Grinds My Gears!! - Issue 10

I've finally reached my first milestone in the Grinds My Gears catalog. The big ONE-ZERO, Issue 10...wow! Double figures at last. Sadly, the momentous occasion of this issue is spoiled by the topic I've had to choose to write about.

Not too long ago, I wrote a blog entitled "Time to Let It Go". At the time of writing that, none of the recent events in the Madeleine McCann case were in circulation, but aspects of the case were slowly beginning to wear by abrasion my gears. Almost everyone in the entire world is aware of how this case is panning out (except Americans because they believe the only news in the world is their own, and people in Antartica) and now aspects of this case are starting to get to me.

Those of you who are familiar with my GMG blogs know that I often take a humourous approach to these things, so this one might seem a little different because of the serious matter involved.

I started considering to write this when I learned that the McCanns were initially proposing to pay for their legal fees out of the "Find Madeleine" fund they had started. This in its own right is just out and out wrong, and the suggestion of such a thing pisses me off. People donated that money so they could fund efforts to find their daughter, not so they could clear their names - a job which seems to be becoming a very difficult task indeed - and the money was donated at a time when the whole world deemed the McCanns to be a 100% completely innocent element of the case. We all know that things have changed now. Some time after it was revealed that they wouldn't be dipping into the fund to pay for legal costs. Whether this was so they could redeem themselves somewhat or on advice from their lawyers, no one knows.

As most of you know, this fund has been in existence for some time, and the money in the deposit has been sitting there for a long time aswell. Isn't is coincidental that they announce plans to spend £80,000 (out of 1.2million) on a new advertising campaign, days after they tried to use the money for legal fees? What I don't understand is the necessity of putting up these posters. The whole world knows what the poor girl looks like. Posters won't bring her back.

Another thing about this case which annoys me is the extended family. How many times have we seen/heard family members on Sky News attempting to clear Gerry and Kates names by telling us all that the Portuguese Police are incompetent? There are far more clever ways to help make someone look innocent than bitching about the Police. What's worse is that early in the case Gerry was quoted as saying "We (our family) have full faith in the Police", is that the case now? If they're adamant to help clear their names, why not cooperate and give them the laptop and cuddle toy. Also, any innocent man who says: "Find the body and prove we killed her" is no innocent man.

When visiting Sky News.com, I came across an article in relation to the case which I hadn't been aware of. The McCanns want the media to go away! Now excuse me if I'm wrong, but I do remember that same family using every possible media available for the previous 120 days before they were named suspects. And now they want them to leave them alone. You can't just switch the media on and off to suit your needs! How can they expect the media to go away when they do nothing but criticise the Police, and have family members and friends on the TV proclaiming their innoncence? Honestly, they'd be better not saying anything.

To make matters worse, celebrities are now on the "Clear the McCanns" bandwagon. Richard Branson is donating £70,000 to pay their legal fees. What the hell has he got to do with any of this? And he's asking other celebs to join in!!! Why should the McCann case supercede all the other thousands of missing children in the world? The McCanns got themselves to this spot in the first place and they should get themselves out. How can the public be expected to still have sympathy for them when they keep changing their stories and so much potential evidence is now turning the case against them?

The fact that they left 3 kids under the age of 4, alone in an unlocked apartment is dodgy enough. Staff at the restaurant said they didn't check on the kids every 20mins like they said they did. All this stuff about sedatives and sniffer dogs, body fluids and diary entries, it's all turning the tide against the McCanns, and I'm somewhat encouraged by the Sky News Forums that there's a multitude of people who express the same opinion as I do.

We need closure on this issue fast, because this case will never go away otherwise. The public has a right to know what exactly happened that night on May the 3rd after all the stories we've been exposed to. What parents deem it necessary to visit the Pope, or travel to other countries to promote their missing child when the time would be better spent physically searching themselves, knocking on doors, asking people in the area etc. The issue has been raised countless times as to why we've never once seen either of them shed a tear, what with all the exposure we've seen. We all know at this stage that this family can never return to normal life, with or without Madeleine. Depending on what the Portuguese Judge makes of it, a charge may or may not be made, and then we'll never know what part - if any - the parents had to play in their daughter's disappearance.

Am I right in thinking they're Guilty Until Proven Innocent?
-Note, I'm not saying innocent until proven guilty.

~The Damo

It Ain't Over Yet!

