Today I have to study for my Britishness Test.  Which, erm, I take this afternoon.  I’m relying mostly on the fact that I like taking tests, but I suppose this isn’t going to be like the ‘How Emo Are You’ myspace poll quiz thingmy.

Therefore, there will be no bitter rants today. 

Okay except one.  I’d love for the current MP’s to take this damned test.  If they don’t score the requisite 75% pass rate, they should have their asses kicked out.  A lot of it isn’t that hard, but some is quite obnoxious. 

If you’re British (and without googling, please) tell me if you know the following:

1.  A Quarter of the population of UK are children and young people up to the age of 19 (T/F)

2.  When did Britain become part of European Economic Community? (Mulitple Choice: 1979, 1949, 1973, 1987)

3.  What is the ethnic minority population in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland?

4.  What percentage of the British population is Christian?

5.  What percentage of the Christian population of Britain is Roman Catholic? (There are also questions on other religions and sects that are smiliar.)

These aren’t the most obnoxious ones… just the ones off the top of my head. 

I really don’t mind taking the test.  I think it’s a good idea and promotes Britishosity and all that jazz….

But I think they should only ask questions that, umm, British people would be able to answer easily.  If they can’t… either the British education system isn’t what it should be, or the test isn’t really what it purports to be.

/end rant
/begin study

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I truly do enjoy politics… news, political humour, current events conversations… love it love it.  BUT… the internet brings out the crazy in us all.  Of course this isn’t news to you.

 I can’t stand blogs about politics.  Seriously.  I want to love them.  I’m politically active, and it’s kinda my thing.  I love feeling like I know what’s going on in the world.  But have you visited these places?

Ugly, hostile, and polarised.  It’s probably a reflection of how we’re actually thinking these days, but when I meet up with friends and we discuss politics, no one gets nasty and calls me names and tracks my IP address.  But it’s not just blogs… someone mentions politics in a chat room of any sort, and I quickly avert my eyes.

It’s sad to feel drummed out of town simply because I want to avoid nastiness.  I do wonder why we can’t talk about things that matter without all the vitriol.  Especially when the truth of the matter is, most of us are feeling hard-done-by by ALL politicians.  You know, those people we elect that are supposed to look out for our interests?

I’m not saying “can’t we all get along”, even though it would be nice if we could sometimes, or at least be less obnoxious, I’m more saying “can’t we all focus our vicious zeal on those who really have it coming, i.e. the lying bastards from all parties who screw us over whenever they have the good fortune to get into power”?

Is it too much to ask?

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Whilst cruising past the really big news: TomKat’s bride’s new haircut (same barbershop, maybe?), Paris’ Potty Problems, and Angelina’s lawyer falling on his sword for Queen BigLips and Country—quite desperate to get the sweet taste out of my mouth—I encountered an ongoing debate on BlogHer.com raising the question of whether the nomination of a female as President of India is, indeed, empowerment or tokenism. Whether that’s the case or not—ground broken is ground broken.

Pressing on, I can’t help but reflect on the ongoing similar (however different) discussion about American Democratic front-runner, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton—who, if you’ve just arrived on the planet, is a female, a Democrat and no matter what New-Yorkers say, is from Arkansas. That discussion cannot be separated from the same (but different) discussion about Sen. Barack Obama—whose name initially scared the shit out of (more…)

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INT: Girl Fren sits behind an announcer’s desk, finger pressing right ear, listens.  Announces excitedly.

“THIS JUST IN. With President Dubya’s approval rating sliding toward Zero, presently near the 29 spot today,  “the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll […] shows a 15-year low on whether Americans think the country is on the right track, and an all-time low in President Bush’s approval rating.“ 

pan to Girl Fren; face shows surprise.   “So many scandals; so little time.”  That raises more questions than an Enron retirement program. (Is it just me, or did anyone else notice that when this news broke back in ‘01 and surely would have shown Americans what we were in for should Dubya be bold enough to run again, all of a sudden every major newspaper was blanketed with the awful scandal that Martha Stewart took some tee-time advice from her friend/broker. Off with her head! She must be imprisoned for this ghastly act.)

Today, only 3% of Republicans would call themselves “Bush Republicans,” a dark day indeed.

The good news: The Franklin Mint is coming out with a beautiful set of commemorative plates, per the ad on the Bill Maher Show, cementing in the public’s mind for all time highlights of President Bush’s eight years in office.  Whether for your own collection or as gifts, these lovely plates will provide a pictorial reminder of The Enron Coverup, The Patriot Act, Finding Ben Laudin, followed by Gitmo, Walter Reed, and Wiretapping Private Citizens, plus many, many more.

Ohmigod, BREAKING NEWS***THERE’S MORE: Scooter Libby, former Chief of Staff to VP Dick (now there’s a well-named man) Cheney–after being sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison in the CIA leak case–plans to go back to court today and ask the Judge  to put his sentence on hold while he appeals his perjury and obstruction conviction.  How’s this for irony:  Libby’s appeal to be allowed free on bond cites the precedent…..wait for it…MARTHA STEWART was allowed such freedom for the same purpose.  I feel faint.  I’ll be up in my rooms for a while.

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In a recent issue of THE VILLAGE VOICE   Maria Luisa Tucker reports covering a sizeable White Supremacist rally in New York.   It seems that several white supremacist groups called for a ‘Patriot’ get-together over the three-day holiday.  They were to include the usual Memorial Day stuff, no doubt, barbecues, plenty of beer, picnics and, the customary visit on Sunday to “the incomparable Metropolitan Museum of (White) Art.”  Now, I don’t know about you, but what family get together is complete without a museum visit, especially if we can count on the art having been created by white guys.

New York native, Jamie Kelso, a former Mensa member was in charge of the charming Sunday outing. In a pre-outing phone interview, he was asked how we might expect to see people dressed (One supposes there would be a dress code for such a gathering. After all, girlfriends, we wouldn’t want to wear khaki Bermuda shorts, Docksiders & pink Tommy Hilfiger shirts to be embarrassed at–what–underdressing, should other attendees be wearing Olive Drab uniforms, small black moustaches, or frocks from Springmaid.)    Kelso’s reply was that many preferred wearing “silly costumes” but there was no intention to “incite hate.”

Guys who are “man” enough to call themselves Copperhead, EuroWarrior14 or LongKnife are, no doubt, good old boys.  They proclaim their democratic leanings and patriotism, in fact, saying, “People want to think that we’re weird,” Kelso said. “We are the only normal ones, actually. We are the ones that see that the ship is sinking.”  He goes on to defend one specific group as, ”a legitimate force in American society, a sort of NAACP for white people.”

 This is good news, indeed. To think that I could have thought they were vicious, hate-mongering lazy-assed, sexist racists–who sat in their bunkers discussing Mein Kampf and Internet gun buys–while intent on destroying the fibre of “freedom and justice for all.” 

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