Chris Benoit - double murder suicide? A fact-based analysis.

On Monday June 25 2008, police received an anonymous call, suggesting a visit to the Benoit family home in Fayetteville, Georgia, United States. Upon entering, the police found the bodies of Chris, his wife Nancy and their eight-year-old son, Daniel.

Hours later, police announced that the case was closed. They announced that this was a double murder-suicide. They announced that Chris had murdered wife Nancy on the Friday, son Daniel on the Saturday, before killing himself on the Sunday.

The police hinted that the crimes were committed due to the high levels of steroids in Chris’ system. Chris was a known steroid abuser as a professional wrestler. Police had victims, a suspect, motive and happenstance. No testimony was considered by the police and nobody was questioned.

Pro wrestling is chastised all around the world for being ‘fake’ and a parody on real sport. Let’s agree that this is true. This does not make a man a murderer. For the sake of fairness, assume that Chris was a petrol pump attendant. If you cannot remove your own bias on his profession on reading this, then read no further. If you can remove all prejudice against a man whom none of us knew, then read on. I think you will find this a perplexing case.

I have officially done more investigating than the Fayetteville Police Department and all from the comfort of my laptop, subsidised by a few phone calls.

The facts

Below is a list of undisputed facts on the Benoit double murder-suicide, collected from sources listed at the bottom.

• On Friday, Chris answered a call from friend Chavo Guerrero. While on the phone, Chavo said he heard what he describes as a “scuffle”. Chavo stayed on the line for almost 45 minutes. Chris returned to the phone sounding “groggy”. Chris told Chavo that he loved him which was very out of character for Benoit. Chris then hung up mid-sentence. Chavo’s returned calls went unanswered.

• Daniel’s autopsy suggests that he died during the time this call was made.

• Nancy’s autopsy showed that she probably died on Sunday.

• Chris’ body was so decomposed by the time he was found on Monday that experts believe that he may even have been dead on Friday night.

• Chris’ autopsy shows time of death at late Friday or early Saturday.

• High levels of Oxycodone and Xanax, strong sedatives, were found in the bodies of all three Benoits.

• There were no steroids in Chris Benoit’s body when he died.

• Chris was said to have hung himself on his gym equipment. His body was found on the ground under the equipment in a position you would have to manoeuvre into.

• There were bibles found beside each of the three bodies. The Benoits were not religious people and did not possess bibles.

• Benoit called WWE offices and said that he wouldn’t make Sunday’s show, Vengeance: Night of Champions. He claimed that he was feeling unwell and that both Daniel and Nancy were suffering from food poisoning. The lady that took the calls had worked with Chris for years. She did not recognise the voice on the phone. Chris had never had a sick day before.

• There was a white cloth wrapped around Chris’ neck when he was found.

• Chris sent several texts to friends and fellow wrestlers on Sunday evening, spelling out his address.

• There were 10 empty beer cans and an empty bottle of wine beside Chris’ body. There was no alcohol in Chris, Nancy or Daniel’s systems.

 

• A statement regarding Nancy Benoit's death was added to the Chris Benoit English Wikipedia article fourteen hours before police discovered the bodies of Benoit and his family. This seemingly prescient addition was initially reported on Wikinews and later on Fox News Channel. The article originally read: "Chris Benoit was replaced by Johnny Nitro for the ECW World Championship match at Vengeance, as Benoit was not there due to personal issues, stemming from the death of his wife Nancy." The phrase "stemming from the death of his wife Nancy" was added at 12:01 a.m. EDT on June 25, whereas the Fayette County police reportedly discovered the bodies of the Benoit family at 2:30 p.m. EDT (14 hours, 29 minutes later). The IP address of the editor was traced to Stamford, Connecticut, which is also the location of WWE headquarters.

• The entire WWE locker room is said to have known of Nancy’s death on Sunday night.

• Police changed the location of where Nancy’s body was found on four occasions. The official location is unknown.

• Chris and Nancy told friends that they believed that they were being followed. For five weeks, Chris and Nancy had been taking an alternative route home.

• Nancy had been married to WCW wrestler and booker Kevin Sullivan.

• Nancy had an affair with Chris during their time in WCW.

• That weekend was the tenth anniversary of Nancy’s divorce from Kevin Sullivan.

• Sullivan had told Chris in front of several others that he would kill them and their kids when the time was right.

• The family received several death threats before their deaths.

