The Michael II (the sequal)

Between work and not being able to get to the Imac to type like a madman, it seems I have been out of circulation long enough to actually illicit some concern from my loyal readers. I apologize for "missing time" and will now attempt to make up for all that missing madness by producing some musings that are lean on melancholy. Here goes nuttin...........

My last post left the mistaken impression that I actually think my life is miserable. Nothing could be further from the truth and I realize that the title of that post might have contributed to the misunderstanding. Actually, I just thought it was a catchy addition to the standard phrase "first day of the rest of your life". My life is not miserable. It's not perfect, but who's life is? Don't answer that, I don't want to know.....hehe. Yes, there are many aspects of my life that could stand improvement, but standing here on the cliff, I can see what's down below if I lose my balance, and until that happens, things could be alot worse than they are. So, I apologize if I made it sound as though I was complaining. I may bitch and moan, but complaining? NEVER!

I watched a woman last night, in her grief and anger, actually dare say that because the miscommunication concerning the condition of the trapped miners robbed these good christian folk of their miracle, that they might be tempted to think there really IS no God. Well, sister, I am truly sorry for your loss, but you can't have it both ways. They say that God answers all prayers, but that sometimes the answer isn't the one you wanted. They say that the Lord works in mysterious ways. They say alot of things, dear woman, but the fact remains that people die, especially in situations just waiting to kill them. If you insist on turning your righteous indignation on someone, try turning it on the owners of the mine, who have been sited repeatedly for safety violations, instead of bitching at a God you think wasn't being nice. Then perhaps you people will not lose more lives to the God of greed and indifference. I just wish Bob would show up at YOUR walmart and have a nice sit down with YOU. (That episode is in the archives for those of you not knowing what I'm talking about) Then perhaps you would be able to see tragedy for what it really is.


MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) - Nazir Ahmed appears calm and unrepentant as he recounts how he slit the throats of his three young daughters and their 25-year-old stepsister to salvage his family's "honor" - a crime that shocked Pakistan.

The 40-year-old laborer, speaking to The Associated Press in police detention as he was being shifted to prison, confessed to just one regret - that he didn't murder the stepsister's alleged lover, too.

Hundreds of girls and women are murdered by male relatives each year in this conservative Islamic nation, and rights groups said Wednesday such "honor killings" will only stop when authorities get serious about punishing perpetrators.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that in more than half of such cases that make it to court, most end with cash settlements paid by relatives to the victims' families, although under a law passed last year, the minimum penalty is 10 years, the maximum death by hanging.

Ahmed's killing spree - witnessed by his wife Rehmat Bibi as she cradled their 3-month-old baby son - happened Friday night at their home in the cotton-growing village of Gago Mandi in eastern Punjab province.

It is the latest of more than 260 such honor killings documented by the rights commission, mostly from media reports, during the first 11 months of 2005.

Bibi recounted how she was woken by a shriek as Ahmed put his hand to the mouth of his stepdaughter Muqadas and cut her throat with a machete. Bibi looked helplessly on from the corner of the room as he then killed the three girls - Bano, 8, Sumaira, 7, and Humaira, 4 - pausing between the slayings to brandish the bloodstained knife at his wife, warning her not to intervene or raise alarm.

"I was shivering with fear. I did not know how to save my daughters," Bibi, sobbing, told AP by phone from the village. "I begged my husband to spare my daughters but he said, 'If you make a noise, I will kill you.'"

"The whole night the bodies of my daughters lay in front of me," she said.

The next morning, Ahmed was arrested.

Speaking to AP in the back of police pickup truck late Tuesday as he was shifted to a prison in the city of Multan, Ahmed showed no contrition. Appearing disheveled but composed, he said he killed Muqadas because she had committed adultery, and his daughters because he didn't want them to do the same when they grew up.

He said he bought a butcher's knife and a machete after midday prayers on Friday and hid them in the house where he carried out the killings.

"I thought the younger girls would do what their eldest sister had done, so they should be eliminated," he said, his hands cuffed, his face unshaven. "We are poor people and we have nothing else to protect but our honor."

Despite Ahmed's contention that Muqadas had committed adultery - a claim made by her husband - the rights commission reported that according to local people, Muqadas had fled her husband because he had abused her and forced her to work in a brick-making factory.

