(Penned after news report & video pictures of foreign hostages being beheaded by Iraqi ‘rebels’)
Which is more sickening: To slice a head off with a knife or to blow one off with a rocket?
Does it depend on who is doing it or why they are doing it? Or perhaps the question should be who started it?
Some people's responses to mails from people like me complaining about the actions of the US and its allies around the world are the rhetorical "so what if what you say are true, what can you do about that?" "Why should we even bother about that - our lives are not affected nor involved?"
In the meantime, many lives in places where these 'bullies' play their games are directly affected and those rhetorical questions become very real ones. What are you going to do when such bullies and their associates come in to whack you when they like, take what they like, and assign themselves the top positions in the predatory pyramid of life?
Well, it depends on who you are and what you have in hand.
If you are an American idiot, you hide behind a protective tank (or stay at home) but send a missile to the other's house by pushing a button. After that put your goons on the flattened ground, send those idiots a bill, go home, and live off the new rewards like heaven. Oh, forgot to mention - you can also line the next guy up for the time when you run out on milking the last one.
If you are a Palestinian idiot, you bolt a keg of explosives to your body, go to the other's house (which was really your grandfather's), press a button and go to heaven.
If you are an Iraqi idiot, you go to the master bedroom of your house, grab its new occupant (heaven knows how that bastard got there), button him up in yellow jump suit, press the button on your videocam, slice the bastard's head off and send the clip to Al Jazeera.
If you are an Australian or British idiot, you stick an 'I am your Saviour' sticker (can take off any cheap bible) on your forehead, follow close behind the American idiot, pick up whatever crumbs that idiot leaves behind, take pot shots at others just for fun, and say, good heaven, why can't they accept that we are there to save them?
No? Things are not as stupid as that?
Friday, September 24, 2004
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Local Thief, Global Sheriff
History is full of stories of local thief-cum-bullies becoming de facto sheriffs by way of the raw force they bring to bear on others. (Those with no intent or capacity to learn from history need only to watch some John Wayne cowboy movies). This is just another one of those.
And if you wonder why many are not aware of it, it has to do with another very common trick in human history (besides personal shortcomings best left to the individuals): loud mouth bullies always harp about how nice they are while they steal.
xxx
http://www.etan.org/etan/2003appl.htm
From Noam Chomsky
December 2003
Dear Friends of East Timor,
East Timor has been independent for a little more than a year and a half. Many foreign policy experts and Washington insiders predicted that Indonesia would never let go of the former Portuguese colony. Yet the impossible happened—in no small part due to the support of people like you, working in conjunction with the East Timor Action Network (ETAN). But now ETAN is in dire financial straits.
I have been deeply involved with self-determination for East Timor since before Indonesia’s 1975 invasion, and I can attest to the tremendous – maybe even decisive – difference that ETAN’s wonderful work has made. However, ETAN’s ability to continue to work at the level needed is in serious jeopardy due to a shortage of funds. By giving generously, you can help strengthen ETAN financially for the coming year, so together we can meet the many challenges ahead.
Even with independence, the world’s newest country – and Asia’s poorest – faces daunting challenges. Its two giant neighbors, Indonesia and Australia, continue to threaten East Timor’s peace and, indeed, its full sovereignty. Anti-independence paramilitary groups across the border in Indonesian West Timor pose an increasing security threat as the United Nations prepares to end its mission next May. Meanwhile, Australia is openly stealing billions of dollars worth of East Timor’s revenue from Timor Sea oil and natural gas. Australia is flagrantly violating international law and has even withdrawn from international mechanisms to resolve the maritime boundary dispute - leaving East Timor with no legal recourse.
The global powers-that-be continue to deny East Timor justice for the myriad war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against its people from 1975 to 1999. At the same time, the Bush administration, in the name of the “war on terrorism,” is committed to full relations with Indonesia’s brutal military establishment, as the military daily terrorizes the people of Aceh, Papua and elsewhere.
And if you wonder why many are not aware of it, it has to do with another very common trick in human history (besides personal shortcomings best left to the individuals): loud mouth bullies always harp about how nice they are while they steal.
xxx
http://www.etan.org/etan/2003appl.htm
From Noam Chomsky
December 2003
Dear Friends of East Timor,
East Timor has been independent for a little more than a year and a half. Many foreign policy experts and Washington insiders predicted that Indonesia would never let go of the former Portuguese colony. Yet the impossible happened—in no small part due to the support of people like you, working in conjunction with the East Timor Action Network (ETAN). But now ETAN is in dire financial straits.
