Meus Parem Locus

jingjing-je-jingjing-je-jing AAGH!

This morning I went into work a little late and got caught up in a swell of pilgrims at St Peter's station.  It was quiet when I got there first, but the distant, ominous sound of clapping, yelling and tambourines could only mean there were some nearby.  As the sound got closer the first flashes of colour began to appear at the top of the platform steps.  Colour from flags, crosses draped in flags, those little yellow and red backpacks they all wear, and their official badges.  I stood back and watched the stream of young (and all rather beset with acne it has to be said) folk make their way down the platform.   Myself and the other ordinary people all seemed to clump together around the middle, all earnestly wishing the train would hurry up so we could all get the hell out of there.   Then the train arrived.  It was worse....

*Jingjing-ji-jing-ji-ji-jingjing-ji-jing* "Oh praise him YEAH! oh yes the lord..." *jingjing-ji-jing*

I don't object to the whole thing per se - as a self styled democrat I must accept everyone's right of speech and religious expression - but add a bit of fervour in there and I start to get antsy.   So do I get this way at the Mardi Gras parade, which could fall under the same banner?  No I don't, but then I am not saying I am not biased.  

"Halleluia!  Praise him for he be(?) the one to save the children and lead to salvation....  AMEN!!"

Organised religion of any format gives me the willies.  By it's nature it is artificial - the interpretation by a human(s) of the intangible, the elusive and the invisible.  History tends not to lend it any assistance - I am sure there were many 2000 years ago that thought Christianity was as looney as we think Scientology is today.   They all stem from some central charismatic character and groups of people seeking some kind of spiritual direction (whether they know it or not).   And they all have rules (not a bad thing in general) but the rules then proceed to exclusion of people either by social status, sex, wealth, marriage, sexuality, lifestyle, expression.... The rules become the measure by which one can exist within the religion - the whole supposedly spiritual reason it exists becomes lost within them.  And who creates the rules...  well it's the humans surprise surprise...

You can fine me $5,500… But I still won’t believe in God

I have been invited to attend a rally as a part of the PopeGoHome (or something like that) Coalition.  The organisation and rally was started (it seems to me) not so much to protest against the Pope (although there are many reasons why it could) but more of a protest against the stupid, ridiculous and indefensible laws brought in by the state government that stated it would be an offence (with a fine of up to $5,500) to "cause annoyance or inconvenience to a pilgrim" during the month of July.    I was appalled at this gross breach of my rights as a citizen and wanted to protest as much as any conscious objector, but felt the PopeGoHome rally and it's message was not the right forum for me.   As I say, I have no problem with him being here (although by the end of the week I''m sure I'll have some problems with the noisy happyclappers).   I sent a strenuous email to my local state MP.... who is.... I have no idea, I realised after I had composed the thing.  It sat in my drafts until today, when the Federal Court overturned the laughable laws anyway.  Sanity prevails at last....

WYD08: We close 300 roads so 300,000 can close their minds

They might have closed their minds to me a long time ago, but I refuse to stoop so low with them.

Just tax the STUPID people!

Ireland has a new Taoiseach (pronounced tee-shock - our name for the Prime Minister role).  Biffo (Big-Ignorant-F*cker-From-Offaly) Cowen, officially known as Brian Cowen, will take the reins from our corrupt leader after 11 years in office.   I don't know - either corruption has become more frequent in recent years or the media have become more diligent at seeking and exposing it.   In Ireland's case, no amount of indignant or incredulous huffing and puffing in the papers, on the radio or at the family dinner table seems to make a blind bit of difference to the outcome of a general election or lemming-like allegiance to a favoured political party.

“The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference”.   

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So anyway, I did my exam on Monday this week.  80 questions, multiple choice, open book.  Not too challenging you may ponder... and it wasn't.... but not to be underestimated either.  I needed every minute of the 2.30hrs alloted to finish it with any degree of confidence.   As a result of waiting for the results, I have not signed up for the following module, and find myself somewhat at a loose end this weekend, with no omnipresent studying guilt lurking over my shoulder.   

I should be able to make a start on some of the other million things I need to focus on.  I should but I'm not.   Hungover from a big night last night I find myself happy to read papers, type my blog and generally fart around.  Even the plan to get the car washed for a few advertisement photos (yes - I'm selling it - I never use the bloody thing) seems horrendously daunting.   How I got myself up and washed and down to meet my dear friend John for breakfast at the overrated Bitton ($30 EACH) I do not know - even the memory tires me :)

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RANT: There are certain things that should not be tolerated and no amount of insanity, poor upbringing or drug/drunkeness can excuse.   Lighting bushfires, throwing rocks at cars and buses (seems to have become a favoured pastime of unruly teenage suburban shitheads of late) but the latest mind-numbingly f*cking stupid thing is pointing powerful lasers at approaching civil aircraft.   It seems to have happened quite a bit over the last few months in NSW, and the pilots and authorities are helpless to do anything about it when it happens.  Some dickhead with a powerful laser pointing up from bushland or their bedroom window is not an easy thing to locate, even less to prosecute successfully.   

In their usual wisdom, the Macquarie St clown show rub their temples and mumble things like "review penalties" and "banning private sale/use/importation of such devices", then scurry off for another Building Developer function to bump up their election funding in exchange for signing new releases for their mates. 

There IS no excuse for this sort of behaviour and this is where I get very right wing and think no end of fines, community service or "rehabilitation" is going to deter these idiots.   Either set up a gulag in the middle of the Great Sandy Desert and throw them in there, or off with their heads.    We don't need people like that in Australia, nor would anyone else want them.  Of course - another solution may be as the immortal words of Edina Monsoon (AbFab) stated "Why not just put a tax on the STUPID people" - wouldn't that be an interesting thought?