A few years back I received a letter from the Salvation Army's missing person's bureau. Somebody, they wouldn't say who, was missing me, wanting to know where I was. There wasn't anybody who didn't know where I was that I wanted to know where I was. Anyone who knew me at all, would know where I was. And anyone who simply knew my name would googlefind me in seconds; even people in the Caribbean who didn't know my name were able to find me, or find my young friend, stanislav, who visted me, sometimes; just a little research was all it took. This person, then, who wanted to know where I was, was stupid, inept, without resource because they did know my name and address and date of birth; that was another reason for not wanting them to be able to contact me; I, none of us, are short of encounters with stupid people and having the brassbanders put me in touch with yet another one seemed to me to be decidedly, on their part, unfuckingChristian.
Robert Anton Wilson counselled: Remember, before you go out of the door each day, that ninety eight per cent of the people you are going to meet will be stupid assholes; not sure how he arrived at the ninety-eight per cent figure but it's near enough for jazz.
But it was a conundrum, how could anyone who knew my full name and current address and date of birth - with which they had provided the SallyAnn - need help in locating me?
The letter, signed by a Major Rupert Golightly-Gospel, extolled the work of his Army in re-uniting estranged families and friends, the cheeky cunt. He'd never met my family, obviously. All I had to do was consent, own-up to being me, it's a fair cop, Major, and some cack-handed, confused imbecile would re-enter my life, doubtless to the glory of God, if not to the glory of me, Ishmael..
I ignored the letter. Three or four more arrived and I ignored them. Then one arrived from the DWP - Am I Ishmael M Smith? Yes of course I fucking well am, you know I am, you are fucking well writing to me, aren't you, you know my name, my address and my date of birth, don't you, what more do you want, you already have my national insurance number? And if you are, you see, continued the DWP, the Salvation Army wanna talk to you.
I ignored that one, too, but wondered how the fuck these shinyfaced, tut-tutting, demented busybodies can manipulate a government department.
The letters continued to arrive, one every couple of months, until there was one which identified the seeker; it was a person who knew me very well, knew where I was, had visited, had sat at this very laptop and needed only to pick up the telephone in order to contact me.
Their enlistment of God's Army is a mystery beyond my understanding and I can only assume that this entirely unnecessary and fraudulent inveiglement added a frisson of drama to a straightforward estrangement. Too much Cruelty TeeVee.
I don't know what all this cost but this is where your collecting-tin money goes, in fucking nonsense, in employing sentimental half-wits like the Major and in badgering defenceless citizens, like me. Fucking do-gooding bastards. The nerve of some people, who do they think they are, blundering about, interfering?
The eventual self-identification of the seeker brought a relief for the letters had stirred painful and disturbing memories, long subdued, of a different person whom I had good reason to banish from my corner of reality. You would, wouldn't you, on receipt of such an impertinent inquiry, scan your recycle bin of horror, thinking Who the Fuck is this, what ruinous chorus of complaint am I to hear now? There ought to be a law against this sort of thing.
The eventual self-identification of the seeker brought a relief for the letters had stirred painful and disturbing memories, long subdued, of a different person whom I had good reason to banish from my corner of reality. You would, wouldn't you, on receipt of such an impertinent inquiry, scan your recycle bin of horror, thinking Who the Fuck is this, what ruinous chorus of complaint am I to hear now? There ought to be a law against this sort of thing.
But that's not the half of it. I was up in Tesco an hour ago, I was outside with the Harrisbloke and having just entered a moment ago, mrs ishmael came out of the store in tears.
Wossamatter, what is it? Oh, Ishmael, I'm crying, I'm so upset. They're asking for food. For the poor people. A food bank. Here. In our country.
She was weeping, a grown woman, in the middle of the fucking carpark
The store foyer was bannered-up. This is what they need, sugar, dried milk, tea, etc etc, they don't need caviar or parma ham, like decent people do. Whatever you donate, Tesco will add thirty per cent. In conjunction with the Salvation Army, Tesco is helping you to create a strong neighbourhood by giving food hampers to those in need at this very special time of Consumermas. We even have, via the Salvation Army, God's own imprimatur, that's trade mark, for the benefit of customers unhindered by erudition.
No other store offers you the chance to work with God. And if they do, we'll give you a free hymnbook voucher and five pounds off your next forty-pound spend. The spend which is really a save.
