Category Archives: Discrimination

Unbelievable? Sadly No

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I was going through FaceBook this morning and encountered this item from ABC7 a news outlet in Los Angeles and Southern California. You will see an all too familiar type of headline.

It was not the headline which took hold of my attention. It was the reaction emjois. Now Facebook being Facebook you can expect a few twisted and ignorant souls to put up laughing ones when there is a human tragedy and also thumbs up when Trump’s administration does something. After all it’s FaceBook where the ignorant, ill-informed and prejudiced of any political stripe be it Right or Left congregate.

The aspect which disturbed me was that there were approximately 200 thumbs up (maybe more now and worse 150+ whose reaction was to put the laughing face. A quick glance at the comments revealing one GIF ICE – themed support.
These twinned actions say much about a corrosion of the common sense of Humanity. That folk can support or mock the misery of children, vulnerable and frightened small individuals does speak harshly about those folk.

Now down Humanity’s long jagged, ragged road there is nothing new in this. One of the most frightening creations we have to offer is mentality of The Mob, be it a howling scream missile throwing horde or a host of folk with access to social media. Of any political or social stripe by the way. Against these waves of irrational hate and screaming War can at times look positively sanitised ‘It’s nothing personal. It’s just business,’. It is also fearfully easy to be swept up in the emotions of a crowd whose passions have been ignited.

The most dangerous aspect of this mindless action comes from the Opportunist. The Opportunist comes in many forms. We think of them as simply charlatans looking out for no more than personal gain from ‘the rubes’. But there are those who harbour extreme beliefs who will sense the discomfort and anger, to harness it and thus have a fertile ground to promote those ideas. There are those who are possessed of a narcissism and thus will use any means to promote themselves. There are the professionals who are there at the behest of an organisation or nation to stir up the Mob, who will be quite unaware they are fodder. And there are those who just want their moment of Glory, not really sure where it leads. All of these types will work upon the crowd, turning it into a mob, mindless.
Now aside from the expert professionals and the more astute of the charlatans both of whom know when to fade into the background or ‘jump ship’ at the right time there can grow  amongst the rest an unholy alliance between Opportunist and Mob. This being that the Opportunist delivers what The Mob want to hear, but The Mob will want more, howling for it, so the Opportunist begins to do at the behest of The Mob and thus the cycle picks up a giddy pace both parties locked into a whirlwind of emotion where all perspective is lost. The end leads to some type of destruction, either materially or of the Soul, sometimes both. For within this there will always be the danger of the element of retribution, and that comes in many forms.

To return to those foolish folk who applauded at that news item. They would do well to consider an incident where some of their own; close friends or relatives are attending a gathering, a rally. There is an accident, a fire in the building maybe, loss of life much injury. How will they feel in the aftermath of that horror and tragedy to see thumbs up and laughing emjois along with cruel comments?

The door swings both ways. 

And since there appear to be those who say they espouse Christianity, then they should meditate on the words of Christ as recorded in Matthew 25 verses 31-46  

History Taps Us On The Shoulder. In Our Embarrassment We Hurry For Justifications

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In advance and nothing to do with the subject matter. Sorry about the ragged look on this post and odd gaps…You guessed it WP is up to its quirks again. I lost the post once trying to fix it- thank goodness I had created my own back-up.

The chances are you are not going to like this post. You may be affronted. You may be angered. And I will be repeating a few themes from earlier posts. In my defence I am merely citing History and Consequences. There are always consequences. They sometimes arise from well-meaning intentions but usually from Ignorance, a quality Humanity is rich in.

Historical Overview
So where do we start? Take a place in history for your starting point on a subject matter and there will always be a ‘before’ which gave rise to it. In this case a starting point could be the oft misquoted Matthew 27:25 “So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” .And thence forth an entire people take the blame for a mob hyped up for political reasons by local power players. Blame all the Jews. Blame all the Americans for slavery? Blame all the British, every single one for The Empire- including the most devoted socialist radical? Blood curse. Every nation can sign up for that one.

Anyway fast forward through European history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Massacres_of_Jews
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Anti-Jewish_pogroms
This doesn’t include the day to day discriminations, slights, jibes, harassments, expulsions and so forth or the appropriations of wealth, nor the cynical ploy by kings / nobles to get out of the loans they owed Jewish financiers.

Roughly speaking Europe can rack up a thousand years of persecution of Jews. Mind you Europeans over the same period racked up other persecutions at an alarming rate, and there were responses which were allowed through applications of historical PR  to morph into ‘Fights / Struggles for Freedom’ and gain a certain romantic aura. What those folk did when they got their freedom and their patch of land was of course their own business, that would be skirted over, unless you happened to be in a minority there.

In some part; moving outside Europe two empires began to decline Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman and the double edged scythe of Nationalism began to take selective root. Our attention should focus on what we now term the Middle East and its various populations, alone they would have been turbulent enough but The Jewish Identity now sensed the time honoured words at the end of Passover “L’Shanah Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim” “Next year in Jerusalem,” might in this turbulent time of opportunity come to fruition. Within European Empires, Britain in particular sensing an advantage there grew a certain level of support, some political, some sentimental and some complicated contradictory religious. ‘Jews were almost acceptable, quite civilised and hardworking’. ‘They could have land, after all there were only a few Arabs there and what did they count for’. European Empire did a lot of that in those days, making sweeping generalisations ‘adopt’ one folk to suit their purposes and the rest would have to put up with it. At the onset there were Jews who were quite aware of there were not just Arabs but Palestinians and hoped as optimists do that the land could be fairly shared and both communities could live in harmony. It would have been a First in Human History. In the meantime the Jewish ‘re-settlement’ of ‘their’ land began, as if the previous two thousand years of later occupations didn’t count. Well this was their land, and as far as they could tell after all those centuries  Europe and also the growing USA had made it obvious they would rather Jews be somewhere else. In the meantime The Palestinians had found their identity

There came to turbulences of two World Wars. Britain and France having already made a paper parcel up of the Middle East  under Sykes Picot agreement were granted ‘mandates’ and proceeded for approximately thirty years use heavy-handed insensitive methods. Britain in particular unable to make up its mend whether to allow Jews in or not. World War One and the aftermath was deadly enough, then came the greater upheavals and atrocities of World War Two. In the event of that one it was obvious to many a surviving Jew there was only one place to go and if the locals didn’t like it, well the Jewish folk had been taught by their European overlords just how to settle that sort of problem.
Quite out of their depth and exhausted by the recent wars Britain managed to anger both Palestinians and now Israelis. Recently independent Arab nations found temporary on and off common cause with Palestinians, The Cold War found another place to have its conflicts without the danger of nuclear weaponry and the USA and USSR chose sides. What had been inter-communal violence had now grown into conventional and insurgent warfare. Roughly speaking there has been at least one hundred years of conflict.

An Assessment
Firstly it has to be accepted that there are very few, if any Human races, nations, regions and communities who have clean histories, Deep History, Recent Past or Current Day. A brief survey of Historical, Human Rights, UN and yes even CIA yearbook internet sites will give you enough enlightenment, reasons for cynicisms or cause for depression on that score. No one people. No one nation. No one history gets away with it. Accept it. When it comes to Races and Nations there are no Romantic and Noble Histories.
There are only degrees, qualities, quantities and consistencies of bad behaviour. Action. Reaction. Payback. Victory. Suppression. Subjugation, all the ugly, polluted stuff massaged later on, into justifications or if that doesn’t work just written out.

