Passing Thoughts

Back into the river

All good things come to an end as they say. Back to commuting tomorrow. I've been working from home this week and over the last two or three weeks life has settled into a very pleasant rhythm with my family around me. Everyones sleep patterns have shifted slightly, going to be later and getting up slightly later. This suits me much better. Despite three years of children and getting up very early I suspect that given half a chance my natural sleep patterns would quickly revert to going to be very late and getting up latish as well. I am just not a morning person. These days by bed time my brain feels like its up to speed and I can think quickly and clearly. By contrast in the mornings I am on Autopilot - the only reason I don't forget things like phone, security pass etc. is because I am learning strategies to stop me having to walk back from the station to get them.

At the start of this month the Freedom of Information Act came in to effect. This is actually a really good thing but it does have a real downside for those of us that it applies to. One of the big implications is that things like email are effectively public even though your tendency is to treat them as private. Today I have been running scripts to purge all of my library email of everything except on going business. The meetings spreading the information about the act in the library have been very informative and its going to be interesting to see how the act impacts day to day business. One thing is for sure the cost implication is enormous and absolutely at odds with the governments desire to cut costs in the civil service.

An open letter to Christian Voice the group attacking the BBC for their recent broadcast. These recent moves by religious groups to try and censor free speech are scarily reminiscent of the actions of the religions right in America. Something I have no wish to see here. Note clearly that this is nothing to do with the fact the group wishing to impose this censorship is religious but rather their desire to censor the freedoms of our society.

I would be interested to know by what right you seek to dictate
what I as a non-christian choose to watch (or not) on my television.

The broadcast in question (the Jerry Springer opera) was broadcast
with considerable warning as to its content and I do not believe that
a single christian has been *made* to watch it. You are right in that
you should have the freedom in our society not to be insulted and offended.
You are going out of your way to be offended by this broadcast.

There is a general acceptance in society of religion and race. The laws
devised by our lawmakers in our name certainly enshrine these principles.
Recent incidents - the censorship of a recent play in Birmingham by a Sikh
mob and your own activities about the BBC's broadcast - seem to show that
this tolerance is not reciprocated.

I do not want to live in a society where free speech is prevented by the vocal
minority. You seek not to be offended by something no one has made
you watch. I would like the freedom of my society to remain intact - including
those to select my own beliefs and think my own thoughts. It seems to
me that your own belief system relies heavily on these freedoms as well
and if you look back at early christian history the church itself did much to
fight the kind of oppression you are now seeking to impose on the rest
of us.

yours sincerely

mark williamson