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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-04-29, Page 5THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2004. PAGE 5 Other Views Skulduggery and boneheads Democracy: the pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. — H.L.Meticken Like a lot of Canadians of my vintage, I . have spent far too much of the past half century with my nose pressed flat against the windowpane of the 49th parallel watching The Folks Next Door and not believing what I was seeing. Especially the politics. I watched as Richard Nixon got elected and wondered how .a shifty little creep so nakedly venal and obviously second-rate could possibly be chosen to become the most powerful man on the planet. But soon came Ronald Reagan. A Talking Head with a vacant smile and a genial voice who did General Electric commercials. for God's sake! In his most famous movie role he played second banana to a chimpanzee! Was there no depth to which the American electorate would not stoop when it came to installing a warm body in the Oval Office? Apparently not. We now have George Dubya at the controls. Credentials? Well, he kind of managed a baseball team his Daddy bought him. And he nearly served in the National Guard during the Vietnam War. And don't forget he was almost elected legally. And oh. yes — he's a graduate of Yale University. And how the hell did that happen? Yale is one of the most sacred bastions of American intelligentsia, right? A cathedral of erudition, n'est-ce pas? A revered institution dedicated to the care and grooming of the Ontario's lieutenant-governors represent the Queen and are as reluctant to get embroiled in political disputes as comment on Prince Charles's marital affairs. But the current office-holder has felt compelled to defend himself against one of the nastiest charges that can be made these days.- James Bartleman, a former career diplomat, admired also because he came from a poor family who once lived in a tent beside a dump, has responded indignantly to a complaint he is vehemently anti-Israel. Bartleman was ambassador to Israel from 1986-90 and has written memoirs recalling his experiences there. Norman Spector, ambassador from 1992-5, wrote in reviewing them Israelis told him Bartleman was the most hostile Canadian ambassador they had ever encountered. . • Spector added that an unnamed female member of former Liberal premier David Peterson's government, who visited Jerusalem during Bartleman's ambassadorship, found him vehement in his antipathy toward Israel. The complaints fall short of accusing the lieutenant-governor of being anti-Semitic, but some pin this label on any criticism of Israel and the danger is more acute at this time of alarm and fear at increased desecration of Jewish homes here. Bartleman responded briefly that in light of the current rise of racism he could not let Spector's accusation he is anti-Israeli pass. He argued he served Canadians' interests and did not align himself with any side in Israel, unlike Spector. who later became publisher of The Jerusalem Post. This newspaper promotes Israel and Spector now writes and broadcasts avidly supporting Israeli interests. Spector supplied few facts to substantiate his cerebral crème de la creme, is it not? And Dubya? A guy who once asked a visiting Welsh politician which 'state' Wales was in? Who explained on TV that a tax cut is one of the 'anecdotes' to coming out of an economic illness? Who vowed never to let "terriers" hold his nation "hostile". Yale gave this chump a degree??? Well, yes — but Dubya had something special going for him. He wasn't just a fun-loving, hard-drinking, coke-snorting. draft-dodging frat boy with a famous ,Poppa; he was also a member of the Skull and Bones Society — as were his father, his grandfather and two great- uncles. It is an extremely secret organization, founded at Yale University more than 150 years ago. Brains aren't a factor in becoming a member of Skull and Bones but there are three criteria that must be met: you have to be rich; you have to be Ivy League Establishment and you have to be selected. Dubya got the nod in 1968. So what exactly is the Skull and Bones Society? We don't know a whole lot of detail because Bonesmen are absolutely forbidden to discuss the Society with outsiders. claim Bartleman is anti-Israel. He sniffed that Bartleman brought to his job attitudes widely prevalent among foreign affairs officers in Ottawa. Bartleman had recalled most ,foreign affairs staff reacted emotionaHy and strongly in favour of Israel in its first wars, because it was a small country defeating much bigger nations. But he added that most Canadians became puzzled when Israel did not return the territories it conquered, despite appeals by the United Nations, and built settlements in them, which is a view any fair-minded citizen might share. Spector may have been offended because Bartleman repeats the fairly well-known statistic the United States sent $3 billion in military aid every year to ensure Israel maintained the best-equipped armed forces in the region. An Israeli supporter may feel this detracts from the image of a David facing Gol laths. Spector complained Bartleman showed Lawrence of Arabia-like sentiments favouring Palestinians. But Bartleman wrote he invited Jews and Arabs to dinners trying to bring them together, but they quickly degenerated into each side shouting abuse at the other. Bartleman also criticized Palestinian parents whom he said applauded as their children dared Israeli soldiers to shoofthem. But what we do know is rather unsettling. The Skull and Bones Society seems to be the offspring of a shotgun wedding between renegade Freemasons and a Haitian voodoo cult. Inductees are required to 'wrestle' with one another. Naked. Legend has it they are also impelled to