Warning: You may find some part hereon in particularly offensive. In my own defence I am passing commentary of the whole of The Human Race by citing examples. Those who read my posts regularly will be used to this.   

To repeat by the 20th Century sections of the Jewish people had learnt the lessons from their European rulers, hard and well. True, like the rest of us, they had not come into this world innocent and unconditionally tolerant, The Old Testament has a certain historical foundation to indicate that. What had been revealed to them that even existence was conditional. At any random time, be it by policy, just plain bigotry or random, rabid ignorance there could be assault, destruction of community or worse wholescale death. For a section of the Jewish communities  the lesson was simple. you battle to survive, and that is best done on what was and is again your ancestorial home ground. The whole world was against you -1939 to 1945 was the final grand example in centuries worth of selective violence. For the hardliners and for those who, well just wanted the persecution to stop, the answer was ‘Here We Are. Here We Stay. Back Where We Started. Never mind these protestations of justice, the ethics, the historical changes, the rights of others. No. no they don’t count. Europeans taught us that’. 

Did the Palestinians becoming a punching bag for centuries of pent up anger? Or was it just the old story of  a case of hard luck on the natives when the colonists arrive ? Maybe a mix of the two adding a few local undercurrents that Americans and Europeans just don’t get.

One thing is noticeable. Normally folk or nations get weary of prolonged wars. Populations run out along with resources. Political Castes get fed up with the whole business because they are unpopular and something approach a peace or very, very long truce evolves. This one if different. One hundred plus years and no end in sight. Worse, even harder liners have taken centre stage. By all the conventions and examples this one should have run down. Of course it is only one of a whole mix of wars running the length and breadth

from Turkish regions down the Middle East, North Africa, into the Sahel, along through Sudan and Yemen, then across into Iran. And meanwhile Ukraine. Maybe there is just no appetite for Peace Talks anymore, you and your sponsors try and batter down the other side, and the World Community which has its own problems will just have to accept it. Another old story, only these days it gets played out on the Media. ‘Why should one war matter more than ours?’ ask the innocents trying to survive wherever they are.

A Judgement ( ‘A’ – not ‘The’. Chose ) 
One overview is the current Israeli government has to concern itself with only two major support groups. The diaspora of the world-wide Jewish Community and the American  coalition of Fundamentalist Christians, Islamaphobes and ‘Israel is the Only True Friend We Have’ lobbies. Israel’s security service Mossad may well chuckle at that simplistic view. In our innocence we remain ignorant of who else while lamenting publicly would not secretly worry too much if the Palestinians were broken as a state (that will put an end to Hamas…right?). ‘No one people. No one nation.’ ‘We are Flawed’     

Honest to Badness it is so easy to write copy to support the Israeli Government to assuage to hardliners and the traumatised Israeli populations

It works like this:
‘Where was World Opinion and the unofficial Human Rights activists, when
The Rohingya were being massacred in Myanmar?
The Turkic Uyghur being culturally wiped out in China?
The innocents of Sudan and South Sudan being slaughtered or mass raped?
Iranian Women were being beaten, imprisoned and dying for wanting to wear clothes other than for proscribed by the state. Like wise in Afghanistan?
Does anyone care about the Muslims or Christians in India?
Why were there not demonstrations en mass on the streets of major cities in the world every week. Were there cases of natives or communities of expats of those nations being harassed by demonstrators masking as protests?
No that sort of thing only happens when the Jewish State of Israel is involved. It’s always the Jews which are the target. ‘

That only took the time to play three songs of average length on my cd player to write that. So easy. Why was it so easy? Because the Western campaigners make it damn easy to do so. That’s why. Best friends the current Israeli government ever had. And of course makes Antisemitism respectable too. ‘No I am not Antisemitic I am just Anti-Israel’ (Quit saying that, it’s getting old and only helps Netanyahu and his cabinet). There was a petition on Facebook asking for condemnation of Israel attacking Iran. Well I am sorry and weep for the innocents on both sides of the missile exchange but pardon my frankness. I do not fret over the fate of a regime or its active members also complicit in the spreading wars through the Middle East nor with a history of bloody suppression of its own Arab and other ethnic minorities or the treatment of its women. As I write this the news is out and about that The USA has come in and bombed Iranian nuclear sites. My initial reaction was ‘Gee. I wonder where this will go now?’ and ‘Hmm. Who was last in Trump’s Office before he took that decision?’ . Horror and condemnation of Israel….No. They’re all locked into together in a labyrinthian dance. It happens. Again History is littered with this. Spare me the outrage against Israel taking a swipe at Iran. And while I’m in this snarky mood. Those who didn’t vote for Biden /Harris because of their stance over Israel, how is that working out for you these days?

An aside: Actually my ire is not wholly directed at Americans who have been horrified at the IDF action meted out on the Palestinians. You in general are relatively new to this ‘world’. Of course you have been aware of the issues. But traditionally in the European Left’s lexicon you were all to blame for the Middle East by all of you being pro-Israel. I say this as you may not have been aware it, But since the same Left was only too swift to have excuses for Russia for invading Ukraine because it had no choice; the whole fault was due to the USA ‘s Imperialism, honestly I wouldn’t pay attention to that judgement, not since MAGA was doing the same thing. Selective, biased thinking just doesn’t cover it.

Let me just dial back over the history of these ‘Campaigns Against Israel’ or ‘For A Free Palestine’ . If folk had cared so very much why had they not made common cause with those groups of Israelis who had been working to this end. Why had they not affiliated or supported, them. There were enough examples

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meretz

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da%27am_Workers_Party

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brit_Olam

And lest any campaigner out there has forgotten 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivian_Silver

Once I was on a Facebook site where everyone was piling in with Who Can Be The Most Outraged Against Israel game and I mentioned support for Meretz and there was a silence, like I veered off onto Quantum Physics. Nothing. I gave up on them.
It’s very hard not to feel a substantial number of folks particularly in Europe are more concerned about Israel being a Jewish state with links to the USA than actual Palestinians. Yes, there we are The Old Game…..(Those Jews y’know).  

History points at us in The West and holds us in large guilty for Israel being Israel as it is today. A thousand years of hard lessons, decades of turning a blind eye to the excesses of those who are against Israel, little or no co-operations with those Israelis who had worked tirelessly to formulate some sort of accord. Sanctimonious commentaries about banning this and boycotting that. Wearing their I am NOT antisemitic badges on their sleeves but only, only protesting about Israel and no other regime. You will have to pardon my bluntness here. USELESS. ABSOLUTELY USELESS. All they did was cause the wagons to be circled.

Final Words     

‘Fine words Roger.’ You say. ‘You’ve torn apart the West and shredded the Protest movements. Anyone can pull down things. What solutions have you to offer?’