• That weekend, Sherry Martel also died in her home under suspicious circumstances. She was a close friend of the Benoit family. She also had high levels of Oxycodone in her body when she died. Sherry was also an ex of Kevin Sullivan.

• Someone spent the entire weekend using Chris Benoit’s IM account, sending strange messages to WWE staff. One such message read “save me” and several others gave out his address.

• On Sunday morning, between 03:53 and 03:58, four text messages were sent from Chris’ phone and five from Nancy’s. They were both dead.

• The head of police said he saw needle marks on the bodies when the police were taking pictures. He said he saw no bibles near the bodies. Pictures show bibles near all three bodies and no needle marks can be seen. This story was later changed to match the pictures.

• There was no suicide note.

• Chris’ best friend Eddie Guerrero died in 2005. As a way of overcoming this tragedy, Chris kept a daily dairy on his thoughts and used it to ‘speak’ to Eddie. He never missed an entry. The police refused to release the details of Friday’s entry but did acknowledge that there were no entries for Saturday or Sunday.

• The police officially reported Daniel’s time of death as Saturday, before changing it to Friday.

• It was reported that Daniel suffered from Fragile X Syndrome. Police speculated that by murdering his son, Chris was putting him out of his misery. It later emerged that Daniel did not suffer from Fragile X Syndrome.

• Chris was later adjudged to be sedated at the time of his death.

• A large butcher’s knife, not belonging to the Benoits and with no fingerprints of any Benoits, was found near Daniel’s body.

• Daniel’s body had severe internal injuries in the neck and throat area. There were no external marks or abrasions, despite dying by strangulation, according to police.

• Nine text messages were sent from Chris’ phone on Monday that said “My physical address is…” The address was spelled incorrectly and Chris was already dead, for up three days, when these texts were sent out.

• Chris Benoit had no motive to kill his son, his wife or himself.

Unanswered questions

• Who called to the Benoit house on the Friday during the Chavo phone call?

• Who used the Benoits’ phones to send text messages after they were dead?

• Who used Chris’ IM account after he was dead?

• How did the WWE locker room know Nancy was dead before the police?

• Who called WWE, to ring in sick on Chris’ behalf, claiming to be Chris?

• Why were there empty drinks containers around the bodies yet no alcohol in the Benoits?

• Why are people blaming steroids and ‘roid rage? Roid rage occurs when someone abuses steroids and has bursts of uncontrollable rage. Studies show that these bursts occur days apart and for seconds at time. A weekend-long burst of rage makes no sense.

• When Nancy died, Chris was already dead. When Daniel died, Chris may have already been dead.

• Why didn’t the police question Kevin Sullivan? Where was Kevin Sullivan that weekend? In follow-up interviews by news outlets, he has refused to state his whereabouts on that weekend. The clean white cloth left on Chris, the clean blade by Daniel, Daniel’s internal damage despite no external marks, the sedation, the red wine with no fingerprints on it, the bibles beside the bodies of non-religious people – these are all circumstantially in line with satanic ritual. Kevin Sullivan is a known Satanist.

Sources

Michael Benoit (Chris’ father), Chavo Guerrero (friend of the family), Kevin Sullivan (Nancy’s ex-husband), state toxicology reports, all three autopsies, Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard, Scott Armstrong (Chris’ colleague), Christopher Nowinski (Chris’ colleague and concussion expert), Robert Holly (Chris’ colleague), Chris Irvine (Chris’ colleague and family friend), Wikipedia, WWE, Julian Bailes (head of neurosurgery at West Virginia University), Dr. Phil Astin (Benoit family physician), The Huffington Post, Irvin Muchnick, San Francisco Chronicle, Pro Wrestling Observer, Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Pro Wrestling Torch, The Washington Post, CNN, ericbischoff.com, Herald Sun, ABC News.

Ched Evans - Rape or Prejudice?

Former footballer Ched Evans was released from jail early Friday morning, having served two and a half years of a five year sentence for rape. It is a sentence that Evans has fought from day one and he still maintains his innocence.

Let me introduce the case and you can make your own judgments.

The following are the facts of the case -

• On an unnamed date to further hide the identity of the complainant, Ched invited his friend Clayton McDonald to travel to his home town of Rhyl for a night out. Ched and Clayton had been friends for many years and lived with each other when they were both young footballers at Manchester City.

