The Patriot Prism

Once again events around the world conspire to bring home the absurd world we live in and with the weight of those horrors being too much for people, it can also be at times the saddest place to be. Some people are doomed to spend their lives enclosed between walls, their minds stretched to the limits under the weight placed on them by the sadness that exists among us every single day, even in ordinary day lives.
So many things happen on a daily base which help us form the opinions we all carry with us. Freedom to express that opinion is, in my working-class opinion, everyone's right. Without them you can't sway opinions on issues, hence any real change open to mankind seems to only come about after extreme acts of violence toward our fellow man.
I haven't looked into the background of what has unfolded in Norway over the past 36 hours, but one thing I know is the killer is nothing but a murdering coward, for no ideal is worth the lives of innocent people and has no place in any democracy. There has to be better ways to get your point across than slaughtering people and worse so, your own. I reckon when they sent Tim McVeigh to the table he was glad for the release of the burden of seeing the faces of innocent women and children haunt his every waking hour and I believe even he knew in the end, brutal slaughter serves no purpose, however justified warped thinking and twisted idealism's can be at times.
How one person can inflict so much damage to the psyche the world over will be the subject of much discussion in the short term. The longer term will bring about a more stringent approach, with a further shadow cast across society as it slowly closes in on itself by the censoring of any open and constructive debate. I've seen it in Ireland. Top politicians who delete 'friends' on Facebook for asking the wrong type of question. The Patriot Act did it State side. And the phone hacking scandal in Britain. All a perfect storm, or what?
Open society may very well be the fault for so many losing their lives in Oslo at the end of the day. To commit the atrocity that was perpetrated on Norway's darkest day since the war, severe lapses in security probably contributed more to the death toll than any other single contributory factor apart for this individuals need to make his point. How do you balance it?
It is terrorism, but I did not like the way many analysts jumped down the throat of Muslims as a primary reaction. I guess people are better keeping trap closed in certain quarters. The standard of Journalism being delivered is also appalling. One Sky reporter was saying that McVeigh carried out his bombing in Utah. This is the main stream media?
Civil society has no place for people who carry out such acts. Some put them to death, others lock them up. One thing is sure, they can't be allowed to walk among us. Until we get to the stage Spielberg got to in Minority Report, it's always going to be a social conundrum that one.

Earlier this evening I found me pipes getting hot for a few reasons, mainly stemming from a disturbing fact I read earlier today where it was said that 1 billion people in the world now suffer from malnutrition. It was nowhere to be seen on any front pages of tomorrows newspapers. Not one. The headlines were split between Norway and the tragic death of Amy Winehouse, as she became the latest entry into the 27 Club.
Singer Winehouse shot to worldwide fame with her 2006 album, Back To Black before a slow slide into drug and alcohol addiction, culminating in her death today at just 27 years of age. With the world at her feet, addiction slaved over her every waking minute as she fought her demons under the glare of a tabloid driven frenzy which can have done nothing more than make her close further into addictions arms.
I'm all up for a bit of banter. I'd laugh at some strange jokes. All good. But I did find some comments in the world of social media tonight more than distasteful. Addiction is classified by the W.H.O as being a disease. It's clutches are hard to break free from. I'd even go as far as to stay damn near impossible, such are the odds against anyone battling any of its forms. So in a world where people are entitled to an opinion, I guess you have to let anything go. But calling her 'Junkie Scum' is probably among the most distasteful thing I've heard in a while. I blame education, as I'm more than well-voiced in human flaw, but even sometime people need to take a little charge of themselves.

I'll comfort myself in the fact that out there somewhere in the universe, what energy remains of her maybe singing vocals written by Bill Hicks alongside Kurt Kobain, whist being accompanied on piano by Richard Burton and backing vocals from Ollie Reed and Ronnie Drew. Trombone and Bangles from Richard Harris. Perhaps a little jazz. Or the blues. And who knows what's possible anymore, as any Math man will tell you, it's all in the numbers. Isn't it?

Amy Winehouse
Endorsed!