I have got a lot of questions about my position in the Middle East conundrum. So, I will repeat what I have previously written:
My basic political views is respect for all human beings and the life itself. All lives are sacred.
In the pro or anti Israel debate, I find a lot of arguments on both sides which I find scary. I find very little respect for human lives and my own views that all lives are sacred. All the Christian, Muslim and Jewish teaching is being dropped in this debate where exterminate and kill, kill seems to be the main argument from both sides.
As a person with Christian beliefs, I am frankly refusing to enter a debate on those premises. That is why I am staying outside the debate. I may have some views on who is to blame, but I have chosen to keep these views to myself.
But personally, I think it sad when Muslims, Christians and Jews are promoting the case for genocides and other gross violations of the human rights despite of their religious teaching. The hypocrisy scene is not my scene.
Enough said about this debate.
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Saturday, 10 March 2012
New book
Just finished my new book and is starting editing sometimes next week. I will do all the editing this time.
This is my first book released in my birth name and my first ever e-book. A nice little experiement. And the same can be said about the book itself which some may or may not claim is a self-biography. It is a novel though.
The release has been set for August through all the usual e-book stores. If the technical stuff goes well, I will release some more e-books in the future.
Exciting times as always these days with a lot more to do than I can manage. I am a million dollars winner every time I wake up in the morning and that is something I never forget. Not that I need any reminders....
This is my first book released in my birth name and my first ever e-book. A nice little experiement. And the same can be said about the book itself which some may or may not claim is a self-biography. It is a novel though.
The release has been set for August through all the usual e-book stores. If the technical stuff goes well, I will release some more e-books in the future.
Exciting times as always these days with a lot more to do than I can manage. I am a million dollars winner every time I wake up in the morning and that is something I never forget. Not that I need any reminders....
Friday, 9 March 2012
"In the name of God, I wage a campaign of vile hatred against you"
I just came over a post on a Norwegian internet forum when I was browsing the net in hunt for some inspirations for my weekly newspaper feature. It was a very good post which made some valid points.
The post was made by a Norwegian named Torstein Langesæter. In my past, I treated him in a manner that disgraced myself and I have apologised to him for that in another internet forum a year ago. If he happens to read these lines, I am more than happy to repeat my humble apologies. I am really sorry, Torstein and I sincerely wish both you and your family all the best.
It is my view that abusing others on the internet should be a criminal offense. That probably goes for what I did to Torstein. I am not sure about this though because the authorities were never interested in pursuing my activities as they deemed them as not being a criminal offense at that time (their reply to my enquiry). I am now active campaigning for this tightening of the law to the effect that what I did should had been punished in the courts if the laws I want had been in place some years ago.
What I am now writing in the next paragraphs is not a defence of myself whatsoever.
Waging campaigns of vile hatred against both ex and current US presidents is also a criminal offense, no matter what your excuses are. Waging a campaign of vile hatred is what Torstein Langesæter has done for the best part of a decade. A campaign so entirely based on lies, opinions, repetitions, insults and no facts is not free speech. Torstein's vile hatred campaign against the ex US president George Bush is both a criminal act in any country and morally repugnant by anyone's standards. Torstein Langesæter expressions of anger against me while he is continuing his campaigns of vile hatred against other human beings is gross hypocrisy and dishonesty. Those are his personal standards but they are not my own personal standards. Hence my apology for my own personal conduct towards him and me public owning up to my own failings.
In a civilized society, there there is not one rule for one individual which is above the law and another rule for for the rest of us who should feel the full wrath of the laws. In a society based on human rights, the law does not recognise God, anyone elses opinions and the Bible as an excuse for waging a campaign of vile hatred towards human beings (like George Bush and Barack Obama) as Torstein has done for so many years. As the many criminal cases originating from various churches has proven, nobody is and nobody should be above the law. Not even those who hides their crimes behind the Bible and friendly personalities.
But his campaign of vile hatred towards other human beings is a matter that has nothing whatsoever to do with me. If any vile hatred campaigns is waged against me, I will pursue this matter through the courts as per usual.
In a civilized society, all human beings are equal in the eyes of both God and the law. George Bush's reputation and life is as sacred as Torstein Langesæter's reputation and life. That is the basis of our civilization and that value is what I am defending with my campaign for tightening the internet laws so all those who wage vile hate campaign on the internet towards other human beings shall be held accountable in the courts for their conduct.
If the tightening of the internet laws are being made retrospective (as I hope they will be), that may lead to some unwanted personal consequences for myself. So be it. I will take the full responsibilities for what I have done if I am taken to the courts. No ifs and no buts.
Anyway; moving on.....
