Grandma P's Ramblings Through Life

The world has gone mad!
How many times do we of the older generation feel like that?
It is not until I become aware of just how out of touch I am with the world of 2009 that I am prepared to admit I am of the older generation.
Only yesterday, Stella and I were commenting on life with "Why can't things be like they used to be?"

So what has upset me today?
Firstly, something trivial.

There have been auctions of famous people's possessions this week.
How can Michael Jackson's glove be over 40 times more valuable than Oliver Cromwell's boots?
OK - I know we have video footage of Michael Jackson wearing the glove - in 1984, when he first did his moon dance. It was definitely a glove worn by him.
But the appeal of media stars must wane. The people who loved him will grow old and not survive for ever to love him.
In 50 years time he will be close to being a name in the history of pop music. In 100 years time, there will be nobody left who knew him or saw him perform.
The nostalgia and fascination for him must die.
So the person who paid £212,000 for the glove may never get a return for his money.
If he sells it quickly, perhaps somebody would pay more; but eventually it will lose its value.



Now Oliver Cromwell is different. He is part of our historical heritage. People from each generation after his time would know his name. And his name will always be important and the things he achieved known about.
OK - of course we do not have the video footage of the man actually wearing the boots.
We can only record that they are presumed to be his.
Items connected with Oliver Cromwell will always be of interest - even if we look back on a man who might have got things wrong.
His boots fetched £5,000 this week. This seems a lot to me - but was far, far exceeded by Michael Jackson's glove.



The world has gone mad!

My second cause for fury is serious.
And I can't blame the whole world for this one - just Britain.
I feel like I have been kicked in the stomach when I hear that our government consider it is right and proper to send a fragile man to the USA to face trial.
Yes, Gary McKinnon did wrong.
It is wrong to break into other people's computer systems.
Bless him, he was looking for evidence of UFOs. This was his passion.
He has Asperger's Syndrome and finds social interaction very difficult and can get very involved in single projects.
Since it was discovered that he had hacked into US computers he has been under threat of deportation to face trial away from his mother and his support system.
He is already more than fragile.
But our government have agreed that if the USA want somebody deported it must be followed through - whatever.
The reciprocal arrangement is that we have to offer the USA complete proof to get anybody deported to the UK.
The lawyers have been fighting the deportation - but the Home Secretary has waved away their objections, claiming that the man has no real health issues.

Ans he does this in the week that the Official Inquiry into the Iraq war begins.
I think most of us had come to realise a long time ago that the war was not wise or right.
Many already knew that we were just accepting what the USA wanted.
At first I really did believe that perhaps Tony Blair was getting involved with George Bush with an arrogance (which we know he has) that he, Blair, could influence Bush with his superior brains and charisma.
But not so.
Blair and our government were no more than puppets, with strings being pulled by USA politics and big business.
So America wanted war - and they got it.
Now they want our fragile man and it looks like they will get him.
Our government should stop acting like poodles and find some of the bulldog spirit and fight for what is right.
I could just add that perhaps the USA should be glad that it was Gary McKinnon who broke into their computer files.
It could have been anyone.
Maybe Al Quaeda have people who could do it.
Gary McKinnon has cost them money - but has not created great harm.