Well I don’t have quick fixes. It will be a very long, hard road because so much damage has been done. It starts will small steps. For a beginner have nothing to do with anyone targeting Synagogues like they had a direct line to the Israeli government. If anyone supports them on Social Media, you get back at them. Condemn them. You reach out to both Muslim and Jewish folk in equal measure. If you can find any groups within Israel still working for reconciliation, support them.

https://www.allmep.org/

If you come across anyone setting up another protest against Israel asking them what action they took against other abusive bloody-handed regimes?  If they are of the sort who make excuses simply reply ‘Sorry I do not do Selective’ . By all means donate to causes intending to give aid to the ordinary Palestinian, just makes sure Hamas and Iran do not have their hook in there. And for Pity Sake- Hamas is not a group of noble freedom fighters. Amnesty International has had them on the radar for years.    

Compassion. Respect. Tolerance for People, By People. That is how you measure things.

Final sign off. You know the really sick irony? The big dirty joke by and on Western Humanity?

Who are the groups most likely to be subject to random judgements, abuse and violence.
Jews and Muslims- that who. Some joke huh? Laugh?……I never even started, just used a great deal of bad words.

OK, I’m done here.  

A Real Man Speaks

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The Thinking ‘Kat: ‘Real’ Men

Now here is a commentary from a person who is a true Man and defines who is and who is not. And asks some pertinent questions of us who think of ourselves as ‘Men’
My addition to the subject is….
Those who do not respect women are simply biological males and stunted mental development. (And this stage I could get very vulgar- but that would be poor taste)

Carry on with your good work ‘Kat’!

Pro-Life. Let’s Think That Through. Shall We?… Part I- The Happy Bunny World of A Pro-Life Solution and a Handful of Hypocrisies Along The Way.

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Woman's Choice

Foreword: When I started thinking about this post it was obvious the whole writing was going to be long and difficult not to sway from one aspect to another, also trying to avoid putting my male-assumption foot into it. So this will take two parts. First one. here now, a general overview as I see it about Abortion and Contraception. The next post, the likelihood of what will happen if there was a federal ban on abortion.

On with the first then, I will try and keep a straight line in the narrative, but since this is a very complex subject there might be some drift because we must consider a certain theme of subjugation of women (Oh yeah. Oh yeah – read on)

A couple in consensual intimacy. Conception of a new life, starting at the unimaginably small, in mammalian terms designed to grow inside of the mother until the time of birth. In the ideal world of How We Would Wish, a beautiful notion.

But Reality in its myriad forms does not subscribe to How We Would Wish. We can craft perfection in our imaginations and in our arts.  Or we can lament at the harshness of Reality until we are worn out, angry or despairing that even the most deserving of cases do not always have the ever elusive Happy Ending or Perfect Solution. Thus it should be evident that the acts of Conception, Pregnancy, Birth and Post-Natal, Child upbringing all have their own set of dangers and tragedies. Like everything else in Life – not simple – not unconditionally joyous – not carefree. And above all- not solvable by legislation based on one side of one theistic culture.

Personally I am unsettled by Abortion. Let the record show I am not unconditionally supportive of Abortion. Nor am I supportive of unconditional Free Speech or Liberty to Protest. There is a big difference though. In the former case it is an individual and personal matter, in the latter two cases I can think of several good reasons for legal restrictions. (I don’t mess around with my idea of Socialism! ) But let us return to the issue of Abortion and pick apart my Male Ideal World notions.
In my M.I.W, women who find themselves pregnant not by design would be giving full and compassionate support through the pregnancy and after the birth work with trained and fully staffed professional agencies and couples seeking to adopt all to find the baby a lovely home. Great, Yeah?. Except in Reality not all pregnancies go smoothly, some families have an inherited genetic problem, some women have underlying conditions which make full term pregnancies a risk. And we have the issue of a woman going full term, bonding with that child and the possible unforeseen psychologically painful aftermath of parting with the child. AND of course since men don’t have to go through the labour process with its inherent risks….easy for me, a man, to come up with a Sunshine and Lollipops solution. Yes, there are women who have made this choice and there are surrogate mothers. However to restrict a woman’s right to abortion just because this suggestion seems a ‘nicer, happier, Hallmark Film ending’ does not mean every pregnancy and birth will seamlessly navigate thus. File this solution away in the very Grey Area of Personal Ideal Ideas.

Now with a slight deviation off of the subject of Abortion I am going to sound off and if male readers don’t like what I am about to write…gee …too bad guys, think of this world from the women’s side.

Why is it that women are expected to jump through hoops when it comes to Contraception  and Birth Control (I can recall a time when Abortion was filed under BC as an option)? Mess with a woman’s hormonal cycle (Pill), shove bits of plastic or ‘stuff’ up their delicate parts (Barrier Methods), induce early miscarriage (Morning After Pills)…Then back to Abortion (in this case the male ‘Get Rid of It’ response). No trouble, all quick and clean guys. Not your problems. Not your problems?? We got condoms (if we remembered where they were, had time to fit them, had a good brand) – what more should we do? ‘Oh not that Vasectomy…Too permanent, and anyway I’ve heard…blah-blah…..Natural methods? Wassat? That’s a Catholic Thing isn’t it? They have big families, so it don’t work anyhow.’ No leave it all up to the woman to bear all the heavy loads, all the messing about with their bodies. Heavens forefend that our most precious parts should be meddled with.
So basically women have to go through all the invasive issues, because they have been told that there are no other options, and gosh, it doesn’t seem there is a truly marketable male contraceptive, although I believe the polite excuse is workable. Now call me a grumpy old geezer who doesn’t know anything about this scientific implications or processes; not that I’ll listen. The reason being, all the aforementioned efforts have been gone into being invasive with women’s bodies but not much on men’s. In these days of ‘advances’ in medical science? Seriously? Do I just detect an underlying sub-text of reluctance to put more effort into the subject.

Respect women guys. Their lives are filled with issues which would put you off your mid-day snack? (Don’t worry I’m not going to mention ‘that’ subject) . And I’m just dealing with ‘The Western World’.

Western World? Of course one of the problems in the USA would be a most singular alliance. Aside from The Catholic Church’s teaching on the basis of the most tenuous of thin alleged biblical instruction opposition and cruel refusal to administer Communion to those not in step, (Catholic writing here by the way) we have some loud and agressive Funde-mental-ist Right section of conservative thought and goodness knows what they’ve selected out of context from Genesis, Leviticus and St Paul to suit their patrimonial fantasies. Never mind male contraception… NO contraception.

But back to the ‘A’ word. Aside from some casual commentaries back in the 1970s, do the prohibitionists to Abortion think for one moment that your average woman is going to approach an abortion with the casual approach of some minor cosmetic surgery to say a earlobe? Do they honestly think…. well I doubt if the male section do anyway….that a woman who has an abortion just walks away from that, without any memories, any wonderings, any ‘IF’s. Look ladies I am a mere male, I know, but being married to the same gal for fifty years and having two daughters and thus learning a few things, it seems that Abortion is to be a heavy decision to take and that the whole process from thinking about, deciding, going through and aftermath are heavy loads. And yet there are a whole bunch of folk out there witlessly, hysterically, cruelly, screaming about murder, BUT yet dare we suggest those of them who support laxer gun control are complicit in the mass killing of school children? The liberty to carry guns that KILL and not the liberty to make a painful decision to have terminate a pregnancy. How do you interface those beliefs ….Excuse me while I step outside into the night’s cold autumn rain and clear my head of the stink of hypocrisy, and ease down the urge not to use ‘certain’ words in this post.

