Mirror.co.uk - News - EXCLUSIVE: WAS IT SUICIDE?

Mirror.co.uk - News - EXCLUSIVE: WAS IT SUICIDE?

The first couple of hours I noted the lack of Allah Akhbar cries. I would not be in the least bit surprised if they were manipulated in a clinically cold way and that they didn't expect to die.

Newsday.com: Poll: Bush Approval Rating at 42 Percent

Newsday.com: Poll: Bush Approval Rating at 42 Percent

This'll get Bush smiling. Not.

Further thoughts...London Bombings/investigation

Ok, so things are happening.

Can I just say that I do genuinely trust the police on these kinds of matters. I think they are now so skilled in this sort of case and would be so averse to deliberately participate in any inside job or get suckered into a goose chase by some Israeli plot or any other similarly extreme explanation. So on this matter I'm gonna just believe what they say.

There were four suicide bombers, the bus bomb is believed to have been an accident. They were second generation Pakistani/British lads from Leeds.

This shows how shortsighted and simply stupid these xenophobic calls for watertight borders are. Ideas can pass through borders undetected. The affront many Muslims feel about British and American actions toward other Muslims penetrates people wherever they are regardless of how many Xray machines you have on our borders.

It also betrays the lie that they bomb us because they hate our freedoms. They have enjoyed our freedoms from birth. They know our society first hand and still they would rather blitz themselves and other people in a tunnel 120ft below the streets of London.

This must lead any sane person to ask the question, "why?". Every reason offered by received wisdom, "common sense" and unimaginative media for bomber's motivations (hatred, desperation, wanting to destroy the west, to turn Britain Muslim, poverty etc.) has never been proven to be true by the simple fact of who these bombers are.

We must also not forget that those who knew the Middle Eastern Islamic society best - namely those of that descent - never give those as key reasons. They say it is Western policy and the frustration of collusion within Mid-East governments in this policy that focuses minds enough for this terrorism. Al Qaeda represent merely a notion. It is one (poster boy) example of radicalised Muslims who want to turn to terrorism to hit back at the West. Many more small organisations exist with similar goals and philosophy but, importantly, not identical. Bin Laden's Islamic philosophy is significantly different from the Taliban's. He likes to use modern technology, like radio, video cameras, etc. but the Taliban made it illegal to use radio or listen to music in Afghanistan. The only thing that bound the two was simply the growing hatred and distrust of America. Plus the cold hard cash Bin Laden will have paid them.

We'll learn ever more details about the bombers and then I hope our country will learn that the basis for this terrorism is rooted in our behaviour. As I have said in a variety of locations, the existing members of these groups are past appeasing but it is certainly within our power to act in such a way that the cooking pot from which terrorists scoop volunteers is kept below boiling point and then reduced to a cold, congealing mass, useless to them.

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iraq's treasures still being looted

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iraq's treasures still being looted

If you didn't look for this stuff, you wouldn't know how little control anyone has out in Iraq. This is just one example of how the invasion has impoverished Iraq.

BBC NEWS | UK | Police appeal for bombing footage

BBC NEWS UK Police appeal for bombing footage

"On Sunday, three people were arrested at Heathrow Airport under anti-terror laws, but no link to the attacks was made. They were later released without charge."

Just more examples of how terrorism continues to be played up in the media. Two sentences devoted to the releases but many more devoted to the original arrests.

My post here also contains interesting stuff I've found: http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/showpost.php?p=4775076&postcount=27

The hype and jitteriness was entirely expected. But how planned was all this? If the secret service network is involved it would be so easy for them to pull the strings it's not funny.

This is a scathing article, worth reading, by John Pilger as published in the New Statesman:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9432.htm

I have noted with interest, more American commentators acknowledging that al Qaeda (and its followers/sympathizers) are not motivated by simple hatred and a desire to wipe Western civilisation from the face of the earth but simply as revenge and an extreme (and, of course, unjustified) protest at the horrors and humiliations inflicted on Muslims and Arabs directly and indirectly by the West. Western policies feed the hate that breeds terrorists. And it looks like potentially the debate is turning (at the speed of an oil tanker) in that direction. Especially as Iraq is stagnating, and indeed rotting, in a swamp of violence. The pitiful stupidity of the invasion is hitting home and the masses in America (where the majority were simply not informed enough to judge Bush's choices) are realising the spectacular poverty of Bush's foreign policies.

Bush's pathetically asinine response to a question on ITV1's Tonight show about the aid provided to murderous Islam Karimov, president/dictator of Uzbekistan, and the lack of conditions on that aid in contrast to those pressed for by Bush for African aid was completely telling. A dictator who boils people alive, merely receives "encouragement" to stop boiling people alive and still gets millions in US aid because he is "an ally in the war on terror". In short, he lets the US have an air base there and he massacres and tortures Muslims for fun.

