A political rant, a book and for light relief, a photograph

When I picked up the Guardian to read last night, I was faced with this on the front page: "Helen Sears, the minister responsible for counter-terrorism, said yesterday that Muslims will have to accept as "reality" that they will be stopped and searched by the police more often than the rest of the public."

Excuse me? Am I in the right century, country, "reality"? What happened to innocent until proved guilty, even democracy and due process of law (rapidly disappearing out of the same window as Habeas Corpus, actually, as far as I can see, so don't worry about answering that.) I tried exchanging the word "Muslim" for one or two others..."Protestant; Baptist; Pagan (oh, that's a good one); animal rights activist (don't agree with everything they do by any means, but you get my drift); how about those arch-criminals, feminists? So, ok, I am trying for a little ironic humour here, but this is, to me at any rate, a very important point. Then I remembered that someone had made the same point, only much, much better than I, a long time ago:

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

So I make no apology for being irate, emotional, dramatic. No, none at all. What is more, I sat down and wrote to my MP, for all the good it will do. If I get more than a standard reply letter, I will dance naked under the next appropriate full moon.

So, to a book. I was talking about book group the other night - at the time, I picked up the next book for the other group in town, and last night I started reading it. This morning I finished it. Doug Coupland, "Girlfriend in a Coma". I wouldn't actually call it a mega-great book, but definitely unputdownable, original, well written and thoughtprovoking. Parable? Allegory? In brief, as far as I can interpret it, and it will be very interesting to hear what others make of it, we have the choice between ignoring the state of things, living in blissful ignorance whilst all gets worse and worse around us (specifically the environment, and the treadmill, ersatz lifestyle of the majority in the developed world) - or we cease to believe everything that we are being encouraged to swallow (literally)and make life uncomfortable but honest for ourselves and question, question, question everything. Well, I can identify with the uncomfortable.......

And as the light relief a thing of wonder, beauty and awe. This, I hasten to add is not my photograph, the original being by someone called Amr Nabil. I hijacked it from the web. If that is a crime, then, I apologise.



This is the face of a beaded mummy dated to the 26th Dynasty, from 672 BC to 525 BC. I have never seen anything like it before, and think it is quite amazing. Those must have been beautiful eyes with which to gaze upon the world, and hopefully see with some honesty.

gw