Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.02.2007, Page 3

REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 0_007_NEWS_050_RVK_GV_ISSUE 0_007_LETTERS
Gabriele Gudbjartson writes “If you
do say you are a believer, how well
do your actions separate you from
an unbeliever?” The arrogance is
breathtaking. Show me one shred
of evidence that believers are kind-
er, more generous or more willing
to make sacrifices to help others
than atheists.
Reliogous beleif involves super-
stition and irrationality and some-
times, pure nastiness. These are a
few of the actions of believers:
In Nicaragua last year, the Cath-
olic Church led the successful cam-
paign to ban all abortions, even
where it might save the mother’s
life.
In the US, Christians have been
trying to have Creationism, under
its new name of Intelligent Design
and for which there is no evidence,
taught as an equal alternative to
evolution, for which there is a
mountain of evidence.
Plenty of churches view homo-
sexuality as a sin, including the
Catholic Church, Anglican churches
in Africa and plenty of US evangeli-
cals. Millions are condemned and
in many countries their lives are in
danger because of something that
occurs naturally and not just in hu-
mans.
Many Christians oppose the use
of condoms, which are an effective
weapon in the battle against AIDS.
For religous reasons, the US has cut
support to AIDS projects that in-
clude the use of condoms.
And by the way, Christians appro-
priated the 25th December, not to
mention the Christmas trees, yule
logs, holly, ivy and mistletoe. They
are all as pagan as wicker men.

Andrew Clarke
Is the lesson, then, that not only
various Christians, but also Athe-
ists, Pagans, Moslems, Buddhists,
Libertarians, Communists and Free-
masons – PEOPLE, for short – fos-
ter tendencies to be self-righteous
and sanctimonious? And that it is
suspect to generalize about large
groups of people? I would think
so!
HM
Sir
I picked up a copy of your wonder-
fully entertaining and enlighten-
ing Grapevine during my recent
four-day stay in Iceland. Of course,
four days were more than enough
for me to become thoroughly ac-
quainted with the country’s special
charms and also to understand
immediately the solution to all its
problems (just kidding).
I did notice that the issue I read
(number 18) carried a number of
articles about the immigration de-
bate. This debate is not unique to
Iceland – many countries are deal-
ing with similar issues. But for Ice-
land immigration has a special di-
mension: with its small population,
it would take only a small number
of unsuccessful immigrants to dis-
rupt society’s delicately balanced
social contract.
In my opinion – and I realize that
no one has asked for my opinion
– Icelanders should actively seek
out immigrants who identify com-
pletely with Icelandic values (self-
reliance, full civil, political and eco-
nomic rights for everyone – women
included) and who are anxious to
work hard to advance themselves
and their children and to integrate
into the surrounding society. Don’t
try to use immigration to solve the
world’s problems. Iceland is small
and the world’s problems are big.
Don’t bring in large communities
that will reproduce generation af-
ter generation of their misogynis-
tic, backward societies in ghettos,
educating their children to live for-
ever off Iceland’s generous welfare
system. If you bring in the right
people – and by “right people” I
emphatically do NOT mean people
of a certain skin color or religion –
then immigration will make Iceland
a better place for everyone, immi-
grants and old-timers alike. But if
you bring in the wrong people, you
will saddle yourselves and your chil-
dren with problems that will never,
ever go away.
Best of luck to your lovely coun-
try in making the right decision on
this and all other issues you face. I
personally cannot wait to get back
for a much longer visit.
Alex Ragen
Jerusalem, ISRAEL
Dear Alex,
I applaud in your general direction,
too. Bringing in large communities
of misogynistic, backward, ghetto-
folk that reproduce incessantly and
educate their children to live off
Iceland’s generous welfare system
would be a truly bad idea. Call off
the boats, close the gates and draw
the bridge: The backward ghetto-
societies are upon us yet again!
