May 31, 2006

Politics: Blundering Bush


The problems in the Middle East just refuse to go away...in fact they are steadily getting worse. Iran will soon be among the handful of nations with a nuclear strike capability. The United States, and most of the worlds' governments, are greatly concerned about the future ramifications of this unfortunate, but inevitable, event. Iran, in order to avoid possible sanctions, and perhaps military actions, against them, have recently displayed a willingness to hold talks with European and American governments concerning the issue of their nuclear ambitions. The United States has stubbornly refused to enter into talks with the Iranian government. This, in my view, is a mistake that will almost certainly lead to confrontation.

The United States' invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have done little more than forment civil wars in both those countries. Warlords and religious and political factions are fighting among themselves to fill the vacuum left by the downfall of the respective totalitarian regimes in those unfortunate countries. At the same time the Western occupiers of both those countries have come under fire not just from the warring factions but from the majority of the civil populations as well. The promised democratic governments, put in place and supported by the occupiers, have yet to function competently and convincingly in the face of constant and unrelenting opposition.

The hearts and minds of the common people have been disappointed by their new governments and their foreign supporters. In Afghanistan the people are still suffering from unequaled poverty and a complete lack of infrastructure, despite the huge amount of money that has been provided in aid. The prospect of unending war and oppression, and the belief that they will be forgotten by the Americans as soon as it becomes politically unpalatable to the American public to sustain their war efforts, leaves the people of Afghanistan unsure and afraid. Many are wishing that the Taliban would return, not because they were acceptable to the majority, but because they at least offered a measure of security.

In Iraq the occupiers are fast losing the hearts and minds of the common people. Daily reports of massacres and abuses by the American and British troops have led to civil unrest. This unrest has prompted the prime minister of Iraq to respond with promises (or threats) of using "Maximum Force" with an "Iron Fist" against the rioters and militias that abound there. Militias in the southern area surrounding Basra, the oil rich city that provides most of Iraq's' revenues, are fighting for supremacy there and control of the vital resources.

Rather than stabilizing the Middle East, the Bush administration, and its' supporters, has succeeded only in creating chaos and the prospect for unending conflict in that region. They have blundered in Afghanistan and Iraq...and seem intent on continuing that blundering into Iran.

And the war goes on...and on...and on.

May 28, 2006

Politics: Dubya on the Spot


As seen on Wimp.com

As you can plainly see, George Dubya Bush is on the job, ever vigilant, and determined to tackle yet another of the burning issues of the day. I am certain that he will "solve" the problem of illegal immigration, the same way the he has "solved" the problems of the Afghan and Iraqi peoples, and "solved" the problem of international terrorism. He is also bent on "solving" the crisis surrounding the oil supply and the increasing cost of fuel.

It is a bloody shame that unlike Tony Blair, another of the world's great problem solvers, Dubya will soon be leaving office. I think he would be the perfect candidate to oversee the "intellegence" community. With people like him on the job we can all sleep a little sounder at night.

Don't go George...where would we be without you? I wonder if Arnie is looking for a job?

May 26, 2006

Religion: Extremes and Opposites

Religion

They are at it again. The extremists in Iraq have added another atrocity to their ever growing list. They have murdered a tennis coach and two of his players...for wearing shorts.

The murders occurred a few days after leaflets were distributed warning the population that men would be violently attacked for such offences as wearing shorts or shaving, stores would be bombed for selling alcohol or, if you are a woman, you will be violently punished if you dare not to wear a veil or attempt to drive a car.


Sharia Law is fast becoming the unwritten (Constitutional) and violently enforced rule in Iraq. What was once a secular, albeit dictatorially oppressed, society is fast becoming one in which a Taliban-like theocracy is very likely to be imposed.

So much for operation Iraqi Freedom . Bush and Blair have followed their pipe(line) dream and led us, and the Iraqi people, into an un-winnable war. The future for the Iraqis is dim and troubled, and is likely to remain so long into the future. Democracy is a fragile form of government that has, at its' heart, the willingness to accept compromise. This will never be so for the extremists, both religious and political.

