation. Compared to the Brazilians, though, the Yanks are pretty second rate when it comes to shooting each other to death. Brazil has 100 million fewer people and 25% more fatal shootings. And it seems the people there like it that way. They just voted down a prohibition on sales of guns and ammo to civilians by a 64-36 margin. Ben Bernanke to Succeed Alan Greenspan at the Fed -- The appointment of Ben Bernanke to the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve is one of President Bush’s wiser moves. After the Harriet Miers fiasco, one had worried that Tex had finally lost his fingernail grip on reality. Mercifully, it appears that slender handhold remains. Dr. Bernanke is a decent enough choice for the Fed’s top job, and there’s even reason to hope he’s a bit better than Mr. Greenspan. Peter Gabriel to Organize World Cup Opening Ceremonies -- Peter Gabriel is a house favorite here. His solo work is a rarity in pop music in that it is far superior to the work done with his band, Genesis (which wasn’t at all a bad bunch). He is best known for works like “Sledgehammer,” and the silly video of it that MTV played (back when the M in MTV meant “music” instead of “mediocre”). However, he’s stepping his game up a bit as FIFA, the world soccer governing body, has asked him to arrange the opening ceremonies for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. His goal is to top the Olympics’ opener. © Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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