Anglo Saxon

Shortly after landing in London to kick-off a three-country overseas tour, Mitt Romney on Wednesday disavowed an anonymous quote purportedly made by one of his advisors that President Obama's White House did not sufficiently appreciate the shared “Anglo-Saxon” heritage of the United States and Great Britain. “We have a very special relationship between the United States and Great Britain. It goes back to our very beginnings, cultural and historical. But I also believe the president understands that,” Romney said during an interview with Brian Williams that aired Wednesday on "NBC Nightly News.

As Mitt Romney landed Wednesday morning in London to launch a three-country overseas trip, an anonymous quote in a British newspapers caused a kerfuffle on both sides of the pond. A British newspaper quoted an unnamed Romney advisor as saying that President Obama's White House did not sufficiently appreciate the shared “Anglo-Saxon” heritage of the United States and the United Kingdom. The Romney campaign flatly denied that the governor or the campaign shared the sentiment.

The article on Hillary Clinton ("Time for a Feminist as First Lady?" July 14) was on the inside track, except Hillary Clinton is not the archetypal '90s woman. The Democrats would like to have us believe this to be true. The fact is we are white, black, brown, yellow and red. Women of varied origins with varied customs, financial and educational backgrounds, a multicultural melting pot. She is the archetypal Anglo-Saxon, college grad, career woman and mother of the '90s. I know the majority of women in the U.S. do not fit into that category.

Shortly after landing in London to kick-off a three-country overseas tour, Mitt Romney on Wednesday disavowed an anonymous quote purportedly made by one of his advisors that President Obama's White House did not sufficiently appreciate the shared “Anglo-Saxon” heritage of the United States and Great Britain. “We have a very special relationship between the United States and Great Britain. It goes back to our very beginnings, cultural and historical. But I also believe the president understands that,” Romney said during an interview with Brian Williams that aired Wednesday on "NBC Nightly News.

Re "Murder Was Birthday Present, Jury Told," Aug. 5: About this so-called witchcraft link to murder, I must make the following comments as a practitioner of Wicca (witchcraft) and an independently ordained cleric. There are strict rules of conduct that this supposed witch has violated. There is the oldest law in modern witchcraft, which states, "Do as ye will, but do no harm." I do not want people linking true witchcraft to violent acts. Modern witchcraft is a gentle religion, which worships the powers of nature, believing that all life is sacred and interconnected.

An amateur treasure hunter prowling English farmland with a metal detector stumbled upon the largest Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found, a massive 7th century hoard of gold and silver sword decorations, crosses and other items, British archaeologists said. One expert said the treasure found by Terry Herbert, 55, would revolutionize understanding of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people who ruled England from the 5th century until the Norman conquest in 1066. About 1,345 items have been examined and X-rays have shown that 56 lumps of earth contain metal artifacts, meaning the total will probably rise to about 1,500.

As a practitioner cognizant of sesquipedalianism logomachy, I harbor a personal idiosyncratic affinity for scriveners who indulge their own polysyllabic propensities, ineluctably constrained to do so in expounding recondite abstractions in the diurnal gazettes. But communicating with readers is another thing. Plain English is a must. I don't mean Grant should write down to them, but he is hurting his cause if he cloaks his thoughts in strange garments. That second paragraph is mostly everyday Anglo-Saxon words.

Parker is a bright man and able writer, but he does need to brush up on his literary history. Gilgamesh is not Anglo-Saxon but Sumerian; Greek and Elizabethan dramatists had different views of the reasons for tragic events, and in any case both Oedipus and Macbeth were great men brought low by differing factors. Macbeth certainly did allow his ambition to turn to evil ends, but Oedipus was never evil. And Hawthorne and Melville were as preoccupied as Poe with the dark side of the human soul, and on a deeper level.

Judy Scales-Trent's column, "Add 'Multiracial' to the Next Census" (Commentary, July 3), is on track, but doesn't go far enough. We should end all designations of race, nationality, religion, ethnicity and sex from all official documents, including the census. All Uncle Sam should care about is: Is there a person out there? This won't end racial and sexual problems tomorrow; but as a new generation grows up, it will begin to have a powerful effect on tolerance, and on the whole concept of equality and the essential unity of the whole human race.