Great. And we think that Islamic terrorists are fuming because they hate our freedoms?????!!

London Bombed

No surprise from me. Just anger and I feel simply sick of it all. Sick of pointless causes being used to justify evil violence.

I knew it would happen eventually, mainly because it was so easy to do and required so few people to do it that no amount of MI5 activity would pick it up.

I have said on Digital Spy that me and a mate could do it for little more than £500.

The timing was devastating and it is sad that the achievements of G8 and the Olympics have been massively overshadowed by warped idiots who somehow think terrorism has any chance at all of achieving their aims.

I used to live in London and I have ridden on the number 30 bus which was blown up and I have travelled quite a lot through Liverpool St station and Kings Cross, of course. Had my life panned out differently, I could have easily been dead today.

But I am so tired, bored and sickened by this violence. I just want it to end. But as we re-energize these fools with wars that we start and by being so close to an America that sits on its hands over Israel, it quite simply won't. As long as there are Muslims that still follow this fundamentalist ideology, it simply won't.

It is a sad, sad day.

Live8

Live8, or Live 8, is underway and I am very split on it. I hate how the combined worth of the stars performing (don't forget, Paul Mccartney's there) totals the GDP of probably the poorest 5 African countries, are performing their latest singles.

I hate how Tony Blair sees this as a fantastic opportunity to get the electorate behind him again (distracted from Iraq) and to once again cast him as a crusader.

But it would be truly great if acceptable debt relief was agreed upon. Where the rich countries opened their markets to the third world on a truly fair basis. If this works, thanks to the overwhelming publicity Geldof has generated, then all the queasiness I feel will be worth it.

The fact is that when people (50,000 a day) die from preventable, cureable diseases and plain hunger we have to act. Now I know this has been going on for the best part of 25 years but now it seems those with true, treaty signing, exchequer manipulating power are going to do something concrete to allow poor nations to end the horror - I see this word as no exaggeration.

Bush keeps on lying

I'm watching Bush lying again on Fox. He is making his Iraq speech. He keeps claiming that the US will "leave" when the job is done. This is not true as there will be permanent US bases there whatever happens. See: http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/040323-enduring-bases.htm and http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/21/AR2005052100611.html They include official denials, of course, but, let's be realistic, when will the "insurgents" really give up? I'd bet never.

He has just directly linked Iraq with 9/11 again. And he has said the challenge in Iraq is to defend democracy again. "Iraq is where the terrorists are making their stand". There were no terrorists there before you invaded!!!!

There really is no end to his delusion, is there.

I assume somewhere here you'll find his full remarks: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160958,00.html

Throughout his entire speech (as usual) it looks like he is reading the words for the first time. And he has just "advertised" the concept of joining the US military (I wonder why) http://www.americasupportsyou.mil - Need I say more?

Jesus. If this man hasn't done anything impeachable, I don't know who has.

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Crucified nun dies in 'exorcism'

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Crucified nun dies in 'exorcism'Yes, folks, this sort of madness still goes on in the 21st century. Stunning.

Bush haemoraging support

Bush at all time low
So the US electorate is seeming to be seriously regretting re-electing him. It took less than a year.

Let's also not forget that GOP senators are also grumbling.

The main problem with all this is that it is all after horse has bolted and things are gonna keep going like this until 2008 (!). Iraq, Social Security and some serious leaks about Bush's approach to the invasion are damaging but I really don't think this will oust him early.

I confess, my main thought about all this is that the US public must be mainly thinking "Doh!". They elected Mr Burns when they should have elected a Lisa Simpson.

Revenge of the Sith

So I've seen it and I have to say it did pretty much everything I thought it would do. It's a film that has to be viewed within the confines of the saga itself - and the foibles therein previously exhibited. All the usual faults are there; substandard dialogue and inconsistent acting (diarmid is superb but McGregor is, ahem, weak).

This, like you would hope, is very reminiscent of Empire Strikes Back. It's a sad conclusion to the first half of the saga (bar the births of what know now to be the key to the defeat of the Empire). But the feel good factor is (possibly unique in cinema) that you have witnessed all the loose ends, from both the sequels and prequels, tied up rather neatly and you are satisfied that the sinking into the dark side of Anakin is fully believable and is shown to be a far from simple decision. There is quite a complex piece of writing going on here.

I felt elated after coming out of the cinema simply because Lucas didn't cock it up. This was a big fear. But no, he embraced every aspect of modern filmic technology, regained his focus on the twelve year old target audience and answered every IV V and VI question posed in a highly satisfactory way.

I'm not going to go into content as that would spoil it but I can promise you that if you were waiting for an episode III that did what a Star Wars fan would want an Episode III to do then George has done just that.

