 |
| Ethelred the Unready, King of England, 978-1016 |
Almost fifty years ago, Professor Gordon, English through and through, made OTR's study of the History of England most enjoyable. One of the professor's favorite references throughout the year was Ethelred the Unready. Ethelred was more "ready" than his name implied; however, we do remember him today for his decade-long payment of tribute - protection money - to the King of Denmark. Eventually the payment wasn't enough to keep the Danes from invading England and forcing Ethelred to flee across the English Channel to safety in Normandy. There's more to this history, but more significant for us these days is the parallel between Ethelred's protection money and Obama's appeasement to the insanity of Islamic jihad. Those in the know should have their money on jihad. Victor Davis Hanson - classicist, war historian, and date farmer - has a fine analysis of the foreign policy disaster that has unfolded over the last four years.
2 comments:
strentsThanks John. It's nice to see Ethelred remembered...and such a nice comparison done. I read somewhere one time that the sobriquet "Unready" could also be an Anglo-Saxon euphemism for "ill-advised" or "responsive to poor counsel." works with Mr. Obama as well I think, who seems to be convinced that his own personal magnetism can supplant hard-headed pragmatism.
Thanks, Larry. You read my intent spot on. I suspect poor Ethelred will survive far better in history than our unicorns and rainbows community organizer/pretend president.
Post a Comment