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Welcome!
In my original intro, I spoke about the purpose of this web site, which was to lampoon and send up those people in the world who are stupid or wrong in conduct or belief.
The site had a humorous slant, albeit slightly dark or twisted. The site, I feel, should remain the same. However, I have felt the need to redesign my front page in the light of the evil perpetrated on Tuesday 11th September 2001.
Please sign my Guest Book below...
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In Memory....
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Poignant Words
The architect who designed the World Trade Centre is Minoru Yamasaki. Having searched the Net for more about the buildings, I came across a quote from Mr. Yamasaki that I feel takes on a greater meaning in the wake of the atrocity. The statement says it all;
""'The World Trade Center should, because of its importance, become a living representation of man's belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his belief in the cooperation of men, and through this cooperation his ability to find greatness.' ""
Having redesigned my front page in the light of recent events, I feel the original angle of sarcasm, satire and wit are no longer appropriate, given the current political and international climate. I've also changed this front page to my site as a mark of respect to those whose lives have been devestated by the terrorist atrocities. Please note that the remaining site content will remain unchanged.
I've compiled an article below to try to make some sense of what's happened. I'd be grateful if you could read it and provide some feedback.
My web rings are at the base of the page;
WHY????
When I was a child of 9, I visited London for the first time. It was a magical day, involving a visit to Hamley's, the famous toy store. I remember the day vividly. I had my photo taken and it was printed out on scanner paper like newspaper print. The portrait still hangs on the wall at my family home 22 years later, as a reminder of that day. I also had a key ring picture of myself and a parrot on my shoulder. There were jumping beans on sale in the lobby and I remember being told that it was the grubs inside that made them jump.
There was another event that day that has remained with me, as clear in my memory as all those other details. We had lunch in a restaurant on the top floor of a department store. Sat at a table nearby was a man of Middle Eastern origin. He was wearing the robes of a religious person and was reading from a book. Nothing much unusual about that, perhaps. However, even to my 9 year old mind, I understood that there was something wrong with this man. He rocked backwards and forwards in his seat and read passages aloud from the book. He spoke in a strange, exotic foreign tongue. He seemed possessed. Much of the restaurant spoke in hushed tones and people pretended to continue what they were doing without having noticed the man. I understood, however, that something was fundamentally wrong with the man, and that he had sent a chill down the spine of all adults present.
With the benefit of time and hindsight, I realise now, 22 years on, that this man was an Islamic fundamentalist. Yes, he might have simply been mad, and there was that possibility. However, having studied theology at school, and learned much through the media, I am now sure of the forces at play, the forces that made this man behave in the way that he did.
When I see pictures of Osama Bin-Ladin, and other pictures of Islamic fundamentalists, I see that man from all those years ago. The clothing, the mannerisms, etc, were all the same. The indelible image that lodged in my mind back then is the same image today.
Like most of the world, the images that flashed around the globe on Tuesday 11th September 2001 sent me into a state of profound shock. Of course, many of us were aware that such an attack could happen. But none of us could imagine just how horrific those pictures would be.
I am a moderate individual. I believe in peace and the power of good. I know there is a better way for all of God's children, and I live my life accordingly. However, I wholeheartedly agree that those who perpetrated this attrocity should be punished in the most devestating way. A message must be sent out to the forces of Evil that this will not stand. That those who indiscriminately take the lives of thousands of innocent people through cunning, calculation and cowardice, will not get away with their crimes.
I believe that, if there is an afterlife, these individuals will suffer as they have caused countless others suffering.
Much has been made, in recent days, of the scapegoating of the Islamic faith. We must understand that the actions committed fly in the face of the meaning of Islam. However, the fact remains that these groups of terrorists use religion as the justification for their Evil. This is wrong, these individuals are not, by definition, religious.
The use of the term 'jihad' is continually bandied about by Islamic countries. The term translates as 'struggle'. To struggle to better oneself in life through the Islamic faith. What these groups have done is to take this facet of the Islamic faith and they have bastardised it. As far as I am aware, no other major world religion condones the use of murder and terrorism and acts of war, to justify themselves.
There are many around the world who are against the West, in particular, the US. They despise our way of life, they hate our freedoms. And, if we are true to ourselves, and analyse our own reflections, of our own cultures and societies, there are many areas in which we are found wanting. Homelessness, the drug problem, widespread crime, obscene levels of capitalism and wealth for the few, etc. But, we live in free, democratic and relatively liberal societies. We enjoy, value and cherish those freedoms. We need to do more, in the West, to secure not only our own future's but the future of the whole of the world community. It is only by doing this that we can secure the future for the whole of humanity, and as such, come closer to God.
The fundamentalists who perpetrated the atrocities on Tuesday the 11th 2001 believe their actions were justified in the name of God. They have convinced themselves, through a disgusting corruption of ancient religious texts, that what they have done is right. What they have done is no act of God. What they have done is an act of Satan.
I am 31 years old. I intend on living a full and happy life. We are all on this earth for a fleeting moment in the grand wheel of time. It is important that we make a difference in our lives, however small. I truly believe that Good can win through, over the coming months and years. If I had one message for the World, it would be this. Believe in religion, have faith. Do not take what you read in religious texts and doctrines with literal meaning. These are the words of people coming from down the ages, in days much different to our own. When those of different faiths or cultures have different beliefs to your own, do not attack them but accept that we are all equal in the eyes of God. Every single human life is precious. Have faith, not blind faith. If Evil rears its ugly head, be quick to turn your back or show it the error of its ways, through what is right and what is good. But, the most important thing, is LOVE.
Spleen Vent
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