With thanks to XTC for the title, I'm very pleased to report that Charlton are bottom of the league, the League of Crowd Thuggery that is.
I wish the same could be said for the forces of (Islamic) law and order here. Following the trashing of bars by the self-styled Islam Defenders Front (FPI), it is reported that the National Police have yet to 'interrogate' any of the thugs. A full eye-witness account of the intimidation and extortion that occurred on Friday night will be posted on the Jalan-Jalan Jakarta blog once the Reveller's computer has been rebuilt. This is the result of built-in obsolescence rather than vandalism.
Indonesia has a history of thuggery, not all of it self-imposed. Indonesia during World War II was witness to many colonial atrocities in the first three months of the Japanese invasion, which is not generally known.
One group of Indonesians who felt downtrodden were those of Indo-European heritage. One family's saga set in its historical context can be perused in Mike and Astrid's very well-presented website.
Finally, one form of thuggery we all object to is being spammed. I'd like to know why Indosat, my ISP, can't install some kind of firewall and focus on improving its service to those of us who've been paying them lots of money for years. Why should 90%+ of my mail be a total waste of time? (I don't actually download spam as I use the admirable Avirmail to delete unwanted emails on the servers I use.) Their answer, of course, is to focus on increased revenue and profits from those who have to make do with cellular phones rather than old-fashioned landlines.
Those of you who like spam and to shop early for Xmas, may like to visit the online Spam Museum and Gift Shop.