Newton's third law states that " For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". This is true in the physical world and it is also true in the socio-political world. World communism engendered militaristic facism, absolute monarchies engendered democractic republicanism, and brutal, absolute theocracies can only engender brutal secular dictatorships...sometimes cleverly disguised as democracies.

Not long ago the prime-minister of Iraq told his newly formed cabinet and the world at large that the government would use "maximum force" to fight the insurgents and the extremist militias, secular and religious, that are formenting civil war. Good luck to him, and the Iraqi people. But I can't help but believe that the people of Iraq will be a long time waiting for a real democratic government. The extremists that are spread throughout the Islamic world are not in the business of compromise, and any government that opposes them will find themselves in for a long and bitter struggle and have to govern from a state of siege.

For these reasons I believe that it will be quite some time before the occupying forces, American and British, will be able to "exit" Iraq with any certainty or hope that the government they leave behind will survive. I also believe that the government they leave behind will be far from an ideal democracy... but it will be better, for the people of Iraq, than the insane and brutal rule of Islamic extremists.

May 24, 2006

Religion:Voice of Freedom


As seen on Wimp.com

Religion

I just thought that I would present this piece of diologue for your perusal. There are many people, and I am one of them, that believe that religion, taken to the extreme, is harmfull to humanity. Intolerance is the issue of discussion here.

I do not know who this woman is, but I find in her a kindred spirit. It is good to know that there are people, on both sides of this "clash of civilizations", that can see through the insanity of intolerance and bigotry that religion, on both sides, has engendered.

Will she be allowed a voice in the new "democracies" that are being forcibly encouraged in the Middle East? Will such a voice ever be encouraged in our own democracies in the West?

Only the future, if there is one, will tell.

May 23, 2006

Politics: Snow Job on America

Politics

I was reading an article yesterday, in the New York Times, that was about the new Whitehouse Press Secretary, Tony Snow (formerly of Fox News), actually watching CNN while on a flight aboard Airforce One. The article was called Fox, What Fox?.

The article relates how all the television sets in the Whitehouse are permanently tuned to Fox News Channel. It goes on to say that in Mr. Cheney's hotel rooms all televisions must be tuned to Fox before his arrival. The same goes for televisions in Mr Cheney's and Condoleezza Rice's planes...it's all about Fox. This displays the true "bunker mentality" of the current administration

After watching Fox for 10 minutes no level headed person could deny the obvious bias and opinionating by the so-called newspersons and their extreme right-wing editorial slant. It's all about the Republican party. Republican Good. Democrat Bad. President right. Rest of world wrong.



The bizarre collection of pundits that are employed by Fox like Bill O'Reilly, Brit Hume, Neil Cavuto, and the rest of the fascist freaks that (dis)grace Fox's rota, all seem to speak with one (extreme right) voice. It is very sad to see what Mr. Murdoch has done to journalism in America, almost as sad as what Mr. Bush has done to politics.

With this neoconservative news (propaganda) channel, whose delivery and bias closely resembles those that were pioneered by Joseph Goebbels the Nazi propaganda minister, firmly and brazenly behind him, Mr. Bush has managed to snowball his policies through both houses of Congress, and snowjob a large portion of the American public. And now the aptly named "Snow" is his spokesperson.

It is little wonder that this news channel is the only one that the president is comfortable watching. This is a fine example of the closed minded and blinkered perspective that is craved by the megalomaniac who is seeking constant approval for his policies...and needs to convince the world of the rightness of his actions.


The fact is that the United States of America has been hijacked by a right-wing, born again, neoconservative, big business loving, militaristic cult. And Fox is the channel, not of their choice, but of their making.



Let me just say one more thing:

STOP WATCHING THIS SHIT AMERICA!!!!

