Victoria and Albert

What is it about the Mona Lisa that she attracts violent attacks from weirdos? The latest evidently is some Russian woman who threw a cup at her and was immediately pounced upon and whisked off to an asylum. Previously the painting had been stoned and on another occasion had acid thrown over her but fortunately she is well protected behind her bullet proof glass. My first thought on seeing the Mona Lisa many years ago was that she was so much smaller than I had imagined from illustrations. Many many years ago also a man evidently threatened to attack paintings by Picasso at an exhibition in the Victoria and Albert but that was probably because Picasso was a new and strange phenomenon that simply deranged his already deranged mind a bit further. Or maybe he came to the conclusion there was an obscene hidden message somewhere that needed to be eradicated. Who knows? He was ejected pretty promptly of course, umbrella and all, but wasn’t sent to an asylum. The English obviously have more sang froid than their French counterparts. I’m rather surprised someone didn’t try to muck up Tracey’s bed when it was on display but then that was such a mess anyway who would want to touch it, not even with an umbrella? What really excited me in the Louvre was the Venus de Milo, even without arms she is beautiful, and the winged Nike, so impressive.
There must be something atavistic about this desire in some people to destroy. Travelling from Kalami to Xania yesterday morning I noticed even more of the huge road signs have been senselessly defaced by what is obviously political graffiti with its symbols and letters 13 and 7. As no one else can understand the meaning of these hieroglyphics what is the point? What goes through the minds(?) of people who, presumably under cover of darkness, pull up at the side of a highway just to spray black paint over expensive signs that sooner or later will have to be replaced; probably only to be sprayed on again?
Attempting to destroy paintings or spraying arcane symbols about the place though are as nothing compared to the destructive power of brain washed mindless mobs. Brain washed is not a good description. Brain destroyed is more apt. Evidently in a corner of Pakistan a Muslim mob went on the rampage attacking members of the minority Christian community because there was a rumour that the Christians at a wedding had torn up pages of the Koran. Evidently they had torn up pieces of paper as pretend money but it was not pages of the Koran. The result, apart from the physical attacks, destruction and, of course the looting, was six members of a family deliberately burnt alive in their house.
Where was Allah the all merciful when this was going on? And it will go on going on while there are Mullahs and Ayatollahs and priests and preachers and evangelists preaching hatred in the name of their ridiculous god beliefs, perverting and inflaming impressionable minds.
Will the Taliban ever be defeated? Somehow I don’t think so. For every Taliban leader killed by an American drone, another will take his place. Will Afghanistan ever be anything other than a lawless country? Somehow I don‘t think so. These are tribal people who still think as tribal people. They are not mentally part of the twenty first century and European nations have no right or reason to be there as the Russians and, in the nineteenth century, the British, learnt to their cost. It will just cost more lives, more money, and more terrorism and go on for years. What is the point?