The post was made by a Norwegian named Torstein Langesæter. In my past, I treated him in a manner that disgraced myself and I have apologised to him for that in another internet forum a year ago. If he happens to read these lines, I am more than happy to repeat my humble apologies. I am really sorry, Torstein and I sincerely wish both you and your family all the best.
It is my view that abusing others on the internet should be a criminal offense. That probably goes for what I did to Torstein. I am not sure about this though because the authorities were never interested in pursuing my activities as they deemed them as not being a criminal offense at that time (their reply to my enquiry). I am now active campaigning for this tightening of the law to the effect that what I did should had been punished in the courts if the laws I want had been in place some years ago.
What I am now writing in the next paragraphs is not a defence of myself whatsoever.
Waging campaigns of vile hatred against both ex and current US presidents is also a criminal offense, no matter what your excuses are. Waging a campaign of vile hatred is what Torstein Langesæter has done for the best part of a decade. A campaign so entirely based on lies, opinions, repetitions, insults and no facts is not free speech. Torstein's vile hatred campaign against the ex US president George Bush is both a criminal act in any country and morally repugnant by anyone's standards. Torstein Langesæter expressions of anger against me while he is continuing his campaigns of vile hatred against other human beings is gross hypocrisy and dishonesty. Those are his personal standards but they are not my own personal standards. Hence my apology for my own personal conduct towards him and me public owning up to my own failings.
In a civilized society, there there is not one rule for one individual which is above the law and another rule for for the rest of us who should feel the full wrath of the laws. In a society based on human rights, the law does not recognise God, anyone elses opinions and the Bible as an excuse for waging a campaign of vile hatred towards human beings (like George Bush and Barack Obama) as Torstein has done for so many years. As the many criminal cases originating from various churches has proven, nobody is and nobody should be above the law. Not even those who hides their crimes behind the Bible and friendly personalities.
But his campaign of vile hatred towards other human beings is a matter that has nothing whatsoever to do with me. If any vile hatred campaigns is waged against me, I will pursue this matter through the courts as per usual.
In a civilized society, all human beings are equal in the eyes of both God and the law. George Bush's reputation and life is as sacred as Torstein Langesæter's reputation and life. That is the basis of our civilization and that value is what I am defending with my campaign for tightening the internet laws so all those who wage vile hate campaign on the internet towards other human beings shall be held accountable in the courts for their conduct.
If the tightening of the internet laws are being made retrospective (as I hope they will be), that may lead to some unwanted personal consequences for myself. So be it. I will take the full responsibilities for what I have done if I am taken to the courts. No ifs and no buts.
Anyway; moving on.....
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
The new internet
I have taken some steps back and reviewed my online activities during the last year.
During the first decade of the internet revolution, you could write and mean whatever you liked. You could joke and act like an immature child. The recent events on the internet and in the rest of the world has changed that. In my view, to the better.
Here in Scotland, morons who spreads hatred towards football managers and other persons are being taken to court. They are all facing jail terms. USA is jailing the similar kinds of morons too and a lot of people has been dragged out of their bedrooms in Ireland, England and other places to answer for their stupidities in US courts. Long term jail sentences in very tough US jails will probably be handed down. Which in my view is a very good thing. Reality should always mirror online life. That has off course made me review my own behaviour.
My own online activities has been amended to reflect the new reality. I am no longer active in internet forums although it sometimes frustrates me to not be able to say what I feel due to my own self imposed restrictions.
Anyway, I get my say as a regular newspapers columnist, author and in this blog so I am fine with my self imposed internet restrictions.
I think we have come to the point where the society has caught up with the internet world. That means those who misbehave sooner or later will have to answer for their behaviour in public and in the courts. That also goes for the anonymous internet trolls.
My own policy now is to not write on the internet media what I cannot say in public. In case I disagree with a person, my internet policy is to express my disagreement as if I met that person face to face. Which I often do too.
The internet is no longer an anonymous place where we can all abuse the freedom of speach without being held personal responsible for the abuse. And that is a very positive development in my view.
During the first decade of the internet revolution, you could write and mean whatever you liked. You could joke and act like an immature child. The recent events on the internet and in the rest of the world has changed that. In my view, to the better.
Here in Scotland, morons who spreads hatred towards football managers and other persons are being taken to court. They are all facing jail terms. USA is jailing the similar kinds of morons too and a lot of people has been dragged out of their bedrooms in Ireland, England and other places to answer for their stupidities in US courts. Long term jail sentences in very tough US jails will probably be handed down. Which in my view is a very good thing. Reality should always mirror online life. That has off course made me review my own behaviour.
