quote: These stills are from a BBC comedy called "Time Trumpet" (big hat tip - Steve J). The show features a satirical "Terrorism Awards" show with nominees including a "lone gunman" who shoots Tony Blair in the head as he sleeps with his wife; a 9/11-style video of terrorists crashing an airliner into the Houses of Parliament; and a Tel Aviv suicide bombing.
We are a month away from the five-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I still pause, once a day, to think about what happened and how it has changed my outlook on life. How it has opened my eyes to the evils of jihad. How it has changed the focus of my work. How it affects my children. How it affects us all. Every so often, when I'm in Washington, D.C., and a plane flies low on its way to Dulles or Reagan Airport, I catch my breath. And I remember. I cannot fathom how the BBC, the once-revered British network of supposedly serious journalists, could pull a sick stunt like this.
quote: Note to BBC: Notice, you arbiters of cultural sensitivity, that we Americans will not be burning down the British embassy or calling for your beheadings or forcing your news hosts into hiding in fear for their lives.
That is the difference between us and them. But it's all a joke to you.
quote: Well, this certainly puts that appalling BBC satire, "The Terrorism Awards," making fun of planes crashing into buildings, in its place, doesn't it? Are they laughing at the BBC now?
quote:Originally posted by MiscellaneousFiles: From a discussion on *digg.com:
quote: hands up all those in favour of establishing concentration camps for Muslims and burning them all.
Registered users of the site can give a thumbs up or down to any post in a discussion. The quoted entry is currently on +2
Isn't it an accepted wisdom that only the downright bolshy bother expressing their opinion loudly, or indeed, saying anything at all, and that Joe Decent spends most of his time keeping his thoughts to himself? If it is, maybe there is no need to be too disheartened; perhaps the other readers were like you and I; saddened by the vote but not actually voting contrariwise themselves.
-------------------- A day without laughter is a day wasted. In memory of Alastair Posts: 1936
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turbo
Gold..... What is it good for? You can't eat it, you can't smoke it, yet everybody wants it.
posted
Perhaps I've become cynical, but all this palaver about no hand luggage etc struck me as rather overdone. If hand luggage poses such a big risk, why weren't these banned on all flights since 9/11? Also, after several hours of 'breaking news' on the BBC, I have to admit I thought 'FFS, nothing actually happened!' A friend of mine even thinks there were never any arrests, that it's just Blair's way of trying to increase his profile.
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quote:Originally posted by turbo: Perhaps I've become cynical, but all this palaver about no hand luggage etc struck me as rather overdone. If hand luggage poses such a big risk, why weren't these banned on all flights since 9/11? Also, after several hours of 'breaking news' on the BBC, I have to admit I thought 'FFS, nothing actually happened!' A friend of mine even thinks there were never any arrests, that it's just Blair's way of trying to increase his profile.
I am packing now for the morning and there is definitely something going on with liquids. Even liquid medication cannot be carried without verification, and no contact lens fluid either. It makes sense that it might be real. After all, it's a pressurised cabin and it wouldn't take a huge explosion to blow it if, perhaps, placed in the right place.
I don't know. Maybe I am not cynical enough. My first thought this morning was that it was exaggerated, but when you think about how much effort is going into this, its hard to see it as an elaborate conspiracy and it's better safe than sorry.
-------------------- A day without laughter is a day wasted. In memory of Alastair Posts: 1936
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quote:Originally posted by turbo: A friend of mine even thinks there were never any arrests, that it's just Blair's way of trying to increase his profile.
I'm genuinely curious as to why people immediately believe that it can't be true that there was a terrorist strike planned. I'm not saying that it's impossible that the government would lie, just that it's more plausible that a group of people really did plan to carry out terrorist act. I mean - there are precedents set as far back as Guy Fawkes for the latter. I'm struggling to think of a precedent for the government literally inventing a threat out blue like this. There's the 'sexed up' document for Iraq, but even that had a foundation of truth insofar as Saddam Hussein was a dictator with a history of aggression towards other countries. I don't recall any incidents when they've just suddenly gone "Oh you know what, there was this terrorist strike going to happen but we stopped it", but it turned out to be a complete fabrication. I mean - isn't it more implausible the number of people that would have to be involved in such a fabrication, who would have to be sworn to secrecy and would never come forward despite holding the key to the story of the 21st Century? How would that even work? The government's had dozens of leaks since 1997; how on earth would they hope to keep such a conspiracy secret in a climate where royalty have their phones tapped by journalists? How can that be more believeable to people than the possibility that there are such things as terrorists? What's the leap of imagniation here? Is it just incredulity at the fact that MI6 or whoever actually claim to have done something right on this occasion?
I don't really see it as Blair 'trying to raise his profile', lol. I mean, the man's Prime Minister so he already has a quite a high profile. Plus it's not really going to reflect that well on him is it? Scotland Yard seem to be taking most of the credit, and if anything it's slightly awkward that it all kicked off while he was on holiday.
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posted
Plus, the Met have been utterly humiliated at least twice in the last year or so on this kind of thing (de Menezes and Forest Gate). Are we saying that the police are just willing pawns in this big deception, putting themselves up for lampoon and even outrage time and time again?
If the security services have to admit that they've made a big mistake, again, in a few weeks, it won't prove that there's any kind of conspiracy, just that that the information they're acting on isn't as sound as they might like, and that they obviously cannot take any chances with hundreds if not thousands of lives.