May 22, 2006

Politics: Massacre in Iraq

Politics

The picture here is of the bodies of civilians, massacred by US marines last November, in a city called Haditha...in Iraq. The dead, numbering 24, included women and children, and many were members of one family.

The marines are described as "going bezerk", storming into a house, and killing everyone inside. The coverup that followed included stories of car bombs and snipers, but these reports proved to be untrue and the number of civilians killed was much higher than first reported. Much of the massacre was being filmed by an Iraqi film student who happened to be in the vicinity.


The massacre of these civilians was brought to the public notice by an ex-marine congressman named John Murtha, who made his allegations following a story in TIME magazine. An investigation by the military soon followed and charges are about to be brought against some of the marines involved.

Three officers, a lt. colonol and two captains, have been relieved of their commands, but as yet no charges have been brought against them.













The fact that over 100,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion, most of them civilians, seems to count for little in the hearts and minds of the Bush administration, nor do the 2400 plus American troops killed and many thousands wounded. Bush and his neoconservative mindless warmongering gaggle of goons appear to be a whole basket short of a picnic on the whole issue.

Massacres are nothing new to warfare. But, if you have God on your side as the Americans like to claim, then how in heaven's name can you condone, accept, ignore, or cover-up the kind of atrocities that the Bush whitehouse seems to actively encourage?












With the erosion of civil liberties in the USA and the ignoring of all international treaties concerning the treatment of prisoners and the conduct of war, this administration will have left a stain on American history that will be impossible cleanse.

Even when, or even if, these lunatics leave office there will be little that any new government can do to fix the damage that has been done to the world's perception of America. Far from bringing "freedom" to the Iraqis, they have brought just another brutal and destructive occupation.

To quote a CIA analyst, sent to Guantanimo Bay to find out what was going wrong, why there was little usefull intellegence forthcoming, he reported to his superiors: "We were making things worse for the United States, in terms of terrorism...if we captured some people who weren't terrorists when we got them, they are now." This might just be true for the whole of the Iraqi population by the time Bush is finished with them.

There is no concievable "exit strategy" for the United States in Iraq. The war in Iraq, like the war in Vietnam, will not end until the Americans just pack up and go home, leaving their puppet government behind to crumble. But will America ever go home? There are new wars on the horizon even as I write. The war machine that America has so heavily invested in for the last six decades, and that has put so much money into so few pockets, is, I'm afraid, going to be very busy..thanks to Mr. Bush and his neoconservative, born-again, draft-dodging cronies.


May 21, 2006

Politics: Sanctuary? We'll See


Politics

The Guarda (Ireland's police force) has ended the hunger strike by Afghan asylum seekers today by entering St. Patrick's Cathedral and removing them. The strikers surrendered themselves without a struggle and some of them were taken to hospital while the remaining adults were arrested.



The Church of Ireland was ordered by the Department of Justice to end negotiations with the hunger strikers and to leave the situation in the hands of the government authorities. The churchmen quickly and quietly washed their hands and wandered off to pray for all involved ...after announcing to the press that they were going to do so.



The "laws of sanctuary" are a myth. Although throughout history there have been such laws from Byzantium to Britain, these laws were always written, and governed, by the state.

Today there are no such "laws" in existence anywhere, and where and when they did exist in history, there were two options open to those who were claiming sanctuary: First they would have 40 days to decide whether to leave the church and face a secular court for whatever crime they were fleeing from, or confess their guilt and accept exile. But, as I said, those laws no longer exist. If sanctuary is to be found anywhere, it is solely in the hearts and minds of human beings, both secular and clergical.




This is the Irish Justice Minister, Michael McDowell, who apparently exercises his post with a will of iron and a head to match. The fate of the asylum seekers rests largely with this man now....








or it could quite possibly rest with these

May 20, 2006

Politics: Afghan Asylum Seekers


Politics

Today I would like to continue on the subject of refugees, specifically those fleeing persecution, poverty, and war in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan has been at war for most of the last 30 years. During the cold war it had the dubious distinction of being focused upon by both the Soviet Union and the United States, who both allowed their different political visions to drag the Afghan people into civil war. This civil war was soon followed by a full blown invasion of Afghanistan by Soviet forces. The resistance that followed, largely financed and supplied by the United States, gave rise to the Taliban and also empowered various war-lords in the region.

