Legends of the Sun Pig

Stories like this one are becoming increasingly prevalent of late (via WebWord). Some of them are simply made up, some are exaggerated to make for better propaganda, but some of them are just true. It makes me a little bit worried that with all the anti-war, anti-capitalist, and anti-Bush stuff I’ve written this last year, I’ll find myself on a no-fly list when Scott and I do our Toad the Wet Sprocket road trip next year.

We’ll see. I do find it encouraging, though, that both right- and left-wing voices (the Lew Rockwell site on which this article appeared bills itself as “the premier anti-state, pro-market site on the net”–not my usual reading matter) in the US are expressing dismay and fear over the policies and practices that could turn the USA into a police state. “Land of the free,” and all that, remember?

And while I’m in the politics/economics zone anyway, Andrew Orlowski in The Register has an interesting article about the beginnings of a backlash against short-termism in investment markets. Well worth reading.

The other day, I noted that Edinburgh Council had banned filming at school events (such as nativity plays) where not all parents have given their consent. They have now rescinded this ban. Yay!

I would praise this as a victory for common sense, but unfortunately the Council only reversed their decision after parents threatened to take legal action against them. This is pointedly ironic, because the Council put the measure in place specifically to avoid lawsuits from parents (in case photos or films fell into the hands of paedophiles).

In other positive news, the US government has found Iraq’s 12,000-page declaration to be a “mostly accurate” description of their arms capabilities, and declared that they will wait until the weapons inspectors issue their final report before committing more troops and resources to the Gulf region.

Ah, shit, I just made that one up. Predictably, Bush & co. are holding firm to their policy of “Guilty until proven innocent, and even then we won’t believe the verdict.” I find their eagerness to go to war–jumping at any opportunity to pull the trigger–really scary.

With Al Gore ruling himself out of as a candidate for the 2004 presidential elections, political pundits are now giving King George good odds of winning a second term. Now that goes beyond scary and well into actively terrifying. A few months ago, a Channel 4 poll found that more than a third of people in the UK consider Bush a greater threat to world peace than Saddam Hussein.

Iraq has complied with the new UN resolutions, and in doing so has proved itself willing to find a diplomatic resolution to the current crisis. Why can’t we do the same? By continuing the military build-up in the Gulf region, and by talking nothing but the language of war, the West may be just trying to scare Hussein into following through on his promises. Speak loudly, and carry a big stick? This is almost the definition of brinkmanship. It’s a dangerous game, and one I wish we would stop playing.

We’re livin’ in a mean time, in an aggressive time,
a painful time. A time where cynicism rots the vine,
in a time where violence blocks the summer shine

Michael Franti & Spearhead – Rock the Nation

These are conservative times. Western society is mean-spirited, small-minded, fearful, and selfish. As if we needed any more examples of this, here is an absolute classic: Edinburgh Council has banned parents from filming, or taking pictures of their children’s nativity play performances, in case the images fall into the hands of paedophiles. (The Guardian, BBC, Scotland on Sunday)

It’s not quite a complete ban. The rule is that the school or nursery must have written consent from each parent whose child is in the performance before anyone can use a camera. School staff are allowed to take pictures regardless, but they must ensure that any child whose parents have not explicitly granted permission is edited out.

This is one of the most blatant, cynical Cover-Your-Ass manoeuvres I have ever seen. It will not protect children, because a potential paedophile can still get into the audience to watch the performance. Or they could buy the school’s tape of the performance. Or they could even be a parent themselves, who is more than happy to provide the school with the appropriate consent form.

The measure is nonsensical on so many levels that it truly beggars belief. The only purpose it can serve is to protect Edinburgh Council from legal liability. If they sufficiently restrict the rights of the majority, then maybe they won’t have to deal with the transgressions of a minority.

It doesn’t work like that. The minority will transgress, and this measure does nothing to deal with what happens then.

Fortunately, I’m not the only one who recognizes this. Edinburgh Council sneaked the guidelines under everyone’s radar two months ago. The newspapers have only just now got hold of them, and they’re going mental.

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In other happy news, the US has now endorsed assassination as valid foreign policy, so long as the targets are classified as “combatants of war”. So the US is responding to attacks by suicide bombers with state-sanctioned assassinations. Hang on a moment. That sounds really familiar. Where have I seen that before…? Oh yes–Israel!

It’s good to see that the Bush administration has learned from one of the countries at the heart of the explosive tension that exists in the world today. In the last few years Israel has quite conclusively shown that you don’t need international approval, or weapons inspectors, or peace processes. Because attacking terrorism by killing your opponent’s leaders doesn’t create martyrs. It doesn’t lead to a vicious spiral of increasingly bloody retribution, either. So long as you have righteous indignation on your side, it’ll all work out just fine.