Blair's kinda a jerk (again)

He's going to "root out" extremists! So sayeth the Guardian. NinjaGeek sayeth: No, you're not, Tony. You're going to continue to be a sad, confused little man with funny looking hair.

According to the Guardian article, he's going to "deport extremist Muslim clerics without appeal, close down mosques preaching hate, proscribe extremist Muslim groups and extend the use of control orders to British nationals advocating terrorism."

Now, I may just be a Wacky Bad-American Liberal, but that sounds to me an awful like he's rooting out those scary Arabs. Continuing: "A commission will also be established to examine the future of multiculturalism, looking at measures to better integrate those who deliberately separate themselves from British laws and culture."

Part of my reaction to this might just be the way the article was written; it's not unbiased. But saying that if you move to Britain - even if you're seeking asylum there - you live by their customs? Law, yes: I fully agree that by moving somewhere, you accept to live by their laws. But customs? Granted, Britain does have a rather unfortunate history of colonization, and if you look at America's great endeavours into cultural imperialization, it's nothing compared Britain's long list of 'places we've forced our way of life upon, and the devastating effects of this are still very obvious today in the spread of war, poverty, and disease'.

Still, though! This isn't the late 1800's or early 1900's with the Dutch and the French and the British all doing their best to capture all of Africa. We are, theoretically, more enlightened now than we were then, and I didn't think that even Britain was so into the "be exactly like us or else!" thing anymore.

Bonus light-heartedness: the UK page for BBC news is displaying the headline "Student and friend swept to death." I just picture them being force to sweep a large wood floor until they finally pass out and die from all the sweeping.