To conclude by a repeat. Life is not simple. We do not get an easy road. What works for one person is not going to work exactly the same way for another. Forget perfection. Accept there will be Hard Choices. Just a final note that ‘my personal choice’ I keep that under lock and key, my personal opinions should not be part of the narrative, mistaken by a reader as some sort of judgement, some sort of ‘what is right’. Oh no. It’s possible to have one private opinion and one public judgement. I think it comes under the wider part of ‘Compassion’.

In Part Two I put my administrative glasses on and look at what will go wrong in under what will be hypocritically termed nation-wide pro-Life legislation….

No, I an’t done yet…..Not by a long stretch.

When You Can See From The Side You Hate

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Left SideRight Side

Riots in the UK. The first of the volumes are being written, of course the political ones, then the social ones and the analytical ones. While there are the excruciatingly narrow-minded blatherings or one liners on social media.

And everyone seems to have forgotten that there are families in a town called Southport who are experiencing unimaginable grief, and there are children whose once young, joyous lives are now permanently engraved with the image of a knife-wielding man stabbing, slashing, stabbing; blood, blood, screams. Yes, let’s not dwell on that. Far better to scream, rage, hate, simmer or slump into a corner as the fog despair seeps in under doors, through cracks in on the air.  At some stage we might pay attention to the twisted motivation or cause of that attack.

Currently the riots are the thing. So maybe the people of Southport can grieve in some sort of privacy from a media swarm whose attentions are elsewhere.

So what about the mindset of those mobs? What were those motivations? What was racing through them? Can you comprehend even beginning to answer those questions? Does you disgust at the actions simply have you justifiably recoil?

WARNING: The expression of very strong views will follow. You may be upset, you may recoil. You may encounter triggers. You may even be upset with yourself for agreeing. It is not my intention to win over coverts. The intention is to take those chose to follow into a Mindset. A lesson? A warning? A sharing? There won’t be any answers here. Just illustrations. Sorry about that.  

The anger is a constant. I cannot abide the extremism birthed out of ignorance, prejudice, nor because someone read something on social media and straightways took it to heart. I care not the political affiliation, nor the cause. I despise in equal measure the bigot on the Right and the single subject protestor on the Left. Though for the latter it is an analytical contempt for choosing only one subject for one reason and not for embracing others in equal suffering.

When it comes to the Right and their violent physical bullying foul mothed degenerate hate. Well, all reason goes out of the window and my urge is to respond in equal measure. To pay like with like. Orders to the police ‘Arrest and contain with extreme prejudice’. Recall parliament. Announce a state of emergency could be declared. Warning to any newspaper on the Right or legal politicians that unless you support the authorities you are against them and we will shut you down. More arrests. Those arrested paced in currently empty military camps under military guard. Announcement to the public to report any hate speech or support of hate speech or anything sympathetic seen on social media to be reported to The authorities (text, Whats App, phone number, Gov.UK web site supplied). Aggressive social media response to the Right. Message to Elon Musk or anyone outside of the UK to keep out. If Russia or Iran were involved in mis-information set up units to reply in kind on their own doorsteps. Bring any UK right wing activists home by all means available. Let the world know whoever they are the UK govt is playing by the Big Boys and Girls rules.

It’s all very bizarre actually. Thinking like Putin or Lukashenko of Belarus when it comes to domestic policy on any disruption, agreeing with their methods when not their reasons. But then I have always been inclined to respond that way when nudged. Irrational, visceral, extreme response to any perceived threat to my way of life, to my set of ‘values’. Response and not consequences. As long as there is the chance to lash out at the foe. As long they can be seen being crushed under foot and so battered they can’t rise again…… There must be something wrong there somewhere. Talking and reasoning one way, preaching about seeking the middle, rational ground, while knowing that down, just below the surface simmers, crouching The Beast. Ready to spring on anyone of a very long list of potential ‘threats’ (to me anyway). But as I have argued, I am very broadminded when it comes to who or what qualifies as a threat, political, social or religious. If they are intolerant, bigoted, ignorant of the facts, a threat to the stability of the whole community; they go on the list. Never negotiate with diseases. That’s what I say. Say. Say.

Actually when it comes down to it. When you consider the folk of Southport’s own response, the Mosque where they came out to talk and give food to protestors

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c84jjv7kp1wo

When thousands came out across the UK to stifle another round of Right-Wing protests:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy8497l7dx8t

When the authorities are going about the business in a lawful, administrative way :

See above.

Well then, look at me. Poster-Boy for the emotional motivation of those Right-Wing thugs. Just the sort to react to the media and inflame the situation. The guy who every time he has put up a political post there has been a sometimes subtle, sometime not, sub-textual slap in the face for an extremist. For I am very extreme in my hate of extremists. Yes, beneath the emotional skin I am not so different. Beware folks, beware. The extremists come in all shapes and sizes, tones and means of argument. Hypocrisy?……Me?……Gosh. I can’t stand it! Nothing worse than folk who say one thing and think another….Err…whoops?

Yes…definitely Mea Culpa time. Or to be sardonically humorous about it, taking a leaf out of my Far Left wing inclinations and having a dose of ‘self-criticism’ (which was actually a communist regime’s process of getting scapegoats to take the blame for something to state had done wrong).

And there you are a look inside the sort of convoluted mindset that was going on in those riots. Nothing pretty, nothing reasonable, nothing noble, nothing justifiable, nothing constructive. Just a Nothing. That’s how I know. I visit there. Far too often.

And sorry to everyone for not replying much to your tireless posts, it takes a lot of effort to keep The Beast chained up and to heel. Once it was loose I’d never really know where it was going to lash out, or how.

But let’s end on a lighter note:

My daughter Meg who is a Matron Midwife in Barnet, within the general region of London offered to her Muslim staff the chance to go home early if they wanted to. To a woman they said they would stay.

‘Hi Meg. Mum was showing me your txt msgs
Manager to manager – Dad to daughter let me say how proud of you I am for offering your Muslim Staff the opportunity to leave work early. Now that is management. Well done.
Also if you feel it is correct to do so let those staff know from me they displayed true courage, true devotion and true care to this country. Each one of them is worth fifty of that rioting trash. Bless you. Bless them’ 

Maybe it makes up for a week spent internally raging.

Now a deep breath, and get back to writing, reading and reviewing fiction. I said a while back I was going to do a lot more of that. I should be, I really should be.

Trump Comment About Harris’ Racial Identity. Well, Well. I am Surprised.

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Trump

Foreword: There will be no pictures of the subject on this post, there will be no links to his outbursts, he has not earned the right to physically appear on my blog. You all know the issue, circumstance and ‘person’ involved. Let us therefore get on with it.

After the assassination attempt on Trump my dear wife voiced the hope that maybe such a brush with possible death might bring about a change in the man’s outlook. It was a hopeful response, and after all George Wallace having suffered far worse than Trump turned from typecast southern democrat segregationist into a hardworking spokesman for Civil Right and integration. Wallace however was a man of principals and beliefs who had the courage and insight to change those.

It says much about these days and the quality of the politicians on the Right that Trump does not come close to Wallace’s character.

