Saints Preserve Us From Martyrs

OK, so I know I said I was going to ease up on the number of posts here for the rest of the month, but I couldn't let this business of these so-called 'Martyr Videos' pass without mention. I must admit that when I first saw these reported in the media, I was left perplexed - what the hell was a 'Martyr Video'? I had visions of guys filming themselves being nailed to crosses, being burned at the stake or being filled full arrows like St Anthony (I think he's the one , I'm a little shaky when it comes to saints). But then I asked myself, why would a group of would-be Muslim suicide bombers be making videos of themselves as Christian martyrs? Maybe it was some kind of piss take - another attempt to inflame religious divisions, I thought. Once again, the truth turned out to be somewhat less interesting - it turned out that all the press were getting so worked up about was the fact that some of the suspect plane bombers had recorded statements explaining they're so-called martyrdom on laptops, for use as indoctrination/publicity material. Basically, the same sort of thing that Al Jizz TV has been showing after every Middle Eastern suicide bombing for the past few years.

I find that the media are increasingly doing this sort of thing to me - building up my hopes of something truly bizarre being uncovered, only to reveal that behind their tantalising headlines lies the same old mundane cobblers. Perhaps it is just me - maybe I'm setting my expectations too high. My only hope is, that as a result of this latest lurid reporting of these 'Martyr videos', some homegrown extreme right wing white supremacists might be encouraged to make their own such films, perhaps in the guise of St George? Now there's something I'd like to see broadcast on TV - some racist cretin having himself sawn in half in the name of bigotry. A man can dream, a man can dream...