Ember Endorsements: Go Obama and McCain. January 29, 2008

I am just writing this post for the record. Months and months ago while discussing upcoming American Presidential elections with my online friends (mostly American) I had hazarded a guess about the possible President to be. My choices were: Barack Obama from the D camp and Rudy Giuliani from the R camp. While Rudy has seriously screwed up his chances by shoddy and smug campaign, Obama has risen as the star for new politics and new things of substance.

 

Months ago, my good friends had suggested that- from D camp- Obama is immature and Hilary will win the day as she got the right connections and the money and two timer in the White House as husband. But I disagreed. She always came across as a power hungry phony to me. It was a dangerous thing to say back then because Mrs. Clinton has always been a very respected figure, but in the recent times she has definitely made her phoniness apparent in collusion with her tag team partner and husband. I think American people suspected her lack of mettle from the very beginning in Iowa and the initial polls in New Hampshire. She won New Hampshire with a slight margin only because of pity vote as she cried her way to a wafer thin victory.

 

I probably shouldn’t be saying all this because-yet- she may very well become President and nuke this part of the world where I write my missives from. But I am expressing my unabashed opinion. February 5th, the grand Tuesday, will seal the fate and I hope it will be in Barack Obama’s favor. His election will only confirm all that is good, noble and sound about America.

 

As a final word, I also support and endorse John Mccain from the R camp as he is a person of substance and great moral courage.

What is a Black American? Language of politics and race November 30, 2007

Believe it or not, the color of skin remains a very defining character in a human being’s life, despite liberal ideals and politically correct slogans. Race relations is the subject and concern of the Western world and its importance will only increase in the times to come. That’s because Western countries are the only countries where racial diversity is found because of their history, colonial past, globalization, immigration and interracial couples. One may argue there are lots of races or ethnicities in non Wester countries. Yes, but those are more like sub ethnicities or sub races that have- more or less- resembling cultures and customs, as in China, India, Indonesia, African countries.

 

 

But in the Western World probably there is no country in the world where race seems to matter more than in America. This is not because Americans are racist (they’re much less racist and least xenophobic than most countries of the world) but because America is racially and demographically too diverse. But as other races have managed to assimilate into Americana, the Blacks or Afro Americans have always stood out and remained isolated. There are barely any bridges between Black and White in America. They live in their own universes, for better or worse.

 

But I want to dig a bit deeper and understand the psychology of this racial isolation and refusal to cross over to the other sides of their own race, Black or Afro American in this case. I remember watching great Larry David’s (creator of Seinfeld) wonderful comedy program on DVD called ‘‘Curb Your Enthusiasm” in which Larry plays the real life Larry in comic style. Larry David and his wife also have a Black woman friend (played by Wanda Sykes). Often race is used in the sitcom for humorous effect and sarcasm. In one episode Wanda wants Larry’s reference to get a job. One day they meet on the street in LA and Wanda asks if Larry has already put in a good word for her. Then Wanda complains how come Larry forgot to mention that she was a Black woman with Brown skin. I think it was just a priceless satire. Kudos to Larry David, Wanda Sykes and the rest of the crew.

 

Obama is not Black, not enough- And here I come almost to the final paragraph. What is a Black American then? Do you know, in American Presidential campaign there are more Black voters who are voting for Hilary Clinton than Barack Obama, who in return is gaining a lot of White votes. Why? Is it so that despite the media coverage that tags Obama as the Black Presidential candidate is actually a person of mixed race? Let’s say bi-racial, who has a White mother and a Black (Kenyan African) father. Naturally, Obama is brown and biracial not Black. Maybe he is not fit enough to represent the Blacks. Here is the New York Times Op-ed that produced this post from me: ”Obama’s Color line”. It notes, ”The alienation, anger and pessimism that mark speeches from major black American leaders are missing from Mr. Obama’s speeches.

 

Is Being Alienated, angry and pessimistic, being Black? Why is it that when Blacks become successful, ”they act White” and are not Blacks anymore. Colin Powell was never touted as a Black hero. But wait, his skin is too light. Let’s look elsewhere… Condoleezza Rice? But she ain’t much popular Black hero either. Then, I suppose, she must be acting White….

