From the desk of George Handlery on Thu, 2011-06-09 08:17 We like to think that the facts accessible to us determine our measured judgment of the case. Therefore, they become decisive according to a rational evaluation. A praxis related correction of the conception would be to surmise that it is the interpretation of filtered facts that gives them significance. In translation, this means that not the pure event but its agreed upon meaning is what makes it consequential in the public’s mind. Bin Laden’s removal is a fact. So are his record and his well-documented and loudly proclaimed intentions. Nevertheless, the results of the commando action that terminated his career prompted a revealing and potentially consequential discussion in Germany. It goes beyond bemoaning that there will be an “empty chair” at the bin Laden family’s dinner table. The unpleasant tendency embedded in Germany’s political culture is to take extreme positions. That even pertains when moderation and restraint are emphasized as “non-negotiable” goals. The Returns On The Cuddling of Terrorists
Friday, 10 June 2011
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