WARNING: This product contains rants.

I got an email from a guy who's a fellow Denver blogger. We've gotten to chatting via email, and his site, worldwiderant.com, is now linked in my links section on the right. The Englishman In Denver site is also linked from there. It's nice to make new contacts like that.

He has spoken of a Yahoo Group for Denver or at least Colorado bloggers. I'll look into this. Expect a link soon.

Worldwide rant is a collaborative effort, focusing on current events in the news. He also has a personal blog site, which has a superb comment on the season finale of '24', and the "but what about 9-11" whiners response to the series.

This reminded me of the weeks after Princess Di was assassinated.. Err.. "Died in a tragic freak accident, involving a small white car that was never traced".

The whole of the (British) nation freaked me out, with it's mass displays of upset. It was like some rogue Jerry Springer audience - such was the mass hysteria. TV and radio shows all stopped their regular schedule for far too long. I just remember one broadcaster - I think it was Mark Radcliffe - saying how we should try and move on, past this terrible event.

I understand there was some shock, and people were upset, but after the first day or two, and people were still freaking out, I started to think it was just the release of a lot of other issues they were bottling up, and that this extended grief for a complete stranger, was just a cover.

I kept wanting to say to people, "Did you know her? Was she a relative? A close friend? No? Then get the fuck over it!" Yes, it was tragic, but you it was a stranger.

I've loathed this deification of the Royal Family for years. I grew up with a Daily Mail reader in the house, and consequently ended up reading that dreadful Tory rag. Even in my teenage years, I felt almost physically sick, by the way that the British press, and some of the population, treated the Royals like they were gods. They're not. They're just human beings. Unelected and incredibly privelleged human beings, with wealth given to them by British taxpayers, but human beings nonetheless. Get the fuck over it Britain.

So, now I live in a republic - the USA, and when I move back to Europe, I'll be living in another republic - the Irish Republic. Perhaps it's all starting to fit together. I'm happier in a republic, and I loathe royal toadying. hmmmm.

And don't get me started on anti-european Britons. I had a gut full of that, when I went home for Christmas, with certain Daily Mail-reading factions.

Here endeth the rant.