Coming Home to Roost

I am a big fat coward, I reckon; very frightened of physical pain (the CIA would have no trouble getting any information it wanted out of me, no need to pay for a flight to Afghanistan). Moreover, I am scared of getting in trouble. I don't know if it's being raised by natural authority figures (teachers) or what, but I hate getting in trouble. It makes me shifty and prepared to give up all and sundry to avoid censure (there goes that whole "Leos are loyal" theory). Hence I think these Iranian women are utterly amazing and brave: Facing their oppressors head on, despite the well-placed fear of arrest and injustice. Makes you wonder whether you'd have the courage in a similar situation.

From the chicken in me to many of them coming home to roost. Colorado, due to its harsh new immigration rules, is having to turn to prisoners to maintain their agriculture. My particular favourite idea comes from someone in the project saying the merit of a hard day’s work outdoors was invaluable to an inmate. Yes, I'm sure they'll love it, particular as they'll probably get paid about a quarter of what the work is worth, and as soon as they leave prison they won't be employed by the same farmers, due to being ex-convicts. Priceless to an inmate indeed. I think people forget what an agrarian culture so much of the US still is, and how crackdowns on immigration are really going to paralyse large parts of this country, particularly huge economies like California's. You're just not going to get "real Americans" prepared to work such hard, miserable days for so little cash...

Enough ranting. Time to settle down and watch the Mighty Spurs (TM) mess up at West Ham again. Grand.

UPDATE: Currently 2-0 down, the second to a free kick that shouldn't have existed because it wasn't a foul. It's not going to be our day - their keeper has come up with the most ridiculous saves and nothing's going our way at all. Bugger.

UPDATE: Yikes. Somehow, despite trailing 3-2 with five mins to go, we won. Brilliant resilience, tragedy for West Ham (and if previous results brought about this editorial, what can the abused women of the world expect from tomorrow's Newham Recorder? Hard to imagine). Shame it couldn't go on all day - instead I actually have to do some work.