Sorry - I'm really sorry. I set myself some rules when I started this blog and one was that I would write it assuming that my children read it. This means that I temper my language at all times and this post will be no different but that means it won't say exactly what I want it to say.
Some of you know me online in other places or you've heard my voice or we chat regularly so you can interpret how I might say the following.
Tony Blair has now said that he asked God before taking the UK to war in Iraq.
Crap.
Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap.
He didn't ask anyone.
He didn't ask parliament, he told them.
He didn't ask the electorate, he told them.
The only earthly body he discussed this with is Bush - and they had already decided that whatever the inspectors said about the search for WMD they were going to commit this country to an unprecedented "pre-emptive" war despite the lack of a UN mandate. Unprecidented in this century and for much of the previous one. Prior to that of course we might send a gunboat and rape a country for its natural resources but we aren't big enough for that anymore so we hold the big guy's coat while he fights but in holding his coat we give him legitimacy - we pretend to other civilised countries that it's "the right thing to do". We even stand by while our neighbours and closest allies are denigrated by the big guy because they stand by their principles and don't join the playground throng chanting "Fight! Fight!" but manage to retain at least a little dignity.
But it's all okay because Blair's imaginary friend said it was fine.
Here's a little trick you might want to try at home boys and girls. Whenever people start saying that "God said this" or "God said that" simply change the name of whichever poor deity is being blamed for the word "Harvey". Those who know this classic will remember that Harvey is the benevolent 6' white rabbit visible only to James Stewart and blamed for all sorts of scrapes throughout the film.
I haven't got a problem with anyone else's beliefs as long as they don't diss mine - Blair and Bush are hiding behind the same bogeyman that Hitler used - but if you decide to take this country to war and kill thousands of Iraqi citizens and (so far) over 100 of our service men then please stand by that decision, we may disagree but you have the honesty and courage of your convictions but please don't start laying the blame off on entities who don't have a right to reply.
Some of you know me online in other places or you've heard my voice or we chat regularly so you can interpret how I might say the following.
Tony Blair has now said that he asked God before taking the UK to war in Iraq.
Crap.
Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap.
He didn't ask anyone.
He didn't ask parliament, he told them.
He didn't ask the electorate, he told them.
The only earthly body he discussed this with is Bush - and they had already decided that whatever the inspectors said about the search for WMD they were going to commit this country to an unprecedented "pre-emptive" war despite the lack of a UN mandate. Unprecidented in this century and for much of the previous one. Prior to that of course we might send a gunboat and rape a country for its natural resources but we aren't big enough for that anymore so we hold the big guy's coat while he fights but in holding his coat we give him legitimacy - we pretend to other civilised countries that it's "the right thing to do". We even stand by while our neighbours and closest allies are denigrated by the big guy because they stand by their principles and don't join the playground throng chanting "Fight! Fight!" but manage to retain at least a little dignity.
But it's all okay because Blair's imaginary friend said it was fine.
Here's a little trick you might want to try at home boys and girls. Whenever people start saying that "God said this" or "God said that" simply change the name of whichever poor deity is being blamed for the word "Harvey". Those who know this classic will remember that Harvey is the benevolent 6' white rabbit visible only to James Stewart and blamed for all sorts of scrapes throughout the film.
I haven't got a problem with anyone else's beliefs as long as they don't diss mine - Blair and Bush are hiding behind the same bogeyman that Hitler used - but if you decide to take this country to war and kill thousands of Iraqi citizens and (so far) over 100 of our service men then please stand by that decision, we may disagree but you have the honesty and courage of your convictions but please don't start laying the blame off on entities who don't have a right to reply.
7 careful considerations:
Where does one even begin?? Or should I just scream?
There are times when I think hiding for the next three years would be the best idea ever.
By the way, glad I never set those rules for myself. I would have failed every single day! :)
I think we have all got to start getting pretty annoyed about being led into war, in the name of, or on the advice of a god. It's outrageous and I can only hope that the next generation will be a good deal more sensible and a lot less laid back in letting it happen.
well said, sir! :-)
Well, well - the BBC have spotted that this is a politics story, not an entertainment one (compare the URLs).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4773124.stm
"Reg Keys, whose son was killed in Iraq, said Mr Blair was "using God as a get-out for total strategic failure" and his comments were "abhorrent". "
That's more like it!
I agree Kat, over the centuries people have hidden aggression behind the name of different gods but the outcome remains the same - people die.
Hiding isn't the answer Ang, your government is slowly but surely eroding civil rights in ways that Blair hasn't made public, i.e. we migh also be subject to phone taps but we've just not been told, and hiding means they can get away with it. You've got to keep on keeping on, keep in their faces, keep flagging up their hypocrisy and keep blogging about the crap they are doing in places like South Dakota - that's scary stuff!
Thyanks for the link BF - I think there may be a follow up post in hre somewhere :-)
yes it's both exasperating and alarming to watch his twisting our Lord round his little finger. It seems the Lord can look after himself though and all the headlines say 'You berk!'
AMEN!
Great post Nog.
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