Tolerance And Understanding
"Murder maddens and some good people have accordingly gone mad. On one centre-left website, a Dutch writer expressed fury that a TV presenter had argued that the killing meant Dutch society had to do some "soul searching". "Dutch society has (to do) much soul searching?" the writer (taking the handle of "Voltaire") asked angrily, adding: "Theo wasn't killed by Dutch society but by a Muslim. But then Muslims rarely do much soul searching."
See that? In a blink of a cursor? See how "a Muslim" so quickly became "Muslims"? There are a billion Muslims with a hundred thousand interpretations of the Koran, but they are all now transformed into the Muslim who killed Van Gogh. "
David Aaronovich notes in today's Guardian that negative reaction to the murder of the Dutch film-maker Theo Van Gogh is not necessarily coming from the places one might expect.
Halo Again
Yes, I will confess that I've been playing it. And it's very good of its type I guess, though truthfully that's not a type that appeals to me all that very much. Just blasting away at everything that moves is a bit dull to me. Technically, absolutely stunning though - some of the environments have to be seen to be believed.
The Sad Life Of The Halo Widow
So Halo 2 was released today, to the energetic excitement of at least one member of my household, who had a copy safely purchased and stowed in his bag before he even got to work this morning.
The next few evenings are, I suspect, going to be given over to Halo Fever....
Bush In ‘Intolerant Bigot’ Shock!
I wish I could say that I'm remotely surprised.
Bastard.
Gay Marriage – Practice Not Principle
I should have mentioned sooner, but things have been a bit crazy - my ex, Chris, who a number of people reading this will know, got married at the weekend to his partner Brian. I'd have loved to have been able to be there, but practicalities intruded. They went to Vancouver for the ceremony, because the extremely enlightened Canadians understand that gay marriage is not going to rip apart the fabric of our societies.
It's a couple of days late, gentlemen, but all my very best for a long and happy future together.
What’s Going On?
Check out the recent comments and you'll see a number that have appeared over the last few days, all on old postings (from 2002 in fact), each of which has text that looks like generic spam comment text, but the link, which let's face it is the point of comment spam, is to a site which doesn't exist. I've done a Google search on the only full name that's offered, and found another blog with a similar non-pertinent comment from the same non-working link.
Rack my brains as I might I can't think of a reason for it that makes sense.
Anyideas? Or anyone else getting them?
London’s Getting A Bit Scary
I've followed with interest the story of David Morley, who was beaten to death on the South Bank a few nights ago, including the news that six people have been arrested over the incident.
But today, showing how grim things actually can be in this city, we find that a man has been repeatedly stabbed in a homophobic attack on a bus.
Not a great week to be gay on either side of the Atlantic.
Seriously Serious
Another Millarworlder, starting a thread called "Not my country any more":
"What happened to this country? As dispiriting as the win Bush took is, it isn't unprecedented – Nixon won reelection, and I think we all agree he was a piece of shit. My father has told me how that victory shook his faith in the country and the system, and I think this win will do that for a lot of young people. It seems unbelievable that so many Americans could look at the lies and the economy – hello, Ohio, you economy is devastated! – and the war and still vote for Bush.
But looking at the congressional races you realize it’s partially because the Democratic party is a dead one. Their time is over – they can’t even pull a legislative referendum off on this guy, a president who has been opposed by the fucking Economist and tons of serious conservatives. It’s a party that was trying to coast solely on the force of Bill Clinton’s likability, and it will be interesting to see the bloodbath that occurs in the party in the next two years.
Although who cares in the end? The gay marriage votes show that this is a country I cannot respect and support. The people of this nation are motivated by prejudice and rage, we’re a cowardly and superstitious electorate firmly in the hand of Sky Daddy and his Earthly minions and tithe-gatherers. In all of my years as a political junkie and activist I have never been so deeply disappointed in the people of the United States, and I think maybe I just don’t care about them anymore. I don’t feel like I belong to this country, where a warmonger, deficit builder and proven liar can win the popular vote by a handy margin, and where the people overwhelmingly vote to deny rights to people simply based on who they have sex with.
In the past I thought that no matter how screwy things were here on a regular basis this was at heart a good country, a decent country, a country filled with people who just wanted to live and let live and who cherished freedom and honesty. Turns out I was wrong. America, a nation that has become a fundamentalist hellhole, is no longer even remotely the greatest nation in the world.
I don't even know how to live in an island of blue state decency surrounded by a sea of red state horror."
Gloom Too
By the way - if anyone missed it in the overwhelming coverage of the US election, the following is more depressing still - you have been warned.
Ten states which were running anti-gay marriage referenda saw those measures supported by large majorities. And in several of those states, there were already definitions on the statute books which limit marriage to unions involving a man and a woman, so they're redundant at best, and just straightforwardly brutal and bigoted at worst.
Pete Mortensen is a Millarworlder who just started a blog, and has something to say about this issue that is better put than I will manage, so please go and read it.