Great headline
/
In memoriam
/There is one aspect of the Anjem Choudary/Wooton Bassett story that disturbs me. Choudary is a vile scumbag, that much we can all agree on, and his plan for a march through Wooton Bassett is nothing more than a cynical attempt at self-promotion. But where are the lives of dead, innocent Afghans commemorated in this country? Surely there is a perfectly good case to be made for publicly mourning the tragic losss of life of Muslims in both Afghanistan and Iraq? Nobody seems to be doing it and if they did what sort of reception would they get? Would Alan Johnson be 'filled with revulsion'? Would Gordon Brown think it 'inapproriate'?
So, in the absence of an honest and humane response to the wars we get this buffoon who is now able to make a perfectly reasonable case about the slaughter of innocent Muslims to further his own agenda. There was a time when all the victims of war were commemorated, but that has never been on the agenda at Wooton Bassett.
So, in the absence of an honest and humane response to the wars we get this buffoon who is now able to make a perfectly reasonable case about the slaughter of innocent Muslims to further his own agenda. There was a time when all the victims of war were commemorated, but that has never been on the agenda at Wooton Bassett.
LibCon calls for censorship
/Liberal Conspiracy - We’re giving terrorists what they want
And using a soundbite made famous by Margaret Thatcher too. Ooh, er, missus!
No news is, indeed, good news, so it seems.
Of course, let us remember, as Shawn Bryant points out: "Politics thrives on the oxygen of publicity far more than terrorism does."
Press blackouts were tried in the past, both in the fight against terrorism in Northern Ireland and at the height of the RAF and Red Brigades’ campaigns in Germany and Italy respectively. What if governments and security forces around the world set up a concerted plan not to give Al-Quaeda the oxygen of publicity, unless of course there were damage and casualties to report? Wouldn’t the blackout deal at least a partial blow to the campaign of fear and hatred that the Islamic funda-mentalists(sic) have been inflicting upon the world?
Press blackouts were tried in the past, both in the fight against terrorism in Northern Ireland and at the height of the RAF and Red Brigades’ campaigns in Germany and Italy respectively. What if governments and security forces around the world set up a concerted plan not to give Al-Quaeda And using a soundbite made famous by Margaret Thatcher too. Ooh, er, missus!
No news is, indeed, good news, so it seems.
Of course, let us remember, as Shawn Bryant points out: "Politics thrives on the oxygen of publicity far more than terrorism does."
Blogosphere minus one
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Remembering Brad Graham - MetaTalkLong established, old-school blogger and coiner of the word 'blogosphere', Brad L. Graham, has been found dead at his home. He was only 41.
More details here.
Develop!
/A Photo Student: Twenty-Six Thought-Provoking Essays on Photography From Bazin's "The Ontology of the Photographic Image" to Sontag's "On Photography".
Via PhotojojoAward-winning photojournaist James Pomerantz is studying for an MFA in Photography, and now you can read the books that he’s reading. His list is dense and scholarly but your grey matter (and your photographic output) will thank you for peeking over James’ shoulder.
Up all night
/Warren Beatty slept with 12,775 women, claims biographer - The Guardian
Conquests? Is this the Guardian I'm reading? Surely some of these women were as equally enthusiastic as Beatty? Maybe some of them even seduced him?
No mention of one of his 'conquests', our very own Professor Germaine Greer, who raved about the 'something special' that Beatty had going for him sexually. A something she wasn't prepared to reveal.
Hollywood star's sexual conquests said to have included Isabelle Adjani, Diane Keaton and Madonna
Conquests? Is this the Guardian I'm reading? Surely some of these women were as equally enthusiastic as Beatty? Maybe some of them even seduced him? No mention of one of his 'conquests', our very own Professor Germaine Greer, who raved about the 'something special' that Beatty had going for him sexually. A something she wasn't prepared to reveal.
Salaam, salaam, salaam.
/Justice on Bradford's streets, the Muslim way
With his dark-blue uniform, earpiece and walkie-talkie, Yousaf Rahman could pass for a police officer as he patrols the streets of Bradford's Manningham neighbourhood. Like an officer of the law, he responds to emergency calls, visits crime scenes and pursues suspects.OK, I made it up. They aren't actually Muslims...they are Jews. Feel better now?
