I received my Guardian Podcast by email.
It contained some interesting stuff.
'In the second of his video reports for Guardian Unlimited, Clancy Chassay finds Palestinian militants in Gaza using Google Earth to locate targets in Israel for rocket attacks.'
The video shows Resistance fighters in 'Palestine' setting off rockets bound for the occupation forces.
I immediately wiped it off my computer lest I be mistaken for someone giving aid and assistance to terrorists.
Now, I have frequently spoken out against terrorism whether State sponsored or not.
I don't do bombs. Simple as that.
However, I can certainly understand the views of Cherie Blair with regard to Kamikaze tactics.
Mohammed Siddique is a stupid arsehole, that is for certain, but he did not deserve 8 years for his immaturity.
If I had received a stretch every time I have been an arsehole I would still be sitting there with the rest of the population.
His Lawyer has been reported for Contempt of Court as a result of statements he made after the verdict was announced.
I am sure many people would agree with him that this was a politically motivated prosecution rather than anything related to making Britain a safer place.
The trial was started at the time of 'the bomb that never was' at Glasgow Airport and finished at the anniversary of 9/11.
How convenient. Brown has his British terrorist from North of the border.
One of the Crown witnesses was the host of an anti-Muslim website - a site containing images of exactly the stuff the accused is said to have accessed.
'A computer disc found hidden under a carpet during the raid contained horrific images, including Islamic extremists looting the body of a dead US serviceman.'
'These files contain terrorist propaganda, particularly emanating from al Qaida, glorifying terrorism - especially suicide bombing.'
Today I watched a programme on History Channel.
At one point, they showed a video of a resistance fighter in Afghanistan firing a rocket at a plane.
Who was he firing at, the Yanks or the Russkies? Dunno.
The absurdity of the Law is shown by the following :
Presumably, if the plane he was shooting at was American I could be lifted, if I pass it on, but not if he is shooting at a Russian plane.
One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
Such is the moral degeneracy of the so-called War on Terror.
I saw an Army Information Film which could easily have been described by The Trial Judge like this :
'.......designed to encourage people to commit such acts of terrorism and promote the recruitment of English-speaking, mainly British nationals, to the cause of Operation Big Oil.'
Extra :
I have just watched the BeeB news report of the latest Terror Trial in London.
The evidence included videos of the accused receiving 'military training'.
One particular 'forward roll movement' was claimed as being a favourite of the insurgents.
If you were to go to your local Karate club tonight, I can assure you that you would see the ordinary people of Britain being taught this very same movement.
I have taught this to classes frequently.
Spinning of the evidence in a criminal trial.
Disgusting.
Friday, 26 October 2007
Sunday, 21 October 2007
The Odious Christina Odone
Christina Odone is a truly odious character.
In her Observer article today, she once again uses the McCann saga to push her somewhat warped view of The World.
She goes a whole step further, though, in making two comparisons.
Firstly, with Joanne Lees (of the Falconio murder) and, secondly, with Mersault (from L'etranger by Camus).
In the case of Joanne Lees she says '...Lees found herself a murder suspect. It didn't matter that she had been raped, tied up...'
Well, it's a lie.
Simple.
(As was pointed out 'if she had been (raped) then the difficulties the prosecution had in proving the DNA evidence would have fallen away').
I am sure that Ms Odone was not thinking of the stress caused to the Lees Family who may just read The Observer of a Sunday.
She was only interested in fabricating something in support of her case.
At the very least she should offer an apology to Miss Lees.
She won't.
Ms. Odone has been caught telling porkies before and even had to chutzpah to spin the story into a Guardian article.
The second comparison she made this time was between Mersault and Kate McCann.
Maybe, she hasn't read the book.
Mersault actually was the murderer.
In her Observer article today, she once again uses the McCann saga to push her somewhat warped view of The World.
She goes a whole step further, though, in making two comparisons.
Firstly, with Joanne Lees (of the Falconio murder) and, secondly, with Mersault (from L'etranger by Camus).
