VD, Pancake war // Cultural "differences" // Tyranny of the Majority

[skreidle]

I was right about jazzfish mentioning the St. Valentine's Day massacre, but didn't realize it was the 75th anniversary thereof. :)
Today is Satyrday, February 14, the Feast of St. Valentine.
Today in history:
Seventy-five years ago today, gunmen acting on orders of Al Capone shot and killed six members of rival bootlegger George "Bugs" Moran's gang, plus an optometrist who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Peace.

User Friendly also referenced that fateful day, by way of Hastur. :)

profworm: The War Against Blueberry Pancakes, with my input. :)

Funny newspaper bit from kadooshka, who's currently in Perth and reading the Sydney Morning Herald online:

"... London's daily train chaos is legend enough to inspire the Going Underground website, in which actual train announcements are faithfully recorded by commuters. Jeff Smith, of the Southern Cross University in Lismore, offered a few of his favourites, including:

"Please mind the closing doors . . ." (The doors close. The doors open.) "Passengers are reminded that the big red slidey things on the side of the train are called the doors. Let's try it again, shall we? Please stand clear of the doors." (The doors close . . .) "Thank you."

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From the NY Times and infojunkies via macguyver: Afghan Women, Still in Chains. It may or may not have been our job to help fix up the country, but ousting the Taliban wasn't enough--there has to be follow-through. For many women outside of Kabul, their lives are even worse now than before.


From michaelduff: Valentine's Day forbidden in Saudi Arabia.
“It is a pagan Christian holiday and Muslims who believe in God and Judgment Day should not celebrate or acknowledge it or congratulate people on it,” an edict issued by the Fatwa Committee said.
...
“There are only two holidays in Islam — Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha — and any other holidays, whether to celebrate an individual, group or event, are inventions which Muslims are banned from,” said the committee, headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh.
...
“Our religion is very clear in this matter. We only celebrate two occasions every year at the end of Ramadan and during pilgrimage. Anyone who adopts another culture is very weak and misguided,” said another young man.

Wow.

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benzado: The tone of the gay marriage debate rubs me the wrong way. People who want to limit the rights of marriage to heterosexual couples continuously appeal to will of the majority. They insist that it is up to the People to decide if some should be allowed and others forbidden to marry.

Continuously ignored is the right of the individual over the whim of the people. The folks promoting equal rights for homosexuals aren't even pointing out this fact. As much as this country has been about Democracy, it has also been about the Rights of the Individual. This country is not just about promoting what is popular, but protecting the unpopular as well.

Comments

[six2.livejournal.com]

It's like a teach-a-man-to-fish thing; we can't fix these countries ourselves, we have to teach and aid them to fix themselves.

Re:

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Of course, so often in U.S. history, our "aid"--particularly financial and military--comes back to haunt us a decade or so down the road. Best intentions and all, but no foresight.

Re:

[six2.livejournal.com]

Agreed, arms sales and projects that countries don't want. We could do better setting a good example for world conduct in international relations and cut some of our military budget and use the funds toward humanitarian causes.

Re:

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

That's crazy talk, son. If we do that, The Terrorists Win!

Re:

[six2.livejournal.com]

*lol*

[jazzfish]

Yeah, I hadn't realised it was the 75th anniversary until day before yesterday, when I thought "Hey. . . 1929. . . 2004. . . hey, that works out!"

The User Friendly was also quite wonderful. :)