Daily Archive

Unsurprisingly perhaps, the top BBC news story all day has been the release of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston by one set of jihadists, owing to the likely threat likely assistance of a bigger group of jihadists. The BBC reports:

…Having worked in Gaza for the past three years, Mr Johnston said he was well aware of Palestinian traditions of hospitality and regarded his abductors as an “aberration”…

…He later appeared beside Ismail Haniya, a Hamas leader in Gaza, who said the result “confirms [Hamas] is serious in imposing security and stability and maintaining law and order in this very dear part of our homeland”…

Regarding his captivity:

…Mr Johnston said he was not tortured…

Imagine, someone actually not “tortured” in captivity?  That makes sense, though.  After all, it is the U.S., Britain and other nations of the anti-jihadist alliance that daily undermine “human rights”.  Jihadists, in contrast, are well-known for their scrupulous adherence to the “laws of war”.  You know, as in their kidnapping of BBC journalists.

…a leader of the Islamist group “described me as a prisoner in the war between Muslims and non-Muslims, a phrase which saddened me really”.

“I guess I’m a non-Muslim but I’m really not at war with anybody.”…

For a journalist, that Mr Johnston had apparently never before truly internalized that disturbingly large numbers of Muslims think they are at war with non-Muslims is inexcusable, really. 

No word as yet on who might replace Mr Johnston in Gaza. But the BBC presumably wants a fresh start there.  I think we know who could dazzle ‘em . . . and if necessary dance rings ’round ‘em there.  (I’m kidding! Kidding!)

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We are visiting the in-laws in London again for a few days, as the mother-in-law continues to recover from surgery. (They don’t have broadband, which isn’t a surprise; my in-laws have only a very vague idea of what the internet even is and don’t own a computer, so we are using dial up and our laptop.  Bless ‘em.) Earlier, for the 4th of July, just before dinner the father-in-law made gin martinis and during the meal we had a couple of nice bottles of Beringer (California) Shiraz, 2005. It’s not a barbecue, true . . . but between rainstorms there was no chance to barbecue.  Happy 4th everyone!