The Sixth Commandment

You Shall Not Murder

 

This obviously didn’t apply to war or execution. God was always encouraging the Israelites to go to war and massacre their enemies and when you get to the laws of Moses there is plenty about people being put to death.

 

It seems then that it is OK for the state, tribe or whatever authority structure to kill people for the reasons that it decides, but individuals are not allowed to.

 

Well that seems a pretty reasonable rule on the face of it although I am against capital punishment in all circumstances (all justice systems are fallible and killing people for things they have not done is morally repulsive) and the way that the god of Abraham approved war is no guide that anybody should follow. Let us also not forget that this god would not have been a fan of the Geneva Conventions. He was entirely happy with genocide and killing prisoners.

 

Even when it comes to individual murder it seems that god himself was exempt from his rules. He was happy enough to kill poor Mrs Lot for the terrible crime of looking back. In the case of his chosen he also seems to have different standards.

 

When Moses killed the Egyptian overseer because of his cruelty there is no censure of him. Apparently the ten commandments did not apply to Moses himself. He cannot be allowed the excuse of self defence, because he was not personally under attack. The fact is that he took the law into his own hands. He killed an official of the Pharoah who was acting in accordance with the norms of his government. As is the case throughout the old testament, the life of an Egyptian did not have the value (in the eyes of god and Moses) of a Jewish life.

 

We should not be surprised that the old testament is racist, that merely reflects the times in which it was written, but it does mean that we cannot take biblical commandments as having any relevance to modern life.

 

I certainly think that you should not murder and that applies to everybody at all times. Not just to those who are alleged to be approved by god. We need universal standards not hypocritical and partial ones.

For The Love Of Little Children

A report was published yesterday on the abuse of children by Catholic Church organisations in Ireland. In many cases abusive priests were moved on and nothing done to stop the abuse or bring the perpetrators to justice.

 

For The Love Of Little Children

 

Hello! I’m Brother Blessed.

I have taken holy orders.

So that I may praise the Lord

and love the little children.

 

Straight out from the seminary

I was a brother teacher

Helping the sweet little ones

in learning to be good.

 

The wickedness within them

was the greatest of my burdens

The devil fought with vigour

before it left their

striped red cheeks.

 

I inject the love of Jesus

to the sobbing contrite cherub

and forgive him

for the pain he’s brought

by letting evil in.

 

My Lord the Bishop

thanked me for the

depth of my devotion

and gave me my own parish

to build the congregation.

 

I am Father Blessed

and all my little children

are angel faced, angel voiced

angelic of complexion.

 

My choir is a glory

of unbroken vocal chords

I love them each and every one

A love unknown, unspoken.

 

I devoted many hours

to more coaching in my room

bringing sacred music

to the mouths of

my best boys.

 

His eminence the cardinal

honoured my achievements.

On the holy Father’s orders

I was raised to greater things.

 

I am Father Blessed

Head and overseer

of the many teaching orders

spread throughout the land.

 

All the best and brightest scholars

are brought to my attention

that I might admire their qualities

and guide them on myself.

 

The lord has blessed us beyond words

with the beauty of creation.

I worship at the altar

of young bodies beautiful.

 

Now upon my later years

there is time for reflection.

Dear Mother Church has granted me

a care home and a pension.

 

I pray for the misguided

and the wicked lies they utter.

The dear lord will reward me soon

for I loved his little children.

Honourable Member

Goodbye Mister Speaker

it is sad to see you go.

You were a stalwart fighter

for the rules

we got to know.

 

I am an honourable member

not a flipping politician

I wouldn’t work the system

I am only here to serve.

 

That bath plug was essential,

you wouldn’t want me whiffing.

The moat around my vast estate

was stinking, clogged

with old receipts.

I couldn’t do the job myself

I work so hard for you

 

I’m an honourable member

not a flipping politician.

You simply do not understand

the burdens of my job.

 

I work all week in London

at my club

and over luncheon

where I make the many contacts

that grease my working life.

 

Of course I need another house

back with my constituents

so I can show my face in town

and keep the voters sweet.

 

The place I keep

down on the coast

and where my lover caretakes

I use to charge my batteries

the better to serve you.

 

I’m an honourable member

not a flipping politician

Swapping the second and my third house

for my first when tax was pending,

that was none of my choice,

the rule I wasn’t bending

I was told I had to do this,

and I do what I’m directed,

I must live here in London

to be a Minister.

 

I’m an honourable member

not a flipping politician

Now let me tell you clearly

we are poorly paid as Members

and I owe it to my family

to get the best returns

 

Look! Paying off the mortgage

left me short of capital

and I needed more

taxpayers cash

to stash away in shares.

 

The porno films were not for me

they help stop hubby straying

while I am away all week

in the flat for which you’re paying.

 

He works hard as well you see

he does my admin work.

He fills in my expenses claims

and you pay him well for that.

 

Yes fifty bags of horse shit

is a lot of crap I know,

but my garden is a glory.

I put on a good show.

 

Bleary little squirrel nutkin

keeps her crash hat close at hand.

Gordon Says that he supports her

She’s on her way, so wave goodbye.

 

We are sorry for the system

that WE put in place to guide us.

 

We are sorry for those others

unlike me who were quite naughty.

 

We are sorry, we are sorry

we are sorry that you caught us.

Phony mortgage interest

So Ben Chapman thinks it OK to claim non existent expenses if the fees office will agree. An attitude you want in your MP Eh!

Your time is up Martin

Michael Martin your apology is worthless RESIGN NOW! Gordon Brown call an immediate General Election.

Reform Parliament Now

The present expenses scandal highlights the need for fundamental reform of the British political system. Devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was a necessary and partial improvement and we now need to move on from that. Key reforms which should take place are:

Reduce the number of MP’s to about 400 from the present 650.

Establish a form of proportional representation for voting with fixed term four year parliaments.

Scrap the House of Lords and replace it with a directly elected upper chamber of 100 members with a fixed seven year term.

Abolish all county, district and unitary councils and replace them with directly elected regional assemblies with fixed four year terms. The assemblies to have similar powers to those in Wales and NI.

Allow towns and parishes to have local councils if they wish. No national or regional finance for them. All money they need to be raised within their own community.

All elected members to be subject to recall if demanded by 3% of their electorate.