In the case of Joanne Lees she says '...Lees found herself a murder suspect. It didn't matter that she had been raped, tied up...'
Well, it's a lie.
Simple.
(As was pointed out 'if she had been (raped) then the difficulties the prosecution had in proving the DNA evidence would have fallen away').
I am sure that Ms Odone was not thinking of the stress caused to the Lees Family who may just read The Observer of a Sunday.
She was only interested in fabricating something in support of her case.
At the very least she should offer an apology to Miss Lees.
She won't.
Ms. Odone has been caught telling porkies before and even had to chutzpah to spin the story into a Guardian article.
The second comparison she made this time was between Mersault and Kate McCann.
Maybe, she hasn't read the book.
Mersault actually was the murderer.
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Still Digging For Dignity.
This was originally written for the, now defunct, site hosted by Mr Pike Bishop.
Mister Anna posted something which inspired me to re-post it here.
Absolutely gorgeous she was, even by local standards, and she kept my money.
Not the first time a woman has kept my money, and probably not the last.
But why this time?
The Glasgow man beat her to a pulp to get his cash back, and then asked her why she should have kept the change.
The answer surprised me. It turned out, I had said 'thank you' as I handed her the note to pay for my beers.
'You foreign guys never say please or thank you. Polish guys the same'.
'You did thank me, so I thought it was a tip' she said, and went on 'It is unusual to get someone who actually sees me as a person'.
My first thought was that Poland is indeed a strange country. This wouldn't happen in Britain, or would it?.
there's a man i meet walks up our street
he's a worker for the council
has been twenty years
and he takes no lip off nobody
and litter off the gutter
puts it in a bag
and never seems to mutter
and he packs his lunch in a ";sunblest"; bag
the children call him ";bogie";
he never lets on
but i know 'cause he once told me
he let me know a secret about the money in his kitty
he's gonna buy a dinghy
gonna call her dignity
by Ricky Ross
Came back here after ten years away and found a similar attitude in a different area of work.
The attitude that says 'people that serve us are not people at all'.
Started with a little bit of work I did helping a few of the local Council workers. Guys working outdoors (including bin-men, gardeners and car-park wardens).
All they were looking for was 'a bit of dignity' in the sense of being treated as people - similar to those who work in the Council offices.
First came a victory, a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The boys who work outdoors, in the sun, are to be given free Sun Block.
Fantastic. First time in the UK.
Excellento – these guys are now in the same league as the super-models (an equally motley crew, it must be said).
Next, was water. 'How about access to some clean (potable) drinking water?. Same as in the offices?.
Not so easy.
The suggestion from the Council was bizarre.
'Take 'bottles of ' FROZEN WATER ' with you in the morning when you leave home'.
Jeez-oh. Do you really mean ' FROZEN WATER'?.
'Yes, it will have melted by the afternoon'.
Question?. Can the boys with the hand-carts drink the chilled water at the Council offices - there are no hygiene certificates for storage of food-stuffs on the handcarts?.
The Official reply?. 'We will consider that in due course'.
Ok, what next?.
Training. They asked for permission to go on training courses that may be relevant to people who come in contact with the public. (Relevant, as the responsibilities of the householder or commercial landlord become more onerous).
In particular, they wanted one course on 'dealing with difficult people'. (More and more, these guys meet the collective anger of a public who have no other contact with officialdom)
The un-official, Official reply was 'You are a fuckin' bin-man, you don't need any training'.
The official, Official reply, when it arrives, will be interesting.
It gets better, though.
The Big Event of the year here is the Highland Games Festival.
In previous years, the workers doing compulsory overtime (16 hour shifts) were welcome to use the facilities of the Games Organiser to get their breaks in the Visitor's Tent.
Fine.
Not this year, however.
It was pointed out, the impracticability of going home, at lunchtime, to escape the rain and get some hot food.
The Official response?. Simply, 'Here's a voucher for a burger at one of the vans, outside'.
Where can we have our breaks - our own bothy has been taken over by the private Security Contractor?.