In the editorial "The Art of Living Together--Closely" (March 15), it is implied that we must accept continuing waves of new immigrants to our country and that we must learn to live with them even though our California cities are full to bursting. Why must we do this? Why is it a "given" these days that we cannot simply say no to new immigrants? Where is it written that we cannot put out the "No Vacancy" sign? Obviously, many of our civic problems these days are a direct result from our own Anglo-Saxon, First World culture butting up against the cultures of our Third World immigrants.

Independence Day 2011 dawns amid a resurgence of interest in our nation's Founding Fathers. "Tea party" conservatives in particular like to invoke them as an inspiration. Yet while it is certainly possible to find writings by individual founders that adhere closely to modern right-wing principles, this group of mostly white Anglo-Saxon Protestant property owners had profoundly differing opinions about governance — differing not only among themselves but often from the views of today's conservatives.

Paris Was Ours Thirty-two Writers Reflect on the City of Light Edited by Penelope Rowlands Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill: 280 pp., $15.95 paper For centuries Paris has been a magnet for artists, writers, musicians and hangers-on, cultural and otherwise. In the anthology "Paris Was Ours," journalist Penelope Rowlands has gathered the thoughts of 32 writers ? some of them important, others minor talents ? in recounting their experiences living there. Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff deftly balances the personal and professional, juxtaposing the research for her study "A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America" with her family's misadventures.

Fred Morgan Kirby could not make a speech to save his life, and he told the crowd as much that day in 1930. He donned a fedora and round spectacles, and gently clasped his cane as he gazed upon the dignitaries gathered at Lafayette College. The newly minted Kirby Hall of Civil Rights dwarfed its donor, much as the ideas of law and government it would nurture dwarfed any one man. The grand hall stood for the duties bestowed upon every (white, male) American in exchange for individual freedoms ?

Thank you for the great article and excellent job in recognizing Pili Montilla. ["Planet Spanglish," Oct. 4] One of the wonderful things about living in Los Angeles is the fusion of our many cultures. Pili's beautiful and passionate personality is so refreshing in today's stale stereotypes traditionally portrayed in the media. We are very lucky to have her all the way from the other side of the country. Now only if there was a good Puerto Rican restaurant near me, then L.A. would be perfect.

An amateur treasure hunter prowling English farmland with a metal detector stumbled upon the largest Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found, a massive 7th century hoard of gold and silver sword decorations, crosses and other items, British archaeologists said. One expert said the treasure found by Terry Herbert, 55, would revolutionize understanding of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people who ruled England from the 5th century until the Norman conquest in 1066. About 1,345 items have been examined and X-rays have shown that 56 lumps of earth contain metal artifacts, meaning the total will probably rise to about 1,500.

There are many ways to view the tumultuous events of last week. Do the French "non" and the Dutch "nee" herald the end of Europe or a new beginning? Are they a victory for democracy or raw populism? The cafes of the Rive Gauche and the wine bars of Islington are already filling with unshaven intellectuals who will debate these questions for you at length -- especially if you happen to be female and around half their age.

I'm not sure if the "Melrose Place" writer(s) had in mind a show about ordinary, everyday twentysomethings, but if they did, they have failed. If, however, this show is to be a fantasy about glamorous characters in glamorous occupations and situations who live in a glamorous neighborhood, then the writers did succeed. Most twentysomethings don't have careers such as a designer in a boutique, a surgical intern or aspiring actor/actresses. And most twentysomethings don't live in trendy neighborhoods such as Melrose, and they are not all beautiful, thin, with clear complexions, straight white teeth and classic Anglo-Saxon features (why aren't there any ugly, fat young role models on TV?

Thank you for the great article and excellent job in recognizing Pili Montilla. ["Planet Spanglish," Oct. 4] One of the wonderful things about living in Los Angeles is the fusion of our many cultures. Pili's beautiful and passionate personality is so refreshing in today's stale stereotypes traditionally portrayed in the media. We are very lucky to have her all the way from the other side of the country. Now only if there was a good Puerto Rican restaurant near me, then L.A. would be perfect.

Re: "A Near Miss for Key Rights," Commentary, June 29: Perhaps the most important part of Jonathan Turley's Op-Ed article is his statement concerning habeas corpus for prisoners: "That this right was even at question is an example of a system at risk." Habeas corpus has been a fundamental right of all humans in Anglo-Saxon society for hundreds of years. Government cannot imprison or detain people (citizens or noncitizens) indefinitely without charges and an opportunity to contest those charges.