Personal post

I don’t do personal posts much, but a recent series of events kinda highlights something. I have an old friend from back home who I used to work with.

She was facing difficult personal circumstances in that her former partner having knocked her up, became repeatedly violent. So she left and was living in crappy state funded accommodation. She didn’t have a job and was living on state benefits.

Anyway, periodically I would get a text about her being broke and the gas is cut off or not having any food etc and could I help her out. So I agreed (because you can’t really say “No, the six year old should go hungry or freeze or not have a school uniform) and over the year I gave her a pretty decent sum of money.

Anyway, my friend has an events company and they want to run a charity casino (not for real money, but tokens where you win a prize) and he asked me if I could train the roulette dealers. Now I can’t as BlackJack and dice were my games, but Dawn was a roulette dealer, so she could do this. So I offered her the work, to be done at her convenience, and she declined. “Reading is too far” (about 90 miles) “I can’t get there” (yes you can, the train) “it’s too awkward with my son” (get someone to look after him) and a series of other excuses.

I don’t know why she’s like this, and I don’t mind helping people in temporary trouble, but when you show them a way out and they don’t take it, it’s very, very frustating.

Consequently, I’ve changed my cellphone and blocked her e-mail, because I couldn’t not help if she again told me her son was freezing (because I’m just stupid like that), but I’ve fixed it so she can no longer contact me. I think this is what happens when people get used to receiving state benefits, they just can’t or won’t help themselves anymore.

Muslims & Veils

There’s been massive coverage of a Muslim teaching assistant who wanted to wear a veil in school, when adult men were around. She had no problem teaching young kids, or with women, but when men were around, she wanted to wear the veil.

The local education authority said no, and so, off they all went to court. Not a great use of my tax money, (as all the lawyers were state funded) but there it is.

I have to say, personally, I find veiled women slightly unpleasant. And despite protestations, I think it is misogyny writ large. Nonetheless, if women (foolishly in my view) choose to subject themselves to this, that is their choice. Freedom, is only real, when you let another person do, that which you disapprove of.

Consequently, I find myself on the lady’s side, not the education authority.

I saw her press conference yesterday. The local authority claimed she could not be understood if veiled. What was very clear from yesterday’s coverage, is that she was clear and lucid, (as well as having something of an annoying voice). I had no trouble at all understanding what she was saying.

So, I think she is stupid to self-veil, I think someone is pulling her strings, and I’m not thrilled my taxes were wasted in this. But in the end, I agree with the woman. She has the right to wear what she wants, it doesn’t affect her ability to be understood, and the education authority, were in my view, dead wrong to sack her.

Paul Joseph Goebbels….

….would be proud of the UK media’s coverage of Islam of late. This week, I caught stories from SKY news and the disgusting Evening Standard, and they were

“Muslim parents must fight extremism” – so you know, all their kids are terrorists

“Radical Muslims recruit in our universities” – and when they get to Uni, look out

“Jack straw says take of your veil to Muslim constituents” – a pointless gesture by Straw, who must have known the feeding frenzy this would whip up

“Muslim doesn’t want to guard Israeli embassy” – Front page news, one guy

and today’s Standard

“Muslim cab driver won’t take guide dog” – again front page news, one guy

All basically negative stories, either created by what an asshole politician said, or relating to a single person. If you were trying to orchestrate an anti-Islam campaign, you could do no better than this, and it reminds me of the lies Goebbels and his propaganda ministry came out with about Jews pre-WW2. It’s just sickening.