• When Clayton agreed to come to Rhyl, Ched booked a room at the Premier Inn on his own credit card. He gave the name of Clayton McDonald as the lead person who would be staying in the room along with another friend of his.

• With a number of other friends, Ched and Clayton visited a few bars and ended up at a nightclub in Rhyl. They left the nightclub around closing time and went to a kebab shop.

• On the same night, a 19-year-old complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also having a night out in Rhyl. She had been working on the Sunday evening and so had gone out late. She arrived at the nightclub in Rhyl at about 1:45am. There was no contact between Clayton or Ched and the complainant in the nightclub.

• Prior to arriving at the nightclub, at around 11pm, the complainant had consumed two large glasses (250ml) of wine after finishing her shift. She then went home, showered, changed her clothes and caught a taxi into Rhyl town centre. Whilst in the nightclub she stated in her evidence that she consumed 4 double vodka/ lemonade drinks and a shot of Sambuca. It was accepted at the trial that this amount of consumption would have placed her at approximately 2.5 times the legal drink drive limit. The complainant submitted in evidence that she would normally and regularly drink well in excess of what she had consumed on this particular night out.

• Just prior to leaving the nightclub at 02:54 the complainant sent a text to her friend. The text read “Where are you? x”

• The complainant then left the nightclub at approximately 3:00am. There was no evidence that she had consumed any more alcohol over and above that which she stated she had consumed, nor was there any evidence that she had taken drugs in the nightclub or after leaving the nightclub. The friends who were with her on the night all testified that she was not particularly drunk.

• CCTV footage showed the complainant squatting down outside the nightclub and rummaging through her bag. She then walked a few hundred metres to the kebab shop.

• The complainant spent about an hour at the kebab shop. CCTV footage from inside the takeaway showed the complainant:

• engaging in conversation with numerous other people;
• sharing and helping herself to food from other people;
• ordering food at the counter, she paid with the correct money using change from her purse;
• pushing away a man who was making advances to her; and
• twisting her ankle, turning her high heeled wedge shoe and falling over backwards.

• When the complainant fell over, Clayton was sat down looking at his mobile phone – he glanced up and then continued to look at his phone. Ched was entering the kebab shop just after the complainant had stumbled over and he was forced to step over her. The complainant then got back to her feet and continued to talk and eat.

• The complainant left the kebab shop and walked up Queen Street. CCTV footage outside the kebab shop and on Queen Street showed her:

• unstable on her feet walking up Queen Street;
• unstable on her feet crossing the road;
• squatting in a doorway;
• urinating in a doorway; and
• reacting to a car that flashed its lights at her.

• An unrelated incident occurred in Queen Street involving one of Ched’s friends who suffered an unprovoked attack from a girl who began by racially abusing him before headbutting him in the face. This led to the arrest of his friend and this girl. This incident also led to Ched and Clayton becoming separated.

• During the period of separation the complainant is clearly seen in the CCTV footage approaching Clayton at a street corner. A brief conversation ensued and within seconds the two of them got in a taxi which she had flagged down. In his evidence Clayton stated that the complainant asked him where he was going, he replied that he was going back to his hotel to which she replied “I’m coming with you”. The taxi driver was concerned about food being consumed in the back of his vehicle. He asked the complainant to get out of the back seat and into the front, which she did whilst carrying a large pizza box. The taxi driver also noticed that the complainant’s blouse was unbuttoned but that she was able to button it up. They left in the taxi heading for the Premier Inn.

• Not long after Clayton and the complainant had got into their taxi, Ched flagged down another taxi a few streets away and accompanied by his brother and his brother’s friend he headed off from Rhyl in the direction of St Asaph Police station in order to give a statement to the police in support of his friend who had been arrested and taken to the Police station. This was confirmed by the testimony of the taxi driver.

• On the way to the Premier Inn Clayton sent a message to Ched saying words to the effect of ‘I am with a girl'.

• The Premier Inn is situated on the route from Rhyl to St Asaph Police station. The taxi driver testified that Ched gave him a last minute instruction to divert to the Premier Inn. The taxi arrived at the Premier Inn approximately 10 minutes after Clayton and the complainant had arrived. Ched said that he had diverted the taxi because he was curious as to who the girl with Clayton was and he wanted to find out.  Ched asked the taxi driver to wait saying he would only be a few minutes but after his brother and brother's friend left the car, the taxi drove away.