'The bin-men should use the Ladies Toilets for food breaks'.
So, that's what the guys had to do on a rainy West of Scotland weekend.
Queue at one of the burger vans and eat it in the Ladies Toilet. No subsistence payments, by the way.
(Needless to say, those, and such as those, were able to have full use of the Visitor's Tent - even those people who would usually rather have a heart attack than do a weekend shift).
The following week a story appeared in the local paper praising the 'clean-up' crews without whom the event couldn't have gone on. The 'Unsung Heroes' of the day. ( It must be noted that the Council considered their work to be sufficiently important to arrange a Police escort for the bin lorry as it travelled the main street. Obviously, the work was important, but not the people doing the work).
***************
'If a person’s job involves any contact with human emissions such as sweat, urine, faeces, or spittle, such as sweepers or washer men, then they too are considered to be Untouchables'
***************
Are Barmaids in Poland or Bin-Men in Scotland equally part of a caste system?
People who serve us without really being people.
Postscript :
After getting comment from the doyen of Reconstructed Bin-Men, our host, I had another think about the nature of 'Dignity'.
Thought of a story to show the fine difference between dignity and contempt.
One night I am in darkest Wroclaw, waiting for a tram, at the stop.
I am carrying a guitar and some other gear – I am going for a gig.
There is a tramp going through the litter bins trying for a touch of something.
He asks me if I can help him out and I say to him 'Do I look as though I am flush?'.
We start talking about music – I have a guitar – and it turns out that he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the sort of Rock that was my heritage. Conversation-a-plenty.
He is ages with me but looks ten years older – which is saying a lot.
I give him a fag. He offers me a swig of his bottle.
I gratefully accept as I see my tram in the distance.
He starts crying and I ask him if I have done something to insult him (very Polish).
'No', he says, 'You took a shot of my bottle without even wiping the top. First time anyone has done that for a long, long time. I thank you for that.'
Be sure, his dignity spoke volumes through my guitar, that night
Mister Anna posted something which inspired me to re-post it here.
Absolutely gorgeous she was, even by local standards, and she kept my money.
Not the first time a woman has kept my money, and probably not the last.
But why this time?
The Glasgow man beat her to a pulp to get his cash back, and then asked her why she should have kept the change.
The answer surprised me. It turned out, I had said 'thank you' as I handed her the note to pay for my beers.
'You foreign guys never say please or thank you. Polish guys the same'.
'You did thank me, so I thought it was a tip' she said, and went on 'It is unusual to get someone who actually sees me as a person'.
My first thought was that Poland is indeed a strange country. This wouldn't happen in Britain, or would it?.
there's a man i meet walks up our street
he's a worker for the council
has been twenty years
and he takes no lip off nobody
and litter off the gutter
puts it in a bag
and never seems to mutter
and he packs his lunch in a ";sunblest"; bag
the children call him ";bogie";
he never lets on
but i know 'cause he once told me
he let me know a secret about the money in his kitty
he's gonna buy a dinghy
gonna call her dignity
by Ricky Ross
Came back here after ten years away and found a similar attitude in a different area of work.
The attitude that says 'people that serve us are not people at all'.
Started with a little bit of work I did helping a few of the local Council workers. Guys working outdoors (including bin-men, gardeners and car-park wardens).
All they were looking for was 'a bit of dignity' in the sense of being treated as people - similar to those who work in the Council offices.
First came a victory, a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The boys who work outdoors, in the sun, are to be given free Sun Block.
Fantastic. First time in the UK.
Excellento – these guys are now in the same league as the super-models (an equally motley crew, it must be said).
Next, was water. 'How about access to some clean (potable) drinking water?. Same as in the offices?.
Not so easy.
The suggestion from the Council was bizarre.
'Take 'bottles of ' FROZEN WATER ' with you in the morning when you leave home'.
Jeez-oh. Do you really mean ' FROZEN WATER'?.
'Yes, it will have melted by the afternoon'.