Shady maze of Foreign Affairs leads to Russian brides November 27, 2007

Policy makers and bureaucrats can be dumb or plain blind. Let’s be kind to them and say maybe they do so on purpose? Sometimes I think the common dude or chic on the street got much more common sense than academics, senior policy analysts, policy makers, advisers and so on. Take American foreign policy for example. I thought I would do some readings off Foreign Affairs journal that is published by the reputed and extremely influential Council on Foreign Relations, which has elite and powerful membership, not to mention millions of dollars in funding.

 

 

 

Anyhow, as I said I wanted to read some articles from Foreign Affairs magazine. But the very start was ominous. Instead of going to www.foreignaffairs.org I went to www.foreignaffairs.com. It changed the entire meaning of the phrase Foreign Affairs. The site with ”.com” at the end promised me, ”RUSSIAN BRIDES, ADULT DATING, RUSSIAN WIFE, ADULT MOVIE”… and so on. For once I almost thought that it was Council on Foreign Relations’ conspiracy to destroy my free and happy bachelor life. So, I killed the page by clicking it close. Then I retried and went to the official website of Foreign Affairs journal. A few articles I read were quite boring despite my extreme interest in International relations.

 

 

 

But well, I was in for worse. I read an article by, none other than Mr. R. Nicholas Burns, who is, ”the United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the Department of State’s third ranking official. Appointed by President George W. Bush, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 17, 2005 and was sworn into office by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. As Under Secretary, he oversees U.S. policy in each region of the world and serves in the senior career Foreign Service position at the Department.”

 

 

 

The State Department’s third ranking official? Hmmm… And this article, ”America’s Strategic Opportunity With India” was the intolerably insufferable misleading Schmaltz and glib. I won’t go into details but quote this little bit, ”We share an attachment to democracy and individual rights founded on an instinctive mistrust of authoritarianism.” How the hell editors of the journal let this sentence slip into print?? I am not going to play any blame games here but everyone knows that’s not Indian values or Asian values or any other region’s values, maybe not even European values. Culturally India is a thoroughly and even dictatorially collectivist society and I put it literally as well as in the very Ayn Randian, Objectivist sense. As for the passionately sought ”civil” nuclear deal between U.S. and India, even the liberal New York Times has been warning against it for such a long time as in this editorial, ”A Bad Deal Gets Worse”

 

 

 

But don’t take my word or New York Times’ for it. I would just like to ask Mr. Nicholas Burns to confirm if he is the third most senior person in the same State Department that released this Report on Human Rights Practices in India in March 2007? If this is how Council on Foreign Relations and the State Department are going to operate than U.S. tax payers, U.S. voters, civil democratic international community and international human rights agencies should have lots of questions to ask…

The Australian Elections and Howard’s End November 24, 2007

The news is in and has become history (CLICK FOR BBC NEWS LINK). The Australian Prime Minister John Howard (of Conservative Party) ends his 11 year old rule and concedes defeat to Kevin Rudd (of Labour Party). John Howard was a very shrewd politician who made the most of September 11 terrorist attacks in America and the consequent war on terrorism like many other international politicians.

 

 

Kevin Rudd on the other hand is a bit of a geek who has always been more into policy making than politics. Though as The New York Times reminds he added some frills to his ”dry” image when on a tour of New York in 2003, he made a pilgrimage to a strip club. Not only that- would you believe it?- Kevin Rudd can also speak fluent Mandarin (Chinese). In fact he impressed everyone by addressing the Chinese President Hu Jintao in September, in Chinese. I mean read this headline in red:

 

”The New Australian Prime Minister speaks Chinese”

Sounds impressive huh?

 

 

Something on the Corporate Media and stale reportage:

Here I digress, I leave you with a brain teaser. Not long ago, The New York Times bought International Herald Tribune which is published from Paris for international readership. More often than not, their international coverage is same, I mean word for word. But wait. Not always. The report on Australian elections was written by their journalist, Tim Johnston. Though the write up is same, I presume, the newspaper copy writers were clever enough to shuffle the paragraphs and make it seem like these were two differently written works. That’s cheap journalism, in my opinion. Decide for yourself. I am giving you Links to both stories which are essentially the same….