• When Clayton and the complainant arrived at the Premier Inn. CCTV footage showed:

• The complainant get out of the front seat of the taxi holding a large pizza box;
• The complainant indicating to Clayton that she had left her handbag in the departing taxi (she was in fact mistaken, she had left it outside the kebab shop);
• Clayton chasing the taxi to look for the handbag;
• The complainant appearing steady on her feet, linking arms with Clayton and walking with him through the hotel foyer.
• Halfway through the foyer the complainant realised that the pizza box had been left outside. She de-linked arms, turned around, retrieved the box and carried it one-handed back to the waiting Clayton.

• Whilst in the foyer, the night porter gave evidence that he heard the complainant say to Clayton in a slurred voice “you’re not going to leave me are you?” He also said that she looked drunk.

• Clayton and the complainant entered Room 14 of the Premier Inn and according to his evidence, after very brief foreplay whilst sat on the edge of the bed, they started having sexual intercourse.

• Having arrived at the Premier Inn 10 minutes after Clayton and the complainant, Ched entered the reception area. He obtained a further keycard for Room 14. He said to the night porter that his friend had decided not to come back to the room and as the room had been booked on his credit card he had decided to use the room himself.

• Having obtained the keycard, Ched walked down the corridor and entered Room 14. From this point onwards it should be remembered that the only evidence as to what happened in Room 14 came from the accounts given by the two accused men who were in the room and the night porter who was listening at the door outside. The complainant claimed that she could not remember anything of what happened in the room.

• On entering the room Ched said that he did not know what to expect but he quickly realised that his friend, Clayton, was engaged in sexual intercourse with a girl. In his evidence he stated that the door clunked behind him and this caused both Clayton and the complainant to turn around and to look at him. He said that he made direct eye contact with the complainant. At this point according to the evidence of both Clayton and Ched the question of whether Ched could “join in” was asked of the complainant, they both said that she replied with a positive “yeah”. Both of the accused thought that the other had asked the question but both agreed that the question was asked.

• Whilst this was happening, outside, Ched’s brother and his friend had gone to the window of Room 14. They were fooling around, giggling and laughing (caught on the soundtrack) and attempting to film on a mobile phone what was happening in Room 14. They made two short clips but did not obtain any discernible footage.

• According to the testimony of Ched, he watched his friend having sex for a minute or two and then, after Clayton had moved away from the bed, he engaged in sexual activity himself with the complainant on the basis that she had agreed to his participation by replying “yeah” to the request of whether or not he could join in.

• Ched stated that the complainant asked him to perform oral sex upon her by telling him to “lick me out”. He did so and then followed this act by having intercourse with her. This was all corroborated by Clayton. Both men stated in evidence that the complainant was verbally encouraging Ched to have more vigorous sex with her by calling out to him on numerous occasions to “F**k me harder”. Both men also said that she was in control of the situation and activity as she was changing the sexual positions herself. (It is worth noting that the complainant stated in her police interviews that “licking out” is the phrase she understands to mean male on female oral sex).

• Clayton decided to leave the room. He went and sat in the reception area. He spoke to the night porter and requested that he ‘keep an eye out’ for the girl in Room 14. Unbeknownst to Clayton, the night porter had only minutes earlier been listening at the door of Room 14 because he was concerned that the occupancy of Room 14 was more than the hotel rules allowed. The night porter stated in Court that he had heard the sounds of people having sex – when pushed on this he said that he had heard both female and male voices “squealing, panting and groaning”. He also said that he heard a male voice ask for oral sex in a “playful” manner.

• In his evidence, Ched stated that when his friend had left the room he had suddenly become nervous that his girlfriend may ring him. He spoke to Clayton on the phone who was by now outside of the hotel. He said he stopped having sex with the complainant and decided to join his friend outside. He left the complainant on the bed who he said huffed in disgust that he was leaving her and pulled the covers over as if to go to sleep. Ched left the room and then left the building by the fire exit.

• Ched gave two reasons for leaving by the fire exit. Firstly, it was the nearest exit and secondly, he was embarrassed to pass by the night porter again not long after having gained access to the room.

• The two friends then walked back to the family home of Ched and went to sleep there.