The Soviet Union pulled out its' troops in 1988. Their occupation had left more than one million Afghans dead, and five million displaced or wounded, and left the country to a prolonged and bloody civil war.



Then came the Taliban.They ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. The policies that this group of Islamic extremists put into place, the mistreatment of women and their support for terrorism, soon isolated Afghanistan from the rest of the world community. They gave harbour and support to Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda group who devoted themselves to a Jihad against the Western powers and their supporters.

Following the events of September 11th, 2001, the country was once again invaded. The United Nations, with troops composed mainly of US military, set out to displace the Taliban and institute a democratic government. The war goes on.

Afghanistan, while famous for being the worlds' poorest nation, also leads the world in infant mortality and has an average life-expectancy of just 42.9 years.

Millions of Afghans have fled their homeland. Many of these went to Pakistan and Iran (about 4 million), and many (about 1 million) dispersed throughout the world. They fled to escape endless war and oppression, and to find some safe haven that would offer them hope for the future. Although, since the fall of the Taliban from power, many refugees have returned to their country, often forced to repatriate by the Iranian and Pakistani governments, many more still flee and have valid reasons for doing so.

The Taliban is still actively engaged in a struggle against the present occupiers and the government that has been empowered in Afghanistan. They have the will to continue their fight and, because of this, many refugees are fearful of returning to the homeland.

Afghan poverty, due to drought and a lack of viable infrastructure, is reason enough for many to seek new lives elsewhere. Add to this dire circumstance seemingly endless war and absolute and fierce oppression, and you begin to see the plight of the Afghan people.

I am sure that most of the Afghan refugees would happily return to their homeland, but not in the present climate...and who can blame them?


Today, in a very famous and historic church in Ireland, there are a group of Afghans begging for secure asylum. They have threatened to commit suicide if this is not granted. The Irish government is refusing to compromise with them and have ordered them to stop this protest and take their chances within the legal system. The church hierarchy is also demanding that they leave this "holy" place so that it might be once again returned to its' proper function. This is a disgrace.

.

Whatever happens here, in Ireland, it is well to remember that the world is watching. The government is afraid that capitulation will send the wrong message to other hopeful refugees and inspire copycat endeavourers. The church...well I won't say anything about them...they should know better.

All I will say is this: Good Luck

May 19, 2006

Politics: Exodus and War....Again

Politics

I was reading an article today, in the New York Times, about the Iraqi the middle-classes lining up to leave Iraq. This is usually a sign that the situation, in any country suffering from internal strife, is about to enter into a state of chaos and disintegration.

From Cuba to Vietnam, Iran to the Balkans, and too many countries in Africa, when the middle-classes begin to pack their bags and leave, take their wealth, education, and commercial expertise and fly somewhere more hospitable and welcoming, then that country from which they are fleeing is about to undergo profound change.


As of 2003 there were 11.9 million refugees and asylum seekers worldwide, and 23.6 million internally displaced persons worldwide. This number has undoubtedly increased since then, and more and more of the Western nations are having a hard time coming to grips with the tide of political and economic refugees that are flooding across their borders.

But a middle-class exodus is quite different from the poor and hungry masses that pour into and populate refugee camps around the world. They are also different from the people who cross borders simply to make some money to send to the folks back home, like millions who stream across the southern border of the USA.

A middle-class exodus is the death knoll for any economy. Several dictators in Africa have made the mistake of exiling their merchant classes, ordering them out. They went and they left behind them shops and factories that were soon looted and later lamented.

For all the talk of success in Iraq, this is surely a sign that things are not going well at all. Civil war looms in Iraq and, like many before them the world over, the middle class will flee to safer havens and watch their old world end from some foreign suburban utopia, where they can build again and prosper.