Here we are again. Flash back to 2016 and that notorious mean-spirited, cowardly attack on John McCain which also mocked every US airman shot down and captured in the Vietnam Wars. And now Trump pulls the another cheap shot, this time at Kamala Harris, only using the predictable race card, whining and bitching because he can’t grasp the concept of multi-identity. He piles on the display of complete repellence and an incompetent style of duplicity by trying to claim he is not a racist. And yet does he criticise her policies, does he look into and question her stance on the economy of the USA, with the possible implications? No, of course not, that would be too complicated an endeavour for this small creature, creation of mislead, misinformed grass roots movement. No, he just goes for the colour of her skin.

Out is pumped another belching of toxicity, an hysterical whining, babble verging on the incoherent and lost in his own fantasy to the extent that he believes he has won the argument.

In the world of politics Trump does not measure up to a predator. He is a scavenger, feeding on the scraps and detritus of the Right Wing, picking up whatever he can to feed that sickening ego. Maybe ‘scavenger’ is a bit unfair to those species who live by this means in the real world, at least they are doing it to survive and also clean up the remains left by larger predators or other causes of death, they play a part in Nature’s chain. Trump contributes Nothing .

Did you ever need any further evidence that Trump and The Right should not be allowed back into the Whitehouse?

OK, I’ve said my piece. Not going to spend any more time on such a worthless character.

Take care you guys.

And vote for Harris.

Anti-Abortion Movements. Are You Socialists Or Not? Make Your Mind Up

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The Annual March for Life

Here is a thought. Well actually more of a stroll down the wander trails of reasoning of, in this case the American Right and their alleged Pro-Life Stance. The following is not based on a newly discovered accusation, more a case of taking matters a few more steps into the paradoxes and hypocrisies which, if not careful can lead folk just where they did not want to be.

According to current information the following states have total bans abortion:
Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia with Arizona and Florida on their way.
Thus these states have legislation which will enforce a woman to carry through a pregnancy and give birth to a child. A small living being whose rights these legislators and their supporters were so concerned about while the child was in a womb.

And what comes after birth?  All being thankfully well Mother and Child will be alive. Therefore Postpartum Maternal Health you might think.

Just to clarify that for you, here is a link to a Medicaid.gov page on the subject based on events 2021:

https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/quality-of-care/quality-improvement-initiatives/maternal-infant-health-care-quality/postpartum-care/index.html

In 2021, you will note from the first page from Medicaid the following states were named:
‘Kentucky, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Montana and Wyoming participated in the action-oriented affinity group where teams designed and implemented a postpartum care quality improvement (QI) project in their state’ 

Move on

And here is the HHS Launches Postpartum Maternal Health page on Feb 14th 2024 regarding the current initiative:

https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/02/14/hhs-launches-postpartum-maternal-health-collaborative.html

On reading this, notice there were representatives from:
Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Hats off to Alabama and Missouri for having a certain level of consistency. As for 2021, that was a long time ago there was the 24th June 2022 overturn of Roe vs Wade.

Before going any further we have a movement which is concerned over the rights of a child in the womb. We have a state which is intending to monitor where a pregnant women is travelling, just in case she tries to skip over the border (Hey there Texas) And we have those 14 to 16 states with total ban on abortion.
Therefore it would seem rational to assume that in regions which place a very high premium on the protection of the unborn child, this concern would carry forth once the child is born? And it would also be reasonable to expect the campaigning groups to divide their time between pregnancy and Postpartum interludes, ensuring both are equally catered for. By law, there is strict imposition for the former. Is there equally strict imposition for care of the born child? Of course we have to be fair, in so far as it takes time to set up these systems and ensure they are correctly resourced? The question is are the campaigners who worked so hard in the states where there are total bans, doing the same for the welfare of the child, born? And further on as they grow.

We now move to the question of implementation. A state imposes a law that the restricts the options of a person for the good or well-being of another person, in this case the unborn child over the mother. The legislation concerns itself over ‘rights’ and turns an action (abortion)  into a crime. Next step, comparison. Now we know, accept that certain acts such as theft, assault, fraud, death through careless behaviour, murder are considered universally to be acts which carry penalties, the logical being for the stability of the society. When we move into an area where an act is to be considered a crime because it is deemed to be one through application of a social outlook, be that religious, philosophical, political then we are looking at the area of Social Engineering, and that friends is where we come to the ‘S’ word – Socialism . At least by the definitions being bandied about by the US right when it comes to Gun Control, Funding of Medical Aid, Environmental Protection and so forth. And yet they are willing to impose anti-abortion legislation, as well as control of books in public libraries. There seems to be an inconsistency. A lack of freedom, or liberty, both words which Right-Wing groups seem inclined to use.

Personally speaking as one who has been known to lurch to the authoritarian socialist tendency on several occasions (mostly to do with racism, other acts of prejudices. we’ll leave the rest out) I recognise a certain familiarity here with my own thought processes on those matters which cause strong personal feelings.

Therefore I must ask. Anti-Abortion Groups? Banning Book Groups? Maybe you ought to check your socialist credentials, for there is certainly something of the authoritarian within you.

And will you, aside from purging books from libraries be campaigning for the welfare, well-being and safety of children throughout all of their childhood?          

 

Of Perceptions, Explanations and more than a few Accusations (On My Faith Part II)

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Faith

Foreword: In addition to being a continuation from Part I
There’s Nothing Simple Out There (One Christian’s Declarations Concerning Their Faith and the Subject of Evidence. Part I)
The two together are also an expansion on a post from past August, which some might say. ‘OK that’s all we need to know. Give it a rest already’. That is your choice:
Religion. Another Viewpoint (With Some Assistance From Quantum Mechanics & Cosmology)
The intention of the two parts together is to seek to go deeper, and wider.

This post moves from the questions Physical (both Scientific and Historical) and into the more intangible concepts of the basics of Faith, Belief both in the Religious/Theological  and also in the Social…. and also gives more space to a few polemics,

Therefore:
The Theological Perspective
The Social Perspective
Finally a Summary

In this I will mostly restrict my commentary to the Christian Faith. If I do refer to other Faiths, brevity will be utilised and sweeping generalisations avoided in areas which require a more detailed knowledge.

Theology / Religiosity / Faith. All from Within

 Retrospect

In Part I I contended that when set against the backdrop of the Scientific Perspective with all the unexplored areas, by the same perspective there was therefore no reason to say a person cannot hold to a belief in a Deity. The non-existence of a Deity cannot be physically proven.

Folk will of course put forth their own arguments for that non-existence but will always come up against the problem that they cannot offer physical proof to support their case. And likewise neither can I point to the place where God is, as one would say a mountain. It all comes down to Belief, or which has equal importance Doubt. Some might argue that in a world which shows so many tragedies and harm upon the Innocent, Doubt is the most honest approach of the Three stances. And others would contend that in my last post I inadvertently produced a case for Agnosticism.

We seek out ways to perceive the Vastness in Space, Time and Reason. A journey we may never complete. Let that be so. However such knowledge should never stop us doing so.

On Some Assertions Concerning Religions / Faiths Etc.