My own online activities has been amended to reflect the new reality. I am no longer active in internet forums although it sometimes frustrates me to not be able to say what I feel due to my own self imposed restrictions.
Anyway, I get my say as a regular newspapers columnist, author and in this blog so I am fine with my self imposed internet restrictions.
I think we have come to the point where the society has caught up with the internet world. That means those who misbehave sooner or later will have to answer for their behaviour in public and in the courts. That also goes for the anonymous internet trolls.
My own policy now is to not write on the internet media what I cannot say in public. In case I disagree with a person, my internet policy is to express my disagreement as if I met that person face to face. Which I often do too.
The internet is no longer an anonymous place where we can all abuse the freedom of speach without being held personal responsible for the abuse. And that is a very positive development in my view.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Alcohol
I am watching a programme about the ongoing alcoholism epidemic in the British middle classes. And this has now been officially classed as an epidemic by the government. It is costing us a massive amount of money. Not to mention; lives.
There is a lot of reasons I am grateful to my parents. A very nice home, good upbringing and dozens of other reasons. My life in Scotland has added another reason to this list: The absence of alcohol in our home. Contrasting that with the hell other children suffered and is suffering in homes with alcoholic parents and I now understand how incredible lucky I was.
My upbringing and my own scepticism to alcohol is so big now that I am more or less a teetotaller. That very much makes me a minority in this country where alcohol is everywhere and very cheap. The costs of this access to alcohol are being transferred to the hospitals, the unlucky children, the courts and to the cemetaries.
I strongly disagreed with the restrictive alcohol policies in Norway and that was one of the reasons I left this country. And I still disagree with their policies. The unhealthy high prices there has given Norway a powerful criminal underworld and some very unhealthy illegal spirits which has litterary speaking blinded a lot of people in the search for alcohol. Norway too has a substantial alcohol problem. Every country has a substantial alcohol problem.
But the total opposite of the Norwegian model is the British model with cheap access to alcohol and a social acceptance of alcoholism as a charming part of British life. That is an epidemic by everyone's standards.
There is no doubts in my view that the price of alcohol is too cheap in Britain. I have come to the conclusion that higher alcohol prices is a necessity. The same goes for restricting the access to alcohol too. But I would not go as far as the Norwegian model. But there must be a middle way. When a massive part of the GDP goes to treating the fall out of the cheap alcohol, there is something wrong. The government can easily make big savings here in these hard times. But I suspect they too is victim of alcohol, the lifestyle and the industry that support it. Trying to tackle this problem will probably loose too many votes and the majority of the seats in the parliament.
Personally, I just despair. Really despair over the whole situation. So many destroyed childhoods, so many lost lives, so much taxpayers money wasted on treating this self-inflicted wound in our country.
And from the bottom of my heart, a big thank you to my parents.
There is a lot of reasons I am grateful to my parents. A very nice home, good upbringing and dozens of other reasons. My life in Scotland has added another reason to this list: The absence of alcohol in our home. Contrasting that with the hell other children suffered and is suffering in homes with alcoholic parents and I now understand how incredible lucky I was.
My upbringing and my own scepticism to alcohol is so big now that I am more or less a teetotaller. That very much makes me a minority in this country where alcohol is everywhere and very cheap. The costs of this access to alcohol are being transferred to the hospitals, the unlucky children, the courts and to the cemetaries.
I strongly disagreed with the restrictive alcohol policies in Norway and that was one of the reasons I left this country. And I still disagree with their policies. The unhealthy high prices there has given Norway a powerful criminal underworld and some very unhealthy illegal spirits which has litterary speaking blinded a lot of people in the search for alcohol. Norway too has a substantial alcohol problem. Every country has a substantial alcohol problem.
But the total opposite of the Norwegian model is the British model with cheap access to alcohol and a social acceptance of alcoholism as a charming part of British life. That is an epidemic by everyone's standards.
There is no doubts in my view that the price of alcohol is too cheap in Britain. I have come to the conclusion that higher alcohol prices is a necessity. The same goes for restricting the access to alcohol too. But I would not go as far as the Norwegian model. But there must be a middle way. When a massive part of the GDP goes to treating the fall out of the cheap alcohol, there is something wrong. The government can easily make big savings here in these hard times. But I suspect they too is victim of alcohol, the lifestyle and the industry that support it. Trying to tackle this problem will probably loose too many votes and the majority of the seats in the parliament.
Personally, I just despair. Really despair over the whole situation. So many destroyed childhoods, so many lost lives, so much taxpayers money wasted on treating this self-inflicted wound in our country.
And from the bottom of my heart, a big thank you to my parents.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
The Messiah cult (a reflection over the Tommy Sheridan tragedy)
I have just finished reading "The Tommy Sheridan Story" by Alan McCombes. A brilliant book in it's own right.