Without their contribution to the economy any nation will fail. Will they return when all is made safe? Will their children even want to?

May 18, 2006

Politics: War..Then and Now


As seen on Wimp.com
Politics

In ancient Rome it was well known that, in order to achieve the highest office, a prospective Consul needed to lead an army into war and return victorious. If the enemy were dangerous enough, and the threat real enough, a Consul, whose office lasted for only one year, might get himself proclaimed dictator. This would last until the threat was eliminated.

Empires are built upon fear. There must always be an active threat to the citizens or subjects of the empire. The standing professional army must be kept busy against enemies, or else they would become idle or worse...turn on the people they were paid to defend.

The army at war generated business and brought plunder into the economy. Merchants made fortunes, and traders followed the armies into new lands and made even greater fortunes. Soldiers were not only paid their wages, they were allowed to share in the plunder and they were satisfied. They came to love war and hate peace. There was no profit to be had in peace. The merchants and traders also found that wealth walked hand in hand with war. The tools of war had to be made and sold. The spoils of war meant even greater profits. New markets opened up with every conquest and money poured into Rome.

Not much has changed over the years. Today we have the military, with huge budgets to spend, handing out fortunes to companies to build the engines of war. Companies, like Haliburton and Boeing, Westinghouse and General Motors, make billions of dollars manufacturing for the military. The life blood of manufacturing is oil, and the security of that oil is being purchased by the military at the cost of lives.

The government, populated with and influenced by the servants and leaders of big business, now functions solely in the interests of the economy. The military, whose generals retire and then find employment with the companies they have channeled billions into, must always be busy preparing to fight and destroy the next great threat...and there will always be one.

All one big happy family.

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."
Dwight Eisenhower


May 15, 2006

Religion: Religious Boobs

Religion
(click to enlarge)

I think I'll put politics to bed for awhile, because religion, once again, has reared its' ugly head. The religious amongst us have siezed the opportunity to get on their high horses and stampede into the street, hackles rising and bile boiling, to protest yet again at some perceived insult to their "faith". Bibles in hand and shielded in sanctimony, they are attacking yet another "falsehood" that has been perpatrated against them and their God!
What is it this time?....you might well ask. Yet another movie...a film..a fiction...an entertainment. Oh well, in the absence of any viable anti-Christ or demonic army from hell to struggle and content with, I guess Hollywood will just have to do. So look out Tom Hanks and Leonardo DaVinci, the self-appointed occupiers of the moral highground are mobilized against you!
The last time a film had this sort of effect it was animosity, insult, and conflict between Christians and Jews generated by Mel Gibson and his snuff movie starring Jesus. Even the Muslims got a chance to get in on that one and loved the whole anti-semitism thing. The Christians mobilized their armies, bought thier tickets, and saved their souls...all for under ten dollars!
Then there was the cartoon of Mohammed that sent the Muslims rioting around the globe, burning embassies, torching churches, and calling for the deaths of just about everyone. Those were the days.
But who can forget the way that the moral majority (not to be confused with the silent majority) got to tickle their nethers with outrage when poor little Janet let slip the boob?
So, in tribute to Leonardo, I would just like to leave you all with this:

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May 14, 2006

Politics: All About Oil


Politics

I thought I'd talk a little about oil today, the ever-increasing cost of which is of great concern to many people around the world.

The availability of oil to the industrialized nations of the world has long been a cause for conflict. The great battles of WWII, in the deserts of North Africa and the oil-rich fields of Russia and the Middle East, were driven by the unquenchable thirst of industrialized Germany and the Western Allies.


Today there are still battles being fought over oil. The control of the supply of oil is central to the strategic long-term plans of the the industrialized world.

The fact that a large proportion of the current administration of the United States have close ties to the oil industry, and have deliberately led us all into another war in the Middle East, should come as no surprise to anyone.