• According to her evidence, the complainant awoke the following day in the Premier Inn totally unaware as to how she had got there. Having searched for her bag and mobile phone she then proceeded to Reception. Her mother picked her up and took her to her friend’s house. Later that day she returned to work. At the end of her shift at 11pm she went to the reception of the Premier Inn and requested to see CCTV footage to see, she claimed, if she could find out how she got there earlier that morning. She did not get to see the CCTV footage but was told by the receptionist that the room had been booked and was occupied by footballers.

• Later that evening the complainant contacted North Wales Police claiming her drink had been spiked and that she had lost her bag and mobile phone. The police launched their investigation.

• Through CCTV and the booking references for Room 14 the police easily established that the complainant had arrived with Clayton and that Ched had paid for the room. They arrested both of them. 

• When questioned in the police station it should be noted that neither of the accused had ejaculated during sex as a result of which the police had no forensic evidence to link either man to the sexual act, nor did the police have a complaint of rape.  Regardless of this, both men gave a full account of their actions to the police.  On 26th July 2011 the police charged both Clayton and Ched with rape.

It strikes me that there are three major questions question to be answered -

1 - My understanding of the law is that you are innocent until proven guilty. Isn't that the premise that the entire legal system is based on? 

There was no evidence, therefore there can be no conviction.

2 - Why was Clayton released and Evans found guilty?

The woman maintains that she recalls none of the evening and the only testimony was from the accused. None of which leads either to be more guilty or innocent than the other.

3 -  How does a lack of memory added to promiscuity equate to rape?

There was no evidence that the woman was even raped and there is no reason to believe that the intercourse was anything other than consensual and even gratuitous. 

Importantly, this is where I should point out the position of the complainant; there was NO complaint of rape on her part. The woman is also the subject of this very subjective and prejudiced case against Evans by the Police.

I'm not claiming Evans' innocence; if Evans did it, lock him up and throw away the key. But you have to PROVE he did it. This was not proved and an innocent man, in accordance with our law, spent two and a half years in jail. 

Never accept the world with which you are presented.

The iSheep 6 - baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

There are things we can all agree on in this life, things that aren't really up for debate, things that aren't subject to the old adage of "there is no right and wrong, only popular opinion" (thank you Brad Pitt circa 12 Monkeys!). One of these things is the naked quality of the new iSheep 6. It is beautiful. It is sleek. It is a wonderful piece of equipment with few peers on the current market. 

But all of this comes at a price and not just the extortionate amounts of cash that have to be handed over to purchase, what is effectively, a toy. Our freedom (if it ever existed) and our anonymity will cease to exist because of this product and the company that produces it. I was recently asked for my opinion on the new iSheep and I stated that I would not be buying one because this new version makes it even easier for the man to take your details and sell them to the highest bidder. It makes it possible for the man to listen in to your phone conversations. It makes it possible for the man to know where you are at any time of the day or night and to, once again, sell that information to the highest bidder. I'm sorry but it is nobody's business where I am, what I'm doing, who I talk to or what I say. 

Not only are they invading and evaporating what little privacy we have left, they are charging us for the privilege! 

Just think about that for a second. 

Great breakthroughs in the news such as the phone-hacking scandal will cease to exist because the practice will become completely undetectable. Don't believe me? Here's a test - turn on your iSheep and shout the words "Allahu Akbar" followed by the key words (these are important) bomb, explosion, death, to, the, infidels and pedophile. Give it a few minutes and someone will be breaking down your door. Why? Because if certain buzzwords are uttered together with a certain frequency, you raise an alarm. Think I'm crazy? That's fine. You Google the words "child" and "pornography" and you see how long it takes for someone from the cast of The X-Files to knock on your door with a warrant. Trust me, it happens and more often than you think. 

Easier still - go to download the new Bookface Messenger app and see what permissions it requires to function. 

Access to pictures - check. 

Access to phonebook - check. 

Access to emails - check. 

Ability to post on your behalf - check. 

Location services (tracking where you are) - check. 

The list goes on! "Most apps require those these days" I hear you say. That doesn't make it okay! In fact, the fact that you know this and go along with it WILLINGLY anyway speaks volumes.

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.

So that begs the question, why do people buy it? To misquote dead Jim Morrison in Wayne's World 2: "If you build it, they will come...and throw their money at it!" The iSheep 6 is a testament to the overwhelming power of advertising and branding. From the very beginning, The devices were marketed as being slick, cool, unique and the best...and were priced accordingly. Advertising works when people do exactly what they're told and the iSheep in all its incarnations is the perfect model of this. People display absolutely no agency when it comes to the iSheep. We are no better than the black birds of flight we deem beneath us - "it's shiny and I want it." 

