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There’s arrogance, and then there’s the arrogance of British ex-prime minister, Tony Blair. Asked recently by a UK newspaper if he’d like to be prime minister again, Blair eagerly conceded he’d love to be back in 10, Downing Street. He even dared to suggest he might be better suited for the office now, after being away from it for so long.^[1]

Since he left the UK Parliament under a cloud, after the debacle of the Iraq War, Blair has swanned around the world making a fortune from Arab leaders through his firm, Tony Blair Associates. His personal fortune, almost all amassed since leaving political office, is put at 90 million dollars. He owns nine properties in various countries. He’s yet another devout ‘Christian’ who stopped believing in camels and needle eyes.

Blair’s name has been linked to a Korean company with oil interests in Iraq. (No-one has yet suggested his fervor for the Iraq war was in any way connected).

He became ‘Middle East envoy’ for the Quartet on the day he resigned as prime minister. George W Bush was instrumental in the appointment. (No-one has yet suggested it was pay-off for Blair’s ‘poodle-like’ support of Bush during Blair’s time as prime minister).

In September 2011, the British TV channel, ‘Channel 4’, broadcast one of its ‘Dispatches’ documentaries entitled, “The Wonderful World Of Tony Blair”. It was viewed by the writer. Below, is the program summary:

Since resigning in June 2007, Tony Blair has financially enriched himself more than any previous ex-prime minister. Reporter Peter Oborne reveals some of the sources of his new-found wealth, much of which comes from the Middle East.

On the day Tony Blair resigned as Prime Minister, he was appointed the official representative Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East. By January 2009 he had set up Tony Blair Associates – his international consultancy – which handles multi-million-pound contracts in the Middle East. It is so secretive we don’t know all the locations in which they do business.

‘Dispatches’ shows that at the same time as Blair is visiting Middle East leaders in his Quartet role he is receiving vast sums from some of them. If Blair represented the UK government, the EU, the IMF, the UN or the World Bank, this would not be permitted.

He would also have to declare his financial interests and be absolutely transparent about his financial dealings. But no such stringent rules govern the Quartet envoy.

However, he could opt to abide by the rules and principles of public life. They were introduced by John Major, and Tony Blair endorsed and strengthened them for all holders of public office – but chooses not to himself.”^[2]

Possibly as a salve to his conscience, Blair has been instrumental in launching various charities, the most auspicious of which is the ‘Tony Blair Faith Foundation’. It’s aim is, “to show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world”.

Unfortunately, the British people were shown a vivid demonstration of the value of faith, as practiced by the wealthy and powerful, throughout the devastating course of the Iraq War.

It left an indelible impression on most UK citizens. One that will, thankfully, prevent Tony Blair from ever holding elected office in the United Kingdom again.

From Al Jazeera:

In Kuala Lumpur, after two years of investigation by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission (KLWCC), a tribunal (the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, or KLWCT) consisting of five judges with judicial and academic backgrounds reached a unanimous verdict that found George W Bush and Tony Blair guilty of crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and genocide as a result of their roles in the Iraq War.

The proceedings took place over a four-day period from November 19-22, and included an opportunity for court-appointed defense counsel to offer the tribunal arguments and evidence on behalf of the absent defendants. They had been invited to offer their own defense or send a representative, but declined to do so. The prosecution team was headed by two prominent legal personalities with strong professional legal credentials: Gurdeal Singh Nijar and Francis Boyle…The KLWCT added two “Orders” to its verdict that had been adopted in accordance with the charter of the KLWCC that controlled the operating framework of the tribunal: 1) Report the findings of guilt of the two accused former heads of state to the International Criminal Court in The Hague; and 2) Enter the names of Bush and Blair in the Register of War Criminals maintained by the KLWCC…”^[3]

Would that a few other countries had the balls to support such a verdict.

^{[1] “Tony Blair: I’d like to return as prime minister” BBC, June 27th 2012}

^{[2] “The Wonderful World of Tony Blair” Channel 4 “Dispatches”, September 26th 2011}

^{[3] “Kuala Lumpur tribunal: Bush and Blair guilty” Al Jazeera, November 28th 2011}

Every TEN days in America, this number of children die, or are killed, by child abuse.

