(File under " History, Wonders and Fresh Air")
| Imam Abdul Wahid Pedersen, vice chairman of a Copenhagen Islamic-Christian study centre, said he agreed that his religion needed a response in Denmark. 'The Queen's statement is correct,' he told daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten. 'We should challenge one another on religious grounds. There is no better way to achieve tolerance than by meeting one another.' |
The first is that particular people do make a difference in history. In other words, it does matter who is at the top when the crunch comes.
A second lesson is the possibility that small numbers of immigrants are more easily assimilated into a new (new for them) culture. Denmark has deliberately limited immigration in order to accomplish this. In other words, sheer numbers do matter when it comes to managing the polity's affairs. There is a tipping point beyond which the cultural sink occurs.
Another most heartening lesson is the oxygen in the room created by truth-telling. It does matter that political leaders be willing to state the truth rather than just spout boilerplate that puts people to sleep. Of course, some people are made giddy having so much air to breathe that they start randomly attacking others. Witness the bizarre behavior exhibited by those who fear John Bolton's truthful tongue – it's the result of the way-too-much fresh air generated by his veracity. His opponents need to return to whatever passes now for the smoke-filled back room in order to acclimate more slowly. America needs him -- this particular him -- to proceed to the UN and open the windows. Even if he does so by taking off the top ten floors.
Hail Queen Margrethe. Just when you thought royalty was a sad affair.
Hat tip: fjordman
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