A Change of Mind, No Change of Mind and Loss of Mind

President Bush's and Tony Blair's favourite UK Colonel Tim Collins was the tough, no-nonsense, ball-breaking Colonel of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment - one of the toughest units in the British Army, - who told his men that going onto Iraq was a war of liberation, not conquest. Now he says it was naive to believe it. He says that at the time he didn't realise that there was no real plan at higher levels to replace the regime they had gone into Iraq to defeat. Indeed, he now feels that the invasion was based on a simplistic and unimaginative overreliance on the power of destruction and crude military might. They were there to beat the Iraqis. That simple. The entire article can be read at The Observer.

Another article talks about Tony Blair's anger at the BBC for its "biased" reporting of the after effects and political fall-out from Hurricane Katrina. Apparently, Blair told that other paragon of virtue and responsible reporting, Rupert Murdoch, that the BBC was showing not enough support for Bush and his team - concentrating too much on bodies floating in the water and lots of poor, black people huddled in atrocious conditions and the fact that Bush took 2 days to respond. My God, Blair is getting further and further out of touch! The same tone re: the response, was struck by all other responsible news broadcasters, but it was only the BBC that got criticised. Typical of course, shoot the messenger for not following Downing Street spin as they should!

Finally, the Christian Right in America have, I think, finally jumped over the cliff. A French documentary on Emperor Penguins now provides absolute proof of God's Intelligent Design. Apparently, the images of penguins battling against the worst weather in the world to raise and protect their young demonstrates the way God wants us to live our lives. They are monogamous (but not for life, which is conveniently over-looked), and sacrifice themselves for the good of the family - all good, decent values that all good, decent God-fearing parents should follow. Apparently children are told to take note-books in to watch the film so they can make notes of any pious message that may come to them from watching the penguins. To me, they are just birds, with bird style brains and if there was intelligent design, I wouldn't be living there in the first place!

But hang on. Penguins are only one creature of God. What about Bonobo chimps who have sex at just about any opportunity possible, and with any partner - female or male. Sex is seen as the social glue that keeps them together - do they prove intelligent design? Or what about preying mantises, the females of which, practice murder and necrophillia as they consume their spouses while, themselves, being consummated! Obviously Intelligent Design is a lot more complicated than I thought. Maybe I don't have the intelligence for it - in which case, do I blame God!