Village Voice Anniversaries, Absent Apologies, etc ...

Someone once said: The most amazing thing about coincidences is that they sometimes actually do happen. Well, here at This Old Brit we entirely agree.

Maybe you will too when you read this spooky - but true - Halloween edition.

Master writer, wit and blogger James Wolcott of current Vanity Fair [and past Village Voice] fame, very recently wrote reminding us - with some pretty fond personal reminiscences - that the Village Voice had reached it's 'big 50' birthday. And all credit to him; so he should have. Half a century of hard work certainly shouldn't easily be forgotten.

Now, lets just jump back to July. Stay with us; believe us; it's relevant.

On 26th July this year, This Old Brit wrote a follow up piece to an earlier one wherein he had claimed -- at the time, like a lone voice crying in the wilderness of the web -- that the London tube station shooting of the poor, innocent young Brazilian boy was the work of the shadowy S.A.S. --- and not the regular everyday run 'o the mill, common or garden variety of British bobbies.

This Old Brit had also pointed out plainly that the 'murdered' man had been shot some several times -- then some more. And how countless conflicting stories about the atrocity abounded, including what the relative identifying the body had said. And the seemingly dozens of differences,in what the coroner - the female senior police officer attending the inquest - her own superior officers - and some so-called close range witnesses had said.

Furthermore, it later transpired that whilst seven shots had been claimed to have struck the Brazilian boy, eleven shots in all had been heard by witneses -- four or five of them as late as when police had started ushering some shocked, carriage sharing commuters up escalators and away from the scene. Naturally, such 'sensitive' statements appeared only briefly in the press before being confined the depths of the mainstream media memory hole. Where they remain to this very day.

Some time later it was officialy admitted that indeed, military personnel had been 'loaned' to the Metropolitan Police for the execution of this anti-terrorist operation. And at this point it's perhaps appropriate to make it quite clear that we here, make absolutely no attempt at offering any apologies for the preceding pun. It was entirely intended.

Lots of regular readers readily grasped and agreed with the way This Old Brit 'saw' this whole horrible debacle. Most others eventually ended up agreeing as well. A couple, couldn't quite see things as clearly as we could.

However, one particular [perhaps new] reader-cum - [certainly new] poster, simply couldn't resist making a completely uncalled for - and as later was proved to be entirely inaccurate - back handed compliment type, smart arse, snide comment.

When the subject of the eventual [loaned military men] admission by the Metropolitan Police Commission came up again in another Old Brit edition, we recalled the undeserved derision we'd received from the 'snide'.

Here it is, and we quote verbatim: "... this is good writing, but you're starting to sound a bit loony".

Some time later we published an observation that an apology of sorts would be nice -- but none were ever forthcoming. So be it; we weren't too bothered; we're big boys.

Okay, stick with us. Sounds complicated I know but we're almost there. Soon it will become crystal clear.

Fast forward to today.

We had completely forgotten about said snide's sniping -- until Mr Wolcott [quite unknowingly and coincidently] reminded us by writing his excellent 'Voice' anniversary piece.

So, is this Halloween story's surprise ending more than a little spooky -- or what?

Said snide's name was Elisha Sessions and he wrote for the Village Voice, once.

Peruse the whole piece for yourself -- and Sessions' sarcastic comment.

http://rickwrites.blogspot.com/2005/07/ever-widening-web-of-deceit.html