It's unfair to cast every owner in this light. 

There are three categories of iSheep customer. 

1 - The idiot with more money than brains and NO agency. 

2 - The sheep who does what everyone else is doing and buys it because it's "in". 

3 - The person who does their homework, realises that the specifications of the phone are for them and buy it, completely ignoring all the downsides, of which there are too many to list in my lifetime and become just another sheep. 

A fool and his money are soon parted. 

A fool and his iSheep will remain in blissful ignorance for life. 

Break from the norm and do your own thing. Don't follow the herd like everyone else. If you really have to waste €700 on a new toy, I will take your money, I will spend €695 on a lengthy holiday for myself and I will buy you a squeaky dog phone for €5. At least the man can't hack into that. 

Don't conform, stand out from the crowd, be yourself and have your own personality - that is what separates greatness from mediocrity.

Or alternatively, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Never accept the world with which you are presented.

Irish Water - A Tax On Life

The term "human rights" gets bandied about all too frequently by those looking to add some much needed dramatics to their writing, as if Herodotus has come back to life and has begun to regale us with stories based on truth but blown entirely out of proportion. Right now, however, we are faced with a challenge to our human rights in Ireland. There are many questions that come from the question of charging for water. Perhaps most pertinently is the question over the payment: how is it suddenly okay to charge for this basic, natural liquid when we have never been charged before? The fact of the matter is that we have been charged and have been paying for water all along. The only difference now being that the government is using the already heavily-taxed income to indulge in further bouts of cronyism. Yet again, it is the people who are consigned to paying for the wishes of those who lead us.

Of course there are those who have been brainwashed through generations of political ideal, handed down from generation to generation like precious jewellery, seemingly blinded by their political allegiance to the fact that this practice of charging for water, to bump up the profits for what is a private company, is ludicrous. Yet these toadying sycophants toe the party line once more to justify the decisions taken on our behalf, by those WE voted in. Worst of all, they facilitate the government successfully requesting that we grab our ankles again in the future. 

There are those who think austerity is necessary and there are those that think taking from the extremely poor and giving to already rich bankers is a negative thing. The problem with austerity is that it is when capitalism is at its ugliest. Companies sack the majority of their employees and take on cheaper alternatives and in austerity, the government gets ugly too. 

Here is a short list of things that go up during austerity:

- Tax

- Unemployment

- Emigration

- Homelessness

- Suicide

- Alcoholism

- Depression

- Drug use

- Crime

- Our reliance on banks

- The power of capitalism

Here is a short list of things that go down during austerity:

- Employment

- Population (youth especially)

- Pensions

- Social welfare

- Wages

- Employability

- General happiness

This system we have is to blame. Take this scenario for a mental exercise. You are presented with 10 cakes. You try a cake. It is disgusting. You try a second cake. It is also disgusting. Do you go back to the first cake again, realise it was as bad as the first time and try something else? Do you then return to the second cake? What if your parents told you that these were the only two cakes you can try? Would you not disagree? Would you not be curious as to what it would taste like to at least have a nibble of the other cakes? How sad would the world be if we had only two types of cake? This is the Irish system.

This is the system that gave a big two-fingered salute to every man, woman and child in this country and handed over billions of their money to those who didn't need it. In case you are still on the fence over these charges, here are some facts in the hope that you can exercise your democratic rights that are so advertised in other parts of the world that dare to hold alternative ideals.

- Your water is already paid for through central taxation. Domestic water rates were abolished in 1977 and Income Tax, PRSI and Motor Tax were increased to compensate, as well as the introduction of Household Charge and Property Tax. 

- 49% of clean water is lost through leaks and damaged pipes.
- Irish Water Ltd is a commercial for-profit company. You cannot be forced into a contract with a private company.
- Over 180 million euros of taxpayers money was used to set up Irish Water Ltd.
- One company, Sierra, which received the contract for installing the meters is owned by Ireland's richest person, tax exile Denis O'Brien
- Irish Water Ltd CANNOT deduct the charges from your wages or cut off your water supply
- Water is a universal Human Right, not a commodity.

There are more than two types of cake. Try a third. One of them will be nice.

None of this is opinion, this is all fact. Make up your own mind and act accordingly.

Never accept the world with which you are presented.

