Random Thoughts 3/26

I've been meaning to write about the last 'Sopranos' episode for a couple of days, and only now have I gotten the opportunity.

Pretty much everyone that I've spoken to, with few exceptions, hated the last episode of 'The Sopranos'. I'm not one of them. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how many people continue to wish for the show to be a straight gangster tale, when it should be obvious to any long-time watcher that it is anything but. Sure the last episode was arty, moody, and dark. Sure it was filled with all kinds of double-meanings and profound symbolisms. That's why I like about the show, and that's what I liked about the last episode. Right now (and I won't wreck it for any of you that have yet to dig into this season or the show in general) things are at a fever pitch and tensions are very high. But one episode to take stock in the significant damage that has been done, and the ripple effect that it is having, is called for.

At least that's what I think. I look forward to tonight's episode with burning enthusiasm.

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I came across a news story about this fellow General Sir Anthony Heritage Farrar-Hockley. Sir Farrar-Hockley passed away about two weeks ago, but I was struck by this man's resolve, among other attributes. Here's an excerpt from the story:

General Sir Anthony Heritage Farrar-Hockley has passed away at the age of 81. He was a true hero of the Korean War and afterwards fought against terrorists and insurgents all over the world, from Malaysia to Aden to Northern Ireland. The IRA in particular hated him because of his uncompromising attitude to them.

Even in his retirement to a village in Oxfordshire, the IRA remained a threat. In 1990 a bomb was attached to the reel of his garden hose, but was spotted by his gardener and defused. "I keep my eyes open," said Farrar-Hockley, "and I don't much care for people who place explosive devices in my garden."

I love that last quote, "....and I don't much care for people who place explosive devices in my garden." How very British, eh?

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While we're on the topic of the IRA, I've been following the goings-on in Northern Ireland for about a decade or more. It seems that with the Good Friday Agreement, which essentially brought peace (a precarious one, but peace nonetheless) to Northern Ireland, the more radical and violent elements of the Irish Republican Army have taken to gangsterism of the first order. A few years back they knocked off the Bank of Northern Ireland, taking it for the equivalent of $45 million dollars. They subsequently laundered the money through a number of banks in Central and Eastern Europe. They've bought up a large chunk of the pubs in Ireland proper as well, using them as legitimate fronts for their criminal enterprises. They've subcontracted their terrorist skills to the likes of Hamas. And they've been known to shake down civilians who have nothing to do with "the struggle". Worse than that, they've murdered two civilians who were innocent of nothing save being at the wrong place at the wrong time: Joseph Rafferty and Robert McCartney. In two of the last three St. Patrick's Days, George W. Bush has met with the grieving families of both of these men. (Events like these are the reason why I still hold faith in Bush: his vision of right and wrong is clear and unwavering.) At the same time, Bush has steadfastly denied an entrance visa to Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. (Sinn Fein is considered the "political wing" of the IRA, even though they're fully connected to the "military wing" of the Irish Republican Army.) To date, the IRA has failed to produce the killers of both of these men, and their efforts to bribe the families of these two men have been for naught. Far from making a deal with the IRA, the families want Sinn Fein to produce the killers and have them tried in a legitimate court of law. Sinn Fein/IRA want nothing doing with this, as it would cause even more trouble and cause unnecessary attention to their criminality. They've also offered to execute the killers in both cases, but the families refused their offers.

Keep an eye on these stories, folks. The war on terrorism isn't just happening in the Middle East. And as the above link clearly notes, they're not different struggles, but the same one.

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Regarding Islam, I'd say it's a pretty hard sell at this point to convince the average American that this is a "religion of peace". The case of Abdul Rahman, the Afghani citizen who converted to Christianity and was set to be tried for apostasy (with the inevitable death sentence as the conclusive punishment, natch), has, in all likelihood, left little doubt in the minds of the American public that it isn't just fringe elements of this religion, but your average everyday adherent that is the practitioner and advocate of savagery. That there are moderate muslims out there, I have no doubt. But considering they're up against some pretty bloodthirsty opponents, I can't see how they wouldn't be cowed.

This story comes, of course, on the heels of the massive (and unbelievably ridiculous) reaction of the "muslim street" to the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist.

Mark Steyn has been particularly incisive on this and many other cultural issues. His column on this event is probably the best I've read.

Anyway....ten minutes to 'The Sopranos'. Hope everyone has a stupendous week.