Before proceeding I need to address two commonly made statements which appear to attribute to Theisms certain properties:

Religion Is The Cause of War

And so is Economics, so is Politics, so are Resources, so are Cultural Differences, so is The Desire for Independence, so is the Willingness to Be Led, and so is, so is, so is.
Claiming one cause is an unconscious attempt to let ourselves, that is Humanity off of the hook, the flaw in our natures in which we embrace War and its lesser relative Conflict.
Once more for Brevity’s sake, and using European thinking, of which they may like it or not Russia and the USA have embraced; yes there have been wars in which religion was a foundation. Looking at the European side of history.
Crusades (quickly to turning into a land grab, as well as alliances with Muslim states and wars with other ‘Christian’ states)
The French 16th Century Wars of Religion (nobles changes sides and beliefs like socks- And Henry of Navarre Huguenot / Protestant turned Catholic – ‘Paris is Worth A Mass’)
30 Years War. One of the more obvious ones. (Except for the fact that Catholic France was in conflict with Catholic Spain and supporting Protestant Sweden)

So whereas it can be argued religion started the ones mentioned above, politics soon became involved and in various forms eased into the driving seat.
There is a line of arguments within professional Historians circles that the term is actually a Western perspective, and is just one facet of a myriad causes.
Basically Humanity is the cause of War, to assume if there were no religions there would be no wars is to assume something very peculiar about the conflicts between 1900 and 1950, to cite glaring example.

Religion Is The Opium of The People  

There may have been a time somewhere between The Enlightenment and The Birth of Socialism / Communism that arose the argument for religion being something that the ‘Ruling Classes’ use to keep the population in line and to feel that all would be well if they believed.

Firstly as it will be seen from the experiences under authoritarian and atheistic regimes which entered the lexicon in the 20th Century, Religion was replaced by Party Doctrine as the ‘Opium’. Once more it can be pointed out that Humanity is very inventive in producing its ‘Opiums’. In Post WWII, in the West, Europe in particular religious observance went into a decline whereas materialism and consumerism went upwards ever upwards. In latter years the worship of Celebrity has become a factor, with a new schism of Influencer each bringing forth their adherents and of course nasty disputes between the various ‘belief’ systems.

Another facet of the argument that religion kept the population in check tends to fall apart when matters are exanimated under the microscope of History. Over the centuries there have been a constant list of uprising from the ground level, often targeting the established religious set-up. Far from keeping folk in check once the system is seen to be with its abuses ‘rebellion’ be it in another form of religion or in a secular approach will arise. Reformation. Rise of Communism; just two.

Be honest folks. The problem is People. Always People. It is no use blaming one system or another, WE are the ones who run them.

Religion In General. And Faith. Which Can Be Quite Separate 

OK, having tried to get Religion off the hook and shift the blame where it belongs onto People, and with that theme in mind, let us consider that issue.

World Population 8 billion
Christianity 2.4 billion
Islam 1.9 billion
Hinduism 1.2 billion
Buddhism 520 million (0.52 billion)
Judaism 15.2 million (0.152 billion )
Also some estimated other religions 10,000 (mostly local) – exact numbers not available.

We could spend a great deal of time and effort  separating those figures by differing approaches, gender, age groups, geographical locations and cultural implications. This would still leave us with a large portion of the population of the planet having a theistic belief. There one question which itself sub-divides and that is.

How much Faith is there in The Religion? When I use the term Faith I am referring not to a confidence in the beliefs I am asking of dedication to those core beliefs which transcend the Social Norms, The Customs, The Ethnicity, and The Political aspects ever present in Life and which also have an influence upon us. Religion contains a dual purpose: To Explain and to Codify behaviour. At the very root, foundation, call it what you will lies essentially a path to embrace community and seek out that ever evasive Better Way.

Now it would be naïve of me to write the above words without knowing full well that there will be a substantial number of folk who would at least shake their heads in disagreement, and possibly howl in outrage, when ‘everyone’ can cite numerous instances or bits of religious works which argue the opposite. And yet imagine if the majority of those believing in a deity took to violence. The world is tragic enough with minorities using religion as their excuse taking up arms. Of course that does attract news commentary, which is only natural. Yet there are folk of Faith, quietly working away to try to make Life Better. Relying on their Faith

I will offer you this, based on my Faith, and on reflection as to the numbers of people with a religious based Faith. I believe that there is room enough for all Faiths. I believe it matters not to me whether a person’s religiously bound Faith is different to mine. If they hold to Compassion, Respect and Tolerance as part of their Faith that is fine. The rest is just not important. We choose different paths, which evolved from myriad reasons. As long as we meet on those three principals. What does it matter? And how does that square you ask? Are there lots of gods then? Well I would say no, just many ways to receive a message.

Yes, I would get into a bit of trouble with the hierarchy. Being Christian and Catholic I am quite aware that ‘The Church’ does not like the concept of Relativism. Yeah, well I square that with God at some stage. That’s where the final say on the matter will be. Though I’m still working out my own personal theological notions. Kind of Quantum? Yes?

The Impact and Reaction to Religion in Society. (Inside Looking Out)

There is a lot that annoys me and saddens me about the divides which are going on. In this case I’m sticking back with Christianity as this is my home turf as it were’. That said I am not allowing this come between me and my good atheistic friends here on WP.

Firstly, I repeat have no time for these quasi-fundamentalists who are only using religion as a convenience to fit their prejudices, their privileges, their hypocrisies, hates, fears and hysterias.

Secondly I would make a general appeal to a section of the atheist Community.
Will you please stop packaging all of us with that aforementioned group. You don’t do that with races, do you? And it does not occur to some that the remarks they make are downright offensive to us as well? I am sure these are mostly directed at the quasi-fundamentalists? But stop to think for a moment? Are you not profiling us all? Mock the hypocrites sure. But lay off basic beliefs will you? Just ask questions. Don’t make accusations or offensive remarks, or mock. That hurts. And by the way says more about you that it does about a moderate believer. Some of the throw away lines I have encountered are mere mirror images of the MAGA style self-identifying ‘believers’ ‘Religious BS’ is a common one? Seriously? Has the accuser ever spoken to a Christian who also embraces scientific teaching, the whole of Cosmology (well as much as we know)?
Sadly this is another fracture line. Society is filled with them.

Currently there seems to be three types of religion. There’s the uncomplicated Faith based one which is down to personal choice. There’s the Community one, in which folk of similar beliefs meet up and share. Those two overlap. And there is, as is usual in Human History the one which is used for Political Purposes and is soaked in Hypocrisy and Self-Service.
The latter has it’s partner in crime in Politics itself, where the political beliefs are twisted through the same processes of suiting the purposes of a party or grouping. Places where Sincerity is a variable commodity. Truth is that which is convenient to the group. And only the Opposition is guilty of Hypocrisy.

Therefore I have to say, all those charges which are placed at the doors of Religion will be equally fitted into Politics, Social Movements, Social Interactions and so on. In short Humanity is Guilty as Charged.

Summary

So, where do we draw the line between types of Belief? A person has a secular belief, be it, say, Social, Scientific  or Political. They hold to that belief. They hold to it strongly. They will demonstrate an opinion which others strongly object to, some will say their belief is illusory, and a threat. In the broad scheme, where is the difference therefore between faith in The Religious or The Secular. In the scheme of Human dynamics is there a difference? People hold fast to something.