While I refuse to pander to my
tremendous urge to make jokes
on your expense about the useful-
ness of building giant, steel walls
around those backward people-
filled ghettos, I will allow myself to
say that I am truly appalled by your
determinist view on human beings
in general.
But it’s great that you like our
country, and feel free to come
back as often as you want. You
are clearly neither backward nor
misogynistic. And you don’t seem
interested in abusing our generous
welfare system.
HM
Greetings. I’m happy that I have
found your publication, as I like to
keep up with what is going on in
Iceland and unfortunately Morgun-
bladid publishes only in Icelandic. I
am curious, however, why you refer
to persons in your articles by their
patronyms instead of their given
names after the initial reference. Is
it because most Westerners are ac-
customed to that style of address?
Thank you for posting your paper.
It’s good reading.
Sincerely, Tom Booker
Your guess is absolutely spot-on!
We DO refer to persons in our ar-
ticles by their surnames or patro-
nyms instead of their given names
after the initial reference because
most Westerners are accustomed
to that style of address. If it’s both-
ering you at all, we might consider
changing our ways, but this ar-
rangement has worked fine thus
far.
Thank you for your kind words
about our paper and enjoy life,
wherever you find yourself.
HM
see more at www.wulffmorgenthaler.com
WULFFMORGENTHALER
Cappuccino + bagle + yoghurt = 650 kr.
Ousted Manager Splits From ‘Lib-
eral Party’, Party Then Splits
Last weekend’s ‘Liberal Party’ (Frjálslyndi
Flokkurinn) conference saw a lot of action,
as the party’s Vice-President, Magnús Þór
Hafsteinsson, narrowly beat his challenger,
ousted Party Manager Margrét Sverrisdót-
tir, in an election for the position with 460
votes against Sverrisdóttir’s 351. Her defeat
prompted Sverrisdóttir to formally resign
from the party, as did several of her follow-
ers (around two dozen have resigned thus
far, and more are expected to follow). The
conference and its voting process has been
highly criticised by Sverrisdóttir’s supporters,
with some claiming that Hafsteinsson’s sup-
porters were enlisting new party members
and paying their fees a full hour after voting
commenced.
Sverrisdóttir opted to challenge Hafs-
teinsson in the wake of a huge in-party de-
bate that followed Supreme Court lawyer Jón
Magnússon and his also-ran political party
Nýtt Afl (‘A New Force’) joining Frjálslyndi
Flokkurinn last November. The group’s entry
was marked by a significant change in the
party’s stance on immigration issues, with
Magnússon famously running an article en-
titled ‘Iceland for Icelanders?’ in major news-
paper Blaðið, spurring many to declare him
“Racist!” as the party gained a much wider
following than it was used to (going from
2% to 10% in some polls).
It soon became clear that the party was
split in its stance towards the new mem-
bers, with some welcoming the increase in
following as others tried to quell allegations
that they were using racist dialogue to ap-
peal to uninformed sectors of society. What
followed can only be classified as a political
shitstorm, with Sverrisdóttir, the main critic
of Nýtt Afl’s entry, being ousted from her
position as Party Manager, followed by her
decision to run against sitting VP Hafsteins-
son. She also left hints that she might opt
to run against the party President, Guðjón
Arnar Kristjánsson after he pledged his sup-
port to Hafsteinsson, a highly criticised move
by some.
In a declaration announcing her immi-
nent resignation, Sverrisdóttir wrote that “…
Frjálslyndi Flokkurinn MPs and Nýtt Afl’s rep-
resentatives have clearly been trying to push
me out of the party’s forefront. In light of the
methods employed at last weekend’s party
conference, it is clear to me that I can no lon-
ger work within its ranks. I am sure that my
supporters can see as clearly as me that the
party abandoned me, rather than me aban-
doning the party.”
She closed by stating that she was by
no means leaving politics, and was currently
looking at her options. Her supporters within
the party then sent out a statement explain-
ing their resignation from Frjálslyndi Flok-
kurinn, claiming that the parties’ focal points
and work methods had changed since Nýtt
Afl’s members joined. She has since hinted
that a new right-wing party, headed by her,
is in the making and will run in the upcoming
parliamentary elections.
