Stonehenge Journal
(Keith)
Stonehenge is surrounded by both myth and mystery. Stonehenge is England's
most famous stone circle; Lea and I hiked to another one in Bath that lacked the
grandeur of Stonehenge, but was much less touristy.
No one really knows why Stonehenge (or the other circles) were
built; some of the theories include: a celestial calendar and a religious
temple. I saw one special on t.v. that suggested they were built with
specific acoustic characteristics, thus allowing the priests to create
"heavenly" sounds during worship. I don't think I believe this
one . . . too cynical.
(Lea) Lately, one of the main discussions in Britain has been about their
proposed anti-terrorism bill. The British Parliament is grappling with passing
an acceptable anti-terrorism law. The main issue they are dealing with is the best way to keep Britain safe from terrorists while still protecting the civil rights of their citizens. I find this interesting to follow as the US is dealing with the same
issue. I was happy that anti-terrorism laws passed in
the US Congress, but I was also happy some of Ashcroft’s original “wants” were stricken. For instance I read that on
an initial proposed bill he had included suspending habeas corpus for foreign terrorist
suspects - something I find unacceptable. I do have faith that the
US government will carefully weigh each decision dealing with how to protect citizens from terrorist
attacks while also protecting human rights and civil liberties. It is
certainly not an easy task. I think the main thing citizens and politicians need to remember is what we are trying to protect – not only our lives, but our way of life.
Check out our Stonehenge Photos.