kactuz: One word - Leviticus.

rancitas, what a beautiful monika. Rancitas. Ran - sit - as. The mouth broadens on the first syllable to be as wide and welcoming as Paris Hilton's legs, to close up on 'sit', landing with a sensual bump on the 'as'.

Ah, you're a person after me own heart. I've made some strange choices, but rather than blame myself for the horrendous messes I find myself in, it's so much more fun to sit at home, seething in my own bile and picking through characters to assassinate. Truth to tell, at every crossroads in my life I’ve chosen the more painful, the more lonely, the more narcissistic. Can’t help myself: given the choice between a cushy, middle class life and living in destitute squalor, threatened by psychos, and risking life and sanity at each turn, I pick squalor every time. Damn moral highground is covered in bush lawyer, eh. Your butt may have a crack you can’t explain, but hey, at least it’s not festering with a million splinters.

But enough about me. Let’s hear about you and your cute blue eyes and blonde hair.

This is starting to get wierd.

Please stop.

For a while we had Keyser Trad sounding off in protest at every slight, imagined or otherwise, dealt to muslims. Now we have Ameer Ali who appears to have nominated himself as 'spokesperson for everything,'
The truth is that these people belong to a MINORITY but you would never know it if you were an outsider. The majority of Australians are sick of hearing the demands,miseries,complaints,whining of this minority that is given far too much media space.
Give it a rest. If the conditions of this country do not suit, for goodness sake move!

Rancitas, did you read this in the paper. F**ken' scary sh*t.
Get a load of this.

Iran Reaffirms Intention To Murder Salman Rushdie
Rushdie fatwa stays
FASTNEWS—The Courier-Mail, 14th February, 2005
Tehran: Iran's hardline Revolutionary Guards declared yesterday that the death sentence passed against British writer Salman Rushdie, was irreversible and said Muslims would one day carry it out. The Guards were marking the anniversary of the 1989 fatwa pronounced against Rushdie by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who considered his novel The Satanic Verses blasphemous.

"The day will come when the Muslims take retribution for apostate Salman Rushdie's transgression against the holy Koran and the Prophet Mohammad," the Guards said in a statement.

end

I love Rushdie's works -great stuff - it is a crime against all humanity to even consider such a proposition. Brings home Shakira's point somewhat - I think. Is Rushdie still a Muslim anyone?

Okay i talks to meself a bit. As any fule no, at least when talking to self one is talking to someone decent (shut the f**k up rednecks you all wouldn't have a clue).

Scout, sorry if it came across as a lecture - not really intended that way. I get pretty frustrated by the black and white approach of some as well. I'm not real convinced about BD being fully in the darkside. Although he seems to dwell over there occasionally he extends himself and touches the issues. Maybe a pink-neck.

FH - I had not spotted your response to my question, kind of got tied up in other stuff. Before I proceed with more questions can I note that I'm not suggesting you support the laws you refered to, the following are attempts to gain understanding. Are all belief (or non belief) systems protected in the same way. Are the feelings of agnostics, athiests etc protected as well as the feelings of those who choose to believe in a God. Those kinds of laws are likely to a nightmare of bias to implement and be easily manipulated to restrict freedoms. The lack of them certainly has some issues, a look at some of the posts on this thread shows that some people are unwilling to exercise any kind of repectfull restraint but personally I'd rather wear that risk than additional external censorship. If nothing else the tone of posts from people of various faiths provides some indication of the value of their faith.

Some years ago there was a so called art item which from memory featured a statue of christ immersed in urine. Clearly designed to offend christians and spark outrage. I'm really mixed views about it. On the one hand I'm glad we have the legal freedom for that to occur and on the other hand saddened that a number of people had so little concern for ethical behaviour that they were willing to produce the work and to place it on public display. The display is gone or rarely heard of now and christians (and some muslims) still hold Christ in high regard, somewhat better than a knock on the door at 3am for somebody.

Thanks again for you contributions to my knowledge of these topics.

Cheers
R0bert