Just a bit of a recap of the contents here for those of you lucky enough to never hear about Tommy Sheridan: Tommy Sheridan was/is a firebrand preacher, nee socialist, whose reputation was built on angel like moral standards and a personality cult, cultivated by himself and his political party Scottish Socialist Party (SSP). These angel like moral standards gained SSP six seats in the Scottish parliament. One of their policies was feminism and fight against the s*x industry. In private though, Tommy Sheridan was a frequent user of the services provided by the s*x industry. This was exposed by a newspaper. Tommy Sheridan asked SSP to lie for him in a libel court and go to prison for him. They refused. Tommy took the newspaper to court and won after several others had incriminated themselves by lying under oath. A perjury case, a very serious criminal offence which could mean serving a life sentence, was raised four years later and Tommy was sent to jail for a year.
SSP as a party was wiped out of the parliaments and lost everything. But none of them did loose their personal freedoms ad Tommy has requested.
The book is shocking on several levels. That Tommy openly wanted others to take long sentences in jail to supress the truth and was furious to the point of harassing people (helped by mindless thugs) and their families for years when they refused to go to jail is shocking. A person must be seriously mentally sick to expect anyone to take long jail sentences to supress and support a life as a serial adulter and s*xual predator.
What is more far shocking though is that someone actually is supporting Tommy Sheridan and keeping this whole tragedy an ongoing concern. The media even give him airtime when they really should be protecting him against himself by not giving him any airtime and/or any exposure whatsoever. It is like offering to help an alcoholic by giving him/her a container full of alcohol. The best way, the only way to support Tommy Sheridan would had been offering help through the mental health services in Scotland. His followers should gently lead him to a mental hospital and serious treatment there instead of fanning the flames in his mental illness. That is a tragedy and what his followers are doing to him is unforgivable.
Then we have the history and the cases of Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot. Persons with dubious morals and a lot of supporters who were more than eager to support their leader, their Messiah, to the gates of hell and beyond. And that is where Tommy Sheridan is heading. A life in hell, fighting for decades over a case he has lost, supported by people who should have known better than driving a man through the meatgrinder every day. He is fighting a case he cannot win because the evidence stacked against him is overwhelming. In the process, the case of socialism is being killed off once and for all here in Scotland too. But this socialist Tommy Sheridan was never a socialist. What mattered and matters to him is himself and nothing else. Anyone seen the movie Der Untergang (Downfall) ? There you have the whole Tommy Sheridan story. Germany was after all only about one person. Socialism is after all only about one person. Are Tommy Sheridan's followers so blind they cannot see that the case for socialism is being shot to pieces in this process ?
Tommy Sheridan is a despicable piece of man who really needs help from NHS (the national health service). But I had expected a bit better from his followers. They have to take a lot of responsibilities for what is now unfolding. And that is a personal tragedy. Shame on them.
Just a bit of a recap of the contents here for those of you lucky enough to never hear about Tommy Sheridan: Tommy Sheridan was/is a firebrand preacher, nee socialist, whose reputation was built on angel like moral standards and a personality cult, cultivated by himself and his political party Scottish Socialist Party (SSP). These angel like moral standards gained SSP six seats in the Scottish parliament. One of their policies was feminism and fight against the s*x industry. In private though, Tommy Sheridan was a frequent user of the services provided by the s*x industry. This was exposed by a newspaper. Tommy Sheridan asked SSP to lie for him in a libel court and go to prison for him. They refused. Tommy took the newspaper to court and won after several others had incriminated themselves by lying under oath. A perjury case, a very serious criminal offence which could mean serving a life sentence, was raised four years later and Tommy was sent to jail for a year.
SSP as a party was wiped out of the parliaments and lost everything. But none of them did loose their personal freedoms ad Tommy has requested.
The book is shocking on several levels. That Tommy openly wanted others to take long sentences in jail to supress the truth and was furious to the point of harassing people (helped by mindless thugs) and their families for years when they refused to go to jail is shocking. A person must be seriously mentally sick to expect anyone to take long jail sentences to supress and support a life as a serial adulter and s*xual predator.
What is more far shocking though is that someone actually is supporting Tommy Sheridan and keeping this whole tragedy an ongoing concern. The media even give him airtime when they really should be protecting him against himself by not giving him any airtime and/or any exposure whatsoever. It is like offering to help an alcoholic by giving him/her a container full of alcohol. The best way, the only way to support Tommy Sheridan would had been offering help through the mental health services in Scotland. His followers should gently lead him to a mental hospital and serious treatment there instead of fanning the flames in his mental illness. That is a tragedy and what his followers are doing to him is unforgivable.
