Letters to the Editor
maureenodonnell
Published Letters: 1231 Editor's Choice: 5
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I'll say it again - and I hope for the last time......
[Read the article: Obama should be proud to be named Hussein]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The Tudors (said to be of Welsh origin) and the Stuarts were Scots. Those dynasies are long gone and Queen Elizabeth 11 is descended from Victoria and Albert. I suppose I might know a little about this as the British Crown ruled the whole of Ireland until l922. The Spanish, French and Italian languages are Latin derivitives. There's really no more to say except to add that "Man sprang from the apes and some didn't spring far enough", although, on reflection, simians are probably more clever.
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Aj Calhoun, I have NEVER used Obama's second name in any of my posts so I don't need absolution
[Read the article: Obama should be proud to be named Hussein]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My argument is with the factual error in Juan Cole's article. There are too many "might have"s an hypotheses in this article for it to be taken for anything else but a skit. Before i bother with the dynastic entanglements of the British royal family once again, I'd like to mention that my own Gaelic name and my ancestry have been mocked on this site by Obama supporters who disagreed with my opinions and were using taunts as a way of shutting me up. I was called "Slow Mo" among other names - some quite obscene, from my point of view- and a person's name is of no interest to me because it's beyond an individual's control unless a person wishes to change it by deed poll or other means.
Sylvain, Richard 111 was the last of the Plantaganet kings, killed at Bosworth Field: "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York.." The Plantagenet line ended in l485, then came the Tudors, the Stuarts (Queen Anne was the last) and the Hanoverians took over. The British royal family (and that's what Juan Cole is writing about) has had its roots in Germany ever since but Princess Diana was definitely English. Mr. Cole doesn't know what he's talking about so maybe it's just wishful thinking.
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slb, you're right about the two Marys...
[Read the article: Obama should be proud to be named Hussein]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Queen Mary (aka Bloody Mary) died a natural death and her half-sister Elizabth 1 did not have her executed. It was cousin, Mary -Queen of Scots - who was beheaded. She seemed to have a far more thrilling love life than either of the Queens (Mary and Elizabeth) but she was a very unlucky woman. Antonia Fraser has written about Mary, Queen of Scots, and I always intended to read it, as Mary was an intriguing (in both senses of the word) woman.
I'm still waiting for Juan Cole to admit that he's invented some of the connections that he's so laboriously tried to foist on readers, for whatever reason. Has hypothesis now become fact, even if the hypothesis makes no sense at all? Quite frankly, and I'm not a person unable to see the funny side of life, I would consider such a trend extremely dangerous.
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Aj Calhoun, I addressed you in less than two lines but you've spent twenty-one
[Read the article: Obama should be proud to be named Hussein]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]giving a general analysis of the "temperament" of a woman from a foreign country, a country which has quite a few stereotypes in American minds. For instance, your "wrath of the O'Donnells" is complete overstatement. I was referring to what you wrote about Gayle and me which had certain implications. I was writing about the British royal family because Juan Cole had made an erroneous statement and said nothing at all about Barack Obama "good, bad or indifferent" but then you had to drag my name into your post. I was out for a while and was just casually reading the posts, with particular interest in comments on British (more correctly, English) monarchical dynasties. The word "British" was not in general use until some time after l700 (Act of Union with Scotland).
Good heavens, AJ Calhoun, you are very sensitive with your reference to my "unimpeachable" opinions. I think we non-Americans will have to leave the impeaching to you people (Can I say "people" or do you prefer the more Germanic "folk", from volk?). Please, Mr. Calhoun, try to be more open-minded and accept that I find it hard to understand how a writer not in possession of the facts about something (i.e British monarchy) has the temerity to make the ridiculous statement that Juan Cole made in his article. From my little perch out here in the Atlantic I could take the advice of W.B. Yeats "Cast a cold eye on life, on death2 but that's not really me. I've just heard on Irish news that Prince Harry has been fighting in Afghanistan for the last week or so. He's Diana's son, a bit of a rake, but I kinda like him. I shouldn't be wasting my time on this site as we have concerns other than Barack Obama's middle name. We're having a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty and last weekend the Irish public voted for Dustin the Turkey (a puppet) to represent us in the Eurovision Song Contest which takes place in either Sofia or Belgrade (can't remember) some time soon. Professional musicians were infuriated but most people love the choice as Dustin is a very cheeky turkey indeed. In more serious moments, we worry about who you will elect as your President this time because that will have world-wide effects. In general, politicians everywhere are strangers to the truth and all we ask of our own is that they be competent. The wonderful thing about being Irish is that we are such a tiny nation that we are no threat to anyone and we tend to side with those who are being pushed around - in this case, the Iraqi people.