I didn't quite catch that...

Here’s something that should have people rolling in the aisles: Irish security.

Except that the government doesn’t seem to think that it should be funny, and are putting 7,500 security personnel (cops and soldiers) around Dublin to protect the heads of government of the 25 EU countries when they visit. Consider that the security is seen as second only to that in place for the pope’s visit in ’79, and you’ve got a comparison. The same place (Phoenix Park) was home to a million people attending an open air mass, and there were no incidents. If they do this visit that well, it would be very skillful.

Tomorrow is my last day at the current job. Which is always a bad thing. Was nice enough while it lasted. Of course, the job that starts on Tuesday pays about 50% more, which is a better thing. Oh well.

You may, or may not, have heard about the teacher who’s been suspended because he’s standing for the BNP in the European elections. Very interesting, me thinks. Yes, I abhor the BNP and what they stand for, but that doesn’t need to be said. What I thought was interesting was the reaction of the union. On the radio this morning (it’s not in the article, which is BORING!), the union rep said something along the lines of:

At conference, we were mandated to push for an end to all discrimination, including discrimination on grounds of race, religion, and politicial belief or affiliation.

We therefore demand that Mr Smith is removed from his position because of his connection with the BNP.

Paraphrasing, of course.

Anyone else see the double standard?

Bloody David bloody Blunkett. Put the burden on fucking criminals, not on the rest of us who should not have to prove to anyone who the fuck we are. And you can take your ?2,500 fine and shove it up your fat arse, because you will see precisly none of it from me. Twat.

Of course, another thing comes to mind. Instead of critising judges who implement your stupidly worded laws, and then demanding that parliament fix them, how about this: TAKE SOME FUCKING TIME TO WRITE PROPER LAWS THAT CAN BE USED BY THE LEGAL SYSTEM TO PROTECT THE COUNTRY, INSTEAD OF PUTTING OUT STUPID LEGLISLATION THAT ONLY CAUSES CONFUSION. And don’t automaticially assume that you’re always right, because you’re not. If a person is right 50% of the time, that’s good. But if you’re right 50% of the time, with the powers you’re giving yourself, then that 50% of the people you meet who have their lives pissed on.

No, I’m not bitter. I just think that Blunkett is a twat, that’s all.

Been following this story, have we? Convicted in the media and international opinion, but found not guilty of terrorist offences by the Columbian legal system. What to think? Is it a declaration of “look, we’re so upright” by the courts? Is it that they’re actually innocent, and about the get millions from newspapers around the world in libel court? Answers to the usual address, please.

It would appear that my wee town is getting our own international observers. How very… Bosnian.

No really, people are comming over here to observe us during the marching season. Very odd.

A TOP-LEVEL team of international observers will travel to Antrim this summer to get a better understanding of the often volatile relationship between sections of the loyalist and nationalist communities.

The observers will be staying in Antrim and Randalstown for several weeks during the height of the marching season in July.

This is starting to worry me a bit…

Did my medical for the new job today. Passed. Start new job next Tuesday. Which is nice.

Less nice is that they’ve moved the location to across the other side of Belfast, so I have to go the whole way through the city to get there. Oh well, it’s a decent job, so I’ll have to grin and bear it. Or whinge about it here, and smile at work…

A Grand Prix where Schumacher ain’t on pole? What is going on here? I miss one qualifying this year, and it’s the one where BAR pull the rug from under my beloved Ferrari.

More entertainment tomorrow, me thinks.

Did you all see Ronnie’s game? Fantastic match, and Ronnie made it all the better by being a cocky bastard. Left handed breaks, etc, all make it entertaining. I like.

A list found on the internet about The 213 Things Skippy is No Longer Allowed to Do in the U.S. Army. Found at Frank’s. Personal favourites:

• 48 I may not use public masturbation as a tool to demonstrate a flaw in a command decision.
• 61 If one soldier has a 2nd Lt bar on his uniform, and I have an E-4 on mine It means he outranks me. It does not mean ?I have been promoted three more times than you’.
• 79 I am neither the king nor queen of cheese.
• 94 Crucifixes do not ward off officers, and I should not test that.
• 98 The proper response to a chemical weapon attack is not ?Tell my chain of command what I really think about them, and then poke holes in their masks.’
• 116 Crucifying mice – bad idea.
• 129 The Microsoft ? ?Dancing Paperclip? is not authorized to countermand any orders.
• 141 Not allowed to use a broadsword to disprove ?The Pen is Mightier than the sword?.
• 145 I should not drink three quarts of blue food coloring before a urine test.
• 146 Nor should I drink three quarts of red food coloring, and scream during the same.
• 175 We do not ‘charge into battle, naked, like the Celts’.

UPDATE: Site address has Changed. See where the blog fulfills it’s stated purpose of keeping track of links?

Rob has an opinion:

Killing the leader of Hamas. Israel have done some stupid things in their time, but this has to top off the list of bad moves. Seriously, what did they think was going to be the outcome of the assassination of Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi? Hamas suddenly saying “we never liked the bloke anyway”, Palestine going forward with the ‘roadmap’? I think not.
..
Theres a reason why leading IRA figures (like Gerry Adams) weren’t killed when we were sorting out peace in Ireland.

