Airstrip One

Something Fishy in Kosovo

Further to today's column on the helicopter crash, there has been a landmine explosion.

1) Also troops cracking down on supplying the Macedonian rebels.
2) Also in the Kacanik municipality right on the border with Macedonia (although it's not said in the BBC report)
3) Also a quick denial of any KLA involvement from the military forces,
4) Also a strange explanation, a well travelled road suddenly having a Yugoslav mine turning up after 2 years, because of the heavy rain.

Thanks due to Hilda Reynolds for pointing this out.

Fergal Keene in The Independent argues that we need to go into Macedonia, otherwise the "gunmen" will get the upper hand. Of course the bombers always had the upper hand.

Happy St Patrick's Day

...to all those Irish people who are not stuck on the farm because of foot and mouth. And to all those Americans who've been stuck in the US for six generations.

Some on-line offerrings. First from the usually enjoyable Lewrockwell.com with a bit of anti-Protestant bigotry from David Dietman. The gist is that America should not deal with Ian Paisley because he's anti-Catholic (well, I thought that part of the point of Calvinism was a certain animosity towards the theological claims of the
"church of Rome") while NORAID, those fundraisers for the IRA, are not infected with any anti-Protestant bigotry. In fact they are a reputable source of information to Mr Dietman. Murder is far less a sin than dislike of the Pope.

The ideas that Protestants are in a majority in Northern Ireland or that they were born there means nothing. United Ireland good, United States bad. Oh well at least LRC is not blighted by that hobgoblin of little minds

The National Review Online fares somewhat better, for once. This weekend it largely focusses on St. Patrick's Day, with a bit of an irritating interview with Mary Kenny, a typically contrary view of St. Patrick's day from their Dublin correspondant David Quinn, a roundup of films about Ireland and a sensible piece on American strategic interests in Ulster.

Looks like LewRockwell.com came out worse this time.

The Guardian has a short piece: Taking the easy way out has led to suffering in Kosovo. The solution - of course, more fighting.

The Times has a funny piece by Simon Jenkins on the Irish, saints and regionalism. I must say that if he was to choose another saint for England (and St. George is a bit dubious) I would go for St Edward the Confessor.