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Hamlet Story Ends Tragically

Posted by Mike on Wednesday, December 02, 2009 2:31:32 AM
http://westernperspective.blogspot.com/
The gist of the Hamlet legend is that those guilty of murder do not escape unpunished.  As Hamlet has become a metaphor for Obama and his deliberative response to major issues, America could be in for some big changes.

Hamlet did eventually avenge his father's murder.  Both the murderer, Hamlet's uncle, and Hamlet's mother ended up being killed, as did Hamlet himself, and others.  The figure of the Danish legend was ultimately killed in battle against a later rival for the kingship.  To carry the analogy a step further, the question arises whether our modern day Hamlet will pay a political price for his dithering and ultimate acquiescence to the military buildup in Afghanistan while secretly planning to withdraw American forces during the coming years.

On another level, it may be asked whether those responsible for the torture and unjust killing of Iraqi and Afghan detainees will be punished for their crimes, as Hamlet's uncle eventually was.

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To Be or not to Be?

Posted by Mike on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 3:54:47 PM
http://westernperspective.blogspot.com/
The CliffsNotes rendition of Shakespeare's Hamlet apparently has Hamlet's indecisiveness as the central theme, or at least that would appear to be the case based upon recent comparisons to Obama's indecision on Afghanistan and acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize. This fits nicely with the "values free" trend in public education.

While my expertise is not Shakespearean literature, having only once seen the play Hamlet performed many years ago by a Los Angeles theatre arts company in conjunction with a my high school alma mater noted for turning out highly acclaimed actors and actresses, my impression was quite different.

Shakespeare's motivation was always religious in nature, primarily stemming from the persecution of Catholics in England. Hamlet was a morality play about murder, based loosely on the Danish war hero Amleth, whose legends transcribed by Saxo Grammaticus in 1185 probably derive from a real person who lived in Denmark much earlier. To my way of thinking, the movie trailer for Last Action Hero featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Hamlet conveys Shakespeare's meaning much better.

Although ending tragically, the moral is clear. Murderers will not go unpunished.
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Misplaced Generosity

Posted by Mike on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 11:54:25 PM
http://westernperspective.blogspot.com/
The murder of a security guard inside a Washington DC memorial museum is indeed reprehensible. The question arises, should it be the business of our government to be involved in funding and maintaining a museum with taxpayer dollars which highlights the sufferings and depredations of a people?

If we are doing it for the Jews, then why not for the Armenians, Iraqis, Iroquois, or Palestinians, each of whom have suffered great losses at the hands of oppressive regimes? The list goes on and on. Why do we Americans always end up bearing the brunt of historical mishaps? Doesn't this kind of promotion actually encourage hatred and killing of innocent people?

There is something truly grotesque about a nation that feels obligated to showcase past abuses of torture and death, while allowing the indiscriminate killing of millions of its own young.

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Racism in America

Posted by Mike on Tuesday, March 03, 2009 1:23:45 PM
http://westernperspective.blogspot.com/
 Racism and abortion both dehumanize persons and reduce them to the level of disposable objects.I remember growing up as a child in Pasadena, California in the spring and summer 1960.  My family had just moved west from Pittsburgh and were living in a rental house in a modest, racially mixed neighborhood. 

One hot summer day my brothers and I went to an outing at a local community facility.  We had a wonderful time swimming and playing "tug of war" games across a mud filled pit.  Afterwards  at about 2:30 we all ate free watermelon.  I do not consider eating watermelon as being in anyway racially demeaning. At that same place after the event, I saw and heard an older white boy taunting younger African American boys pertaining to their skin pigmentation comparing it to human waste, which led to a physical altercation.

 I am appalled at the uproar over an image depicting watermelons planted on the White House lawn which was sent last week as an attachment to email by the former mayor of a quiet town in Orange County, California.

Los Angeles County has a history of racism going back to its early years after the annexation of California by the United States.  Also in Los Angeles history, there was a long standing practice of sweeping abortion under the rug to protect from paternity lawsuits police officers and government officers who frequented prostitutes.  This resulted in a murder coverup so that the criminal abortionist who murdered a young woman from out of state would not be exposed for the criminal that he was.

We will never end racism in America until we first treat all persons as children of God, and stop treating anyone, including unborn children, as disposable waste or as objects for selfish gratification.


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