Scattered thoughts

I was watching Newsnight just now and there were some politics experts talking about the new Counter Terrorism Bill, which is going to be voted on by MPs next week. There are lots of things in the proposed bill which make me angry, and I'm not going to go in to that right now, but the major thing being discussed tonight was the clause of holding suspects without trial for 42 days (the current is 28 days and the highest in the world already). What made me especially angry tonight, livid in fact, was the man who basically stated that the bill with 42 days would probably pass because most of the Labour MPs who would rebel feel that they have caused Gordon Brown enough trouble right now and that the bad headlines would damage their party. There are just no words for how angry that makes me.

The idea that a flawed bill with a hugely flawed detention without trial limit would be allowed through because some people feel that they need to conform for the good of their party and are not willing to stand up for what they believe in (and the fact they were considering rebelling in the first place tells me that they think this is wrong) makes me really angry. What a ridiculous reason for letting this bill though. I could almost respect them if they thought it was the right thing to do but just because they think they've caused enough trouble for now? It strikes me that it is an inherently bad law if the best reason for passing it that someone voting for it can come up with is that they don't want to rock the boat any more.

ARGH!

AngryAngryAngry.

I was reading through my friends list tonight (and my bloglines feed) both of which include quite a few Americans. As a result of this, and the fact that we have been thinking about 9/11 on this side of the pond too, I have read several posts about the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington 5 years ago today.

The best one I have found was by lisaofdoom in this post. In case you are too lazy to click on the link (I know most of you too well :P) here is the video she has, embedded right here in my very own ickle LJ.



It's the start of The Daily Show from 20th September 2001, the first one after the terrorist attacks. The host is Jon Stewart who lives in New York where The Daily Show (shown on E4 at 8:30 every weeknight for those of you in the UK) is filmed.

I think he says it better than anything I could write or anything I have read today.

After the 7th July attacks on London there was an argument in one of my IRC channels that went thusly:

( irc log )

Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the not so innocent. For the record, kate and NextTuesday were not nearly caught in the bombs, they were on completely different tube lines.

Anyway, this is relevent because of some pictures I saw today. The BBC news has put up twelve incredibly powerful pictures to commemorate The World Press Photo foundation's 50th anniversary of its annual photographic competition this year. Some of these pictures are far more powerful than I can express. They are also distressing, I think, but worth looking at.

The main argument of bob was essentially that a photograph would be the way that people would remember that day. I am already aware that the picture of the Bus in Tavistock Square is one of the iconic images of that day.

Anyway. Go look at the pictures. I cannot express just how amazing they are.

That link again.

After the 7th July attacks on London there was an argument in one of my IRC channels that went thusly:

( irc log )

Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the not so innocent. For the record, kate and NextTuesday were not nearly caught in the bombs, they were on completely different tube lines.

Anyway, this is relevent because of some pictures I saw today. The BBC news has put up twelve incredibly powerful pictures to commemorate The World Press Photo foundation's 50th anniversary of its annual photographic competition this year. Some of these pictures are far more powerful than I can express. They are also distressing, I think, but worth looking at.

The main argument of bob was essentially that a photograph would be the way that people would remember that day. I am already aware that the picture of the Bus in Tavistock Square is one of the iconic images of that day.

Anyway. Go look at the pictures. I cannot express just how amazing they are.

That link again.

Had an odd dream last night, really realistic. I dreamed that there were another attack on the UK by the same terrorists who were using Guns instead and shot dead the Prince of Wales and his sons.

Bizarre o.O

I wanted to mention something on this journal about



my dad who would have been 58 today. This brings with it its own difficulties and grief but owing to the events in London today I don't feel that I can possibly wallow in it. Instead there is a teeny mention of this wonderful man, my father, Phillip Robert Overal, who is still greatly missed by his family.

As for London, the dead and injured were just ordinary people doing ordinary things. They were people who were thinking about the weather, or work, or what was for dinner tonight and that is the tragedy that hurts so many people but I will not grieve for them. Instead I grieve for the people who are left behind and the years of pain they face.

Despite the attacks today I still think ID cards are a very bad idea, as is the further removal of our human rights. That is the only way in which the terrorists will win.

I wanted to mention something on this journal about



my dad who would have been 58 today. This brings with it its own difficulties and grief but owing to the events in London today I don't feel that I can possibly wallow in it. Instead there is a teeny mention of this wonderful man, my father, Phillip Robert Overal, who is still greatly missed by his family.

As for London, the dead and injured were just ordinary people doing ordinary things. They were people who were thinking about the weather, or work, or what was for dinner tonight and that is the tragedy that hurts so many people but I will not grieve for them. Instead I grieve for the people who are left behind and the years of pain they face.

Despite the attacks today I still think ID cards are a very bad idea, as is the further removal of our human rights. That is the only way in which the terrorists will win.