Then we have the history and the cases of Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot. Persons with dubious morals and a lot of supporters who were more than eager to support their leader, their Messiah, to the gates of hell and beyond. And that is where Tommy Sheridan is heading. A life in hell, fighting for decades over a case he has lost, supported by people who should have known better than driving a man through the meatgrinder every day. He is fighting a case he cannot win because the evidence stacked against him is overwhelming. In the process, the case of socialism is being killed off once and for all here in Scotland too. But this socialist Tommy Sheridan was never a socialist. What mattered and matters to him is himself and nothing else. Anyone seen the movie Der Untergang (Downfall) ? There you have the whole Tommy Sheridan story. Germany was after all only about one person. Socialism is after all only about one person. Are Tommy Sheridan's followers so blind they cannot see that the case for socialism is being shot to pieces in this process ?
Tommy Sheridan is a despicable piece of man who really needs help from NHS (the national health service). But I had expected a bit better from his followers. They have to take a lot of responsibilities for what is now unfolding. And that is a personal tragedy. Shame on them.
The small matter of a football club going into administration.......
Many businesses and indeed, football clubs, goes into administration every year. Some even goes out of business. Chester FC is a good example of that. The future of Darlington FC and Portsmouth FC also hangs in the balance.
But when Rangers FC, one of the biggest football clubs in the world, supported by one half of Glasgow, the protestant tribe/religious strand of Christianity, we are really talking about a massive tragedy here.
The home of Rangers FC, Ibrox, is the temple of protestantism in Scotland and arguably; Northern Ireland too. Yes, you read me right; that is a football stadium that takes around 60 000 bums on their seats. I have to use Google if I am going to find the name of the biggest protestant church in Scotland and Northern Ireland too. I could not be bothered. Neither could I be bothered to find the biggest catholic cathredral in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The fact is that Celtic's stadium Parkhead takes 65 000 bums on it's seats and is the biggest football stadium in the British Isles; the birthplace of football.
The Celtic vs Rangers rivalry is both ugly and essential for life in Glasgow, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The fact that Rangers is now entering administration and is possible facing liquidation is......... well........ unthinkable, but not unlikely too.
I am by no means a fan of Rangers. Despite of being a protestant, I am a closet Celtic fan. But I got friends who are heartbroken tonight and will face the next days in deep angst over the future of their club; Rangers FC. The same goes for small children too which will cry themselves to sleep tonight. Glasgow, Scotland and Northern Ireland will face weeks in angst and depression.
Despite of me being a Celtic fan, I feel really sorry for the many Rangers fans. They do not deserve this. Neither does anyone else who are loosing their football clubs these days. Even I, being a fan of Nottingham Forest, is anxious about my club. Our owner died last week (Nigel Doughty; R.I.P and thank you for saving my club) and we too are facing an uncertain future. Most clubs are these days.
But tonight; I feel really sorry for the many fans of Rangers FC.
But when Rangers FC, one of the biggest football clubs in the world, supported by one half of Glasgow, the protestant tribe/religious strand of Christianity, we are really talking about a massive tragedy here.
The home of Rangers FC, Ibrox, is the temple of protestantism in Scotland and arguably; Northern Ireland too. Yes, you read me right; that is a football stadium that takes around 60 000 bums on their seats. I have to use Google if I am going to find the name of the biggest protestant church in Scotland and Northern Ireland too. I could not be bothered. Neither could I be bothered to find the biggest catholic cathredral in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The fact is that Celtic's stadium Parkhead takes 65 000 bums on it's seats and is the biggest football stadium in the British Isles; the birthplace of football.
The Celtic vs Rangers rivalry is both ugly and essential for life in Glasgow, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The fact that Rangers is now entering administration and is possible facing liquidation is......... well........ unthinkable, but not unlikely too.
I am by no means a fan of Rangers. Despite of being a protestant, I am a closet Celtic fan. But I got friends who are heartbroken tonight and will face the next days in deep angst over the future of their club; Rangers FC. The same goes for small children too which will cry themselves to sleep tonight. Glasgow, Scotland and Northern Ireland will face weeks in angst and depression.
Despite of me being a Celtic fan, I feel really sorry for the many Rangers fans. They do not deserve this. Neither does anyone else who are loosing their football clubs these days. Even I, being a fan of Nottingham Forest, is anxious about my club. Our owner died last week (Nigel Doughty; R.I.P and thank you for saving my club) and we too are facing an uncertain future. Most clubs are these days.
But tonight; I feel really sorry for the many fans of Rangers FC.
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