As stated above, dozens of members
have resigned from the party since the con-
ference, but chairman Kristjánsson maintains
that there is no split within their ranks. In
an interview with ‘Icelandic National Radio’
(RÚV) Kristjánsson said that he was sorry to
see Sverrisdóttir and her supporters leave the
party, and that he regrets her decision to do
so, stating that her claims that she was be-
ing forced out of the party were untrue, she
merely lost in a fair fight. He also said that
the party would respond to her allegations
of an unfair election after meeting with the
partys’ Central Committee, although that re-
sponse remains to be seen.
Sigurjón Þórðarson, one of the party’s
three MPs, wrote on his blog that there was
no rift between the party and Sverrisdóttir
over issues, stating that her leaving has more
to do with her dislike for some of the party’s
recent Nýtt Afl additions.
Ísafjörður Teen Attacked
With Car Door
On a late-January Friday night at 4:45 AM,
a teenager walking alongside the Ísafjörður
expressway, Skutulsfjarðarbraut, suffered
minor injuries as a hooligan-filled car passing
by knocked him over. According to Ísafjörður
police, the hooligans opened one of the
car doors as they passed the unfortunate
young man, resulting in him being knocked
to the ground. After being tended to at the
Ísafjörður hospital, the badly bruised boy was
taken to his home for recovery.
Ísafjörður police apprehended the 22-
year-old driver shortly after the assault, and
note in their journals that his car door was
quite damaged. The driver reportedly refuses
to reveal which one of his passengers opened
the door in question. It remains to be seen if
further interrogations have persuaded him to
reveal the assailant’s identity.
It should be noted that the act of “get-
ting someone with the door” is an oft-told
joke among Icelandic teens on the ‘Rúntur’
(driving around in circles with friends, a pop-
ular activity in small and large towns alike),
although there are few documented cases of
them actually going through with it.
Immigrants: Not Evil After All?
The steadily rising flow of immigrants and
migrant workers Iceland has seen in the past
decade or so is actually highly beneficial to
the Icelandic economy, as well as Icelanders
themselves, according to Þóra Helgadóttir,
a specialist at the Kaupþing Bank (formerly
Búnaðarbanki, KB Bank) Analysis Division.
In an interview published in the business sec-
tion of Morgunblaðið’s on-line edition, Hel-
gadóttir is quoted as saying that an imported
workforce has been one of the key factors in
holding back inflation and over-expansion in
the Icelandic economy – one that’s forever
on the brink of succumbing to such trends.
The analyst goes on to list some of the vari-
ous benefits an economy can gain from im-
migrants and migrant workers; that they
contribute more to society through taxes
than they receive from it, and that they usu-
ally staff jobs that locals are either unwill-
ing or unable to, for instance. Helgadóttir
closes by stating that the Analysis Division
of Kaupþing assesses that the flow of immi-
grant workers to Iceland will mostly depend
on the economy’s demand for them.
This is, of course, excellent news for those
recently outspoken Icelanders concerned
that an influx of bloodthirsty “Sons of Al-
lah” was on its way to destroy civilization as
we know it. Rather, Icelanders now get to
reap the benefits of an underpaid immigrant
workforce and its tax money without any ob-
ligations at all!
Reykjavík Icicle Alert!
Mid-January, Reykjavík police issued a warn-
ing on their website, alerting the city’s pe-
destrians to stay on the lookout for icicles
falling off ledges, roofs and other high
places. The announcement went on to say
that falling icicles can prove quite dangerous
for unguarded heads, and that homeowners
and custodians should take action to clear
any rogue ice off their ledges. As is plainly
stated in the 7th article of the Reykjavík po-
lice agreement: “The owner or custodian of
a building is obliged to remove from said
building snow and icicles that may fall down
and cause danger to pedestrians.”
