Having been on holiday for the past week, I’ve not felt much inclined to blog. This post therefore is a bit of a catchup on those events and the comments I’ve been browsing but not felt inclined to comment upon at the time.
Lebanon
I’ve not discussed this so far. I haven’t felt that I could add much to that already mentioned elsewhere. While broadly supportive of Israel, I believe the current conflict misjudged. Taking on a guerilla army hiding among a civilian population is inevitably fraught with difficulty and leads to predictable accusations of unnecessary civilian casualties. That this is the fault of those waging a war from within that population and is a despicable, cowardly way to conduct a war, cuts no ice in the media driven world of sound-bites and blood soaked images of children in under equipped hospital beds. The Israeli offensive was onto a propaganda loser before it started. And don’t mention the execrable UN to me, just don’t. If ever there was evidence that this bunch of windbags is an expensive, pointless and wasteful blot on the political landscape, this is it.
I understand Israel’s motives – living among neighbours who seek to wipe you off the map is bound to harden your resolve somewhat – but I question their application. Not that I have any alternative strategy up my sleeve. Despite discussions and “road maps” the Middle East remains a hotbed of conflict because for the most part that is what its inhabitants seem to want.
More Terror Plots
All of which leads me to what has been going on recently in London, Pakistan and on transatlantic flights. Given John Reid’s dire warning of terror plots and doom one day, the closure of Heathrow, reports of arrests and another plot foiled the next, caused in me exactly the same reaction as that expressed by Nosemonkey. That’s the problem with constantly pounding the terror drum; sooner or later people stop believing you. This administration has lied and spun so many terror stories, so many of which turned out to be fantasy, that this time around, my response was cynicism. Okay, this time it does look like a real terror plot – although as others have pointed out the tinfoil hat brigade are claiming it is all a plot by Bush MacHitler to cover up some dastardly scheme or other. I’m sorry, but these morons are in serious need of psychiatric help. Anyone who seriously believes that our government is busy engaging in black flag operations against its own population is deluded. The usual nonsense resurfaced about Peter Power and Visor consultants in the wake of the July bombings last year. That this is patent nonsense seems not to affect the judgement of these loons. There are hundreds of agencies that have to be prepared for emergencies (including terror outrages) and at any one time one of them may be carrying out an exercise. Having been involved in these myself, I am aware of what goes on and it isn’t black flag operations. Get a grip, please.
Islam
All of which leads me to Islam. While I may not go as far as the Devil’s Kitchen and seek to deport all Muslims, I certainly share his revulsion at the “religion of peace”. I might respect those Muslims I’ve known, worked with and done business with. Fine, upstanding members of society, all. But… I will never respect their ideology. This is a medieval death cult that actively subjugates women and engages in a brutal, primitive and incompetent legal system that executes people for nothing more than their sexuality.
Curiously, those who exhort us to discriminate “positively” in order to further women’s rights or who tell us that gays should be afforded equal rights under the law also tell us we should respect Islam. That there is a contradiction here seems to bypass them. As it bypassed Peter Tatchell when both he and Iqbal Sacrine found themselves on the same side of an argument recently. Islam flies in the face of enlightenment values. To afford it respect or even tolerance is to undermine those enlightenment values. Islam is a vile, evil, suppressive disease that has infected the minds of its followers. I no more tolerate or respect it than I would tolerate or respect a cancer. So, while I will accept and live with peoples’ right to believe what they want to believe, I make no pretence at respecting Islam. This is because I don’t. I despise it with every fibre of my being as it offends me and contradicts my values of liberty and equality.
So…
While all that was going on, I had a good week away. Well, apart from the bad reaction to a wasp sting, that is…
Glad you had a good break!
Got to agree that this government has “cried wolf” too many times, on too many subjects, for many people to be able to believe them any more. One thing is for certain though, that they will use these incidents to further quash any liberties we have left. Its too politically expedient not to as it fits nicely with this governments plans to brand every living person on this island so they can squeeze as much out of them as they can.
As to Islam – well I think things are only going to get worse before they get better. Whatever “we” decide to do, we’re going to be damned either way.