How I find myself on this side of the discussion I'm not really sure, and I'll probably have cause to regret it, but what the hell...
IF (< Huge, big, screaming IF here) this turns out to be totally genuine, what will the reactions be of everyone's who's feared the worst here? Jim, will you post a new message here admitting that, on this occasion you were mistaken? Will everyone else also admit that, this time, they were wrong?
God knows that neither of our political establishments has done much to earn our faith, and I can't blame any of you for being so cynical about it. But how does it help to climb all over it like this? What wrong with just ensuring we all keep a close eye on the news then, once the facts are known, making our judgements then?
Possibly I'm being a little naive, but surely there's enough polarisation and bitterness rolling around without adding more. Of course we have to do everything we can to keep our elected officials and police in line and maintain civil liberties, but I wish there was a better way.
Pete #38:
And yes, presumed innocent does mean actually innocent unless and until proved otherwise.
In that case, why are people charged with a crime either kept in jail until their trial or allowed freedom conditional on a bail bond? Surely if they were considered actually innocent it would be safe just to let them go home? After all, if they're innocent they're bound to turn up in court on time.
#15 - Dave:
...the persons arrested are innocent until proven guilty...
Sorry to be nit-picky, but that's not quite right. The persons charged are to be presumed innocent until the matter has been resolved in court. A small but significant difference!
On a slightly more serious note, this is one of the many reasons why I hate what Bush, Blair et al have done to Western society. Even if this was a perfectly genuine terror plot, the instant reaction is to assume it's been blown out of proportion or publicised for political gain.
There's a time and a place for cynicism, but it shouldn't be an instinctive response to this kind of incident. Thanks to our beloved leaders, it is. Wonderful.
Terry Karney:
One need not know a person is recently bereaved to end up taking advantage of their weakness.
Fair points, and I'm certainly not trying to apologise for what the settlers did. I just dislike analogies to such violent and emotive subjects as rape, since it polarises the debate too swiftly. Rape is a horrific crime and cannot be excused under any circumstances. The actions of the settlers could indeed be considered as wrong, but it's certainly not so black and white.
Bob Devney wrote:
They didn't woo a virgin wilderness. They found a recently bereaved widow, and raped her.
Ummm... Excessively emotive, much?
I'd certainly be the last to deny that in the colonisation of the Americas Europeans did things that are morally repugnant. Many times over, in fact. But to expect anyone of that age to have any concept of the diseases they carried is to twist morality a little too far.
I'm certain that many of the European colonists genuinely had few scruples about the native population being reduced. I'm equally certain that many had no idea that that is what had happened, and were only looking for some land on which to make a living.
There are plenty of things that the settlers can be accused of - the forcible religious conversions of the South Americas spring to mind - but to lump the whole lot of them in as "raping" something is to vastly simplify what happened.
Not sure about in a folksong, but certainly folklore...
If you are a young man a' wandering in the woods, and you come upon a beautiful young maiden smiling at you beguilingly from her cottage doorway, carefully check the following:
- Her hair is lustrous and shiny. Is there running water in this cottage? Is there evidence of shampoo, hairspray and conditioner?
- Her lips are glistening red, and her cheeks like rosy apples. Look out for cosmetics.
- Her gown is low cut and of shimmering silk. Is there an invitation to a ball on the mantelpiece?
- She smiles as if you are her One True Love. Be honest now, are you an amalgam of Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and George Clooney?
If any of the above seem suspicious, she's a witch, and you should run like hell. In fact, a gorgeous girl on her own in the woods is probably grounds for suspicion right off, but you never know...
Vassilissa said:
With that in mind, I for one would be very interested in tips from anyone here about information and skills that one can learn in advance that could be useful in an emergency.
Keeping up the theme of incredibly obvious things, I would say that practising walking in the clothes you are likely to have on is possibly one of the most important things you could do. Too many people these days struggle if they have to walk more than a few miles.
Other than that, I personally think that it's good preparation for disasters just to try and be more self-sufficient in everyday things. Like repairing stuff rather than throwing out, improvising other stuff to do the job rather than buying a new thingy and so on. In other words keeping your ingenuity on its toes so that if you really need it, it'll be there.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2004 | 1 |
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