Southern Cross Review

Click on the donkey's ass to browse in the SCR E-book Library

Barack Obama’s speech on race (see Table of Contents) may seem abstract to those readers too young to remember the situation in the U.S. when segregation was a fact of life in the South. I drove once from California to the East Coast together with a black friend. We were both privates in the army and were going home previous to assignment in Europe after having studied Russian for a year. We couldn’t sleep in the same hotels, eat in the same restaurants, use the same service station rest rooms or drink from the same water fountains. I brought our meals out to eat in the car, I held his money when he slept in broken down “Negro Travelers” hotels, and I went to a spotless motel with swimming pool. It’s different reading about such things and experiencing them – and I was only experiencing them as an observer. But my friend was treated little better than an animal. We didn’t discuss it, it was just the way it was, normal. But we both wept inwardly. The race issue may not be resolved in the U.S., as is evident in this year’s presidential campaign, but things are very different from the pre-MLK era. Let’s hope that an Obama presidency will pave the way to real integration.
FTS

In this issue we offer an exclusive interview with Yanqui Mike, Chairperson of Democrats Abroad in the swing state Argentina – huh? Well…you never know. Anyway, check it out in “Editor’s Page”.

Sometimes the “Letters” section is somewhat skimpy, but not this time – lots of interesting stuff.

In “Features” there are two contributions from Mark Twain. (Remember him?) One gives a hilarious insight into the complexities of the German language. The next, the War Prayer, isn’t hilarious at all, and it is as applicable today as it was when Twain was inspired by the Philippine War. We’re trying to be more bilingual nowadays, so the Prayer also appears in Spanish translation. Howard Zinn really takes on governments in his speech about war and terrorism: “governments lie.” Mike Ingles reminisces about life from when he was old enough to buy beer (1968) until today, and Gaither Stewart searches for Europe’s soul.

In “Current Events” Tom Engelhardt worries about the descent into madness in Iraq and shows evidence that the Bush government is preparing for wars beyond that one. The title of his article, “Endless War”, is chillingly appropriate. And, if you haven’t read it yet, Barack Obama’s recent speech on Race in America (inspired by the Rev. Wright brouhaha), please do so now. Steve Talbott follows with his usual acumen, this time about economics.

“Fiction” goes bilingual this month, with Luisa Valenzuela’s “Tango” and my “Daddies” (“Papás”). Danny Smitherman’s story takes place in an exotic locale indeed: Iran. A new writer for SCR, Sand Rector, also contributes a story about getting along in spite of yourself. Orwell's serialized “1984” continues.

A second article by John Davy (following up last month’s) giving us a clear description of the evolution of world and man from an Anthroposophical point of view, appears in “Science and Philosophy”.

For those interested (as well as those potentially interested) Keith Francis’s second lecture on Alchemy and Anthroposophy, this time concerning Greek philosophy, is the first link in the “Anthroposophy” section. An excerpt from a Steiner lecture in a series about the Book of Revelation follows, as well as his “Guidelines”.

Poetry: ah yes, poetry. We found a Spanish translation of T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” on the web, so it accompanies the original English version – which is complete with notes. Then the Indian poet Aajai Theepon sends us some of her politically tinged work with a strong ecological background.

A book review that appeared here several years ago, “The Gnostic Jung”, has generated a lot of interest. So it’s republished in this issue with some minor changes.

Table of Contents