"It's So Funny, How We Don't Talk Anymore..."

So before I start to tell you about the delightful little candle holder I made for this weeks Kenny K Krafty Krew Challenge, I wanted to talk a little about the growing number of charges, arrests and convictions for comments being made on Facebook, Twitter and texts etc.

A couple of days ago, one of the big stories on the BBC news was about a young man who had tweeted a picture of a burning poppy and had then found himself under arrest for sending a 'malicious communication'. There have been lots of reported cases of people setting up Facebook pages meant to memorialize someone only to find offensive and hurtful comments on them, left by people who are called 'Trolls' (the clue here is in the name!) and there was even a case of one idiotic young man who made crude and offensive comments about a missing child earlier in the year and then found himself in prison.

Now I don't for one second condone their comments, in most cases they are at the bassest level possible and are only going to be forwarded or engaged with by like-minded morons but I certainly think there is a 'bigger picture' to be looked at here in that since Tony Blair came into office as our Prime Minister, we have had more and more of our civil liberties eroded than at anyother time in recent history. We have even had rights taken from us that were guaranteed in the Magna Carta!

As a society we pride ourselves on not being like communist regimes who monitor and persecute people, politicizing free speech issues and stamping all over peoples rights but we are beginning to take away people right to 'free' speech.

Nobody has ever died from a hurtful comment!

I took issue with someone (very much an ex-friend now) over his use of the C word (in reference to David Cameron taking time off work when his father was ill) on one of his posts. While I disagreed with what he had to say and as someone who has no problem with that particular word, I pointed out to him that I may be on my PC and my Goddaughter could be there and see what he had written and that if he couldn't stop using such an inflamatory word then I would have to take him off my friend list. This then turned into a rather heated debate and the outcome was me taking him off my list and not speaking to him since! But at no time did I feel the need to call the police. Like Jeremy Kyle on morning TV, when I see something offensive, I switch channels and move on.

The men we memorialize with the Poppy who have fought and died for our right to free speech, would probably be spinning in their grave to learn we are now arresting people who are demonstrating those very rights, however incendiary or vile those words may be. When someone in this country is taken into police custody and questioned for six hours over a Facebook comment, because he said he wanted to 'kill Obama', I think we should all start questioning exactly where we are heading as a society.

I would welcome your comments on this issue too.

On to the above candle holder and this weeks challenge over at the Kenny K Krafty Krew is 'We Wish You A Sassy Christmas'. I have used Stud Santa and used some traditional Christmas papers from my (extremely large) stash. I made and glittered a couple of pinecones using my Tim Holtz Sizzix die and used some Diamond Dust on Santa's white bits. The letters were taken from a Basic Grey sheet of stickers that usually come with a 12x12 paper pack, these ones being given with the Wassail collection. As for the holder itself, I basically measured the diameter and depth of a tea light candle then mapped out the box on a sheet of card and finally added the back with the image on to finish the whole thing off. I know this is not exactly 'in-depth' crafting here but that's just how I roll i'm afraid, I am more of a crafter-on-the-go than a plotter and planner. My craft space is sooooo disorganised it has to be seen to be believed but I am sure that if you Google 'create a candle holder' you will find yourself bombarded with projects.

So that's my rant over, sorry if it wasn't to your liking but this really did bother me in the week and I thought I could share it with my lovely followers who constantly leave me lovely comments about my blog and what I write.

Hope you have a good week and I hope I see you again real soon,

take care,

hugs 'n stuff,

Andy

xx

P.S. Hope you like the piccie too, Jasmine took it upon herself to check my work just as I took my picture and I really loved the image!
Entered Into: Challenges 4 Everybody Challenge #7 - Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenges #45 - Anything Goes
Joanna Sheen Challenge - Cold and Frosty
One Stitch At A Time Challenge #140 - Use A Digi
Stamping Sensations November Challenge - Traditional Christmas
Sunday Stamper Challenge #232 - I've Just Seen A Face
The Crafty Pad Challenge #197 - It's Beginnining To Look A Lot Like Christmas
The Squirrel And The Fox Challenge #31 - Anything Goes
Craft Room Challenge - Die Cuts and Punches
Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge #131 - Thanksgiving or Christmas
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #78 - I'm Leafing It Up To You to Use Leaves!
Tuesday Alchemy Challenge #41 - Anything But A Card