vailian

More to follow...

You have to feel sorry for President Bush. He is now (slowly) realizing that he doesn't have the popular support he thought he had, and to remedy that for his posterity, he is establishing a Presidential Library and a Public Policy Center in Dallas to try to justify some of the controversial actions that he was responsible for during his tenure.

He admits to having made some questionable choices during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, but is steadfast in his defence of his course after 9/11. I think that the events of the hurricane were a genuine miscalculation, and can be excused. Not so the philosophy that guided his policies after the events of September 2001.

I am hoping that during his retirement he will be able to answer questions from the American people, rather than having his input filtered by a synchophantic entourage. If I were allowed to ask him a few questions, I would put these to him:

Mr. Bush, you espouse the spread of democracy in the world, especially in the Middle East. Why is it then, that you want it everywhere except in Saudi Arabia and in the Gaza Strip?

Mr. Bush, you appeal to the law of justice and equality for all people of the world. Why does this not apply to prisoners in Guantanamo Bay?

Mr. Bush, you have deeply-held Christian beliefs, which include moral tenents. Does this preclude you from accepting the deeply-held moral beliefs of Muslims?

I know I will not get answers to these questions, but as I watch the inauguration of Mr. Obama on Tuesday, I am hopeful that I won't have to ask similar questions of him in 8 years.

It is unusual here for it to stay cold for more than a few days... but we have had a cold snap and on sunday EVERYONE was out on the various frozen lakes and canals.
I was persuaded to put on some borrowed ice skates, even though I have not been on skates for 20 years or so and was NEVER a good skater. I protested loudly that my Skaters License had expired, but I actually managed to stay more or less in a standing postion for the best part of twenty minutes.

Glorious.

The swans, who normally have complete command of the lake, were huddled resentfully in the one remaining puddle of open water, casting malicious looks at the blissful skaters.