However, he is a member not of the constabulary but of the Manningham Islamic Rescue Patrol, a group of devout Muslim men who, for the past two years, have been “policing” the streets of their community...
Set up nearly two years ago, the group now has 22 patrolling members, a headquarters and even a 24-hour emergency number, staffed by six operators, which residents call to report crime. “Every house and child in the community knows this number off by heart,” said Mr Rahman, one of the group’s committee members.
Here, let's have a go!
/Cameron error gives Labour first blood in election campaign
I know this will come as a huge shock to political bloggers and party activists but the fact is that most people find politics boring and the thought of months of campaigning in this phoney-war stage of an election campaign leaves them cold. Whatever Cameron or Brown say or do this week will be utterly irrelevant in an election which is not expected to happen for five months.
Nobody gives a shit whether the Tories have fully costed their policies. Nobody cares whether Brown details where he will cut public spending. Most of us will have switched off for the next four months only becoming interested again much closer to the actual election. In any case, the election won't be about policies. It will be a demonstration of the British electorate making it's periodic decision to let someone else have a go. And that, regardless of policies or majorities, is a very healthy thing for democracy.
I know this will come as a huge shock to political bloggers and party activists but the fact is that most people find politics boring and the thought of months of campaigning in this phoney-war stage of an election campaign leaves them cold. Whatever Cameron or Brown say or do this week will be utterly irrelevant in an election which is not expected to happen for five months.
Nobody gives a shit whether the Tories have fully costed their policies. Nobody cares whether Brown details where he will cut public spending. Most of us will have switched off for the next four months only becoming interested again much closer to the actual election. In any case, the election won't be about policies. It will be a demonstration of the British electorate making it's periodic decision to let someone else have a go. And that, regardless of policies or majorities, is a very healthy thing for democracy.
A little upset
/Muslim protesters 'branded British soldiers rapists and baby killers during homecoming parade'
This is a wholly pointless prosecution that will be counterproductive. Today it will be a group of Muslim men but tomorrow it will be YOU in court for speaking your mind.
What use is free speech if you aren't able to alarm, upset, disturb or distress anyone?
What a sad and pathetic little country we have become if we can't just suck up a little 'alarm and distress'.Seven Muslim protesters accused of screaming insults at soldiers during an Iraq homecoming parade refused to stand for a judge yesterday.The men are alleged to have shouted 'murderers', 'rapists', 'terrorists' and 'baby killers' while waving placards at the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment marching through Luton.
Seven Muslim protesters accused of screaming insults at soldiers during an Iraq homecoming parade refused to stand for a judge yesterday.The men are alleged to have shouted 'murderers', 'rapists', 'terrorists' and 'baby killers' while waving placards at the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment marching through Luton.This is a wholly pointless prosecution that will be counterproductive. Today it will be a group of Muslim men but tomorrow it will be YOU in court for speaking your mind.
What use is free speech if you aren't able to alarm, upset, disturb or distress anyone?
Let's face it, they've won!
/Scanning Debate Heats Up after Terror Scare
To say nothing of dying from embarrassment.
Pictures obtained through use of a scanner that uses a low-energy full-body x-ray. Professor Rolf Michel, the head of the Commission on Radiological Protection at Germany's Environment Ministry, has warned against the using x-ray scanners on humans at airports. Long-term exposure to frequent fliers, he said, have the potential to cause cancer.
To say nothing of dying from embarrassment.
Porco Dio!
/A new web site has been set up to campaign against the Irish blasphemy law, more info here and here.
(via Organized Rage)
blasphemy.ie
(via Organized Rage)
blasphemy.ie
Atheists have begun a campaign against (Ireland's) new blasphemy law, which came into force on January 1st as part of the Defamation Act.
The group Atheist Ireland has published 25 quotes it says are blasphemous, attributed to people from Jesus Christ to Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern.
Under the new law, which the group is campaigning to have repealed, blasphemy is punishable by a fine of up to €25,000.
It defines blasphemy as publishing or uttering matter grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, and intending by such publication to cause such outrage.