Scotland On The Brink

In the next 24 hours, Scotland will have a chance to do what we Irish have never had the chance to do - leave the United Kingdom. Sure, people say the six counties are no longer a part of Ireland but for me, Ireland always has and always will include our brothers and sisters in the north. Years of conflict, murder, bombs and discrimination, under the agendas of both sectarian and class divides, has never changed this. We are of this island, whether you are a ''fleg'' bearer or not. It matters not whether the butcher's apron adorns parliament at the other end of the island. It matters not the hatred and the disdain that arises from a conflict that has for so long has been under the banner of religious conflict. Make no mistake, the north is all that will be left of the much vaunted and overly-celebrated United Kingdom. All that will remain for the family that was... ahem... chosen by god... is the Commonwealth Games and the fact that their blood-stained flag still taints 25% of the national flag of many countries around the world.

Scotland have a chance tomorrow to be something we never have been - completely free of the oppressors. Even in the south, where we flaunt Michael Collins and his actions of eight decades ago like some kind of anti-establishment hero, we still adhere to many British traditions. Our governments have a very similar system. Our banks are identical and often owned by the same companies. We are as conservative as our conservatively-run neighbours - little change, high taxation, the division between the 1% and and the 99% become greater by the year - it is there for all to see. Our education and health services are almost identical also, as are our attitudes towards Europe, despite our insistence that we do as they please. This is the problem with Ireland. We settle for what we can get. We never say no. We take the pounding and shrug and say to ourselves ''ah, sure it could have been worse''. We had one of the greatest booms the world has ever seen and we blew it. Every penny worked up, every market that was thriving has been destroyed by our reluctance to stand up to the those who continue to put us in our place.

For those who criticise David Cameron for giving Scotland the opportunity to leave the Union, do not be so foolish. This is a win-win situation for the Conservative PM. Should the Scots take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity and gain independence, the proportion of Conservatives left in Britain rises dramatically, securing Cameron a further term in office ahead of the remarkably incompetent Ed Miliband, as well as at least another term for the Tories. Should the Scots fail to leave the UK, David Cameron will be hailed as the greatest strategist since Churchill saw off the filthy hun for mighty Blighty. He will be revered for crushing the opposition in Scotland, who have posed the biggest threat to the Union in history and at the same time secure the Scottish oil reserves. Dave is no fool. The only fools are those who abide by him.

So Scotland, we here in all 32 counties of this beautiful island, as well as the Basque, the Catalans, the Palestinians and many other oppressed peoples of the world emplore you to throw off the oppressors, take this opportunity with both hands and stick it to the queen, prince Charles and the establishment that facilitates, supports and practices apartheid, sectarianism, genocide, internment, torture and wars for oil. Do what we cannot.

Balance

Why am I faced with a lifetime of balance in world in which it seems there is none?

It looks to me as if for every victory I enjoy in this life there is a pain that much be suffered either before or after my pleasure.

A youth of believing that work will set me free appears about as realistic a prospect as alien invasion yet perhaps the thought of little green men would be enlightening, if it wasn’t for the accompanying little green women.

Hancock.
Friends.
Two and a Half Men.
The life of the UltraBomb.

Giver and taker.
Give and take.
Good and evil.
Pain and pleasure.

The life of the millionaire that ends in tragedy.
The gifted musician who dies in a pool of their own blood and vomit.
The wrestling superstar addicted to drugs.

WHY IS EVERY GOOD BALANCED BY AN EVIL??

For every smile I break there is a tear I shed for it is the way of this person. A slave to the system and to the fate of this world. Nevermore can I enjoy the moment for what it seems to be for I now know exactly what it is.

Mediocrity cannot hide behind positive deeds any longer.

And there is the problem…living is a problem because everything dies.

The key to happiness for me is finding where you draw the line between being part of this world and turning a blind eye to it.

For every smile there is a tear. For every birth there is a death and for every ramble there is someone who needs to but cannot.

Pochemuchka99

Never accept the world with which you are presented

Six feet of dirt does not a hero make

 

Let's call him Harry.

In my late teens, a local lad, of similar age, was killed in an accident. It was a horrific accident and a young life was taken. The crushing of his youthful potential was plain for all to see. The entire town was gripped in a bout of sadness as its inhabitants and blow-ins alike celebrated his life and mourned his passing.

