A small corner in hell.

"By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our
brains drop out." - Richard Dawkins.

For a long time I have been seeing that quote as it is the signature of someone on a mailing list to which I subscribe (http://www.york.lug.org.uk/). Each time I see it, I chuckle.

I have this vision of (a particularly Victorian fire and brimstone type) hell in which there is a little room, locked for all eternity. Inside this room are Richard Dawkins and Rv. Ian Paisley (snr).

Both are very intelligent men. Dawkins is a leading evolutionary biologist of great knowledge and Paisley a politician of renown. They are also two of the most arrogant, narrow-minded bigots in the public eye today. Neither are capable of rational debate; Paisley preferring to shout as loudly as possible into the nearest microphone and Dawkins ranting in paperback. More importantly neither seem capable of admitting that anyone except themselves may have a valid opinion.

To confine two such polarised and fanatical men in a room together could be cause of much amusement to an anthropomorphised satan.

Not that I am judgemental you understand.

Holiday

As I am sure you have noticed, I haven't posted anything for a while.
I haven't really had anything to say that would be of any interest,
not even to me.

Time for a holiday for this little duck. I am sure that I will
return at some point in the not too distant future, but for now,
assume a lack of quacks.

God bless you all, I shall see you soon.

More newspapers

I was disappointed to discover that more European newspapers had published the cartoons that have caused much offence to Islam.

I will repeat again that they have every right to do so if they wish; this doesn't change the fact that I think they are wrong to do so.

The original publication by the Danish paper can be accepted if only because they did not understand that such offence could or would be caused. Now that the issue is known, I can see no excuse for repeated publication.

I do not accept the argument that it is a defence of the free speech principal. Such a defence could easily have been made in a written article without the offencive material. I can not see the case is made any stronger by using the pictures.

After some thought I can see only two reasons why the other newspapers would publish the pictures. Either they assume some natural superiority of their own feelings and cannot accept that their actions do cause harm or they have malicious intent and wish to deliberately cause offence.

They have every right to do so though and the fact that I think they are wrong to do so doesn't change that.

Danish paper apologises

For those who haven't followed this story in the news, a brief recap.
A Danish newspaper published some caricatures of Mohamed. Images of
all of the prophets, in particular of Mohamed, are considered
offensive and possibly blasphemous in Islam. A large number of
Muslims were offended by the images and responses ranged from a
formal protest by the Danish Muslim association to a boycott of
Danish products in middle-eastern countries.

I am glad that the paper has apologised for the offence that it has
caused, but equally glad that is hasn't apologised for publishing the
pictures in the first place.

I will defend absolute freedom of speech completely but I will repeat
until I am blue in the face that with freedom comes responsibility.
You should be able to publish such pictures if you wish but you have
to be prepared for the consequences of your actions and to take
responsibility for them

Many have argued that the response of those offended in this
particular case was not appropriate and that may be so but those
people are responsible for their actions and the newspaper is
responsible for its actions. I am glad that the paper recognised
this and apologised for offending people whether it intended to cause
offence or not.

Confessions

In the wake of Holy Blood, Holy Grail I am now reading the
confessions of St. Augustine.

What a delight. Wonderful words and more truth and wisdom in a
single paragraph than in the whole of Holy Blood. Read them.

The two little wrens are in my tree again. So cute.