Readworthies V

A handful of interesting, informative, and insightful articles.

News, editorials, columns, essays, et al.

Space invaders by Tim de Lisle @ The Guardian (ht):

As the world braces itself for a new bout of Star Wars fever with Revenge of the Sith, Tim de Lisle offers 40 reasons why the franchise hails from the dark side....

The Real History of the Crusades by @ (ht):

.... Misconceptions about the Crusades are all too common. The Crusades are generally portrayed as a series of holy wars against Islam led by power-mad popes and fought by religious fanatics. They are supposed to have been the epitome of self-righteousness and intolerance, a black stain on the history of the Catholic Church in particular and Western civilization in general. A breed of proto-imperialists, the Crusaders introduced Western aggression to the peaceful Middle East and then deformed the enlightened Muslim culture, leaving it in ruins. For variations on this theme, one need not look far. See, for example, Steven Runciman's famous three-volume epic, History of the Crusades, or the BBC/A&E documentary, The Crusades, hosted by Terry Jones. Both are terrible history yet wonderfully entertaining.

So what is the truth about the Crusades? Scholars are still working some of that out. But much can already be said with certainty. For starters, the Crusades to the East were in every way defensive wars. They were a direct response to Muslim aggression — an attempt to turn back or defend against Muslim conquests of Christian lands....

Kyoto Protocol — Propaganda or Censorship? by Garth Pritchard @ Canada Free Press (ht):

Last Thursday, I received a telephone call from Douglas Leahey, Ph.D., representing a group of Canadian scientists under the umbrella of "Friends of Science." It seems that they had been talking to Peter Worthington of the Toronto Sun, and he had mentioned to them that they should get in touch with me.

Dr. Leahey began by asking me how they could get a 27-minute documentary on television.

I have 15 years experience of fighting with federal and provincial slush funds for that very thing.

I asked some routine questions at first: Did they have a letter of licence? Had they rolled a camera before they got permission? Had they talked to the big broadcasters? Did they have a "pitch" and a budget?

Then I found out what their documentary was about. The story was incredible: it documented scientists — from Canada — speaking out against the $10-billion scam known as the Kyoto Protocol....

The Lasting Legacy of Pope John Paul II by Eduardo J. Echeverria @ The New Pantagruel (ht):

In the wake of the death of our Holy Father, Karol Józef Wojtyla, John Paul II, I’m certain that many things will be written about his legacy to the Church as well as to the world at large. Indeed, much discussion of this legacy has already been taking place both before his impending death and, almost without ceasing, after his dying on Saturday evening, April 2. The rich and varied character of his thought makes it impossible for me here to do it justice. Nevertheless, there are six features of his great papacy that I would highlight as essential to his lasting legacy and without which we would not understand his Catholic worldview....

What happened to history? by Victor Davis Hanson @ The Washington Times (ht):

Our society suffers from the tyranny of the present. Presentism is the strange affliction of assuming we ourselves created all our good things — as if those without our technology who came before us lacked our superior knowledge and morality.

We naturally speak of our own offspring in reverential tones. Do this or that "for the children" — youth who are the most affluent and leisured in the history of civilization. A new Medicare prescription drug benefit will add a mountain of national debt. Yet contemporary "seniors" as a group, even apart from the largess of Social Security and Medicare, are already the most insured cohort in our society.

We rarely mention our forebears. These were the millions of less fortunate Americans who built the country, handed down to us our institutions, and died keeping them safe....

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Sat. 05/14/05 07:41:19 AM
Categorized as Readworthies.