Holiday's End - Brown's Lockerbie

Tomorrow the kids return to school so here we are at the Texas Embassy, which has been serving horrible Tex-mex to home-sick Americans since at least '97 when we arrived (the building BTW formerly the HQ for the White Star shipping line which owned the Titanic. When the Titanic sank, this where the survivor's list posted - a copy hangs at the back of the restaurant. Every stone unturned ...). The Brits have their weird Angus Steak Houses with green and velvet decor at floor level allowing pedestrians to watch the eaters devour and we Ex-pats have the Embassy. In truth, the last time I was here was saying good-bye to Dale who was, indeed, returning to Texas. Most customers today younger by ten (or fifteen?!) years and launching their evening into Piccadilly or Soho for a night of heavy boozing. Been there, done that, college boy. Around the corner on Haymarket Street (since I indulge my Ex-pat self) rests the old Sports Bar where Americans congregated around the World Series or NFL. I watched the Tampa Bay Bucks blow out the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in 2003 after waiting in line for, like, two-hours then getting shitty seats. Since post-9/11, cement blocks installed before the entrance and we were searched close to indignant. That was the last time the Bay Area had a half-way decent professional football team. It closed several years ago.

But any way and again. Scotland's release of Lockerbie terrorist Abdelbaset Al Megrahi now kicked up to Downing Street where - surprise, surprise - Super Gee's finger prints all over the transfer. This clearly why Brown has refused to comment on Kenny MacAskill's "compassionate grounds" nonsense. Yesterday released, official documents assert that British minister Bill Rammell warned earlier this year that there would be 'catastrophic' consequences if Megrahi not released; he consequently assured the Libyans that neither Brown nor Foreign Secretary David Miliband wanted Megrahi to "pass away in prison" even though Megrahi convicted of killing 273 people. Meanwhile tyrant Khadafi celebrates his 40 years with a Major victory from the Megrahi and presumably BP gets its £15B oil deal. This worse then slimy - we let down victims and families who have suffered the gravest loss imaginable.

Me: "Say something."
Madeleine (considers): "I am very happy."
Me: "Anything else?"
Madeleine: "Hmmm. We are going to move house. And the dog."