links for 2009-02-18
February 18, 2009-
The history that we currently teach is hopelessly sanitized to the point where people are still unsure exactly what happened at a lynching, and are unaware of the historical meaning behind leaving nooses as “a prank.” We learn about major people, events, and dates, but not so much the ideas behind the actions. This is why we learn Crispus Attacks was the first person to die in the American Revolution (though it was technically the Boston Massacre that sparked the war), and that he was black, but generally have no idea why he was out there in the first place, and if he was included in organizing activities or just an unlucky casualty.
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Do I think that the decision represents a capitulation to Islamic will? No, because – though an incalculable idiot – I’m not completely braindead. If the government was awash with some sinister dhimmitude it wouldn’t make a habit of invading predominantly Muslim countries. It’s more likely to be gesture politics; if they’re accused of Islamaphobia they can point to the banning and squeal “but look how much stick we got for this“.
However, I wanted to set out why Wilders is so objectionable, and to that end have rewatched Fitna and scribbed some thoughts below…
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Anything Rimington says should be treated with caution, not just as an ex-spook but also because she was personally involved in the surveillance and infiltrating of any vaguely radical group during the 1980s, something which was never even close to being justified when most posed about as much threat to the British state as Timmy Mallett, but when a former agent denounces the way civil liberties are being abused, many do pay attention. Likewise, the ICJ report ruthlessly exposes just how low we have sunk in such a short space of time, while the government's latest "counter-terrorism strategy" illustrates vividly New Labour's apparent addiction to demonising those opposed to its own moral and political values rather than engaging and challenging them.
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When research was last conducted five years ago, the majority of children in poverty had parents who were unemployed. The new study shows the majority of children living in poverty now have at least one parent in work, but they are earning so little they are unable to drag their family above the poverty line.
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The Guardian has published leaked proposals on what would constitute a ‘Muslim extremist’, according to a government document.
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For for your daily dose hypocrisy, note the Mail's frequent decision to print articles proclaiming that fatherhood and the role of men in general is under attack by a conspiracy of lefty liberal, gay feminist BBC journalists. Wouldn't any attempt to boost the self-esteem of men be welcome? Doesn't the Mail – often bemoaning absentee fathers from broken homes – want young men to aspire to be dedicated and proud parents?
Or is this one of those occasions where the desire to cause a shit-storm trumps every other value?
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This is simply discussing the idea of fatherhood in itself with teenagers, not telling them to be dads while they're still at school. But that's not the impression we were given by the headline and first sentence, is it? But see what the Mail has brilliantly done – implying that 'early fatherhood' is the same as 'teen fatherhood'. Which it isn't. So, a sensible discussion about being a dad when you're a young man, along with the responsibilities and joys thereof, becomes TEH EVIL LEFTIST GOVERNMENT WANTS TEEN BOYS TO BE FATHERS. Wonderful.
