O.M.G... Not another serious one...

I was on a chat room earlier, and I happened upon some chap who started talking Irish issues at me...

Now as the people that know me know, my choice of nickname is based on a cartoon character from a comic I used to read as a kid, but sometimes people tend to assume I am Irish based on the name Slaine...

Anyway, this guy was a bit confused/confusing, and he really isn't the subject of the post, but he told me (in amongst various drivel) that he was a Fenian, and a terrorist... (although I strongly suspect he's really a shelf stacker from the Tescos who just wants to impress...)

The terrorist bit is fairly straight forward - terrorists (private or state sponsered ones) want to prove to the world that their cause is right, regardless who gets in the way - but the word Fenian got me curious...

I had heard the term before, years ago when I knew a couple of girls from Northern Ireland, but I really didn't know where it came from or what it meant... So I Googled...

Sure enough I found some (hopefully) factual explanations of the Fenian movement, but what disturbed me was the amount of blatent hatred present on so many websites...
I'm sure its easy for me to sit here and ponificate (probably a bad choice of words...) on the rights and wrongs of such a complicated situation, but it suddenly struck me that while we (as in the country we) go off trying to effect regime change in foreign lands where we don't know the culture, there STILL is a major problem on our own doorsteps waiting for resolution.

(I wonder if such sites are strictly speaking liable under the religious hatred laws that the government is bringing in, or has brought in, or are those reserved for Islamic 'baddies'?)

I don't know the history, and frankly don't care for the religious side of it, but as an ignorant outsider, it does seem that some people are happier to judge people based on the record of their ancestors than take the chance to take people as they find them.

We (again the governmental we) often see fit to point the finger at 'third world' countries in Africa, or the human rights records in China, but do we have the right when the 'civilised' ones still can't find common ground?

I hope my worm's eyed view of the situation doesn't upset anyone - not my intent at all... it just amazes me that some people seem able to live in a state of hatred with another group of people, and actively perpetuate that hatred apparently based on what happened back in the mists of time, quite often in the name of a supposedly loving God...

Arse I say... Lets all get naked and have a group hug...

The best way to complain about a speeding fine...

Swiss Gatso Attack

Not content with hiding in caves and storing Nazi gold, the Swiss it seems are starting to show a bit of backbone...

I must admit to considering doing similar things with some of the mobile 'safety' cameras that generally hang around hassling (ahem) innocent motorists. I managed to pick up 2 SP30's last year in the space of a few months on quiet country roads. previous to that I managed 2 1/2 years zipping up and down the M4, occasionally going faster than I really should, and hardly saw a police car. But I guess that causing a 30 car pile up on a busy motorway, where the chance of fatalities is kinda high, isn't really as serious as taking out the odd sheep that ventures onto the back roads...

I don't speed anymore though.. not through any sudden appearance of social conscience or respect for the law, or even the fear of more points... Nope, I bought a Jeep, and I need a really long run up to break speed limits now.

Jesus Furniture

To restore the balance, I include the story of Jesus on a wardrobe...

Now, I was brought up as a good Christian lad, but I never knew the remit involved inventing images of Christ on irrelevant objects...

I'm sure I'm blaspheming, but if I was an omnipotent God, I wouldn't use wardrobe doors in Romania as my premier advertising slot... I'd get sky to run the advert just before, during and after the champions league final..

I'm sure he does work in the mysterious ways that we're told of, but that is just a little too mysterious for me to work out...

These days I've moved to the suburbs of agnostica, where the view tends to be clearer, and the people more down to earth, but I still have a soft spot for God, and all his charming stories,

Perhaps for his next advertising slot, he should contact saatchi and saatchi...

For you delictation... here is the link...

Blind as a Labour Minister...

In these times of troubles, it's always reassuring to see that our protectors of freedom are concentrating on the important issues of the day...
Without knowing (or caring) about the facts, it appears to me that the knives have been out for Mr Blunkett..
I see it is a sad reflection on the country when someone is persecuted for trying to earn an honest crust. I see it as just another sub-devious plot by the Tories / media to gain a scalp by whatever means. Like the population at large was either negatively affected or cared about an elected politician trying to make an honest buck... Most of them make plenty of bucks without a second thought to honesty.
The more I hear of UK politics, the more I realise that we as a country are doomed...
Not that I'm particularly a supporter of Mr Blunkett or indeed Labour, but I prefer the 'wise ones' spent their time on sorting out the downward spiral of the country in terms of manufacturing and development.
One day (in the non too distant future) the morals of personalities wil be irrelevant as we struggle to compete with the previous 2nd and 3rd world countries.. Selling your heart and soul for the sake of banking and insurance will come back to bite us with a vengeance any time soonish... Already 20% of the population work for the state... and I reckon about another 50% work in call centres or shops...
But fuck it... let's pick on the blind guy, and make a political point... hurrah for democracy.

One day the UK will stop, look around, and realise it is a minority player in the world. At that point, reliving the empire, thinking we are inherantly owed a living, and being a major player in the world will seem miles (or kilometres) away. Hopefully by that time, I will be happily installed in another country.

wow... what started off as a witty social comment on current events turned out a bit deep... sorry

To summarise... Blunkett - whether he followed the rules or not was victimised, and if I had picked on the blind guy at work, I would probably be on a verbal warning by now... And is parliment any cleaner now they got rid of his failings? I somehow doubt it, but it's all about scoring points in the end, not us the public...
ARGHHH... I'm spouting again... Make your own mind up people... see through the mist, and think what you want to think, while you still can...