A picture accompanying the police warn-
ing displayed quite well the dangers that
hanging icicles can pose, as well as how
some Reykjavík homeowners are ignoring
their duties towards society.
Magni Denied
Things looked bleak for Rockstar: Supernova
contender Magni and his rising music career
at the beginning of January. Magni, who was
supposed to be touring the States with Rock
Star: Supernova and the Supernova house
band, was stuck in Iceland for the first part
of the tour because of an incomplete appli-
cation for a performance visa in the U.S.
Magni was far from being OK with the
situation. On his MySpace, he wrote: “Ok
just as if my life isn’t complicated enough
(my fault - I know) - my visa application to
go on the rockstar tour got denied today!!!!
It’s my understanding right now that the rea-
son for my denial is that my dear friends on
the other end seem to have failed to file the
application properly - and so I have to do it
again - this time I’m putting it into the hands
of someone I trust… This is bloody irritating
and I really pisst [sic] because I am so looking
forward to having some fun with my friends
and see the US - people say it’s nice - I hope
I’ll get to agree on that soon!!!”
His idolaters were pissed off as well and
the responses at magni-ficent.com, his offi-
cial fan-site, were no less interesting to read.
Devastated fans apologized for the “incom-
prehensible behaviour of the US govern-
ment” among other things. Others offered
to pull some strings and even have a talk
with the country’s ambassador. And Icelan-
dic devotees of course had their own solu-
tions to the dilemma. One fan wrote: “Sorry
about that Magni. But we live in Iceland, call
Valgerður our foreign minester [sic], first
thing tomorrow morning! I’m not joking!
She wants votes!!!” Numerous other sup-
porters expressed the same opinion while
threatening to take serious action if the
problem wasn’t fixed pronto.
Iceland’s golden boy luckily managed
to procure a visa in the end and can now
be found performing cover versions of mid-
nineties grunge songs in front of adoring au-
diences.
Activists Raid London: Tate
Modern Unscathed
On New Year’s Day, protesters associated
with the group Saving Iceland (savingice-
land.org) climbed London’s St Paul’s Cathe-
dral and the Tate Modern Art Museum, with
banners to draw attention to the destruction
of wilderness at the hands of the aluminium
industry in Iceland and in Trinidad.
Strong winds hampered the action at St.
Paul’s Cathedral, as the big banner could not
be straightened out in a readable manner.
Security guards quickly removed the protest-
ers from the Tate Modern.
Oil Companies Lose Court Battle
With Reykjavík, Public Transit
Iceland’s three major oil companies, Ker,
Olíuverslun Íslands and Skeljungur were or-
dered recently by Reykjavík district court to
pay a fine of 72 million krónur to the city of
Reykjavík, and 5 million to its public transit
system, Strætó Bs. The claims were put forth
on the grounds that the three oil companies
had cheated considerable amounts of money
from the plaintiffs during a specified period
of time by illegally consulting on pricing poli-
cies.
The city’s and Strætó’s barristers were
quoted as saying that the results were sat-
isfactory, even though the court had not
ruled in favour of their original, much higher
claim, which amounted to around 140 mil-
lion krónur.
The “competing” oil companies on the
Icelandic fuel market have long been known
to co-operate with one another when de-
ciding prices and such. Some of them re-
sponded to a highly incriminating report by
the Icelandic Competition Authority a few
years ago (on which the aforementioned
case is partially based) with an excruciatingly
embarrassing ad-campaign that had their ex-
ecutives posing with common pump-jockeys
and cleaning ladies.
News in Brief
Text by Haukur Magnússon, Steinunn Jakobsdóttir and Sveinn Birkir Björnsson.
Sour Grapes
Say your piece, voice your opinion, send your letters to letters@grapevine.is.
Winner of the December/January Readers’ Survey Lottery is
Kate Smith
She receives a day trip to Greenland with Air Iceland and a day trip of her own choice
from Reykjavík Excursions.