Very different situation. One was a ‘war’ where both sides had conscience, and that is the most simple way of saying it. Men who committed atrocities didn’t do it often, because the culture of the nationalist population is based strongly on Catholicism, and if any religion stresses personal guilt more than Catholicism, I don’t know it. The British have consicence too, which is why they no longer have an empire.

Translate that to Israel: those who commit the worst crimes die believing that they are going to be served by 72 virgins in heaven. Neither side has the same conscience: the Palestinians because of brainwashing and the Israeli’s because they simply cannot afford one.

al-Rantissi could be a live hero to the Palestinian cause, AND be planning murder, OR he could be a dead hero. He wouldn’t negotiate, and he wouldn’t stop till Israel was dead, or he was dead. Consider it like this:

al-Rantissi v thousands of soldiers and civilians

I can guess what al-Rantissi would choose, but it ain’t the choice I’d make.

Finally got round to removing Rachel Lucas from the blogroll, since she stopped posting long ago and her domain seems to have died. Despite Meish and au Currant being dead at the moment, I have hopes that they’ll come back, so I’m leaving them on. And I’m adding Ollie, because he’s got himself a blog. Which is nice and all. Just as he’s leaving the place I’d like to hear gossip from, naturally. How selfish.

Lionel has got this the wrong way round: these are reasons why drinking is fun, not “9 reasons not to drink”. Just so you know…

There’s the whole HitchHikers Guide film thing going on at the moment, which has the potential to be fantastic. ‘Course, it’s a Disney version, which may limit the darkness a tad, but it should be good. And it’s got Malkovich in it, which is always a good thing for an odd movie to have…

There was something that annoyed me about the whole Office – BAFTA thing. Yes, the Office is funny, but not as funny as everyone says it is. Is it revolutionary? Nah. Would I make a special effort to watch it again? Nah.

Yet the whole world seems to be crazy about it. And someone seems to have overlooked a basic mathematical fact: There have been two series of the show. Yet the BAFT seem to have forgotten this and given them three annual awards. How does that work, exactly?

Worked on the door of a trendy wine bar type thingy tonight. The biggest part of the job was ordering taxi’s but there was a lot of eye candy, which was always a plus. Apart from that, dull, dull, dull…

Many, many moons ago, I had a little thing going about having my own private military. And Kim du Toit informs me how the navy should behave in it.

When they want to get rid of that boat, I’ll take it! If it’s at a reasonable price, and comes with the Air Wing, crew and all stores included, naturally. I’d probably want it resprayed before delivery, too….

The world will have heard about the tape that may (or may not) be binLaden offering a truce to Europe, but specificially not the US, so I won’t go into the details of it. But what I will do is link to this. It’s a BBC forum for people’s opinions on the aforementioned tape.

Here’s a selection:

It is amazing how easily all the war fanatics on both sides of the Atlantic reject simple truths! How easily they forget that it is Americans, Israelis and some European governments, against the wish of their voters, that invaded Arab territory and not the other way round. Shame on our new Western “civilisation”!

Ah, yes, for it was obvious that there was no attacks going on before. The US, for example, was invited into Arabia. The European allies ditto. They recently moved to end a war that began 13 years ago, those selfish bastards! And as for Israel, if you really want to nitpick, there was something mentioned a couple of thousand years ago about that land…

Could Bush and Blair send him a videotape saying “stop attacking everyone” and then we can talk about truces and social change.

An excellent response. More of that please. Although in the absence of such a tape, how’s about we just kill the fucker?

Seize the moment, be fair to your self. They are not terrorists, they are rebels and they have a fair case

Er, no, they’re not and they don’t. Rebel (OED Definition): person who rises in arms against, resists or refuses allegiance to, the established government. If bin Laden and his lot were rebels, they would be limiting their fighting to the Arabian peninsula, not, for example, deliberatly targeting civilians on distant continents. It’s a semantic difference, yes, but a difference none the less. And “They’re different to us and I don’t like them” is not a valid case for mass murder, in my humble opinion.

Why not? He asks to “stop attacking Muslims” and this should be done anyway.

We’re not attacking Muslims. We’re attacking terrorists, many of whom are terrorists. The importance of that difference doesn’t need to be explained, does it?

There are many more, some I agree with, many I don’t. My opinions are best summed up by these two, I think:

The only decent European response to this threat is to send troops from all European countries to the region, to bring Bin Laden to Hague.

I’m flattered. He obviously thinks Europe is making a serious contribution to fighting terrorism. We should be encouraged by this to increase it.

Amen. Although can we dispense with the whole “Hague” thing and proceed directly to punishment, please?

The technology that has been holding me back has been vanquished! Rejoice, etc!

The TV has been fixed! The Sky remote has been fixed! The dishwasher now empties into the drain and not onto the floor! The firewall has stopped giving me headaches! The internet connection has sped up by an entire order of magnitude! And all is good!

With the excessive broadbandage! More of that, say I!