BLOG POSTS

“I, George W Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11th, 2007, as PATRIOT DAY………in witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven…..”

It is fitting to remember the innocent lives lost to the antics of religious and political madmen six years ago today. Terrorism, just like any government-sponsored war or military incursion, takes its toll mainly of the innocents. They have no wish to be involved. They may even hold views sympathetic to those of the perpetrators. Their only aim is to live in peace with all around them, and are unable to grasp why others fail to display similar feelings.

George W Bush has declared today – PATRIOT DAY.

Webster’s definition of “PATRIOT” is:

“one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests.”

And what, you may ask, is wrong with that?

At first glance, probably not a lot, but what if the “authority” and “interests” within that country become at odds with the views of its populace, or the interests of other nations? Is it still “patriotic” to defend the authority of a government obviously out of step with its own people, or inflicting suffering on other innocent nations from misguided or illegal acts?

Adolf Hitler and 1930’s Germany were condemned by history for their nationalistic political regime, whose principles were encapsulated in the Nazi Party.

Webster’s definition of “NATIONALISM” is:

“a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.”

Is a nationalist the same as a patriot?

No. But there’s a very fine line separating the two. On which side of that line do you stand?

Today’s American administration is not patriotic, it is nationalist. Those members of the Project for the New American Century – including Vice President Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Zalmay Khalilzad, I. Lewis Libby – are not patriotic. They are nationalists, just as surely as any member of the Nazi or Fascist governments of Germany and Italy pre-WW2.

Which side of the line are you on?

In the best traditions of George W Bush, his nomination of “Patriot Day” comes as no surprise. He could have chosen “Remembrance Day”, or simply, “9/11 Day”, but the chance to gain political points was just too unmissable. He, and his advisors, knew there were plenty of Americans still stirred enough by false pride to jump on the name as symbolic of the Great American Struggle for freedom and democracy for all, whether they want it, or not.

There’ll be plenty in this country saluting the flag; proclaiming America the greatest nation on earth; supporting, from the bottom of their hearts, the government and troops presently attempting to inflict “Americanism” on other sovereign nations…….

But, wait! Isn’t that “NATIONALISM”?

According to Webster’s definition, it is.

On which side of the line are you standing?

Filed under: Bedfellows

There are occasions when the sheer arrogance of America leaves one breathless. On Friday, a US District court ruled that Iran was responsible for the Hezbollah attack on an American Marines’ barracks in Beirut in 1983. The attack was horrific and left two hundred and forty-one marines dead. Iran was considered responsible because it allegedly supplied the equipment that Hezbollah used in the attack.

It’s all a little crazy when one considers the amount of arms and military equipment sold around the world by the US government and its dealers. Once again, the argument that whatever America does is legal and above board, but its enemies are guilty of terrorism for carrying out similar practices, seems to be the criteria of the US judicial system.

There is little doubt Iran supplied the materials. Neither is their doubt America supplied the Israeli arsenal that slaughtered hundreds of innocents in the Lebanese/Israeli war of 2006. Perhaps someone might care to argue there is a difference?

It is this hypocrisy that causes other countries throughout the world to regard the United States as a bigot and bully. “Do as we say, not as we do,” is the catchphrase regarding America that resounds around Planet Earth in the early 21st century.

Listen to Western politicians prostrating themselves and kissing the bared ass of Ms Liberty USA 2007, and one might be excused for assuming Europe and Australasia were firmly behind the US leadership. Perhaps their politicians are, but the people most definitely are not. Unfortunately for the politicos, the people are not fools to be ignored as ignorant peasants. Most are fully aware of the hypocrisy springing forth from the forked tongues of Brown, Howard, Sarkozy, and their like. Licking the boots of American presidents has become a European and Australasian pastime of Western politicians that the people of those nations will only tolerate for so long.

America was wrong on Iraq. It has been wrong in its approach to the conveniently named “war on terror”. The US has led the world into a morass of violence and antipathy towards innocent Muslims, innocent Iraqis, innocent Afghans, and even innocent Westerners, that is slowly turning this planet on its head.

George W Bush is a madman. The public know it. Many of the US populace know it. Those outside the US are well aware of it. The way their politicians are ignoring the fact, to the detriment of their peoples’ security and safety, is also well noted.

Listen to Osama bin Laden’s latest tape and it becomes evident the man is no more a terrorist than the American president, though equally as arrogant and mentally disturbed.

It is time the American people realized they are not the only inhabitants of Planet Earth. Neither are they the more important. To debate from a position of strength is fine; to bully from a position of strength, is simply bullying.

To dare to suggest Iran is responsible for paying $2.65 billion to American families of the 1983 Beirut bombing, because it dared to do what America does better than any other nation on earth, namely sell or supply arms to further its political interests, is the epitome of an arrogance many US citizens have not yet even begun to self-evaluate.

BBC report HERE.

Filed under: More US hypocrisy

Many years ago, in Britain, I was an Inspector for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. One day I received a communication from my Headquarters directing me to visit – with a view to prosecution – an elderly couple who had inadvertently left their pet dog in a car on a hot summer’s day, while on holiday in the south of England. When I contacted the couple I found them utterly distraught. The loss of their beloved pet, through circumstances not deliberate, but certainly due to their unfortunate actions, was tearing them apart.

My Headquarters insisted I return a “case-file” on the couple. This meant they would most likely be prosecuted for leaving their dog in the car in a manner “likely to cause unnecessary suffering”, the prerequisite for an offense under the relevant legal statute.

I refused. In my opinion, for any act to be a crime requires intent. This couple had not intended to cause their loved pet suffering, the whole incident was no more than an unfortunate accident. I was disciplined for refusing to obey orders, but stuck to my guns and to this day believe I was right.

Yesterday, on the NBC Nightly News, anchor, Brian Williams, introduced a segment of the program with the words:

“What punishment is appropriate for the woman who made the the worst mistake a mother can make?”

Brenda Slaby’s two year old daughter died in a car yesterday because her harassed mother forgot she was there. Slaby, an assistant principal at an Ohio school, collected doughnuts for a school meeting then went into school forgetting her daughter was still in the back seat.

NBC Nightly News, and no doubt a number of other insensitive media channels, then proceeded to run clips of this mother’s agony in a police station while being interviewed for a possible offense. Thankfully, sanity reigned, and Brenda Slaby was not subjected to the further agonies of a criminal prosecution, only the continuous and prolonged scrutiny of three hundred million Americans via unscrupulous media channels determined to wring every last ounce from this personal family tragedy.

The lack of any dignity offered to human beings undergoing the exquisite personal torments of family trauma, has long been a source of intense disgust to this visitor to America’s shores. Sadly, it is not only the corporate media who are to blame. Individual blogs are vying for the opportunity to condemn this unfortunate woman for nothing more than the crime of being human.

How many of us can look at the Brenda Slaby case and not say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”?

It could happen to any one of us. Particularly in this nation where attempting to do too much, for too many, is considered a veritable virtue.

NBC Nightly News, and the other media channels who unashamedly ran footage of this mother’s agony, have plumbed new depths in degradation and bad taste. It leaves one wondering if there is any segment of human misery left that they are not prepared to plunder for the sake of their precious ratings.

But then, their ratings are determined by the numbers of Americans who watch, and approve.

Filed under: Quick to condemn