 

 

New York Times, ”Bush Ally Defeated in Australia”

 

 

International Herald Tribune, ”Australian oust Howard after 4 terms”

Rudy Giuliani and Pat Robertson and Mormons? November 8, 2007

I just read this WordPress Post (CLICK HERE) on Pat Robertson endorsing Rudy Giuliani for President. I have blogged about Pat Robertson before on at least a couple of occasions. I think he has said some of the dumbest things I ever heard.

 

But as for American presidential elections I have to agree with many that Democrats are hollow and delusional people who are all for big bureaucracy and Republicans generally stand for personal selfishness and the rich. Christianity is their sidekick slogan to keep Christian vote bank secure. If Conservative and Republicans are CHRISTIAN then why in the name of hell EVERY SINGLE conservative blog and website mentions Atlas Shrugged as their favorite book? Is it not supposed to be an Atheist’s tome, albeit with capitalist, materialist underpinning.

 

But anyway, I am all for Laissez faire, individual freedom, personal ambition and small but efficient government that assists the people, not tell them how to change their nappies (and where to buy their nappies from, what to do with used nappies etc.) So, I am for promising and negotiable Republican presidents rather than sleazy and cardboard Democrats. And I like Rudy (and months ago I endorsed him as my favorite presidential candidate) I like him for his powerful leadership qualities, humility and very down to earth character. Pat Robertson has made one wise choice that ever came to my notice.

 

And what about Mormons? I always loathed this cult of narrow minded White supremacists with polygamy and pedophilia (14,15 year old wives) and other disgusting lifestyles that they proudly carry on- in secret- but rarely advertise them as ”mainstream Mormonism”. Even Christian fundies are much better than these rotten brains. At least it is possible to talk to Christian fundies and they have some grace, dignity, forgiveness, tolerance. But Mormons (telling it from my personal experience) are bizarre and very gay about their polygamous heterosexuality and close-mindedness.

 

And I hate it how they’re always referring to their official website no matter what question you ask them about their cult. ”Please visit lds.org” something. I mean who gives a flying fuck? Mitt Romney is so ashamed of his nutty cult that he rarely says he is a Mor(m)on.

Thoughts on interracial dating, couples, marriage and race relations October 25, 2007

Well, I thought I would bring this subject up some time. But I just find it too boring to talk about. I mean things like one’s race, ethnicity and sexual orientation are talked about because how the whole society is designed with its combined perceptions, prejudices, fears etc. I give you one interesting insight into the human psyche as far as the race goes. I read this new story a while back where they reported about the confidential data from a Western dating website. One of the real striking thing was when people were asked which ”races” they would like to date. Most men and women selected, ”It does not matter.” Naturally, no one would like to be thought of as racist or uneducated etc. But when these very men and women replied to emails they almost always replied to the White ones, some 93% of the time. Interesting huh?

 

 

But why am I talking about it? First of all, I am academically interested in race relations and on the bigger scale, clash of civilizations. I am interested in race relations in countries where different races or ethnicities live: Malaysia (Chinese, Malay, Indians), Singapore, South Africa, New Zealand, Switzerland, Russia, Latin and Central America and most Western countries, ESPECIALLY USA. Second, I am bringing it up because there is a Canadian website called Vancouver forum and someone started a thread on interracial dating (Asian men and White women to be specific), especially on University of British Columbia Campus in Vancouver. CLICK HERE for The link to that forum

 

 

Here I am copy pasting some of the messages I posted on that thread. All that discussion piqued my brain into expressing opinions. BUT NOTE: As you are aware of my writing style, I am saying many of the things tongue in cheek and satirically. So, read it with a pinch of salt. But I really tried to express my thoughts on the subject Objectively.

 

 

1.) I donno what the fuss is all about. Some messages back ”Tina” pointed out rightly that this is a stupid conversation because ALL WOMEN ARE HOT in their own different ways. ”Tina” is right.

