IRA on US Millionaire Show

Whilst on holiday in Canada in March of this year, I happened to catch an edition of the US version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Apart from the fact that the host seemed to have no idea of how to build any sort of tension whatsoever("That's you're final answer? You're right. Next question..."), the following question appeared;

Patrick O'Brien wrote a series of books about Captain Jack Aubrey. In which military service was he an officer?

A - British Army

B - United States Airforce

C - Royal Navy

D - Irish Republican Army

It's An Outrage!!

How dare they list a group of terrorists alongside these three fine and honourable armed forces? To suggest that the IRA have even the slightest thing in common with these services is a gross injustice of the worst kind, and an insult to every man and woman who has served in them.

Especially cruel is listing them with the British Army; the only link there of course is that several hundred of their finest peacekeeping troops have been murdered by the IRA over the past twenty years, along with several hundred more innocent civilians. This just highlights the ignorance that America has over the whole Ireland Situation.

Somehow I can't imagine the US researchers adding HezBollah to this list.

(By the way, the answer was C)

Bullied Schoolgirl gets Bodyguard

Amie Salmon is a 13 year old schoolgirl from a local Comprehensive school in my area. She is quiet, small and slightly built. Because of this, she has been bullied repeatedly by the same gang of eight girls since the beginning of 1999. She has been punched and kicked and taunted on an almost daily basis, and her parents have even considered putting Amie on tranquillisers to ease her worries. Amie can and has identified the girls to her teachers, but the school's solution has been not to punish those responsible, but to segregate her from the rest of the school and assign her a permanent teacher bodyguard. This bodyguard is with her from the moment she arrives at school to the moment she leaves, including breaks, lunchtimes and visits to the toilet.

Amie no longer studies with her classmates, but in separate classrooms on her own (except for her bodyguard), and she is allowed to carry a mobile phone with her throughout the school day in case she ever feels in danger.

Understandably, her parents are outraged that no direct action has been taken against the bullies, even though the head teacher, Mr Moralee has provided these 'words of comfort';

"...suspending bullies would not make life easier for Amie and other victims of bullying in the long run...it is not corrective", and"It's always the victim that has got the support here."

He is also planning to improve the school's strategy on bullying by;

• placing envelopes in classrooms for pupils to anonymously report bullying incidents

• setting aside a special room for victims to use during breaks

• arranging an author day at the school to discuss the topic of bullies

It's An Outrage!!

This is a complete waste of taxpayer's money and staff's time, and is teaching the lesson that the only way to deal with persecution is to run away from it.

What should happen is that the bullies are identified and punished, then expelled. By not having the bullies in the school, it would quite clearly make Amie's life much easier. To say otherwise is ludicrous.

Mr Moralee should be ashamed of his approach to this problem and his treatment of the affected pupils. He is not supporting the victims at all, but is adding to their suffering.

Children don't want to draw attention to themselves by hiding in special rooms, or having to be chaperoned by teachers - they want to see the bullies punished and be able to enjoy their lives.