The reaction from the Muslim world was angry and even, in some cases, violent. In the Arab world, there were credible reports of undemocratic and oppressive governments manipulating the rage of the “Arab Street” for their own purposes, including deflecting the demands for better, less corrupt government. Those same governments have now largely been swept away by populations wanting real political change. The freedom of speech arguments were not resolved and, like The Spear, will likely never be settled. Is it a worthwhile question to ask whether the victims of the school text book debacle would be more offended by The Spear than by their present school text book predicament? If so, what then?

In a way, it is a pity that The Spear has taken centre stage. I am more interested in the copyright/trademark issue in the ‘ANC-for-sale” piece. Is this covered in the ANC’s urgent application?

The whole point of the article is that Zuma is focused on the wrong things. He’s fussing about the “disrespect” to him when what he needs to be doing is his job, and in such a way that it will earn him some genuine respect.

There was no need to fuss and fume over “respecting the office of the Presidency” when Mandela was President – he had earned the country’s respect and it showed. Zuma has brought the office of the Presidency into disrepute all by himself, and he doesn’t like it when people lilke Brett Murray call it like it is and portray him as a corrupt despot who can’t keep his flies zipped. Too bad. Truth hurts.

Pierre: My blog is better than yours and that is why you come to my blog.

Joy: No, I come for the English language lessons on words such as “fallacious”

Pierre: So you should, my blog is bigger than yours. And so is my vocabulary.

Joy: Maybe, but the presidents penis is bigger news than your blog. It even bigger than yours.

Pierre: You are such a bitch!

Joy: Its not like you are any different.

Pierre: What do you mean, bitch!

Joy: You have dedicated two articles on the presidents penis and you still refer to it on a third article. You must have been justly impressed to give it such lavish attention.

Pierre: Get off my blog, bitch.

Joy: Truth hurts. I am off.

Hey Dworky,

Joy-Mari makes a great point.

How about we start Friends-of-Zuma’s-Spear (FoZS) movement.

All funds will be graciously accepted.

Do you think Joy-Mari will donate generously?

p.s. Will Zuma knock down those who stand up for him?

Or will he take it lying down?

(But then again, you are entitled to you own sense of moral proportion. As David Hume reminded us, “’tis not contrary to reason to prefer the destruction of the whole world to the scratching of my finger.”)

What I have noticed is that poverty and the entrapment of people in poverty is profitable. So people (those in power) will not seriously engage in skims to eliminate poverty. Elected representatives in South Africa are more important than the people who elected them and it will be that way until we educate the electorate to understand how much power they wield.