Recently in Politics Category

Oslo is not usually the center of excitement, but last week seemed to be an exception.  On Thursday evening while I was at my norskkurs (Norwegian class), a pro-Israel demonstration was interrupted by a pro-Palestine group that turned violent.  Apparently Molotov cocktails were thrown, windows smashed, police injured, and tear gas used repeatedly to break up the mob.  A couple of my coworkers were in the downtown area and...  encountered...  tear gas.  It was apparently a rather unpleasant experience.

As for me, I was headed home after my class and started heading down Parkveien (the road behind the palace), when I started noticing a log of police cars and some sort of barricade down the road.  Needless to say, I had to backtrack and walk through the park around the palace to get home, and I saw that the police had a couple of roads blocked off in the area around the Israeli embassy.  Apparently officials estimate the damage to be in the millions of Kroners (broken windows, damaged police cars, etc.).

On Friday there was a more peaceful protest that went past work - lots of shouting and a police escort, but no rioting.  And on Saturday a window was broken at a McDonalds - apparently there was a rumor that they were donating a day's profits to support Israel (yeah, like a company would do that, but it just goes to show how stupid people can be).


Note: Photo credit listed as AFP.

...I promise!

I've been sidetracked lately trying to keep up with American politics.  Ok, that along with things like the gym, floor hockey, cooking, and other activities.  But really, when I'm in my apartment and not cooking, cleaning or sleeping, I'm checking news sites way more than is healthy.  The good news is that we're only a week away.  And I do have pictures to write posts about, so things aren't dead here.

Almost every Norwegian I've talked to since I arrived has been to American at least once.  They like the States, and have found Americans to be friendly people.  However, they do wonder what on Earth the country was smoking when we let George W. Bush into office.

What's really scary is that after eight years of Bush, McCain actually has a chance at winning the election in November.  What will Norwegians think of us then, knowing that there will be at least four more years of Bush's failed policies?

Now, McCain is trying to make history.  He chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.  Unfortunately, he chose a woman who is mired in a scandal.  Palin is being investigated, both by an independent investigator hired by the legislature, and also by Alaska's Attorney General (at Palin's request, after the legislature voted to hire the independent investigator), for firing a state official who would not fire her former brother in-law from his job as a state trooper.

Now, whether or not Mike Wooten is fit to be a state trooper is a valid question.  He admits to using a taser on his 11 year old stepson, although the boy agrees that he requested it, and it was a very brief instance, and he shot a moose when it was his wife who had recieived the permit, not to mention several other troubling incidents.  However, Palin was not a neutral party.  Palin's sister and Wooten continue to have custody and visitation disputes and it is a conflict of interest for Palin to have acted as she has.

During their speeches, McCain and Palin both spoke about ethics, but it's obvious that neither of them understand the concept.