Good, isn't it, smugged a dopey shelf-stacker, delegated to guard the growing stack of hampers, not even hampers, just those green, plastic bread trays, the ones with a half-life of forty billion years. Good, I snarled, raging, good ? Hanging a few bankers would be good. Oh, yes, he said, nervously. And, as an afterthought, he said if it wasn't for them we wouldn't need to do this, would we? It was as though he had only just, that second, made the connection, a light had finally gone on in his mind, maybe that really was the case. That fat oaf, Carmichael, our hypocrite MP,
Wossat, poor people, sorry, can't hear you.
I'm seckatry of state for Jock, you know, ho ho ho.
THE BRUISER BRUISED.
As we predicted, LibDem Big Al is so far doing a great job for the Tribesmen.
Here, in a national debate, he is being Sturgeoned good and proper; every commentator saying that he made a fool of himself.
'as he been down, getting his picture taken, the useless piece of shit, poncing about? He stopped following me at that point, wouldn't know who his MP was, and I bit my tongue anyway, none of it was his fault, except that on reflection he'll think I'm a nutter, that'll be his fault.
Wossat, poor people, sorry, can't hear you.
I'm seckatry of state for Jock, you know, ho ho ho.
THE BRUISER BRUISED.
As we predicted, LibDem Big Al is so far doing a great job for the Tribesmen.
Here, in a national debate, he is being Sturgeoned good and proper; every commentator saying that he made a fool of himself.
'as he been down, getting his picture taken, the useless piece of shit, poncing about? He stopped following me at that point, wouldn't know who his MP was, and I bit my tongue anyway, none of it was his fault, except that on reflection he'll think I'm a nutter, that'll be his fault.
Mrs ishmael was beside herself, winding herself up, like she does, anxious, worrying; why aren't we paying old people enough money, just to live on, be warm, not be hungry, we have all this money for war
- the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the UK, conservatively, £20,000,000,000 and achieved worse than fuck all - and we have food banks, here, in our country.
Because, darling, of people like Carmichael and people like the Salvation Army, ever willing to hold Villainy's coat, as long as, for a brief moment, they are in Celebrity's flickering limelight. Charity is the new rock'n'roll. Utter filth, like the Windsor gang, have their own charities, Hollywood slags have their own charities, are given charity ambassadorships by thieving gangsters at the UN; charities like Barnardos have been pimping vulnerable children for decades. Don't argue, they tried it with me. Father Hudson's Homes, in Birmingham, the noncing monsignors, appointed by His unHoliness, himself; papal knight Savile, the greatest charity fundraiser in history; convents full of bitter, harridan brutes, stealing children, enslaving children, torturing children. How many times, how many times, how many times ?
Mrs ishmael knows all this stuff, she's worked among human wreckage all her life, the fragile and feckless, washed up on the shores of Insolence, the meek and mild, disinherited that the Proud may strut. There's nothing she doesn't know about the over-reach of the state, the cruelty of its officers. It was just such a slap in the face, the weasely Tesco sanctimony, the justifying of Ian Duncan Smith's criminality, - yesterday, some city spivs awarded themselves billions in seasonal bonuses - as though this vile foodbank palaver was no more than an exercise in community singing, was not a clebration of shame. Ah-one-two-three-four Let's all piss in the faces of the poor.
It's the willingness of the community to engage, docile and compliant, in this charitable sleight of hand and feel good about itself, that's what shocked her.
Don't get upset, get mad, been telling you for years, charity bandits are part of the problem, sweeping up after the offence, paying themselves bundles of idiotmoney, donated by idiotdonors to salve their idiotconsciences. And in a way the Salvation Army is worse because its careerists award themselves Ruritanian ranks and ribbons, like the Prince of fucking Wales; the other ranks, the buglers and the charity shop attendants, they're strictly voluntary, but the Captains and Majors are like all Captains and Majors. Paving slabs, that's the thing, lamp posts, crucify the bastards, let them be martyrs, instead of being do-gooders for Ruin. Jesus, of course, would've considered Himself a private. Don't think it's very much to do with Jesus, though, the Salvation Army.
I never responded to the seeker and I haven't had a letter for a while now but the next time I'm in London I will pop-in and see the Major, in his missing persons HQ and put the fear of God in him.
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An afterthought on Money being the root of all evil, courtesy of mr verge.
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An afterthought on Money being the root of all evil, courtesy of mr verge.