I have been deeply involved with self-determination for East Timor since before Indonesia’s 1975 invasion, and I can attest to the tremendous – maybe even decisive – difference that ETAN’s wonderful work has made. However, ETAN’s ability to continue to work at the level needed is in serious jeopardy due to a shortage of funds. By giving generously, you can help strengthen ETAN financially for the coming year, so together we can meet the many challenges ahead.
Even with independence, the world’s newest country – and Asia’s poorest – faces daunting challenges. Its two giant neighbors, Indonesia and Australia, continue to threaten East Timor’s peace and, indeed, its full sovereignty. Anti-independence paramilitary groups across the border in Indonesian West Timor pose an increasing security threat as the United Nations prepares to end its mission next May. Meanwhile, Australia is openly stealing billions of dollars worth of East Timor’s revenue from Timor Sea oil and natural gas. Australia is flagrantly violating international law and has even withdrawn from international mechanisms to resolve the maritime boundary dispute - leaving East Timor with no legal recourse.
The global powers-that-be continue to deny East Timor justice for the myriad war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against its people from 1975 to 1999. At the same time, the Bush administration, in the name of the “war on terrorism,” is committed to full relations with Indonesia’s brutal military establishment, as the military daily terrorizes the people of Aceh, Papua and elsewhere.
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Russian School Hostage Crisis
(Comments after reading report that hundreds of school children were killed in a hostage taking incident by Muslim separatists in Beslan, Russia)
Just before the end of the last century, a biologist when invited to write a contribution to a collection of views, hopes and insights for the 21st century chose to share a letter he wrote to his then 10 or so year old daughter. The gist of what he said to his daughter went somewhat like this (as best as I can remember).
He said that he decided to put his views in a letter because his daughter was too young to understand them, and he hoped that she will find them meaningful later in life.
In the letter he said that the advancement the world had seen in the 20th century and its hope in the next lie in rational thought, and not blind faith as basis for all our actions. From rational thought, we learned to understand and adapt 'better' to Nature than our forebears, and thus saw big improvements in the quality of life for a larger proportion of human beings than ever in history. We can also understand better the effect of our actions on Nature only through rational analysis.
History had proven that the way of life based on blind faith as basis for human conduct is futile and outright dangerous. Based on blind faith, an Irish Catholic is as absolutely sure that his view is right as a Muslim in Arabia and a Hindu in India with theirs. And they are totally disagreable to each other. As by blind faith such people are absolutely certain that they are right and therefore the others must be wrong, how are we going to resolve their differences? In fact throughout history these people kill each other as the only way to 'prove' that they are 'right'.
This Russian school incident is just another example of what this man was trying to say to his young daughter. Sadly, many idiots that operate the way he feared still exist in this new century.
Another man once said: War does not determine who is right, it only determines who is left".
And if you have been following the US elections, those idiots are vying to boast on who makes a better war monger. Such is the character of a country that many idiots I know think is the greatest country on earth.
Just before the end of the last century, a biologist when invited to write a contribution to a collection of views, hopes and insights for the 21st century chose to share a letter he wrote to his then 10 or so year old daughter. The gist of what he said to his daughter went somewhat like this (as best as I can remember).
He said that he decided to put his views in a letter because his daughter was too young to understand them, and he hoped that she will find them meaningful later in life.
In the letter he said that the advancement the world had seen in the 20th century and its hope in the next lie in rational thought, and not blind faith as basis for all our actions. From rational thought, we learned to understand and adapt 'better' to Nature than our forebears, and thus saw big improvements in the quality of life for a larger proportion of human beings than ever in history. We can also understand better the effect of our actions on Nature only through rational analysis.
History had proven that the way of life based on blind faith as basis for human conduct is futile and outright dangerous. Based on blind faith, an Irish Catholic is as absolutely sure that his view is right as a Muslim in Arabia and a Hindu in India with theirs. And they are totally disagreable to each other. As by blind faith such people are absolutely certain that they are right and therefore the others must be wrong, how are we going to resolve their differences? In fact throughout history these people kill each other as the only way to 'prove' that they are 'right'.
This Russian school incident is just another example of what this man was trying to say to his young daughter. Sadly, many idiots that operate the way he feared still exist in this new century.
Another man once said: War does not determine who is right, it only determines who is left".
And if you have been following the US elections, those idiots are vying to boast on who makes a better war monger. Such is the character of a country that many idiots I know think is the greatest country on earth.
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