Sir John Mortimer on Private Passions

Listening to on old recording (1995) of Sir John Mortimer on Private Passions. I was a bit stunned that this incredibly successful barrister should emphasise that the key for a defence lawyer is to get the jury to laugh.

Sir John Mortimer, barrister, playwright and creator of 'Rumpole of the Bailey', died last year. He was one of the very early guests on 'Private Passions', and this edition, recorded at his Buckinghamshire home and first broadcast in 1995, offers another chance to hear him talking about one of his greatest passions, music.

The more I think about the law and politics, the more dubious they seem. There is so much scope for powerful people to abuse charm, good looks, fashion, humour to sway political debate and the legal system.

As I get older, I fear that I am becoming more cynical, we appear to becoming increasingly short-sighted and dummying down?

However on the flip side, I think great progress has been made (especially in 60s and 70s) on civil liberties and the UK schools, prisons and policing becoming more humane. LGBT rights have made huge progress and we are making good progress in the UK (e.g. in the workplace taunting-gay men is now increasingly unacceptable - it happened all the time only 10 years ago)

Furthermore we are making great technological progress and hopefully we can use this knowledge to live in a more efficient way? However the 21st is going to present huge challenges. I hope our leaders will have the intelligence and integrity and reject the current trend for winning arguments in the short-term by skewing statistics, mockery, smart suits... yes this has always been there but I fear we are dummying-down and loosing out humanity.

humane |(h)yoōˈmān|

adjective

1 having or showing compassion or benevolence : regulations ensuring the humane treatment of animals.

• inflicting the minimum of pain : humane methods of killing.

2 formal (of a branch of learning) intended to have a civilizing or refining effect on people : the center emphasizes economics as a humane discipline.

DERIVATIVES

humanely |(h)juˈmeɪnli| adverb

humaneness |(h)juˈmeɪn(n)1s| noun

ORIGIN late Middle English : the earlier form of human , restricted to the senses above in the 18th cent.

Jesus Camp - the dangers of religion and indoctrination

I've just watched Jesus Camp, a film/documentary about the upbringing of children by extreme christains in America, quite scary really: Harry Potter is the devil and must die... but George Bush is the best. They are very powerful and very scary. The trailer gives a feel for the film (although the film has a slower more measured paced)

Fischer is shown preaching a sermon where she mentions the Harry Potter character and claims that had he existed in biblical times, he "would have been put to death". Fischer admonishes the children—many whom are in tears—to "clean up your act" and not be hypocritical in their actions. As several tearful children gather around her, she pours water on their hands to be "washed in the water of [God's] word." ...

There is also a scene at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Levi and his family go on vacation to hear its now-disgraced pastor, Ted Haggard. Levi highly admires Haggard, and is thrilled to meet him. He informs Haggard that he too wants to be a pastor and has already preached sermons. Afterward, Levi, Rachael, Tory, their families and several other children take part in a Justice House of Prayer rally held by Engle in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Additionally, there is a debate between Fischer and Mike Papantonio, an attorney and a radio talk-show host for Air America Radio's Ring of Fire. Papantonio questions Fischer's motives for focusing her ministry efforts on children. Fischer explains that she does not believe that people have the freedom to choose their belief system once they pass childhood, and that it is important that they be immersed in evangelical Christian values from a young age.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Camp

Here are a just few frightening quotes from the film:

Levi: At five I got saved...
Becky Fischer: Yeah?
Levi: ...because I just wanted more of life.

---

Rachel: [preaching to a group of guys sitting in a park] If you were to die right now in this moment, where do you think you'd go?
guy in the park: Heaven
Rachel: [subdued] Really?
guy in the park: Yeah. Sure.
Rachel: Oh... okay. Have a nice day!
[runs back to her friends]
Rachel: I think they were Muslims!

---

Home-schooled kids: I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag...

---

Levi's Mom: Did you get to the part yet where they say that science hasn't proven anything?

---

Becky Fischer: It's no wonder, with that kind of intense training and discipling, that those young people are ready to kill themselves for the cause of Islam. I wanna see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam. I wanna see them as radically laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are over in Pakistan and Israel and Palestine and all those different places, you know, because we have... excuse me, but we have the truth!

---

Becky Fischer: I can go into a playground of kids that don't know anything about Christianity, lead them to the Lord in a matter of, just no time at all, and just moments later they can be seeing visions and hearing the voice of God, because they're so open. They are so usable in Christianity.

---

Becky Fischer: [Referring to President George W. Bush] He has really brought some real credibility, um, to the Christian faith.

---

Ted Haggard: If the Evangelicals vote, they determine the election.

---

Levi's Mom: We believe that there's two kinds of people in this world: people who love Jesus and people who don't.

---

Rachel: There are certain churches, they're called "dead churches," and the people there, they sit there, like this
[blank stare monotone]
Rachel: - "We worship you God, we worship you God."... The churches that God likes to go to, are churches where they're jumping up and down, shouting his name, and just praising him, they're not acting - they're not quiet
[pious frown monotone]
Rachel: "We worship you... ," they're
[exuberant jumping]
Rachel: "Hallelujah God!" And depending on how they invite him, he'll be there, or not.