Police have said they do not know the identity or whereabouts of Muqadas' alleged lover.

Muqadas was Bibi's daughter by her first marriage to Ahmed's brother, who died 14 years ago. Ahmed married his brother's widow, as is customary under Islamic tradition.

"Women are treated as property and those committing crimes against them do not get punished," said the rights commission's director, Kamla Hyat. "The steps taken by our government have made no real difference."

Activists accuse President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a self-styled moderate Muslim, of reluctance to reform outdated Islamized laws that make it difficult to secure convictions in rape, acid attacks and other cases of violence against women. They say police are often reluctant to prosecute, regarding such crimes as family disputes.

Statistics on honor killings are confused and imprecise, but figures from the rights commission's Web site and its officials show a marked reduction in cases this year: 267 in the first 11 months of 2005, compared with 579 during all of 2004. The Ministry of Women's Development said it had no reliable figures.

Ijaz Elahi, the ministry's joint secretary, said the violence was decreasing and that increasing numbers of victims were reporting incidents to police or the media. Laws, including one passed last year to beef up penalties for honor killings, had been toughened, she said.

Police in Multan said they would complete their investigation into Ahmed's case in the next two weeks and that he faces the death sentence if he is convicted for the killings and terrorizing his neighborhood.

Ahmed, who did not resist arrest, was unrepentant.

"I told the police that I am an honorable father and I slaughtered my dishonored daughter and the three other girls," he said. "I wish that I get a chance to eliminate the boy she ran away with and set his home on fire.


I was reading a heart-breaking post from Alley concerning the hijacking of her Mother's heart, mind, and soul by Jesus, and it reminded me of the above news item concerning the power of belief. Those of you out there not to particularly concerned about the beliefs of your good Christian neighbors should take note that the above is just how bad things can get when an invisible man guides your actions. The next time someone wants to discuss the love of God with you, I suggest you make them read the above story, throwing in a few historical accounts of the inquisition and the salem witch trials when they protest that christians don't act like those islamic heathens. If you personally believe in a loving God, more power to you. I personally respect your right to believe anything you wish. I also expect the same from you. And this I promise you. I will never condemn you to ANY kind of hell for believing what you do, for I am a mere mortal being, and I do not have the gall to suggest that I am tight with any superior being who will punish you for not believing what I do. And I also promise you this. You will NOT lead ME meekly to an oven, you will NOT light a pyre under MY ass, and I will NOT turn my cheek while you attack me with a bible, a koran, or any other "good" book. Don't believe me? Bring it on!

My own household has been invaded by mysticism. My wife has embraced the ideals of Wicca and may very well be able to claim the title of witch eventually, and no, I do not mean that in a bad way. I personally consider myself lucky. It could very well have been Jesus that invaded my happy home, and that would have destroyed everything I hold dear. I have not chosen to embrace this religion, at least not as yet, but I am more than happy to support my wife in her exploration, for I could think of far worse things for her to embrace. If nothing else, Wicca is pure and primal, benign and compassionate in it's teachings, and I can find no fault with it. So, you will see many references to this pleasant little madness that has crept in on my life, and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I think I will. As long as Bob doesn't take me aside again and point out to me the error of my thinking, life should be good at Pendragon Hold.

I want to thank my readers for their concern, it's nice to be missed. But if you really want to come down on someone concerning their posting habits, I suggest you get onto Lights-in-the-Wake concerning his decision to cut back on his excellent blog. Let's all let our brother-in-blogging know that not every post has to be a masterpiece, not every post has to be profound. MM&M is living proof of that. Let him know that there is no pressure, no expectations, no demands by us, his readers, that he always be brilliant, which he has ably proven he is just being who he is. Just let him know we appreciate his work to such a degree that we will not riot in the streets, nor think ill of him if he skips a few days of posting. And last but not least, remind him of section 338, paragraph b, line 45, of the Blogger.com agreement, which clearly states that once you're a blogger, you are ALWAYS a blogger, especially with THIS motley crew, who will always love him, regardless.


OK, so I lied about the Meloncholy, but this IS MM&M, so what did you expect? hehe

And that's all I have to rant about today. Be well.