Think on this one.
Many will say they hold true to Democracy. A laudable ideal.
However….In the disaster that was WWII Two Democracies (well for White folk that is) with colonial mentalities signed up with a violent totalitarian system to defeat two other like-minded totalitarian systems and in doing so allowed their ally to reap unjust rewards and while doing so caused the deaths of millions of civilians. Both those democracies along with other democracies also subjugated and caused large numbers of deaths amongst the populations of nations within their ‘spheres’ of influence. One Democracy had built into laws racial discrimination. Recently through its arcane flummery the same democracy allowed the minority vote holder into its position of president. A fellow of questionable qualities, opening the doors to new waves of  Intolerance.

Do just these few examples mean that you hold Democracy to be something to be held as false and even to be despised?

You would prefer one of the other systems? Seriously?

If you set out to target Religion in general along ethical grounds then you had better be ready to target that which you hold close too. Are you ready to condemn it as false?

Finally. This I will assert, repeat to be precise.

You do not criticise a person for having a religious belief without endangering yourself of profiling and with it having a limited perspective. If a person believes in the equality of others irrespective of race, belief and gender; if that person cares about the state of the environment; if that person holds that scientific knowledge to date is to be respected, even celebrated; if that person sees flaws in all systems and ‘We’ could and must do better, while having a belief in a Deity; then why is the latter a ‘mark’ against them? Careful how you answer that; your answer may say more about you than you care to admit.

If you are unqualified targeting Religion as a concept, you are looking in the wrong place. Look around you. Look inwards too. Theists have to do that, everyday, if they do have Faith, that is.

These Days The World War Comes In Many Sizes.

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Crocus City Hall

Crocus City Hall, Moscow 22nd March 2024 .It was 14, then 30, then 60 then 93. Dead. Injured? It was many, then a 100. How many escaped? Not known, but they will carry scars. Maybe they will be fearful of being in a crowd, never to go to any event again, fearing they may hear screams and gun shots. Will they ever sleep naturally again. Then multiply by numbers by relatives, friends, associates.

They were going to a concert. To have a good time. Enjoy themselves. Forget the troubles of the World. Maybe ease the pain of the loss of someone sent to Ukraine. Parallels to many Israelis back in October 2023. They were going about their ordinary lives. Just like Americans who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in 83 mass shootings in 2024 (Up until February that is).

They weren’t in combat. They not were fitted out for fighting. They weren’t even living in dread. Not like folk in Port au Prince. Folk in Gaza. Folk in the Sudan. Folk across the Sahel (look on a map for yourself). In Congo. In Nigeria. In Pakistan. In India. In Philippines. In Malyaia. In Myanmar. In Mexico. In Ukraine. In Yemen. And that list goes on and on and on. World War. Not neat. Not one side vs another. That’s out-dated, washed away amongst the mudslide of agendas and causes, and the debris of alliances; mostly based on Hypocrisy. 

Somewhere there is at least one record tallying up the estimates of non-combatants being killed. And someone will be parsing those numbers up into those unfortunately killed in cross-fires. those who were living near strategic targets, those slaughtered in some frenzy of hate and those who starve or sicken untreated because of a lack of resources. As if there is some comfort in pointing out that portions of those deaths were ‘unfortunate’. Like the police chief in To Have and Have Not says laconically about the death of the American tourist caught in cross-fire ‘It is unfortunate’ .But it’s war. What can you do?… Don’t start one? Or is that just a painfully innocent a suggestion.

Nothing worthwhile is easy to solve.

Crocus City Hall, Moscow 22nd March 2024. Dead, dying, injured, traumatised  by being there, traumatised by association. Multiply that by the number of wars, rebellions, militias, gangs, mercenaries, authoritarian states, hate-groups. Some calculation. Like one of those massive boards that physicists and mathematicians have to use.  

There will be the usual dash to social media to pump out the agenda. Blame this group. Blame that nation. ‘I hate…. I’m gonna blame them’….. ‘Yeah me too’. The keyboards must have been hammered over the last 12 hours.

And there will be those who will justify, or glorify those who walked into Crocus City Hall on Moscow 22nd March 2024 and killed ‘in the name of’. Like the killing of non-combatant folk of a nation is going to make any state think ‘Oh gosh. We were wrong. Sorry,’ Russia, Israel, USA, China. Four classic examples of what happens when you tread on their toes, their majorities. No, they default to ‘Someone has to pay,’ Like any group, any region, any nation with a grudge or agenda really, deep down, worries about the loss of non-combatant life. Like any of those listens to any protest across the world.

Crocus City Hall, Moscow 22nd March 2024. It’s 115 dead now. Four suspects held. Flowers being left at the site, people donating blood. It’s what ordinary folk do. Do something. Meanwhile as expected both the Ukrainian and Russian governments or security services make claim, counter claim and ridiculous assertions abut the other side. At least the ordinary folk are doing something constructive.

World War. As in a world beset by wars in all shapes and sizes, many so deep, convoluted and old that the original reasons were lost somewhere and there’s only The War. You could claim Political Expediency, Culture, Religion, Poverty, Corruption, Old Enmities, New Ones, Suspicion, Communal Hysteria; take your pick; add another, there’s no shortage.

But what to do? No use saying ‘It’s Not my Problem’. USA.Back in the 1990s what was going in The Middle East, Saudi Arabia, ‘The Gulf’ Lebanon was not ‘Your Problem’. Sure the government sent armies and folk got killed, which was a shame. But nothing to do with you. Then came 9/11- direct Cause and Effect and the USA went into several sorts of hysteria which is still plaguing you today. 

And why do European nations and the USA wonder why folk from other nations are flooding into their lands. War. Famine through War. Why else should folk be so desperate? 

In these days of hyper-travel, hyper-trade and hyper-communication what happens somewhere will eventually find its way in some way to your door, even if it is but an increase the cost of your favourite…..

Crocus City Hall, Moscow 22nd March 2024. It’s our problem. It’s our tragedy. It’s our concern. And that nagging one, deep down inside. The one place where you get into the tangle of Cause & Effect, of Apathy and its distant cousin Selective Outrage, of Disassociation, of Assumptions Without Thought, and the rest. The one where we have to ask ‘Was That Something To Do With Me?’ Hopefully not. Hopefully you started out as innocent bystander who tried to do something constructive, even in a small, small, hardly noticed way, a ripple. Me? Involved in a war? You’d be surprised how far the reach is. 

Still, bear this in mind. It takes a lot of folk a long time to make a World War. And there are never simple answers.

One thing though. Those who beat the drums loud, and long. Folk who give you one liners as solutions. People who claim that killing their neighbours is the only solution. Mobs that blame an entire people for the crimes of a government. Ones who claim they have a direct line to a deity who says its OK to kill. 

They are liars, wretched creatures. And irrespective of the differences in their politics, religions, races and locations, they are all the same. Hate mongers. Blights. Bloodied hands by deed or association.  

Crocus City Hall, Moscow 22nd March 2024. Take some time out today to think of the victims. 

It’s a regular event in some parts of the world.

Songs For Our Times ?

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Foreword:

I should put this on my political site but since WP appears to have lost it for the present, or is in a sulk and won’t let me have access……

Anyway, as we all know it is a ‘thing’ for political parties when campaigning to poach a song without the writers and performers’ permission and by using a selective piece, mis-representing the message of the song to suit their purposes. The American Republican Party seemed to make a habit out of this.