I did not attend the funeral. Why? Because I saw no reason to go. For me, attending a funeral is a show of respect. It is your way of saying goodbye to the person. A way of saying thank you for the positivity you brought to the world and to me. Harry, make no mistake about it, was an utter scumbag. He sold drugs. He was constantly fighting. Harry had a child he didn’t care to see and refused to support. He had a long list of people in this small town that he had hurt and whose lives were worse off for having crossed paths with him. Harry was one of those people that contributes a total sum of nothing to society. This is not conjecture or hearsay. I speak of Harry from experience.

I refused to be one of the thousands of people in this town who were lying, not only to themselves but to their ”god” whose house they desecrated with falsehood. Every single person who attended the funeral that day lied to the child he left behind. The majority of these people did not know him and if they did they would not have paid tribute to his time if they acted in honesty. Harry’s life was made a mockery of and his bereaving family was made to think that this was a popular guy, popular for the actions he performed while alive.

I received a substantial amount of abuse for refusing to attend his funeral. People argued that it was a tragedy that such a young life was lost, that I knew him and should have shown my respects. True, it is tragic. Tragic that he was truly honoured with such a great family and ruined his life the way he did. True, I knew him. He made my life worse than it needed to be in our teenage years and did a lot more damage to others and for that, there can be no respect.

The people of this fragile town were duped into thinking that this loss of life was particularly tragic. It was not.

People opt to see the good in others once they have passed on, as if looking at their deeds through sepia tinted glasses. The funeral for them is the handshake at the end of some sporting endeavour. Well done. You gave it your all. Good game. There can be no camaraderie in ignoring the folly of others posthumously. 

Perhaps seeing nothing but the good in someone is a virtue but it is one I definitely do not have and for that I am grateful. It was be a massive dishonour to Harry, his family and the child he left behind to pretend he made the world a better place because he didn’t.

He wasted the chance he got at this. He was given so much and threw it away. Maybe there is a sadness in that. Maybe that deserves pity. He was dealt a great hand and spent his short time on this earth crushing those around him.

Six feet of dirt does not a hero make.

pochemuchka99 

Never accept the world with which you are presented

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth

Or did He?

Fundamental questions with logical answers will be addressed on this blog.

To question is to understand. To understand is to grow. If we do not grow, we wither and die. I’d prefer to grow but that means spending more time here, where every day is filled not with the beauty of the world (of which there is plenty) but of the follies of man – the single most destructive force in the universe.

Tonight, the world is in tatters because of the influence of men of power and of faith (“In God We Trust”). The lives of the poor and the many ruined and extinguished for the needs of the rich and the few. Never before have the fundamentals of capitalism and democracy been so destructive on such a scale. When plantation, apartheid and genocide can not only exist but thrive in line with international influence as it does in Israel, we need to assess what we as a people have become. Are we all evil? Did we really head down this path knowing we would do this to the planet we temporarily inhabit?

Or is this all a case of the haves vs the have nots? Do the 1% really have that much power over the 99%? Sometimes life really is black and white. Generalisations are a horrible product of society but that’s not to say that some are fair to make. For example: the 1% are rich, white, deeply religious, democratic and capitalist (understanding what they can bring – power). The 99% are poor, non-white but are also deeply religious, democratic and capitalist (due to centuries of training).

However, where they differ is that the 99 go to war.

The 99 fight for the 1. The 99 die for the 1.

Without the 99 there is no 1. Yet the 99 are too ignorant, lethargic and are far too willing to play the pin cushion and the human shield. Today, with the advancement of new media and the coronation of celebrities to give dominion over our lives, the 99 are becoming less intelligent, less forthright, less productive and less individual, despite the facades to suggest otherwise. The 99 are becoming more expendable, easier to influence and more willing to be the dog in the dog and pony show.

To quote Arnold J Rimmer:

“Generals don’t smash chairs over people’s heads. They don’t stick Newcastle Brown bottles in your face and say, ‘Stitch that, Jimmy.’ Generals are in a tent on the hill, sipping Sancerre, directing the battle. They’re men of honour.”

The fourth estate, of which I am a part, exists primarily to bring transparency to the estates and to reduce the gap between them or at least facilitate great people to do great things in spite of these gaps.

The areas of grey are fading.

Black and white. Rich and poor. The Newcastle Brown bottle swingers and the men of honour.

We are failing.

pochemuchka 99

Never accept the world with which you are presented