Wednesday, June 11, 2008

On May 25, 1890, the New York Times carried this headline: "'Sanctified' Arab Tramps: Wretched Maronite Beggars Infesting this Country; a Formidable Padrone System Made Possible by Unscrupulous Religious Teaching." (Do you want to be that some Lebanese would take the mere reference to Lebanon and Maronites as a compliment?)