So we can now relax, save up for a high def DVD player and for the I-VI High Def DVD box set.

Nerf Herder!

Revenge of the Sith

Come back soon when I'll review the final Star Wars film once I've seen it today.

ABC News: Saudi Prince Accused of Drug Smuggling Avoids Prosecution

ABC News: Saudi Prince Accused of Drug Smuggling Avoids Prosecution
My god. The US (and the Bush family) really knows how to pick its friends, don't it.

The Connecticut Post Online - News

The Connecticut Post Online - News

This story is interesting. Just imagine the scandal if this had happened in Britain. This sort of thing reaks of Banana Republic.

The General Election: my take...

Strange

Ah, the 2005 general election. An election where the turnout fell (if you strip out postal voting), the winner's share fell to as low as Simon Amstell's trousers and where the Tories somehow managed to gain 50 seats yet grew their share nationally by something like 0.5% (roughly the percentage of hairs on Paul Mccartney's head that are their real colour).

Strange indeed. So we now have a prime minister whom the 4th estate will be pushing out of office by rumour mongering alone and a Tory party seeking a fourth leader since Major (ah, currie shagging Mr Peas, doesn't it seem decades ago since he was PM? And it was only 1997!). I was saddened at the lack of progress from the Lib Dems but, you cannot forget that the swing to them was most probably shallow and temporary due to voters wanting merely to wag their fingers at Blair about Iraq than get close to allowing the yellow party to usurp the Tories as the official opposition.

Honest

My feeling is that the Lib Dems are at least honest. What party would not be honest whilst it pledges to add a layer of income tax for the top 1%? How credible and talented their MPs are in comparison I really don't know. It's a bit like Shaun Murphy winning the snooker World Championship, he didn't look like a world-beating professional sportsman but he turned out to be a record breaker. Is this how the Lib Dems may surprise us if they ever sniffed the Brasso of Number 10's knocker?

Majority reduced

But Blair has lost 100 seats and this means he cannot assume all legislation will fly throw the Commons any longer. Which can only be a good thing. And George Galloway is still an MP. And, by god, will he make full use of this fact!

I fully expect Blair to stay as party leader and PM until the European Constitution referendum (you'd forgotten about that tedious debate hadn't you) and then, regardless of the result, resign as party leader but stay as PM. Then, the new party leader is elected and Blair hands over the reigns probably as the next election hoves into view. This is my prediction based on virtually no evidence.

Good riddance

Good riddance, Howard, by the way. The man makes my food go cold as I watch his Gollumish face contort to a friendly grandfather's in trying to explain why every problem in the nation from immigration to MRSA boils down purely and simply to discipline and law and order. In other words, his facial "velvet glove" is trying to soften the iron fist he was attempting to apply to every area of government responsibility. Of course, pretty much all of his measures have no guarantees that they will make the slightest improvement in the country. But that's the Tories for you.

Now, when Israel bombs Iran, we'll see what happens and who is prime minister at the time. I only hope to god that, if Brown becomes PM, he doesn't lick cowboy arse quite as much as Blair.

Sky News : The Tough Battle To Get Into Britain

Sky News : The Tough Battle To Get Into Britain
Any Chance of the Tories shutting the hell up about this now?

Only once they lose the election, I suspect, and then move on to a new leader. Sheesh.

XML Feed

Incidentally, if no one's noticed, I've put a link to this blog's XML/RSS feed in my links to the right. So you don't have to remember to visit every time and can be spoonfed the stories I find, the stuff I write and the other things I put into the blog that most likely 0.000 people read. Hell, an average blog probably only gets the writer as its sole reader, so this ain't out of the ordinary. Though, I have noticed some hits coming from search engines (one for gay schoolboy stories!) that never really seem appropriate for what I'm doing here.

Still, I know Monkey75 has read it. Once. Or twice. So that makes this blog ABOVE average!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2491

CNN.com - Berlusconi under pressure on Iraq - May 3, 2005

CNN.com - Berlusconi under pressure on Iraq - May 3, 2005
There was 90% popular opposition to Italy taking part and now it looks as if those in government are crumbling. Much like the coalition in general, with Hungary and Poland and Spain withdrawing.

Of course, it's highly likely that this sort of thing will only make headlines in the US if the British did the decent thing and pulled out in time for the end of the UN mandate. I think this would reduce violence and let Iraq settle down to itself. I only want a phased withdrawal but I think it has to happen.

Gallup: 50% of Americans Now Say Bush Deliberately Misled Them on WMDs

Gallup: 50% of Americans Now Say Bush Deliberately Misled Them on WMDs

And yet the fool was re-elected!

Go figure...

Proof Blair was told war could be ruled illegal

Proof Blair was told war could be ruled illegal
Blair didn't want to hear it.