Why I don't like Fundies
Starting with the usual suspects in Iran:
Two thousand young men in Iran have protested against new clothing curbs, reports say, amid growing discontent about a crackdown on un-Islamic dress.
Shiraz university students were angry about new rules banning sleeveless T-shirts, even inside all-male dorms.
The protest came as the judiciary head warned police that an excessively ferocious campaign could backfire.
Police say they stopped more than 1,300 women for dressing immodestly on the first day of the campaign in Tehran.
I'm sure the folks pushing to start bombing the Iranians are already up in arms over this as a good reason we should be dropping the bombs. They're probably not quite as vocal about the Israelis, though.
The other day I was waiting for a bus in downtown Jerusalem. I was in the bustling orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Mea Sharim and the bus stop was extremely crowded.
When the Number 40 bus arrived, the most curious thing happened. Husbands left heavily pregnant wives or spouses struggling with prams and pushchairs to fend for themselves as they and all other male passengers got on at the front of the bus.
Women moved towards the rear door to get on at the back.
When on the bus, I tried to buck the system, moving my way towards the driver but was pushed back towards the other women.
These are what orthodox Jews call "modesty buses".
The separation system operates on 30 public bus routes across Israel.
The authorities here say the arrangement is voluntary, but in practice, as I found out, there is not much choice involved.
The flavour of the fundamentalist doesn't matter. The so-called "Religious Right" believes they have every right to legislate the morality for the rest of us just as much as the theocrats in Tehran and the ultra-Othordox in Jerusalem. The last time the Christian world was under the authority of the church, it was called the Dark Ages, and for a good reason.