The oil- rich countries around the world, who refuse to be exploited by the oil consuming giants of the West, are fast becoming "enemies" of the current administration. Venezuela is one of those oil-rich countries who have been added to the growing list of countries that are of "great concern" to the corporate and political interests of the United States. And Venezuela has been gathering allies in South and Central America. The nationalization of the oil industry's interests in the developing world is a real threat that the oil companies and the American government will have to address. But how?

When Chile, who elected Salvador Allende, a socialist, president in a free election, threatened to nationalize the country's mining industry, the CIA engineered a military coup by right-wing extremists. Allende was killed in 1973, and General Pinochet replaced him and became dictator. Does the same fate await the presidents of Venezuela and Bolivia...and Mexico? There are voices from the right-wing of American politics who are publicly calling for such actions to be taken.

The oil companies have posted profits, since the current war began,that are inconceivably large, they have been given tax breaks that begger belief, and their friends in government have made it all happen.

You get what you pay for I guess. At the end of the day it is all about:Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

May 13, 2006

Politics: National Insecurity

Politics


I remember, back in the late sixties and early seventies, a great many people, mostly of the younger (then) generation, used to answer the phone with "Fuck Hoover...hello?"

This was because the FBI, under the direction of the mad transvestite closet dwelling Hoover, had a habit of collecting information on anyone and everyone who was deemed a "threat" to society. This included people such as John Lennon, Martin Luther King Jr., and many others, including politicians, journalists, activists, hippies, and yes....you and me. At the heart of this campaign of information gathering and dossier building was the use of illegal surveillance and wiretapping. Lists of enemies were compiled and actions taken to "neutralize" the suspected threats. Even the President of the United States was not above using these same methods in his relentless pursuit of his political "enemies". The Watergate scandal of the Nixon whitehouse was a fine example of this misuse of power.

Well it seems that happy days are here again. The present administration has determined that, in order to root out "enemies", it is necessary and proper to invade the privacy of any and every American citizen. Without warrant or remit, the security agencies are going about this nefarious business and collecting phone data on millions of innocent people.

We should not seem so surprised that the president has put his office, and himself, above the law. He is acting in the interests of "national security", which in political terms is tantamount to carte blanche to commit any crime without fear of punishment. His office does not have to explain itself to Congress, as if they would have the temerity to make such an unpatriotic demand of a "wartime" president!

The mere fact that America does have enemies in the world, and I am not one of them, is no excuse for the rapid erosion of basic civil rights. Today the security services are using precedent setting methodologies to pursue potential threats to the nation. They have the advantage of technology that Hoover could only dream of, and the potential for misuse and abuse of that technology by unscrupulous and corrupt individuals or groups is also greatly enhanced.

Without proper and legal oversight, this power is a greater threat to America than any mad suicide bomber could ever be. By ignoring or disregarding the system of checks and balances that was written into the Constitution, and thereby invalidating that document, this present administration has itself become the greatest threat to democracy that we have ever faced...and shame on Congress and the Supreme Court for letting slip the reins that were carefully placed in the worthy hands of those trusted institutions by the founders of this delicate republic!



"This [the U.S. Constitution] is likely to be administered for a course of years and then end in despotism... when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other."
Benjamin Franklin

May 11, 2006

Politics: Diplomatic Response

Politics


This is the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who recently sent a letter to George W. Bush. This letter, the first communication between the two leaders of their respective countries since the fall of the Shah, has been discussed by many pundits and politicians in the press recently. Although it was sent to Mr. Bush, it was also released to members of the United Nations by the Iranians... who promptly delivered it to the press. Why the White House has not yet released it remains a mystery.

The letter takes the form of a lecture to Mr. Bush on why the West (USA) are wrong in everything they do in the world...Particularly the Middle-East. It also criticizes the West for establishing Israel as a state even if, as he puts it, the holocaust was true. He also says that supporting Israel is not the "Christian" thing to do. He did not apologize for stating that Israel should be "wiped off the map".

