Not Anonymous

Marriage?

Ha!

Regardless as to your opinion about marriage as an institution, it exists, it has existed for thousands of years, very likely it will not be chucked away any time soon.

But you know what? It has changed. From being a contract of ownership it's now a contract of partnership - ideally speaking that it and that's the assumption I'm going with at this point in time, because that's what the, erm, struggle for marriage equality for same-sex couples over the world is about.

(I don't get it, I think it's counter productive to the notion of freedom, but hey, the choice should be out there)

The BBC have this truly marvelous article out titled: Gay church 'marriages' set to get the go-ahead.
The scare 'quotes' are part of the title I shit you not. Really BBC? Really? You're implying that marriage between gay people isn't real? I'd be shocked and appalled if it weren't status quo with the way they same sex partnerships are treated in the media and under the law as a rule.

I wasn't planning on reading through this article, because it's not my country and I don't find the struggle for marriage to be of great import when it comes to QUILTBAG rights the world over. But I can't fucking ignore institutionalised homophobia, especially when it's white washed by human rights discourse.

I quote the BBC article:

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, gave the news a guarded welcome.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he "believes in a liberal democracy, and actually wants equality with everybody" but did not want churches to be told what to do.

"You mustn't have rights that trump other rights," he added.

Hello Double Standards! Hello Hypocrisy!

Remember how I said marriage has changed over time and all that? You know what else needs to change and is long over-do for an over haul?
Religion.
Period.

As an aside, it is my personal belief that religion, does and has done more harm than good, over all, where ever it has a foot hold, that is, every where. I don't begrudge people's belief in a higher power and I don't think there's anything inherently wrong in the implausible.

I don't really understand why QUITLBAG people would want to continue to put their faith in an institution that has time and time again conceived us to be deviant and sub-human, but it should be a choice available to them. Why? Because part of being an institution that lives and believe in, as the Archbishop of York says he does, in liberal democracy and equality for all, then saying that the Church trumps that and can close its gates in the face of its believers simply because of people are uncomfortable with queers... well then.

Suck it up.

It's not simple, it's not easy, but religion, as I understand it, is there to be a go between, between god and the people who worship god? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Religion is part of a culture, culture changes, and you can bet that the religion of 100, 500, 1000 years ago does not resemble the religion of today, certainly not in industrialised countries and nations.

So, BBC, when you ask there, at the bottom of your article:
Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry in church? Would you be affected by this proposal?
There's another implication there. That people in same-sex relationships are not the ones being asked, when they're the ones who actually are affected by this decision. The mere fact that this you are framing this as a debate is homophobic, because yes, it is quite obvious that if Britain was in fact interested in equalising marriage between heterosexual unions and homosexual unions they would pass the law, no questions asked, and any religious institutions that refused to marry two men or two women to each other would be fucking penalised for discriminatory behaviour!

As some churches are already threatening:

The [Sunday Telegraph] says the Church of England has already said it will not allow any of its churches to be used for civil partnership ceremonies.

The legislation would also cover synagogues and mosques although homosexuality is forbidden under Islam.

It's so not just Islam you moronic islamophobic racists!

The Roman Catholic Church has long held that homosexuality is a "deviation" and is not expected to agree to same-sex ceremonies.

As I said, pass the law and penalise any institution and organisations that denies gay people the rights afforded to straight people. I can't think of anything that will get these places to "see the light" faster that either cutting their funds or fining them so much, they'll need same sex couples just to make sure ends meet.

Lucky them Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Jews have already wised up!

Good luck to you my UK Sibs, you're going to need it.

*weeps*

The thing that frustrates me the most about all this, is that I will watch it.

I would have watched a UK based Season 4 sans Ianto without feeling any qualms.

If it does in fact produce episodes in America I will watch it. Very likely with something a kin to fangrrl enthusiasm.

I fear though, that FOX will take all that is good about Tochwood - the relationship stuff (which was weird and complicated and not at all clear cut as to what everyone felt towards one another), the queer sexuality, the dark character arcs (Cyberwoman made people laugh? Seriously?!) and, well, UK sensibility.
Welsh sensibility.
That understated equanimity that comes from being so elegantly arrogant it gets you into tight spots just so you can ingeniously get out of them!

