Another Ironic Twist in the Mandela-mania

Thamsanqa Jantjie, the fake sign-language interpreter at the Nelson Mandela memorial service, turns out to be an admitted violent murderer.  Specifically, Jantjie participated in a "necklacing" incident, whereby a gasoline-soaked tire was placed upon the neck of the victim and set afire.

Necklacing has been a widespread problem in South Africa.  Never mind that it was almost always done in the context of black-on-black violence; the practice was endorsed by Nelson Mandela for use by his African National Congress against its rivals.  When Winnie was married to him, she, too, endorsed necklacing.

On several occasions, Mandela was called upon to denounce the practice, and had he done so, the necklacing incidents would have significantly abated.

Between Mandela, Jantjie, and Obama, it was difficult to tell who was the wise guy, who was the foil, and who was the straight man in the comedy act that was the memorial service for Nelson Mandela.  But there is no question as to who was the fool -- it was the Secret Service for allowing a criminally violent sociopath to come within arm's length of the President.

Mandela's ingratitude

The posting of 8 December 2013 mentioned, but did not belabor, my disaffection for Nelson Mandela.

For all of Mandela's diatribe against Israel, and for all of his snuggling up to Israel's many enemies, it was the Israeli government that saved the terrorist's sorry toochas by dissuading the South African government from seeking the death penalty for him.

I shall not further belabor my sentiments regarding Mandela.  No explanation is necessary if you understand, and no explanation is possible if you do not.  Labeling him as the ingrate he was should more than suffice.

Mandela and Pearl Harbor

As Bayou Renaissance Man so clearly notes, there are many aspects to Nelson Mandela the man.  I personally make no claims to objectivity in my views of him, which are much along the lines of those espoused by Debbie Schlussel (though not necessarily as strident).  But Mandela did accomplish much that needed to be accomplished.

Quite frankly, the pre-Mandela South African regime was not particularly friendly towards the Jewish citizens in locations outside of Cape Town or Johannesburg.  Mandela himself was tolerant, and even friendly towards, the Jewish citizens of South Africa (provided that they were in South Africa and not in Israel -- another one of those who love us when we are dead in Treblinka and Auschwitz and Terezin, but hate us if we are alive in the Holy City of Jerusalem).  Mandela's successors cannot be expected to be so accommodating.

Anyway, there are diverse ways of viewing Nelson Mandela.  And I do not particularly object, per se, to the vats of ink being now being fed into the presses on the occasion of his passing.

What I do object to, in yesterday's and today's newpapers throughout the America, is the dearth of ink about what happened on 7 December 1941, when the Japanese planes attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor.  It is a day that will live in infamy.

The Americans who died at Pearl Harbor (including those who now repose in the sunken wreckage of the ships there) are no less worthy of the media's ink than Nelson Mandela.