The prose of the letter resembles others of it's kind issued by various Islamic fundamentalists over the past few years. The fact that this one has been issued by the leader of a powerful Islamic state, with ballistic missiles and enriched uranium, makes it somewhat unique.

Some politicians are saying that, no matter the content or quality of the letter, this is an opportunity to open a diolougue between the two countries. The USA has refused to enter direct talks with the Iranians concerning their nuclear ambitions..or any other matter of global or regional import.

Some other politicians say that this letter is just another smoke screen and a delaying tactic by a Middle-East power in order to avoid sanctions over their pursuit of WMD and their ongoing Jihad against the West.

The Iranian president also has some words of "wisdom" for Mr. Bush. He says that Democracy is a failed concept and that it is time for America (the West) to abandon it and return to a monotheistic form of government. Apparently God wants to rule the earth, by proxy it seems, and only a hierarchy of clergy, or their dedicated secular servants are fit to do such a thing...God wants it that way!

I wonder if George is entirely in disagreement with that last concept? I'd like to think so.

For once I agree entirely with Mr. Bush in his negative response to this letter from Iran, and I think that most of the "free" world does also. There is no reason to enter into discourse with the Iranians. The fact is that they already have the nuclear technology, the missiles, and the insane logic that will facilitate their use someday. Too late for talking now.

The United Nations should take this matter to hand and send a clear and unanimous ultimatum to the Iranians. It is not just the USA and the West that are in peril here. Technology run rampant cannot be contained. All emerging nations should know that prolifiration of this sort will not be permitted. Nuclear war will never be limited to a regional conflict, but will draw the peoples of many nations into the disaster.

Mr. Bush has said little concerning the letter, but I think I can imagine what his inner feeling might be on the matter. If he did respond I am sure his answer would something along the line of:


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May 10, 2006

Politics: In the News


Politics

Politics is a funny old game, but it is seldom a laughing matter. These two "world leaders", who both have the dubious honour of dragging their respective nations into an unnecessary and very expensive (in terms of dollars and lives) war, now have something else in common: They have both reached their lowest point in their political lives. In the UK the headline is that Tony Blair is the "most unpopular Labour leader ever"(The Daily Telegraph", and George W. Bush is in the headlines with "Bush worst marks yet on major issues" (The New York Times).

George W. Bush has tied his fathers lowest mark with just a 31% job approval rating...like father like son.

Tony Blair's approval rating is down to 25%. Not bad for a man who once had the highest approval rating (83%) of any politician in British history.

Both of these men have led the way with falsehoods and deceptions that would shame any legitimate political party. They have both surrounded themselves with people of questionable ethics and limited abilities. They have both found themselves leading parties embroiled in sleaze and corruption, and they have found themselves with little or no effective opposition.

Mr. Bush will soon be leaving office, and all the chaos and disasters that he will leave behind will be left for someone else to remedy. Good luck to them. Mr. Blair, on the other hand, refuses to set a limit for himself. He says that his leaving office, or setting a date to step down, will lead to disaster for the nation. This is the characteristic stance of the despotism that comes with too much power for too long a time.

"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." Aesop

May 07, 2006

Politics: Freedom of speech

Politics

"Why of course the people don't want war... That is understood. But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship ...Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger."
Hermann Goering



I thought that I should say something about the nature of dissent in a free society. Indeed, no society can be "free" without free and open debate, which includes the right, or even the obligation, of dissent.

It is not a crime, nor should it be, in a free society to hold and voice opinions that are different or in opposition to the those of the majority or the governing body. In fact, it is the duty of every citizen in a free society to voice such opinions.

"Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one already." -- Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau was involved in the anti-slavery movement in the 19th century. He spent time in jail for his opinions and activities, which were contrary to the opinions and actions of the majority of his contemporaries, including the government of the day. This is a cornerstone of democracy.

