When we remember that there are people starving in the world, the production of those doughnuts looks distinctly selfish. It reminds me of a story a vicar or rabbi once told about heaven and hell. A man dies and asks the angel who comes for him to show him hell. It’s a room with the most beautiful Chinese banquet you can imagine, but everyone has chopsticks which are 2 feet long – so they are starving for all eternity. When he asks to see heaven, he’s shown another room with the same banquet and chopsticks. But in this room everyone is feeding the person sitting opposite.

Man, that makes such a lot of sense to me.

The author – who appears to be a bit controversial in some of the things he says – makes a really interesting point that we’re doing the terrorists’ job for them. I mean really. Everyone’s panicking like crazy and if you happen to be dark skinned you’re in for a really awkward time travelling at the moment. After all, you must be a terrorist…

I still remember the days of the IRA when the dominant spirit in this country was to be sensibly vigilant, but not to let the terrorist murderers destroy our way of life. The threat of death back then was at the very least as strong as it is now – probably stronger, in truth – and the terrorists could blend in with the majority population more easily, being white. Precautions were taken, but nothing like the trigger-happy, pseudo macho posturings we’re getting at the moment. Proportionality seems to have been overlooked.

Yes, it’s a tragedy that 57 people died in London on July 7th last year. Nothing is ever going to make that anything other than a tragedy. But it’s also a tragedy that up to 2,000 elderly people will die in the UK this year because of cold weather. I think it’s a tragedy that a similar number will die in the UK due to flu. It’s an even bigger tragedy that many thousands of people will die because they were sold an addictive substance under the guise of cigarette pleasure. And it’s a tragedy that makes me weep that little children will die in the UK this year because their parents are violently abusive. These things are all close to home, being in the UK. But it’s an equal tragedy that in this world of excess that we in the West inhabit so little thought is given to the starving millions – millions, for God’s sake – around the world.

I remember a performance Bill Hicks gave on Channel 4 over here a few years ago and he made a point that has haunted me ever since. What if we took all the money we burn on excessive defence and consumption and made sure every person on the planet was fed and clothed. Not one person excluded. Not one. What would that be like? Is the cure for cancer languishing in the undeveloped brain of a child in Africa who will die before getting the chance the impact the world in a significant way? Is clean, plentiful energy waiting to be discovered by a child in Brazil who will never get out of the ghetto far enough to try?
I guess we’ll never find out.

I just read this on the BBC news site.

How utterly depressing. In broad daylight, in a busy place in London, a man is murdered, apparently.

What – in the name of all that is holy – is the world coming to?

I have no doubt that we’ll learn more about why this happened over the next couple of days. The fact it happened is the horrific part.

The newspaper took the position that this was all a big fuss over nothing since the woman’s husband put the sign up 30 years ago and meant it as a ‘joke’. The village, reportedly, thought it was a big joke as well, in the main. In fact the newspaper claimed that the sign showed the woman has a sense of humour. We were treated to a few comments from the good people of the village just to add some spice.

What was the sign? Well, here’s the thing: I think it was an offensive sign for a number of reasons. The sign actually reads “our dogs are fed on Jehovah’s Witnesses”. Clearly put on the property to deter Jehovah’s Witnesses from calling, it seems to have worked ever since Christmas Day 30 years ago when the poor family at the centre of this article were visited by some Jehovah’s Witnesses. I’m not surprised – I don’t think I’d have set foot in that place either if I were one.

The newspaper goes on to show a lovely picture of a Jack Russell pup – very cute – which is the current pet of the woman. Hardly a menace, is the implication. But then, over the last 30 years, this family has had an assortment of alsatians and other dogs. Alsatians used to be the breed of choice for a certain sector of society and were not known for being cuddly to strangers although, as this woman points out, her lot wouldn’t touch a fly because they were so friendly. I’ve paraphrased that, but you get the point. The same comment people make about a dog after it’s mauled someone, opining that they can’t understand why it turned. Yes, I think I’d have kept clear of that place for 30 years.

The paper seem to feel that this woman is being hard done to in being ordered to remove the sign and although it isn’t clear whether she intends to she has said she’ll remove it if someone complains to her directly. I wonder whether the paper would have had the same attitude if the sign had been something equally ‘humorous’ about Jews? What about if the sign had something about black people? Homosexuals? White, Anglo-Saxons? Or what about if a Jehovah’s Witness had put a sign up saying “Christians are fed to the lions here”? I believe the paper might have had something different to say then. Although most of us don’t agree with the views of Jehovah’s Witnesses – me included – that surely doesn’t mean we can treat them with contempt – does it?

Please understand, I am not a Jehovah’s Witness and of the ones I’ve met and spoken to most have been very nice people. but a couple have been a right pain in the arse – just like the rest of us. I don’t want them knocking on my door when I’m watching my favourite film and door-stepping me for several hours to believe in their way. But I have found a simple way of dealing with that: thank them for their interest in my soul and tell them that I’m not really interested in a discussion with them. I’ve found that normally works and actually they don’t keep coming back after that. I’ve never found the need to put up a threatening sign (despite what the paper say that’s how it reads to me – it certainly doesn’t sound like a joke).

So, what of the other villagers? Well, they have some interesting views. The only one I’ll quote from the paper is one chap who thinks whoever complained should be lynched.

Thank God I don’t live in that village!