Spooky Halloween. Nothing to worry about?

Halloween: All ritualistic celebrations are there to entertain and distract from the true realities and horrors of the here and now. As in Alan Bennet's 'History Boys', war memorials are the best way of forgetting and rationalizing the unbearable. There is a dark side to everything but by and large, we like to ignore it. By satirizing it, the true evil is obscured and managed. We should not underestimate its pschological role of familiarising and humanising evil. It is converse of 'All Hallows' Day' - the Christian tradition of remembering the 'hallowed' saints and martyrs, who in this age are largely forgotten, whose role was to rescue man from a satanic paganism. It has a parallel in the familiar trick of labelling truth 'conspiracy theory'. Though obviously hokum and meaningless nonsense, it serves the purpose of hiding truth from view. This includes the assertion that the music industry, banking and much of power politics is indeed 'satanic' in nature and purpose. How else can we explain torture, mutilation and mass murder of innocent civilians in Gaza and elsewhere, being treated with the same seriousness by politicians as if it were an Halloween 'trick or treat'.

31.10.2024: Labour ridiculously claimed they had discovered a 22 billion 'black hole'. When I had a hole in my jeans when I was seven, the farmer used to say, "Get you mother to cut it out" and then laugh at his own joke. (I wonder how old the joke was? It may have been hundreds of years old) I feel like saying the same to Rachel Reeves, backer of the Covid scam that cost the nation not twenty billion but five hundred and fifty billion! How many billions to help kill Palestinians? How many billions to help kill Ukrainians and Russians? How many billions to house illegal immigrants? How many billions to corrupt 'Foreign Aid'? How many billions on a ludicrous new railway? How many billions on NHS computers that don't work. How many billions on Ministry of Defence foul-ups? How many billions to the EU? Of course I could go on but won't but with the farmer say, "Cut it out Rachel!"

Fares Abulebda 

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My dear friends…whenever I write, I really try to find something positive and good and to lift our spirits up. But how can I write anything positive?

The situation is unprecedented. The level of pain, suffering and death is unprecedented. Our conditions are unprecedented. We are literally trying to stay alive, leaving anything else aside as pure luxury. Just to stay alive is actually a luxury we can’t all afford.

North of Gaza is literally wiped out and killed. It won’t stop there. We all know too well.

How does it feel seeing places that were alive before being destroyed? How does it feel seeing ruins that used to be the streets, houses, somebody homes?

You could literally feel death.

Today, some people celebrate “Halloween”, some commemorate “Day of the dead”. No need for monsters in costumes, all the monsters in real life have taken any masks off. They are showing off emboldened by impunity and silence of the nations.

We live continuous “Day of the dead” for over a year now.

Remember us. Remember the death of Gaza.

Gaza

1 November 2024

8.11.2024: Re. the criticisms of Prince Williams remarks in S. Africa: I suppose to be fair - as we all wish to be - the 'royals' have only 'partly' chosen their role. In Shakespeare's fine prose, they have had 'greatness THRUST upon them' and subsequently have to live up to it. Nor are they responsible fore the fame and adulation that accompanies them or the questions the press likes to pose. They are reported on from birth and their lives and opinions sell papers. If they didn't the pressinterest and questions would dry up. When asked they have to respond with something - hence the quotes. The Royal Family serves a purpose for the nation, practically and theatrically. People flock to the shows and watch them via television in their millions. Whether in the long run, in this post colonial age in which they have been re-modelled not as Emperors but as caring role-models, they are worth the money and attention expended on them, is another matter. There is no doubt they could be dispensed with but what would be the alternative? We are provided with ample examples around the world. Are they really any better or preferable, except to assauge the rather empty and cosmetic appeal to 'equality'. It seems we are faced with the choice between elected dictatorship or unelected impotence.