Althouse: "I went out there to have a bit of an adventure and got more of an adventure than I bargained for."

December 4, 2007

"I went out there to have a bit of an adventure and got more of an adventure than I bargained for."

The charm of understatement.

20 comments:

AllenS said...: The charm of overstatement

"It has been an ordeal but I was well treated in prison and everyone was very kind to me."; 12/4/07, 5:11 AM
Bob said...: I have to wonder if the hostages who never return are the ones who don't cooperate, who don't suck up to the point of Stockholm Syndrome with these barbarians.

Maybe the price of bravery and defiance these days is to have your tortured, headless body found in an alley...; 12/4/07, 6:02 AM
George M. Spencer said...: Not only would the Princeton-educated Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal not shake the hand of the Israeli delegate at Annapolis, he would not even listen to his translated remarks, preferring instead not to wear his headset.

It is going to be a long century.; 12/4/07, 6:09 AM
rhhardin said...: Lesson learned. If barbarians manufacture a crisis, everybody will be grateful to them when they demanufacture it.

The trick to being a successful barbarian is to realize that the media must get their cut ; if they get that, then you're in charge.; 12/4/07, 6:27 AM
KCFleming said...: "The Sudanese people I found to be extremely kind and generous and until this happened I only had a good experience."

The nice doggywog was playful and fun. Until he bit me.

My boss was helpful and supportive. Until he groped me.

My boyfriend was thoughtful and patient. Until he threw me down the stairs.

I was smart and taught children lessons. Until I failed to learn my own.; 12/4/07, 6:41 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: I like this part of the article:

Religious fanatics protested outside the British embassy as she left

Isn't that telling. Wonder which fanatics those were. Did the Christians from the south sally forth to protest as well? Maybe some angry Scientologists or those nasty Mormons that Cyrus thinks need to be eradicated.

Guess referring them to Muslim fanaitics would be seen as insenstive.; 12/4/07, 6:50 AM
Mr. Forward said...: "Teddy bear row teacher Gillian Gibbons returned to Britain this morning after her "terrifying" prison ordeal and admitted: "I never imagined this would happen.""

But apparently she could imagine teaching Teddy bears to row in SUDAN one of the driest places on the planet. Sculling or Skullduggery? What's the real story here?; 12/4/07, 6:51 AM
Ron said...: "sighted sub. sank same." Now THAT's understatement!; 12/4/07, 7:20 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: ...a bit of an adventure.

BONK

That's fine, Dear, come have a cup of tea. Let the adults sort it all.; 12/4/07, 7:36 AM
Joaquin said...: When asked by FOX News for a comment about the situation, a National Organization for Women spokeswoman said they were “not putting out a statement or taking a position.”

Now if the British teacher was standing up for abortion for teens, morning after pills in High Schools, or for Hillary, well then, NOW would be fawning all over her in a show of women's solidarity.
God Save The Al!; 12/4/07, 7:43 AM
reader_iam said...: So, I just dropped off my son at school, and on the way back was listening to the radio to catch the weather forecast. The news guy does his thing, and at the end he reports on Gibbons and how she's back and well and had a good time and all--at which point, probably responding to the tone of the news guy's voice, one of the morning deejays interjected, without missing a beat: "and she's launching a new toy line--Tickle Me Muhammad!"

OK, so maybe you had to be there. But I'm still cracking up.; 12/4/07, 8:28 AM
former law student said...: This is the second tabloid newspaper Ann has linked to. I wonder why not the Times, Guardian, Telegraph, etc.; 12/4/07, 10:12 AM
KCFleming said...: Wow, good catch, former law student. That's so interzzzzzm,SKJDFkslnfklb./

c

. b

. xm

**drool .............SNORT**

What What?
Sorry. I drifted off for a moment.; 12/4/07, 11:24 AM
John Burgess said...: Mr. Forward: Better brush up on your geography. Khartoum itself is bounded by the White and Blue Nile rivers. The country as a whole is not desert, though there are deserts. In fact, Sudan is potentially one of the most productive agricultural countries in Africa.

It also has access to the Red Sea, so nautical skills aren't worthless.

Try a Google satellite map.; 12/4/07, 11:24 AM
Swifty Quick said...: Lesson learned. If barbarians manufacture a crisis, everybody will be grateful to them when they demanufacture it.

That, along with copious appeals to the golden mean, the fallacy of the grays, a seeming ubiquitous phenomena post 9/11 vis-a-vis islamic extremists. In fact, 9/11 itself may well have been nothing but a stroke for the golden mean, based on how things have gone since then. That may have been bin Laden's actual long range objective.; 12/4/07, 11:43 AM
Pastafarian said...: Everybody should start sending them Teddy Bears with the name Mohamed stitched on little t-shirts. It's kinda childish but funny.

Do they have embassies in Chicago? I'll have to check. Will I get my head chopped off in th U.S. for that?; 12/4/07, 11:55 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Pastafarian, that's a terrible idea. There is no reason to show disrespect for Islam generally. You should want to divide ridiculous extremists from the billions of decent people who live in the Muslim tradition. Why on earth would you want to push them together?; 12/4/07, 12:01 PM
Pastafarian said...: Ann. I'll start when they start. I haven't really heard of thousands of Mullahs etc. calling those animals out have you? If so I sure would like to know who they are.

I still like my idea.; 12/4/07, 12:46 PM
blake said...: It's not clear blasphemy at all.

And one of the costs of entry into the modern world is being able to withstand your religion being abused.

No one gets (or should get) special treatment, just 'cause, well, they get really REALLY upset.; 12/4/07, 1:48 PM
knox said...: What's the deal with all her bizarro "nicest folks you could ever meet" statements ??; 12/4/07, 4:30 PM