stretch out in a candlelit coffin surrounded by human skulls and deliver a monologue about their sex lives (if any). To seal the initiation pact, they must chugalug goblets of simulated blood while their colleagues flush a number of toilets simultaneously. I am not making up any of this. You can read all about it in a book called Secrets of the Tomb by Alexandra Robbins. And what's the payoff? Well, you get to belong to a clandestine network of obscenely rich, overpoweringly influential people for the rest of your life. People who percolate through all the uppermost branches of business, politics, commerce, the CIA, the FBI — and Yale. People who can twist arms, raise bundles of money, call in favours, get things done. But of COURSE Dubya got a degree from Yale. What are friends for? Oh well, looking on the bright side, there's an election coming. American voters will soon have a chance to pronounce their own judgment on Dubya the doofus Bonesman of /968. Actually, things are not all that bright. Meet his possible replacement: the Democratic candidate for president. Senator John Kerry. Bonesman of 1966. Bartleman had praise for some Israeli leaders including Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, whom he said had been hawks until they encountered the carnage of wars. Spector may be upset particularly because Bartleman revealed how little the Israeli government cared about Canada's views. He said on orders from Ottawa he visited Rabin, then defence minister, to complain about Israeli troops' tactics against Palestinians in their intifada uprising. He said Rabin glowered at him, said Canada's concerns were of no interest to him and showed him the door. Bartleman persevered and at a dinner party asked Rabin how he would describe the state of Canadian-Israeli relations. Rabin replied Israeli relations with the U.S. were superb and could not be better and would be on the 35th floor of a 35-storey building. Relations with Central American countries would be on the 20th floor, because they are small but did not criticize Israel's handling of the intifada and bought its weapons, Israel having become one•of the largest exporters of arms. Canada, he said, was on the ground floor, because its leaders criticized Israel's handling of the intifada and refused to buy its weapons. The lieutenant-governor who provides this information is not anti-Israel, but revealing facts that help Canadians understand a complex issue and should not be hushed up. Final Thought Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to. - Mark Twain Bonnie Gropp The short of it Not going gently I t must be our age, but my husband and I do seem to spend more time discussing our health these days. Don't get , me wrong; I know we've got a long road to travel before the wheels fall off. But we do seem to be a little puzzled by the turn things have taken in recent years. After all, we follow the rules - sort of. We don't lead a sedentary lifestyle all the time. We watch what we eat most of the time. We don't smoke, don't drink too much and shy away from medications. For my part, I have found any improved health I enjoy in comfort. I do deep breathing, practise a bit of yoga. I get facials and massages all in the name of de-stressing. And I have no problem saying enough is enough, throwing down the dust rag and flopping into a chair with a good book for a while. Yet, despite all of this, things are notably different of late. Lethargy, aches and pains are more predominant than in the past. I suffer insomnia. I can't hold a book far enough away to see the print. My head is muddled, my thoughts are jumbled. I'm forgetful and tongue-tied. So, okay. I can accept that this is all part of the process. It's part of being a middle-aged woman. What I can't accept is that it must be accepted. To paraphrase Dylan Thomas, I will not go gently into the good night. He suggests raging in aging and that's exactly what I'm prepared to do. I don't want to think that continuous degeneration is what I have to look forward to over the next 40 years. Obviously the effects • of' growing older can't.he stopped or reversed, unless you live in Hollywood I guess. Even then, gravity will win, time will tell. But, I believe that there are healthy options to improve one's life. I've done my homework and continue to research new alternatives. What is left now is in finding someone in the medical profession who can guide me, who can deal with the intricacies, unravel the complexities. Generally, we put a lot of faith in our doctors. As a little girl, just having our family doctor walk in the room was good enough because I believed he would make me well. As I got older, I continued to put my trust in my physician. I heeded his advice. Doctors are after all, the ones with the knowledge. The situations they encounter, the decisions they make elevate them well above the rest of us mere mortals. But can they know enough? I like my physician. He has always listened and done right by me. In recent years, however. I have become much less agreeable to some of his prescribed treatments. For example. I work hard to keep my body chemical free and medications are only a last resort. Considering this is often the first resort for doctors, my GP and I have occasionally hit an impasse in preferred methods of treatment. I am fortunate that he is one of the ones who will listen, though. For instance, when I balked at heavy-duty painkillers for my headaches, he prescribed massage therapy, which has been a workable solution. But, the changes I'm encountering at this point in time, are ones too complex to be dealt with by a GP. I shall soon be planning a visit. And armed with the information I have gathered, I will see if he is as forward thinking as I have thought. If ,not, I will "rave" Mr. Thomas until he is. Lieutenant-Governor in rare row