Question?. Can the boys with the hand-carts drink the chilled water at the Council offices - there are no hygiene certificates for storage of food-stuffs on the handcarts?.
The Official reply?. 'We will consider that in due course'.
Ok, what next?.
Training. They asked for permission to go on training courses that may be relevant to people who come in contact with the public. (Relevant, as the responsibilities of the householder or commercial landlord become more onerous).
In particular, they wanted one course on 'dealing with difficult people'. (More and more, these guys meet the collective anger of a public who have no other contact with officialdom)
The un-official, Official reply was 'You are a fuckin' bin-man, you don't need any training'.
The official, Official reply, when it arrives, will be interesting.
It gets better, though.
The Big Event of the year here is the Highland Games Festival.
In previous years, the workers doing compulsory overtime (16 hour shifts) were welcome to use the facilities of the Games Organiser to get their breaks in the Visitor's Tent.
Fine.
Not this year, however.
It was pointed out, the impracticability of going home, at lunchtime, to escape the rain and get some hot food.
The Official response?. Simply, 'Here's a voucher for a burger at one of the vans, outside'.
Where can we have our breaks - our own bothy has been taken over by the private Security Contractor?.
'The bin-men should use the Ladies Toilets for food breaks'.
So, that's what the guys had to do on a rainy West of Scotland weekend.
Queue at one of the burger vans and eat it in the Ladies Toilet. No subsistence payments, by the way.
(Needless to say, those, and such as those, were able to have full use of the Visitor's Tent - even those people who would usually rather have a heart attack than do a weekend shift).
The following week a story appeared in the local paper praising the 'clean-up' crews without whom the event couldn't have gone on. The 'Unsung Heroes' of the day. ( It must be noted that the Council considered their work to be sufficiently important to arrange a Police escort for the bin lorry as it travelled the main street. Obviously, the work was important, but not the people doing the work).
***************
'If a person’s job involves any contact with human emissions such as sweat, urine, faeces, or spittle, such as sweepers or washer men, then they too are considered to be Untouchables'
***************
Are Barmaids in Poland or Bin-Men in Scotland equally part of a caste system?
People who serve us without really being people.
Postscript :
After getting comment from the doyen of Reconstructed Bin-Men, our host, I had another think about the nature of 'Dignity'.
Thought of a story to show the fine difference between dignity and contempt.
One night I am in darkest Wroclaw, waiting for a tram, at the stop.
I am carrying a guitar and some other gear – I am going for a gig.
There is a tramp going through the litter bins trying for a touch of something.
He asks me if I can help him out and I say to him 'Do I look as though I am flush?'.
We start talking about music – I have a guitar – and it turns out that he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the sort of Rock that was my heritage. Conversation-a-plenty.
He is ages with me but looks ten years older – which is saying a lot.
I give him a fag. He offers me a swig of his bottle.
I gratefully accept as I see my tram in the distance.
He starts crying and I ask him if I have done something to insult him (very Polish).
'No', he says, 'You took a shot of my bottle without even wiping the top. First time anyone has done that for a long, long time. I thank you for that.'
Be sure, his dignity spoke volumes through my guitar, that night
Sunday, 7 October 2007
Scary Stuff
Which of these two individuals is more scary?
Which of these is more dangerous for your health?
One of them is a former WBA Heavyweight Champion who used to be known as The Beast From The East.
The other truly hideous individual is Debra Cagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Coalition Affairs - one of Dubbya's senior advisers.
This senior advisor to Georgie 'pants on fire' Bush recently told a group of British MPs that 'I hate all Iranians'.
Given that this is the American Chief Whip charged with keeping the 'Coalition of Imperialists' together, we should be very scared about the inevitability of the attack on Iran.
At this very minute in boot camps up and down the country we can hear the chanting of the underprivileged who make up the bulk of the Terrorising forces.
'We will fight for Uncle Sam
We wanna kill an Eye-Rain-Knee-Anne'
So, just who wins the Scary Monster prize, in your opinion?
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