---

Ted Haggard: We've decided the Bible is the word of God. We don't have to have a General Assembly about what we believe. It's written in the Bible. Alright, so we don't have to debate what we think about homosexual activity. It's written in the Bible.
[pointing and looking into the camera]
Ted Haggard: I think I know what you did last night.
[audience laughs]
Ted Haggard: If you send me a thousand dollars, I won't tell your wife.
[audience and Haggard laughs]
Ted Haggard: If you use any of this, I'll sue you.

---

Becky Fischer: And while I'm on the subject, let me say something about Harry Potter. Warlocks are the enemies of God! And I don't care what kind of hero they are, they're an enemy of God and had it been in the Old Testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death!
Crowd: Amen!
Becky Fischer: You don't make heroes out of warlocks!

---

Becky Fischer: It's almost like being on the cover of "Rolling Stones"!

---

Levi: I think Galileo made the right choice by giving up science for Christ.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486358/quotes

Actually the parts which probably shocked me the most were Becky Fischers clear contempt for democracy and that indocrination of children is good!!

It all made think of that great Al Gore quote:

Al Gore [quoting Mark Twain] "What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so."

I also liked this forum post from imdb:

Jesus Camp is serious business., 14 September 2006

Author: mmckelley from United States

This film intrigued me for several reasons: First it is filmed in my home state of Missouri, not the deep south as so many people think, in fact it is filmed near Kansas City.

The film is a well-presented view from the perspective of the ultra conservative, Evangelical movement. It is honest in its intent. Minister, Becky Fischer, is honest in her goals for the camp and its attendees.

I did find that the film seemed to play fast and loose with numbers. For example it is stated that 75% of all home schooled children are evangelical. I come from a liberal background and have many well-educated friends who home school and none of them are evangelical so I am skeptical about their claim.

As one might expect, statements are made such as "there is no such thing as global warming" and that "all homosexuals are going to hell." That doesn't surprise me. The fact that not one of the adults or children questions any of these statements or offers to provide proof or seek an alternative explanation is the elephant in the room.

However; the film is filled with passion and filmmakers present the information honestly. The sad issue is that the evangelical movement seems not to have learned anything from the War in Iraq. Our presence there will only result in civil war. This was predicted long before the war started, now, four years later, if the U.S. were to leave, full blown civil war would certainly result. Why, because the church and state in Iraq are inseparable.

I will eagerly await the sequel five years from now when the filmmakers return to Jesus Camp and reinterview these children. On second thought, perhaps they had ought to wait ten years.

I also feel sorry for more moderate christains:

"It shows the Midwest evangelicals are comparative to Muslim camps in the Middle East as if we're training up warriors to battle the world," said Andy Braner, director of the Christian camp Kanakuk Colorado. "It gives people a bad taste of what camps are all about."

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/novemberweb-only/146-12.0.html

But I also think Andy Braner is possibly missing the point about the dangerous cocktail of the church taking over the state (government/corporate&miltary power) in America?

I hope common sense and moderation wins-out in the worlds biggest super-power!

indoctrinate |inˈdäktrəˌnāt|

verb [ trans. ]

teach (a person or group) to accept a set of beliefs uncritically : broadcasting was a vehicle for indoctrinating the masses.

• archaic teach or instruct (someone) : he indoctrinated them in systematic theology.

ORIGIN early 17th cent.(formerly also as endoctrinate): from en- ¹ , in- ² [into] + doctrine + -ate ³ , or from obsolete indoctrine (verb), from French endoctriner, based on doctrine ‘doctrine.’

psychology and power of arms (AK-47)

The following tells so much about the terrible power of the arms trade and the military.

Natasha Mitchell: The SPLA told you, there's a line in the book "always remember the gun is your mother and father now". Tell me about the relationship that you had as a boy to the AK-47 you were given. It was taller than you when you first got it.

Emmanuel Jal: An AK-47 gives you so much power when you hold it in your hand. With this thing I can shoot an elephant down. With this thing I'm equal as an adult, I can make an adult scream and beg for mercy. And the way it was brought to us was we were told: "this is your father and this is your mother". And it kind of makes sense. When you have an AK-47 you will not go hungry, you eat anywhere you pass, any village that you go to - you just sit under the tree and people will bring you food. That's the power it had. When you don't have it you become like a child again, you become vulnerable. And also the way we are trained with the movement is, it's like we idolise it, it's more important than your family members. If my father was against me I would fight my father, that's how we took it.

Emmanuel Jal is now a rapper, a powerful voice, rapping about his terrible experiences as a child soldier in the Sudanese Civil War.

This program is shocking a living hell in our time, but Emmanuel is able to communicate these living horrors with a great sense of humanity.

Normally I don't like rap but hear it works well.

