28 November 2007

The name thing explained

Thanks to Pea for giving me the link to this BBC news article, explaining why some people think one shouldn't name a teddy bear after a Prophet, and why some people think it's not a big issue.

Interestingly enough, it says that the Islamic Society used to sell a teddy bear named after another Prophet,
Adam the Prayer Bear.

27 November 2007

Just a thought

If it's blasphemy to call a teddy bear 'Muhammad', why is it OK to call your child 'Muhammad' then? This isn't intended to be a criticism, it's a genuine question.

Yes, I know it's an insult to make an image of the prophet, but a teddy bear is a teddy bear. It's not an image of anything other than a bear.

Why has the teacher been arrested? It was the kids who chose the name. Surely, if it's so wrong, their parents are the ones who didn't educate them properly?

14 November 2007

It's gone too far

I had to double-check the date today, to make sure it wasn't 1 April. I can't believe that the paranoia propagated by our Government has now gone as far as announcing that the bags of rail travellers are to be searched. Can you imagine the chaos that it will cause? The public transport system is already in meltdown, and now they want to make it even worse by causing unnecessary delays whilst they invade your privacy even further than they do now.

I resent being treated like a criminal. I have never, to the best of my knowledge, broken the law in my entire life, so why should I have to submit to being degraded in this manner? If they do insist on searching all bags at stations I will simply stop using public transport altogether and add to the congestion on the roads. As for congestion charging, if that's brought in, I just won't go to those areas where it is introduced. I don't need to go into the city centres.

Every time I read in the news about the latest 'insecurity measures' I can feel the bile rising. This country makes me sick. Day after day, we are shit upon from a great height, and we are expected to sit here and take it. I work my guts out to help people who need all sorts of problems resolving and are not able to do it themselves, and yet I can do absolutely nothing to help to preserve the sanity and freedom of ordinary people like me who are inconvenienced, accused and harrassed by the state, all for the sake of paranoia. I no longer have any confidence in this Government that I, to my shame, voted for and have worked for. I would love to be able to meet those responsible for these ludicrous ideas and plead with them to see how they are wrecking this fomerly wonderful country of ours. I weep for the hopelessness and helplessness of it all.

I hate the way this country has gone, and I really mean it. I have absolutely no patriotism left. I am sick and tired of the constant so-called 'anti-terrorism' measures which are absolutely nothing to do with terrorism at all, and everything to do with eroding the liberty of British subjects. This once-proud nation is now reduced to a police state, where the state can do whatever it wants and the ordinary law-abiding citizen is treated like dirt on the shoes of the powers that be.

The threat of terrorism is no worse now than it was 30 years ago, and the only thing that these latest announcements will do, is increase the resentment of ordinary people who just want to get on with their lives without unnecessary and unwanted interference from a bunch of overpaid people who appear to produce this rubbish in a misguided attempt to justify their salaries.

Please, stop this madness now!

11 November 2007

Sick of it already

Bloody Xmas adverts on the telly. Xmas is not for another 6½ weeks, yet we're being bombarded with suggestions that we need to go into siege mode and stock up on chocolate and alcohol. Like I don't do that all year round anyway?

I'm sick of the marketing and the hype for what is, to be honest, a bloody boring day when most people eat themselves sick and then fall asleep in front of the telly. The earlier the marketing starts, the more I hate Xmas. The capitalists wreck it.

I am preparing to batten down the hatches already, and the first day I hear any Xmas music in the shops, will be the day I stop shopping for the rest of the year.

Bah! Humbug!

Ow ow ow ow

Spike and I did a five hour walk with Liverpool Council Ranger Service this afternoon, and my feet are killing me. Damn good walk though, and very interesting. The Ranger, Ronnie, gave us a very interesting talk on the big houses in the Calderstones area, and explained how some of them fell into ruin, and others were renovate by the Council.

Now, where can I get new feet?

07 November 2007

RIP - Nana

My nana died last night, after a several years of suffering from dementia and being very frail.

In one way, I feel very sad. She was good to me as a kid, and I miss the person that she used to be. In another way, I'm glad, because she's no longer suffering.

05 November 2007

Slob's rant

OK, so I don't have the monopoly on ranting. Slob's rant on poor driving is rather good. In fact, I reckon he's been taking lessons from me ;o) However, seeing as he probably still has that video of me venting my spleen at the Mabon Rally, I suppose I'd better just be nice to him...

Love you really!

04 November 2007

Why can't religious 'leaders' keep their opinions to themselves?

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has also annoyed me today. I have to say that I usually think that Dr. Williams is pretty sensible, but it beggers belief that he thinks that the age of criminal responsibility should be raised.

Dr. Williams obviously doesn't know some of the little scrotes that live in my area. Believe me, 10 year-olds DO know right from wrong, but they also know that they'll get away with criminal activity because it's too much hard work for the justice system to deal with them. I'm not blaming the Police here - they do a great job, it's the rest of the system which is an arse.

I know one copper who wasted months chasing round after one particular little bastard, knowing that every time he caught him, the magistrates would let the little darling go because he was too young, or from a broken home, or because they didn't have room for him in the cells. The aforementioned copper was highly pissed off because every time they let the scrote out, he was off committing more crimes within the hour. It made a mockery of the law, and the copper was very disillusioned.

In the case of young children committing crimes, the parents should be made to take more responsibility, and the justice system should mete out punishments which drive it home to the kids that what they have done is wrong. If they scrawl graffiti on walls, they should be made to clean it off, if they break or damage something they should be made to replace it, or work until they have paid off the debt in kind.

This country is already too soft on juvenile criminals and it's about time that the do-gooders woke up and smelt the coffee.

More religious interference

The Bishop of Bolton is giving away apples as part of his campaign to re-brand Halloween.

Is he really? What a bigot!

How would he like it if people started a campaign to re-brand Christmas?

Instead of trying to demonise the beliefs of others, perhaps he should just mind his own business, get on with celebrating his own religion and let others get on with celebrating theirs.