Tell me, did James Bond have to move to the CIA in order to be the coolest man alive?
He did not!
Why does Torchwood, created out of the Doctor's stupidity and hubris, have to move across the pond in order to be "significant" to entertainment?

Yeah, I'm an Anglophile, I fully admit that, perhaps it comes from being a colonialist myself.

Britannica is no less authentic entertainment than Americana.

That, and I hate FOX.

They will make Jack into a womaniser rather than the equal opportunity flirt/shagger that he is!

*stomps foot!*

Yesterday No. 10 Downing Street released a statement regarding the treatment of Alan Turning post-WWII.

It's quite amazing.

The UK campaign was made public only last month, the international one just a few weeks after that.

The power of community, historical perspective and guilt can sure work fast.

More on that subject later, for now this is a Public Service Announcement.

Ever since (in)famous(?) Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi threw his shoe at Former (hooray!) President Bush, there have been a number of copy cats.

A shoe was thrown at the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Monday at his talk in Cambridge University. Unlike Mr. al-Zaidi, this protester did not manage to aim quite so squarely at Mr. Wen.

And just today a shoe and two books were thrown at Israel Ambassador Mr. Benny Dagan in Sweden.
The shoe and two books were thrown by two protesters at the University of Stockholm where Mr. Dagan was giving a talk about the upcoming elections.
I can only assume that the items were thrown in protest to the violence in Gaza.

Or Antisemitism.

Who can tell.

Although, it would appear that unlike the shoes thrown at Bush and Wen, these ones actually hit their target.

Here is a short video of the incident:


And on a more ludicrous note: books! They threw books?! Dude, shoes is one thing - it's dirty and out right disrespectful, but books! That's just disrespecting yourself.

Mother unit is learning to play Bridge with a bunch of friends, while Moi is blogging about it in the corner of the living room, having been moved away from my regular spot behind the couch because the whole furniture arrangement had to be changed.

I dunno why.

Mummy is on a bit of a moving around spree because we're going to get the whole house (my room not included as it was painted less than two years ago) so there is a cleaning frenzy because this is an opportunity to get rid of things she had been trying to for years.
Personally, this is a chance to, um, attain more books from the old bookshelves in the various (every single one of the) rooms that contain books.

There is something to be said about "Summer Cleaning".

For instance, I found a book I forgot I had and got another in, oddly, the same subject: Nonie Darwish's "Now They Call Me Infidel" and Ayaan Hirsi-Ali's "Infidel", respectively.
I have issues with some of their politics, but as women from "Muslim" countries now living in the "West" they have a unique perspective of those countries and I think a lot of people on the Left choose to ignore what these women say because they're used (and enable) certain aspects of media to use their (valid, in their experience) criticisms of Islam and the cultures they come from to show Islam as entirely anti-Woman and incapable of evolving from the "Barabrism" it's currently in - yeah, I know, *vomit*.
None the less, if you can, it's important to read what they have to say, even if I disagree with a lot of their politics.

And here's something interesting; it would appear that British Muslims feel like European Jews. This was said by First British Muslim Minister Shahid Malik who is basically saying that Muslims are targets of prejudice and discrimination, etc. etc.
Links to the articles in The Independent and Reuters.

Now, while no doubt Minister Malik has legitimate claims of discrimination towards Muslims, I mean, duh. I have a problem with the comparison to Jews. I mean, the Jews of Europe were and are treated like European Jews, just because there was an eradication attempt doesn't mean there aren't any left and in England there are quite a few Jews.
I'm sorry to say that antisemitism really isn't gone and to compare the rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Islam sentiment to the fact that antisemitism in it's current (racial) form has been around for nearly 200 years.
The anti-Muslim and anti-Islam is on the rise and has risen because of the West's (re: the USA since the Second World War and became the planet's most destructive butt-insky) constant need of an Evil Enemy.

It's West bloc vs. East bloc.

What I'm saying is, like a lot of things to do with Jews, Antisemitism is uniqe and to try and pretend it doesn't exist anymore by trying to say that Jews have been replaced by a new scapegoat doesn't sit well with me.

