Pakistan’s Response To The Terrorism
According to this report on the BBC, the Pakistan government is ending its suspension of the death penalty.
He also announced an end to the moratorium on the death penalty for terrorism cases, which correspondents say is a move aimed at countering a view held by many Pakistanis that many terror suspects end up evading justice.
No wonder the Taliban just gets worse and worse.
I have got so fed up with all the problems in the Middle East and Pakistan, I now rarely use any shop or business that is owned by people from the area, who are obviously Muslims.
As the Qataris seem to be one of the funders of Islamic State, I also steer clear of anything they own if I can.
I’m beginning to feel very sorry for the average hard-working Muslims, who will feel the backlash of the nihilists in the Middle East.
I must say, I’m glad to see the old price going South, as it’s hurting some of the most odious people in the World. But sadly they’ll just have to not buy the sixth Bentley or Lamborghini.
My Worry About Islamic State
I believe that Islamic State are possibly the worst organisation I’ve seen in my lifetime. Even such as Pol Pot in Cambodia and North Korea now, are nowhere near them on a scale of evil. They are in some ways more extreme and violent than Hitler and the Nazis at their worst.
But unlike Hitler, who had virtually no supporters in this country, there are quite a few in the UK, who think that Islamic State have got the right idea.
So by voting to attack Islamic State in Iraq, have we made ourselves a target for these crackpots and religious nutters?
After all, it is really ourselves and France, of the countries against Islamic State, who have significant Muslim populations.
My worry though, is not what terrorists might do, but the reaction of the UK’s population, if another attack like those of July 7th 2005 were to happen.
Scatty Middle-Aged Mum ‘Reborn As Jihacker’s Wife’
This is the headline to a large piece in the Sunday’s Times, describing how a white female convert to Islam is tweeting offensively from land controlled by the Islamic State.
Surely, many of those who have gone to support the cruel and extremely violent regime in the Middle East would be how those that are best described as several bricks short of a full load.
Are we building enough secure mental hospitals?
This Is Not The Way To Fight The IS Threat To Britain
This report on the BBC about the Islamic State threat to the UK worries me. Here’s the first bit.
Islamic State militants could grow strong enough to target people on the streets of Britain unless action is taken, David Cameron has warned.
The PM, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, said a “humanitarian response” to IS was not enough and a “firm security response” was needed.
It comes as Church leaders expressed concern that the UK had no “coherent” approach to tackling Islamic extremism.
By saying they are a threat so strongly, David Cameron is actually encouraging those disaffected young men, who want their five minutes of fame to do something that we’ll all regret.
We must find a way to channel this aggression that some young Muslim men feel into more worthwhile areas.
In the nineteen seventies and eighties, there was a lot of trouble in areas like Bristol, Brixton and Toxteth. I wonder how many of those, who might have thought about rioting are now pillars of society?
The solution will not be a simple one. But I can’t help feeling that better schools and transport infrastructure are two areas to start, as this gives us more of the better educated we need and allows them to travel to the jobs that are available.
We should also open up opportunities for Muslim women to become full members of society, whether the men like it or not. In fact you could argue that intelligent Muslim young women are one of the problems, as they are rejecting these idiot men and effectively giving them more reason to join the Islamic State.
Clamping down hard, as the Israelis have shown in Gaza, will just make matters worse.
Boys With Be Boys
There is a lot of speculation in the media, as why Muslim men are flocking to fight in Syria and Iraq.
Was it ever any different?
Go back to the Middle Ages and it was rape and pillage in the Crusades or with Henry the fifth, and later it was piracy with Drake and Grenville.
Nelson And Wellington were not short of volunteers and in Victorian times, it was all about Empire building, with a small personal fortune thrown in, if you were lucky!
Perhaps the nearest parallel to that of Syria and Iraq today, was the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War. Many of those who fought in the Brigades or openly supported them went on to be important figures in later life.
You could also argue that both the First and Second World War was an outlet for many men, who had an excess of testosterone.
I also remember a General, saying that the Falklands War did a lot of good for Army recruitment.
I am a pacifist or more likely a coward, but we shouldn’t be too quick to condemn those, who go to fight in Iraq and Syria.
The ones we should condemn are the countries and arms dealers, who are giving the likes of the odious President Assad, the weapons they are using to kill their own people.
She Blew The Bloody Door Off!
Echoing the classic Michael Caine line from The Italian Job, Margaret Goodwin has shown our intrepid boys how to do it, as reported in the Telegraph.
But she was only using rhubarb chutney!
As I write various would-be terrorists are experimenting with their mothers’ chutney recipes. It has been reported that in some places, rhubarb is now in short supply!
The Spirit Of London
This bus has been around in various guises, but whilst waiting for a 38 to come home, it passed the stop.
This report on the Stagecoach web site, gives details of its refurbishment after an arson attack.
Mark Steel On The US Gun Lobby
I found this thoughtful article by Mark Steel in the Independent.
His logic may be faultless, but he comes to a series of hilarious conclusions. This paragraph is typical.
Or it could be that there’s a rule that the capture of a dangerous criminal is only a victory for America if the criminal can be portrayed as not American. Because if you’re going to go on a killing spree in America, you should at least have the decency to be American. There must be some people saying: “It’s a disgrace. These Chechen lunatics are coming over here taking our lunatics’ jobs.”
On the other hand most people, who’ve read what he says agree with him.
The Bombers From Central Casting
You shouldn’t laugh at bombers, as what they aim to do could be serious. But this team from Birmingham, who have just been found guilty could be part of the plot of Four Lions.
They have given comedians enough ammunition to last for quite a few gigs.
I particularly liked the part, where they raised money from street collections and then lost it by speculating on the Internet in various financial products.
The Anonymous Widower 