QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:  We're alerted to this by reader Ken Braithwaite:

Nigerian Nobel laureate in literature, and democracy advocate, Wole Soyinka, has a few choice words about Britain.  I love Britain, and things British, but I share the dismay of many others at what's happening to the United Kingdom.  From the Daily Beast:

"England is a cesspit. England is the breeding ground of fundamentalist Muslims. Its social logic is to allow all religions to preach openly. But this is illogic, because none of the other religions preach apocalyptic violence. And yet England allows it. Remember, that country was the breeding ground for communism, too. Karl Marx did all his work in libraries there."

Why is Britain the way it is? "This is part of the character of Great Britain," Mr. Soyinka declares. "Colonialism bred an innate arrogance, but when you undertake that sort of imperial adventure, that arrogance gives way to a feeling of accommodativeness. You take pride in your openness." And so it is, he says, that Britain lets everyone preach whatever they want: It confirms a self-image of greatness.

Not everything Soyinka says is wise.  For example, he thinks well of the Nation of Islam in the United States, which is run by Louis Farrakhan.  But his analysis of Britain rings true.  The Brits almost always come through in the end, however the nation has been dragged down by elements that take up or tolerate the worst ideologies.  Let us not forget that fascism took root in parts of British society in the 1930s.  And the BBC is hopelessly left-wing.

And yet, there is Churchill, the RAF, the debates in Commons, Maggie Thatcher, Tony Blair, and other good stuff.

February 16, 2010