Huh.
This entry turned much longer than I intended... forgive me folks, my rants tend to get the better of me.

First week of Uni is over.
It was also the beginning of the Senior Lecturer's Strike, which I agree with in principle, but aaargh, it's my first week of my first year, worst timing ever... for me!

Moving on from my self-centered University Woes.

I had two classes this week, both in Gender Studies, which were fun, I have some reading to do, which is what the weekend is for obviously. So far there's not much reading seeing as there aren't actually any classes, but I'll take advantage of the huge amounts of time I have and continue to procrastinate as I do best.

Hopefully the strike won't last more than this week, though truth be told, I'm not that hopeful since the demands will most likely not be met and the government and ministry of education will, as per usual, continue to do nothing that will actually benefit this country in the long run.

Tomorrow is Friday, with a slight chance of laziness and seeing friends I hadn't seen in two weeks and perhaps cinema and coffee.
Not everything is right with the world, but at least my little micro-cosmos is doing well.

In addition, the genocide in Darfur must be stopped.

וכמו כן, צריך לעצור את רצח העם בדרפור.

This I find worrisome.
My appreciation of things British is lessening as the days go by, because friends, a boycott of this nature does nothing but create worse conditions in Israel for people wanting higher education.

What good, really? What good would a sweeping boycott of Israeli scholars do to help with the conflict?
What would boycotting apolitical educational institutions accomplish? Other than lower the academic standards of Universities which are slipping anyway?

Dear British Academia,

If you want to help with Israeli-Palestinian conflict, come here, seriously, come here and teach and research and bring revenue into Israeli AND Palestinians Universities.
If you feel so strongly that Israel is to blame in everything wrong in Palestine (which it isn't if you bothered to read or watch the news beyond the Guardian), please, go into Gaza and the West Bank and help raise the standard of living and of education.
How about petitioning your government to boycott Arms dealing with Israel, oh but no, that's a little over your head isn't it, it isn't "micro" enough.

Seriously.

Now, I'm not one to cut myself or Israel any slack when it comes to responsibility in the Occupied Territories, but please this is just ridiculous and spiteful and ultimately it can only do harm to everyone involved.
And if you're going to boycott, how about boycotting against things that are actually hurtful to Palestinians, like goods made in Jewish Settelemnts beyind the green line.
Boycotting academics does nothing but hurt academics and nothing to help those who the Israeli Government and Army are hurting.

( Text of the link: )
And just as a footnote: Lest we forget that the Palestinians hurt and kill each other (Fatah and Hamas) just fine and that they (the Hamas Al-Quasam unit) provoke Israel so that the world can ignore that oh so little fact.

Open your eyes. A conflict can never be one sided, if it was it would be an assault. There is a weaker side and stronger side, but ultimately there are two sides and both must held accountable.

In addition, the genocide in Darfur must be stopped.

וכמו כן, צריך לעצור את רצח העם בדרפור.

I get angry a lot.
No denying it.
But let me tell you what pisses me off.
Really pisses me off.
Cencorship.
And make no mistake that is exactly what it is, deciding to put away "offensive" material. Making sure the public remains ignorant and washing history in order to "smooth" things over.

And I'm afraid that is this instance I will not be excused, no, not one bit.
Ignoring History in order to be "politically correct" is the opposite of what political correctness is.

I'll tell you what I'd like to see, someone insisting that we teach the truth, show courage in the face of bigotry masked as "multi-culturalism".
True tolerance and multi-culturalism would be wanting to study history and learning from it, trying to make sure that what "went around, doesn't come around" again to bit us on the ass.
Dropping a part of Human History in school is an offense to the institute of education.

I'm keen to remind people that the Holocaust is not merely a "Jewish" experience, but a Human one and it is hardly the first genocide to appear in Human History.

In addition, why are they letting religion dictate what is taught and not taught is public schools!? You don't like what your child is learning, then either take them out of the school or phone/write/contact your MP with your complaint and see what they can do. If nothing can be done well, then bummer for you! Seriously, are these people right in the head?!

By the way, does anyone remember Darfur?.
I do.

( Body of the article: Teachers drop the Holocaust to avoid offending Muslims )