Are people afraid, given the erosion of civil rights and the increased covert surveillance of citizens by the "authorities", to actively voice their misgivings and doubts about the actions taken by the corporate lackeys that currently inhabit the corridors of power?

And where is the media in all of this? Several times the present governments, on both sides of the Atlantic, have been caught out in blatant lies and obvious deceptions, while taking us to war. Vast amounts of tax monies have been wasted on unnecessary military adventurism and diverted into the coffers of corrupt corporations, while the media whispers and whimpers about, or worse, ignores it's duty to inform the public of the truth.

Indeed some elements of the media are actively engaged in a propaganda exercise to promote the war, and divert or oppress dissent.



"Once the war against Saddam begins, we expect every American to support our military, and if they can't do that, to shut Up."
Bill O'Reilly, Fox News

May 06, 2006

Personal: Brain Scan

Personal

Due to many long years of drinking and partying and generally making a fool of myself, I find that I have to undergo regular medical examinations and check-ups.

Recently I had a brain scan and I was quite surprised at the results. Contrary to popular belief, I am not completely obsessed with religion and politics. It seems that I am a much more rounded person and that there are other, more important things on my mind...much more important things.





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May 05, 2006

Politics: Barking Mad


Yesterday was a day for local elections up and down Britain. The BNP (British National Party), an extreme right-wing party often compared to the Nazis because of their anti multi-culturalism (racist) viewpoint, took 11 Council seats in Barking and Dagenham. The BNP targets mainly working class areas where people are dissatisfied and angry with the mainstream parties.



This move to the extreme right, amongst this particular group of voters, is not completely unexpected. Although the BNP holds no seats in Parliament, they have gained support over the years in many local areas. They have re-packaged the blatant and open racism of their earlier days, and turned themselves into a more politically and socially acceptable brand of extremism. But their core ideology has changed little over the years.



The Labour Party, while still holding a majority of the council seats in those constituencies, managed to lose almost 200 seats to the Conservative party all across Britain. There is really very little to chose from between the two main parties: The Conservatives have abandoned, at least publicly, their own extreme right-wing, who echo the BNP on issues like immigration, and have adapted a "greener" and "more caring" image to sell to the public. Labour, on the other hand, is riddled with the complacency, incompetency, and corruption that holding power for too long inevtibly brings.

The next general election will not take place for a few years, so each of the main parties will have some time formulate their plans and make whatever changes they need to make in order to sway the public to their side.

The BNP?...................Remeber that Hitler started with a little known and laughable bunch of nationalistic racists and look what happened.


Obladi oblada life goes on bra
Lala how the life goes on
(Lennon/McCartney)

May 03, 2006

Politics: Selective Perception



This blog is not going to be about art. It is not even going to be about Salvador Dali...I'll save that for another time. I am just using the painting on the left to make a bit of a point about yesterday's blog.

Some of you might have thought that it was a rant about whether, or not, God exists. It wasn't about that at all. It was about selective perception . The painting here is a portrait of the beautiful Mae West, while being a picture of a room with a curtained doorway at the same time.


I was reading an article yesterday at http://www.livescience.com. The article discusses a study at Emory University in which brain functions and activities were monitored while the subjects, people from both sides of the political divide in the United States, were presented with contradicting statements made by their own candidates and the candidate from the other side.

While each subject was quick to register the contradictions made by opposing candidate, they completely disreguarded similar contradictions made by their own candidate.

This shows that both Democrats and Republicans are equally capable of making decisions, without letting facts get in their way. This is selective perception in practice. You can read the article for yourselves if you wish, I think you'll find it both funny and disturbing.


All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disreguards the rest
(Paul Simon)

May 02, 2006

Religion: God exixts...The Proof is Bananas


As seen on Wimp.com
There has been a lot of debate concerning evolution vs intellegent design , and the teaching of both in schools. I just thought that this little video might enlighten us all to the arguments put forward by the proponents of the latter view. I myself am not quite convinced that this "logic" is really science, or that this "science" is really logical.

I think this is just another example of selective perception .