Fatherhood at 12

Does anyone else find it strange that three boys of 12, 16 and 14 quarrel over the fatherhood of a baby born to a 15 years old? They all claim to have slept with her in her bed with the consent of her parents. I just can’t really imagine how the conversation with the parent went:
“Yes dear, he is 16, don’t you think he's too old for you? Why don’t you bring someone younger next time. He may be smaller, too, and will fit in your bed better. Also make sure you don’t use any of these contraceptive. The priest was clear that we must not corrupt your young minds, lest it should put strange ideas in your little heads.”

Well Done Post Office

The post office – of which I have been a good customer for year– has always provided the worst service of any financial institution: internet and telephone banking have been substandard, the queues have been long, the clerks uninformed, and every simple request takes for forever.

But some things happen fast

Due to my travelling, I missed a £12 payment. Normally such a small amount would roll with some interest and fee into my next statement, sometimes with a polite reminder.

Not any longer.

Within four days I have received a warning letter saying that: "according to Consumer Credit Act 1974 I have defaulted and have to immediately remedy the situation before any further legal action would take place."

Four days? 12 pounds? Are they serious? At least it explains where they put their resources, and why  and why everything else takes forever.

Hypocrisy

Today, Musa was found guilty for Speed camera scam and was sentenced to 16 months in prison. He had charged speeding motorists up to £200 for taking the blame.

Today, if the four House of Lords members are found to have accepted £120,000 to help secure amendments to a Government bill on behalf of a business client, they could be required to apologise on the floor of the Lords. They cannot be expelled from Parliament or stripped of their titles, not to mention serving a jail sentence.

Everyone will benefit if we send Musa to the House of Lords and the Lords to prison.

Gaza: Do They Really Care?

The anti-Israel campaigners have disappeared from my town. This is natural now that the fighting has stopped. But where are the donation collectors? Where have they gone now that the Palestinians need them the most?

There was no reason for donation during the war. Now there is. Now that the fire has stopped you can transfer medicine and food to Gaza. It is now that the people in Gaza need help rebuilding their lives, their homes, hospitals and schools. Now they need financial aid. But nobody seems to collect for them any more. Not in my town.

We now know that a great deal of the donations for the Tsunami victims never reached the suffering Indonesians. So while I have no doubt about the good intention of the street collectors, is it possible that the donation operation was merely a cynical exploitation of the emotions in the street to make some people rich?

How do we know how much went to those suffering in Gaza and not to enrich people here? If it went to Gaza, why have they stopped now?

Adoption

A couple was denied the right to adopt a child because the man was too fat. There were other behavioral or health problems. Is such discrimination legal in the UK? It wouldn’t be in many parts of the civilized world.

On the other hand, isn’t the department dealing with adoption the same as that dealing with child safety? This is the same department that followed the correct procedures to the letter, only to end up with the death of Baby P ...  and others. 

It’s a wonderful economic environment to find replacement for some of these long term government paper pushers. So many good people need a job these days.

End to Prostitution? Not another creative solution! by ranfuchs @ 20/11/2008 – 00:42:15

"Men caught paying for sex with women who are controlled by pimps will be fined ₤1000, and will be shamed publicly."

Well done creative thinkers.
 

If you read my blog, you may be aware that I strongly believe that it’s our duty to do all in our power to fight the horrendous crime of human trafficking. This is the main reason for this new legislation. But this is not the way.

After all, not even Iran, with death by stoning, managed to stop prostitution; can we? It will only make it impossible for men to report on such situations when they encounter them.

Can you imagine hoards of policemen hiding next to each prostitute to catch and fine her clients, instead of arresting the pimp and releasing the prostitute. After all, if they know which prostitute is employed by a pimp, why do they need to wait for her clients?

Once again, it's just another tax, a scheme for making easy money, without dealing with the problem itself.  When will the UK legislator start thinking about catching and punishing criminals and not how to fill their coffers?  When will human rights laws ensure that law abiding citizen are as protected as criminals?

Some more thoughts about Baby P

First, the Haringey council claimed it was not their fault, as correct procedures had been followed. So let me correct the esteemed council and tell them that procedures are not the right thing; procedure are a means to doing the right thing.

Second, Mr. Brown claimed that he felt sickened by the event and that he immediately set an inquiry, so people can feel safe about their children when looked after. Mr. Brown, again you are missing the point. Nobody feels safer because you have launched an inquiry. Besides, if you want to take action why don’t you make us feel safer by fighting crime, violence, and drunken behaviour. There is too much of it, and nothing is done about it. As sickening as this case is, it’s a reflection of what’s happening to society. So, Mr. Brown, don’t deal with this case, deal with its cause.

Third, some time ago I raised the question if there were cases where people should not be allowed to have children. It led to a heated debate --  many found the question a taboo. Some even compared me to the Nazis. So let me ask again, should Baby P’s mother be allowed to have more babies?