[ 11.08.2006, 04:23: Message edited by: George the Robot ]
quote:Originally posted by George the Robot: (de Menezes and Forest Gate).
I still think all of those guys were guilty. The cops just couldn't demonstrate the intelligence without fucking up ongoing investigations or revealing sensitive sources. They've got people working undercover that they have to maintain, remember. I think the Menezes and Forest Gate cases were handled exceptionally well, under the circumstances. The Met took it on the chin, they were prepared to look like clowns, but they gave a stern message to London's terrorist cells. "We are watching. We will pop a cap in yo ass."
posted
There was a Dutch guy on the local news this morning who was stuck at Heathrow for about 6 hours waiting to fly back to Holland, when he eventually got a flight he had his hand luggage stripped down to the bare minimum and everything else put into his main suitcase which it turned out after he'd been waiting three hours at Schiphol's baggage reclaim area the airline had lost so he had no house keys or car keys.
I bet they confiscated a lot of Ipods yesterday...
-------------------- my own brother a god dam shit sucking vampire!!! you wait till mum finds out buddy!
posted
I think one of the most interesting parts is that there are reports that the suspects are all Muslims, but the papers have really played it down. Actually, they've done the opposite arguing a case against discrimination whilst barely mentioning anything about the actual political beliefs behind the plot, because in the Metro today they were quite quiet about many of the details. Or Providing much insight into the religious backgrounds of the people detained. But, for some unknown reason there was thrown in an article where they had a guy saying about how as a Muslim he was being discriminated against and it was totally unfair. I have to ball my fists up at the stupidity. Dude! You are in a religion that encourages the growth of beards. Every single person who has been connected to the recent spate of terrorism has had bare minimum: mutton chop sideburns. Anyone with even slightly dark skin and a massive beard are going to get eyed up with suspicion. Thems the breaks! I've heard ZZ Top were en route from Magaluf and were detained. They held the whole band! Which is silly because the drummer is only called Pete Beard. He doesn't have one.
posted
Imagine my excitement at discovering I live in the heart of a hotbed radical Islamic foment. I drove down one of the roads named on the news as being home to a 'cell' on my way to am dram, but instead of cordons, fingertip searches and the barrage of media I'd hoped for, there was a lone bobby and one photographer. Where's the fun in that.
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posted
There seems to be a lot of confusion in the US regarding the British use of the word "asian". Am I right to think that in the US, "asian" means Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc (i.e. those we might describe as "oriental")? Does it not cover other parts of Asia, such as Pakistan for example? Would it be considered racist to call someone "oriental"?
not...
You reached over with your hand and knocked my Jap over
posted
quote:Originally posted by MiscellaneousFiles: There seems to be a lot of confusion in the US regarding the British use of the word "asian". Am I right to think that in the US, "asian" means Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc (i.e. those we might describe as "oriental")? Does it not cover other parts of Asia, such as Pakistan for example? Would it be considered racist to call someone "oriental"?
You know what, people are too sensitive. I'm white, cacausian, British, English, European, limey, pomme. None of which offends me, but the other day I was worried about describing someone as "oriental". WTF! Why are we so worried about being politically correct and why do the goalposts keep being moved? It's confusing. Now I have to correct my Dad for calling a black guy "coloured" I mean really, what is the big deal here?
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quote:Originally posted by MiscellaneousFiles: Am I right to think that in the US, "asian" means Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc (i.e. those we might describe as "oriental")?
Yes.
quote:Originally posted by MiscellaneousFiles: Does it not cover other parts of Asia, such as Pakistan for example?
posted
I've got a passport stamp from the 'Oriental Republic of Uruguay' - wot's 'Oriental' really mean then? - I thought it meant 'over there', but I could be wrong.
-------------------- A Division of VOP Enterprises Posts: 110
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quote:'Air plot' suspects: Names released The assets of 19 people held on suspicion of plotting to blow up passenger planes have been frozen. Their details appeared on the Bank of England's website as: ALI, Abdula, Ahmed Date of birth (DOB): 10/10/1980 Address: Walthamstow, London, E17
posted
VOP, occidental is used in Spanish for Western, as in Europa occidental (though interestingly the 'opposite' is Europa del Este) and as in el Occidente for "the West" but then you probably knew that already because you bloody live there.
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quote:Originally posted by mart: VOP, occidental is used in Spanish for Western, as in Europa occidental (though interestingly the 'opposite' is Europa del Este) and as in el Occidente for "the West" but then you probably knew that already because you bloody live there.
No, no, I wasn't messing ..thanks for the reply ..I'd heard the term but I thought it was olde Castellano. Actually, I thought it meant 'west' in racial terms, as opposed to geographical.
-------------------- A Division of VOP Enterprises Posts: 110
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posted
I have an apartment at Alcaidesa because of the vicinity to Gib, I generally escape at weekends, Coin or Estepona but I'm selling and looking for a small flat in Sevilla now that its only an hour away by bike. It was three hours plus when I lived here in 2000. I love Sevilla. I love Spain. Think I'm staying put this time.
-------------------- A Division of VOP Enterprises Posts: 110
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posted
Well we're staying put in Leeds for the next few years until MiniGree finishes high school, but after that the world's our langostino blanco de Huelva.
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