Therefore I thought it best to redress the balance by posting up songs which actually represent their current messages.

To begin…..Because I wanted to introduce the subject in a more low-key manner, for those who do not think there is any need to worry. If you check you will see that there are quite a number of folk with extreme views encouraging Trump on. Now folk with extreme views are not content to just hold onto their views, they have an urge to spread them. OK, so you might not be in their initial sights but once they get their hooks in, you might know folk, who know folk who are suffering, and you might have friends and relations who get targeted, and you might feel very sad about that, and wish it would go away, but it won’t and there will be even more distressing news and one day they will come for you or the way you live and you will start to feel ‘Gloomy’

Gloomy

Some people laugh in the dark
Some people cry alone
Some people talk without sayin’ a thing
And ev’rything turns out gloomy

Some people count your money
Someone is countin’ your days
And somebody got to keep track of your mind
When ev’rything turns out gloomy

Brothers’ll make you look sideways
Fathers’ll make you look back
And when you’re done talkin’, you still got to shoot
‘Cause ev’rything turns out gloomy

Now another thing the forces pushing Trump on with and something which comes naturally to him is telling untruths. Big ones. Like there was nothing wrong with what happened in January 2021. Like everything accusation against him is Fake. 

Hitler pointed out that if you told a very Big Lie people would simply believe you because they could not cope with the fact that it was wrong. Conspiracy Junkies and MAGA embraced this concept (Qanon anyone?). The following song is ideal for the current mindset (in which more guns is also an good answer to all the problems)

It’s a good time for anyone  whose is a professional Liar, the Trump Campaign can use you. As for those of you of who are outraged and aghast at such affrontery to intelligence, if you have not already to responded do so….. because the cult of Trump is built on ‘Lies’ You Liar

Liar liar, pants on fire
See you squirm, see you perspire
Not a word you say is true
There’s never been one out of you

Smoke & mirrors, bait and switch
You and your friends are getting rich
Picking pockets, pulling strings
And other more despicable things

Liar Liar, pants on fire
Preaching only to the choir
Photo op in front of the steeple
How did you manage to fool these people?

Talk the lingo, dress the part
Even put your hand on your heart
Bomber jacket, emperor’s clothes
You can’t even reach the end of your nose

Liar liar, pants on fire
Chain of command doesn’t get any higher
Orders come down from the top
Punish the guy who pushes the mop

Throw away the key and forget about bail
The likes of you ought to rot in jail
Guilty! Guilty of the highest crimes
And the lowest ones at the very same time

Liar liar, pants on fire
Teleprompter, hidden wire
Who’s this G-d that speaks to you
Who would authorize the things you do?

Bend the rules, twist the facts
Make excuses, cover your tracks
Why won’t you let anybody see
The flag-draped coffins on tv?

Liar liar, been found out
Whistleblowers talked about
How you classify & cook the books
For the benefit of a bunch of crooks

Liar lair pants on fire (repeat)

Of course being the sorts they are they would try and steal this and turn it around for their rallies but remember….you heard it here folks!

Now if this has not yet stirred you, then you should consider the divisiveness that has gripped the USA since MAGA, Intolerant Evangelicals (as opposed to the more quiet reflective sorts) and The White Supremacists were allowed to be tolerated. This is not to be tolerated and to repeat do not think it will not come to you. Here is one ideally suited to The Trouble they cause. It was written in the wake of the 1965 Watts riots, and sadly as it does the wheel turns full circle.

Well, I’m about to get sickFrom watchin’ my TVBeen checkin’ out the news until my eyeballs fail to seeI mean to say that every day is just another rotten messAnd when it’s gonna change, my friends, is anybody’s guess
 
So I’m watchin’ and I’m waitin’Hopin’ for the bestEven think I’ll go to prayin’Every time I hear ’em sayin’That there’s no way to delay that trouble comin’ every dayNo way to delay that trouble comin’ every day
 
Wednesday I watched the riot, I seen the cops out on the streetWatched ’em throwin’ rocks and stuff and chokin’ in the heatListened to reports about the whisky passin’ ’roundSeen the smoke and fire and the market burnin’ downWatched while everybody on his street would take a turnTo stomp and smash and bash and crash and slash and bust and burn
 
And I’m watchin’ and I’m waitin’Hopin’ for the bestEven think I’ll go to prayin’Every time I hear ’em sayin’That there’s no way to delay that trouble comin’ every dayNo way to delay that trouble comin’ every day
 
Well, you can cool it you can heat it‘Cause, baby, I don’t need itTake your TV tube and eat itAnd all that phony stuff on sports and all the unconfirmed reportsYou know I watched that rotten box until my head began to hurtFrom checkin’ out the way the newsmen say they get the dirtBefore the guys on channel so-and-so, further they assertThat any show they’ll interruptTo bring you news if it comes upThey say that if the place blows upThey’ll be the first to tellBecause the boys they got downtown are workin’ hard and doin’ swellAnd if anybody gets the newsBefore it hits the street they say that no one blabs it fasterTheir coverage can’t be beatAnd if another woman driverGets machine-gunned from her seatThey’ll send some joker with a brownie and you’ll see it all complete
 
So I’m watchin’ and I’m waitin’Hopin’ for the bestEven think I’ll go to prayin’Every time I hear ’em sayin’That there’s no way to delay that trouble comin’ every dayNo way to delay that trouble comin’ every day
 
Hey, you know something people?I’m not black but there’s a whole lots a times I wish I could say I’m not white
 
Well, I seen the fires burnin’ and the local people turnin’On the merchants and the shops who used to sell their brooms and mopsAnd every other household itemWatched the mob just turn and bite ’emAnd they say it served ’em rightBecause a few of them are whiteAnd it’s the same across the nation, black and white discriminationYellin’ “you can’t understand me!”And all that other jazz they hand meIn the papers and TV and all that mass stupidityThat seems to grow more every dayEach time you hear some nitwit sayHe wants to go and do you in‘Cause the color of your skinJust don’t appeal to himNo matter if it’s black or white because he’s out for blood tonight
 
You know we gotta sit around at home and watch this thing beginBut I bet there won’t be many left to see it really end‘Cause the fire in the street ain’t like the fire in the heartAnd in the eyes of all these people don’t you know that this could start?On any street, in any town, in any state if any clownDecides that now’s the time to fightFor some ideal he thinks is rightAnd if a million more agree, there ain’t no great societyAs it applies to you and meOur country isn’t freeAnd the law refuse to see if all that you can ever beIs just a lousy janitorUnless your uncle owns a storeYou know that five in every fourJust won’t amount to nothin’ moreThan watchin’ rats go across the floorAnd make up songs about being poorBlow your harmonica, son!
 
And basically I feel sorry for the regular Old School Republicans those who hang on hoping or those who gave up and either went Independent or crossed the line. I have a smidge of sympathy and sorrow for those who with some concern and doubts are  still buying into Trump as being a choice one has to take…because they feel threatened as a result of the propaganda they have been given. 
As for the howlers, the threateners, those who disgrace the flag and spit on the constitution, I won’t bother, they have bought into The Nightmare.
 
For the rest; The Complacent, those who display irresponsibility by thinking Not Voting for Biden will help any Palestinian and the ones who still think it is cool to be detached. Wake up. MAGA will be coming for you.