Emmanuel Jal: Emma is my angel because she came at the right moment and she smuggled me, she risked her life smuggling me into Kenya.

Natasha Mitchell: I guess you wondered if she picked you or you picked her?

Natasha Mitchell: She decided to pick me, I don't know why me? Why did she pick me? I don't understand, I have no answer.

This one goes to Emma McCune
Angel to the rescue one afternoon
I'm here because you rescued me
I'm proud to carry your legacy
Thank you
Bless you
R I Peace

What would I be if Emma never rescued me?
What would I be?
What would I be, another starving refugee?
What would I be?
What would I be if Emma never rescued me?
Yeah e yeah yeah e yeah

french: Le pronostic le plus favorable est une sortie de crise à la japonaise

Good summary of the current economic crisis in le monde:

Le monde va-t-il vivre, comme le Japon, une "décennie perdue" ?

C'est un risque, car la situation actuelle ressemble beaucoup à celle du Japon des années 1990. Pourtant, il existe un espoir, car tout le monde tente de "resolvabiliser" ce système financier, ce qui n'avait pas été fait dans le Japon d'alors.

Cette resolvabilisation sera-t-elle suffisante

Les 700 milliards de dollars (524 milliards d'euros) que les Etats-Unis ont affectés à cette thérapeutique semblent une somme considérable, mais ils arrivent à épuisement. Remettre quelques centaines de milliards de dollars, comme cela serait nécessaire, sera ardu politiquement. Il faudra que les décideurs y soient acculés et, d'ici là, la situation économique se sera malheureusement encore dégradée...

A-t-on raison de comparer le cycle actuel à la Grande Dépression de 1929 ?

Cette crise est parfaitement synchronisée à l'échelle mondiale en raison de la grande intégration des flux commerciaux et de la globalisation financière. Cette synchronisation nous ramène au contexte de 1929, alors que, lors de toutes les crises de l'après-guerre, une partie du monde continuait à croître. Au moment des chocs pétroliers des années 1970 et 1980, on assistait à des transferts d'activités d'un point à l'autre du globe. Ce n'était pas une perte nette mondiale. Aujourd'hui, comme en 1929, personne ne peut être la bouée de sauvetage de personne, et cela explique l'accélération de la récession depuis l'automne.

La Chine ne peut-elle aider à amortir le choc ?

Elle est trop petite pour soutenir seule le reste de la planète. Certes, elle annonce un plan de soutien de son économie important, mais si la crise durait, aurait-elle assez de munitions ?

Crise Financiere : Greenspan Complimente Obama

Despite Wall Streets efforts to blame their unbelievable losses (trillions of dollars!?) on Washington, Allan Greenspan has complemented Obama's government:

L'ancien président de la Réserve fédérale des États-Unis, Alan Greenspan, a félicité vendredi le gouvernement de Barack Obama pour sa façon de gérer la crise financière, et en particulier pour le remaniement du système bancaire américain.

Cette restructuration bancaire est un «pivot» de l'équilibre mondial, a-t-il affirmé à la clôture de la 72e Convention des banques du Mexique, dans la célèbre station balnéaire d'Acapulco.

Une telle crise «survient une fois par siècle ou même moins», a-t-il poursuivi. Face à elle, le gouvernement de M. Obama «fait un excellent travail, aussi bon que possible compte tenu des circonstances qu'il affronte», a-t-il ajouté.

Mais, selon lui, avant de créer de nouvelles structures il faut réguler le système financier pour réactiver l'économie au niveau mondial.

Il a par ailleurs estimé que les banques auront besoin d'une injection de capitaux privés ou publics d'un montant «supérieur à 750 milliards» de dollars pour travailler normalement.

M. Greenspan a dirigé la Réserve fédérale de 1987 à janvier 2006. S'il a quitté la Fed au faîte de sa gloire, son action à la tête de la banque centrale est fortement remise en cause par nombre d'analystes et de politiciens, qui lui reprochent notamment d'avoir mené une politique monétaire trop accommodante.

Also in a recent FT interview, Greenspan has advocated nationalisation (i.e. the big bank are fundamentally bankrupt and it is not a short term liquidity problem as the city would like to believe);

Greenspan backs bank nationalisation
By Krishna Guha and Edward Luce in Washington
Published: February 18 2009 00:06 | Last updated: February 18 2009 00:06

The US government may have to nationalise some banks on a temporary basis to fix the financial system and restore the flow of credit, Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, has told the Financial Times.

In an interview, Mr Greenspan, who for decades was regarded as the high priest of laisser-faire capitalism, said nationalisation could be the least bad option left for policymakers.

”It may be necessary to temporarily nationalise some banks in order to facilitate a swift and orderly restructuring,” he said. “I understand that once in a hundred years this is what you do.”

Mr Greenspan’s comments capped a frenetic day in which policymakers across the political spectrum appeared to be moving towards accepting some form of bank nationalisation.

“We should be focusing on what works,” Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, told the FT. “We cannot keep pouring good money after bad.” He added, “If nationalisation is what works, then we should do it.”