^{click to enlarge}

In case you can’t count, there are FIFTY children in that image.

One child dies from abuse every FIVE HOURS within the borders of this ‘superpower’ nation. That is the worst record of child abuse in the industrialized world.^[1]

You’ll not have heard Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News, or Scott Pelley of CBS, giving you those statistics. It’s too shocking for the delicate ears of Americans.

It took the BBC to break this story eight months ago. How many Americans are aware of these facts?

Michael Petit, the president of Every Child Matters:

…other rich nations have social policies that provide child care, universal health insurance, pre-school, parental leave and visiting nurses to virtually all in need.

In the US, when children are born into young families not prepared to receive them, local social safety nets may be frayed, or non-existent. As a result, they are unable to compensate for the household stress the child must endure.

In the most severe situations, there is a predictable downward spiral and a child dies. Some 75% of these children are under four, while nearly half are under one.

What the US media will frequently divulge to you is the magnificence and power of the American military machine, and how lethal US drone strikes are proving against the people of Pakistan or Yemen.

The United States spends five times more on its military than the next highest spender, China.

Isn’t it time this truly backward nation got its priorities sorted out?

^{[1] “America’s child death shame” BBC, October 17th 2011}

There are no Christians at Sparrow Chat. There is, however, a working knowledge of that accruement of old tales from a variety of sources, known collectively as the ‘Bible’; the ‘Holy Bible’; the ‘Book’, and even more mythologically, the ‘Word of God’.

Whatever one’s position on the accuracy, or otherwise, of this accretion it seems logical to expect those self-designated ‘followers’ of the book’s main starring character to act in accordance with their leader’s Divine instruction.

Even the Sparrow Chat pagans are familiar with the first, and we are told, greatest commandment, as set out in the Book of Matthew, Chap 22: 35-39:

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Why, then, did it come as no surprise to read this recently, from ABC News:

Flaring tensions led to violence and an arrest in Michigan this weekend as members of Christian missionary groups turned up to protest at the largest public gathering of Arab-Americans in the U.S.
Christian protesters traveled across the country to Dearborn, Mich., where they taunted attendees and even held a severed pig’s head for three days at the annual Arab International Festival. The protests turned violent Sunday, and by the end of the day as many as 10 people facing disorderly conduct or assault charges, according to ABC News Detroit affiliate WXYZ.
“You’re going to burn in hell,” a missionary reportedly yelled at a group of Arab-American boys, while other protesters held anti-Muslim signs that made bigoted remarks about Islam and its prophet Mohammed, including “Islam is a religion of blood and murder” and “Muhammad (Islam’s prophet) is a … liar, false prophet, murderer, child molesting pervert.”^[1]

It’s no surprise because it’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from certain sections of America’s so-called ‘Christian’ community. We’ve already got the lunatic, Fred Phelps, his satanic daughter, and various wacky hangers-on from the self-styled Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, spitting hate at anyone not conforming to their crackpot ideologies – which is just about everyone…

…so it barely raises an eyebrow when a load of ‘Christian missionaries’ rampage across the country hurling hate at their fellow Americans for daring to hold a differing religious viewpoint from their own.

Though, one has to question just what these ‘missionaries’ are teaching their converts about Christ’s message. Obviously, not to ‘Love Thy Neighbor’.

Only in America is this sort of hatred tolerated under the guise of…what? Freedom of speech? Religious freedom? Defending God’s Word?

Or, is it just another form of racial hatred and bigotry, for which this nation is so renowned, wrapped up in the guise of that eternal excuse for a whipping-boy, religion?

Thankfully, there are still a few of us pagans left only too happy to follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, and love our neighbors – the only proviso, they’re not members of the Westboro Baptist Church, or Christian missionaries hell-bent on a hate crusade.

^{[1] “Christian Taunts and Violence Mar Arab Festival in Michigan” ABC News, June 18th 2010}