Not too long ago, I posted a blog entitled "Time to Let It Go", and had you read it, you would've seen that I was mainly addressing the Madeleine McCann case. Rather than reiterate what I've already said, I'll let you read it here:

http://smoke-me-a-kipper-back-for-breakfast.blogspot.com/2007/09/time-to-let-it-go.html

Although Catherine was the only person to actually comment agreeing with what I outlined, many others who read my blog agreed with where I stood on the matter.

It is however a strange coincidence that within a week of me writing a blog about how the Madeleine McCann case was dragging on, that we should bear witness to the startling events that occured on Friday. As things stand now (Sunday, 9th September), both parents are now arguido (suspects) and have since returned to England.

Now...

I'm sure many of you are aware of how the whole Madeleine situation arose, so I'm not going to take up this blog discussing it. What I am going to discuss is the parents, both of whom are now at the centre of the case.

The Police are suggesting - according to family friends - that Madeleine was accidentally killed by Kate, and even offered her a chance to confess in return for a shorter sentance. The family have declared this to be ludicrous accusations, and naturally they would being family, but thanks to the fact that I'm "neutral" in this affair, one cannot rule out the possibility that Kate, Gerry or both of them did indeed accidentally kill Madeleine.

While I do not want to believe that these people are capable of such a thing, especially to make such a worldwide coverage of the case, one has to wonder that the Police must have something linking them to the death of Madeleine, to declare them as suspects. Note that I am using "death" as opposed to "missing", purely for the fact that to me it seems the most likely situation now after 130 days. Perhaps the most startling evidence that we know of are the traces of blood in the apartment and the car the McCann family rented. Whilst the Police have yet to confirm that the blood is Madeleine's, it would be a very freak coincidence if the blood in both their apartment and car was completely unrelated to their case.

Assuming then that they are innocent on that front, many have pointed out that the parents are guilty of neglect, on two accounts. One being the very obvious fact that they left the children in the (unlocked) apartment on their own. - Note, conspirators were quick to point out that assuming the parents had killed Madeleine, having the doors unlocked would support their kidnapping claim - . And two, the suffering of their other twin children with regards to the media attention and what not. Leaving the children alone is bad enough, but in an unlocked apartment with no CCTV or nothing! Sure, in hotels, parents leave the kids in the rooms late at night, but hotel rooms are locked and have security cameras on most if not all hallways!!

There's a lot more that could be said here, some have suggested that the parents drugged the children into keeping them asleep, then finding Madeleine dead as a result of the drugs. It has also been said that Kate McCann is being considered the primary suspect, with Gerry being an accessory, since she was the last person to enter the apartment before Madeleine was declared missing.

What do you think?

~The Damo

Time to Let It Go

Before I begin this blog, I would like to point out that some people may find it a bit controversial, and while the two main topics are of a very serious matter in themselves, my own opinions here reflect what I perceive through their media attention, not my direct feelings relating to the two cases.

The first one is the most recent topic, that being the disappearance of Madeline McCann. I'm not going to comment on what I believe may or may not have gone on, what I do want to mention however is the media coverage. The main thing here is that this has been a regular news item, particularly on Sky News, for more than 120 days now. Yes, for the first few weeks media coverage was essential, naturally of course, but recently it is now all about the parents. They're going to sue Portugeuse news papers for writing "lurid allegations" about their daughter. At this stage, people don't want to know. The issue is finding the missing child. More to the point, they have two other children - twins - who are suffering aswell. I can't say for sure that this case is the most publicised case in history, but after 120 days with no real hardcore leads...shouldn't they come home?

I'm not criticising the coverage when it relates to any leads regarding Madeline herself, but the fact of the matter is...there aren't any leads. The whole thing has got to end somehow and the only way I can see that happening is if the parents come home, the longer they stay the worse it will get. Yes, I understand that as parents they want to be there, but there is nothing they can do, because all that they are doing is drawing media attention, which so far hasn't help them find Madeline any quicker.

The other thing is also an English related story and that is Princess Diana. Ten years ago now, and I remember the day well, as my friends up the road had a huge Lego set spread out on the floor in the TV room representing Diana's funeral. Yes it was the anniversary recently, but let's not forget that there was also a concert (which was terrible) in Wembley in her honour, and the tabloids give anything Diana related inhumane amounts of coverage. Again, like the Madeline media coverage, is it not time to let this go. I mean really, I don't dislike the woman or anything of the sort, but I find it annoying that I flick to Sky for real news and they are instead interviewing an author of yet another Diana book. Can they not let the woman rest in peace, and cut all this attention? Yes we all have memorial ceremonies, and yes it IS a member of the Royal Family, but should these things not be more toned down?

Am I being too harsh?

~The Damo