Marlboro Light Photo-Nostalgia
I think it is the nostalgia for better times that made this photo pop into my head today. This photo is clearly in my top ten news-related photos, depicting King Hussein of Jordan lighting Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin’s cigarette at the Royal residence in Akaba, Jordan, shortly after signing the Jordan-Israeli peace treaty.
I would quote the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan who referenced this specific photo in a 1999 speech, and said: “I should hasten to add that, in saying this, I am endorsing peace, not cigarette smoking.”
The photo was taken on October 26th, 1994 by the Israeli Government Press Office photographer Sa’ar Ya’acov. This photo and others can be viewed online and even purchased at Israel’s National Photo Collection.
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15 September 2012 at 4:37 am Permalink
Freedom has been rare throughout the ages. My friend who’s grandfather had to live in the Soviet Union. On any given day, he said the police could show up and ship someone, or a group to the gulag or simply have them executed.
This is what happens when the state, or special interest groups get too much power. The US Constitution was designed specifically to restrict the state from getting too much power.
Now we have political action gangs, the media is no longer reporting the “news”, they are in the business of attacking freedom of 1) Thought, 2) Speech, and 3) Religion, and promoting thier political agenda.
They seem to focus on, and only on transfering more power to the state, and advocating criminal action against any they want to accuse.
Attacking people they don’t like has become the order of the day. Only one of a very long list are those that use tobacco.
They don’t care about ” health “, its only an excuse to transfer authority from the individual citizen to the state.
I like the photo ! In the name of freedom, I salute you !