I hate being ill. But I'm surviving.

Hi readers...

Sorry I wasn't about yesterday, but I was home sick with something and I'm not really all that well today. But... As my degree is getting rather close to the end, I could only allow myself the one day, instead of taking off today too. Och weel.

I'm fine, by the way... As Fiona would say, I'm being a bit silly, but I do look "Guy peely wally." So... I'm not faking it or something. (By the way, in English it would be "Very pale and interesting" which still doesn't make much sense, but hey, it's Scottish) I caught her bloody cold, and it's mutated into something else that involves muscle pain and a fever, with a grand headache that seems to float around in my skull causing intermittent pain in various and sundry parts of my head. It's been fun.

Okay... That being said.

A couple of links to get you "thinking" this weekend, whilst I'm away from the Internet (click HERE to avoid password stuff):

On Wednesday I had an entry with a link and the word "Argh" in it... Well... Here's a nice Editorial from the NY Times that does a better job of kvetching than I actually can, so I'll include it here: "Design for Confusion" I LOVE Krugman, he's one of my favourite editorial writers on EARTH, and I mean that.

Anyhoo... Because Mick wrote in a comment about my happiness with the announcement that the IRA has "given up it's armed struggle against Britian" that he wasn't too sure, and how they've made promises before, and not followed through. I thought I should throw THIS article here to show an anti-IRA sort of view. I need to say that I completely, and totally wish to disregard this asshat, but... I am trying to be balanced. I will however, say a couple of things.

The author, Mr. Malloney, speaks about all the horrible stuff the IRA has done, and is doing. He never talks about the paramilitary UNIONIST groups. He speaks about the criminality, and talks about how Northern Ireland had the MOST confiscated illegal goods in Britain (meaning England, Scotland and Wales combined) and through telling "part" of the truth, he's getting away with a bit of a misdirection. I'm sorry, but the IRA are not the only people involved in smuggling and drugs and money laundering. So... Yeah, just wanted to add that. Also... The author hints at a governmental collusion between Tony Blair (PM of Britain) and Bertie Ahern (PM of the Republic of Ireland) and the Sinn Fein party. Um... Yeah, so Tony and Bertie are in bed with the IRA? I don't think so, sir... I really don't.

I don't know, there's a lot of talk from the UUP and ULP and UDP and Dr. Ian Paisley about how horrible it is to take the army out of Northern Ireland, and how the IRA is horrible, yadda, yadda... But the fact of the matter, folks, is that if the IRA is ending it's paramilitary actions, then the British Army SHOULD leave... If the IRA continues with it's criminal activities, um... Frankly then the Northern Irish POLICE should be the ones dealing with it, not tanks and machine-guns.

Tell me what you think? Is there a discussion here?

Smiles,
Tuckmac