 

But there is only one thing that ”tina” forgot to mention and I would like to add something guys (as in boys). As long you have a regular job and money, you will attract women of all races, regardless of your own race. That’s the universal rule since the beginning of mankind (and thanks to man’s rib, womankind). I’m sure Adam got Eve because he had a rich Daddy to begin with…the Universal rule does apply, All through human history. Men of power and money get women. I know it sounds vulgar but it’s true. You can even read Shakespeare’s Othelo and how Othelo gets Desdemona (though he eventually loses her by killing her)

 

Talking of race, voot you think about your Canadian hero Mark Steyn’s new book ”America Alone- The End of the world as we know it”? Are you Canadians spooked by the bearded folks of Arabia lurking all over Canada as Mark Steyn points out? Get to my blog post then for the book’s review and comment: HERE]

 

2.) I do agree with you Burning Ember, though you have a blunt way of putting it. I am no big fan of interracial for its own sake. I don’t think it’s cool or unique. It just happens that’s all. And in your own words, the society is all against it. They hate it. Same goes with inter-religious marriages. Jew-Christian/ Christian-Muslim…. Jew-Muslim! All tough stuff. But I personally find it SAD. It means society makes rules for us and we don’t have any say in our own life. And all this in the modern age.

 

I bet in old times, really old times, different races in many places intermarried and mingled without all that fuss (That’s why we share 99.9% of our genes). I personally would find it tough if I marry a person of different race, I’m brown and marrying both a White or Black is more or less a taboo, sort of social crime. But then if I do fall in love with a White or Black woman, I personally would go ahead and say to the rest of the world (that would Object or try to stop me) that they can sit in their chair and finger their anus… or maybe I will be more polite and quote Bible ,”For this reason they shall leave their mother and father and become one flesh.” lol **By the way, I’m just giving an example**

 

 

Hmmm.. what else. To sum it up, I love good and interesting people of all races and I hate bad and boring people of all races, cultures, ethinicities, species or whatever else we have. )

 

 

3.) I believe the reasons are mostly cultural, religious, economic, lingual (and many other factors like different families, friends, cuisine!!…and so on).. That’s why people from two different races get so many hurdles to overcome, if they do like each other or worse yet, fall in love.

 

 

4.) Hi Robert. I agree with your observations, though it did make me wonder a little what the heck you were doing stalking interracial couples all day long?

 

 

But anyway, you’re right, Asian Male/ White Female is something of a rarity. White male/Asian Female happens quite often. Now be surprised, I am in NZ. And I see the same pattern here. But I am a bit surprised by this post because I really didn’t think it was all that a big deal in Canada. But maybe it is because there really are LOTS AND LOTS of Asians in Canada, especially in a city like Vancouver. Hence the fuss.

 

 

Well, coming to basics: there are psychological reasons (i will get to it in the next paragraph) as well as White race being considered the epitome of human beauty etc., thanks to Hollywood, TV, Playboy and what not (For the love of God has anyone seen hot Iranian or Afghani girls? Even many pretty Asian girls are very hot, though they deviate from ”classic features”)

 

 

Now psychological reasons. In Immigrant Western countries Whites are in majority and it’s their home turf, they got demographic advantages and everything else that comes with it. Of course, then, for colored males getting a White Girlfriend is like a trophy girlfriend. Yeah, I know it sounds stupid. But that’s the way it works. I often have talked to many mixed race or colored guys here in NZ– who have mixed race gf– say to me when I ask where their gf comes from, ”…Ohh she really looks white though… She got like light brown hair and green eyes…Ohh you would think she is white…” It sounds so uneducated, depressing, self-hating and vulgar to me.

 

 

Further notes added on Tuesday, 30th October.

 

 

Note 1- Just adding an observation that often the word ”INTERRACIAL” is highly politicized. It’s a word that is used for promoting grudges, hatred, prejudices and what not. This word almost always means a union of a White person (often female) and a colored person of any race (Often male). This stereotype cannot be confirmed more if you happen to come across one of those interracial porn websites. You know what I mean. But I personally think of interracial in its literal sense, i.e. union of two races whichever they maybe, including mixed or biracial individuals. For example, Here in New Zealand I have often seen Asian women (mostly Chinese) going out with men of other colored races.

 

And I must make a special mention of Maori race, the native people of New Zealand who form a sizable minority. Maoris have interbred with almost any race you can imagine. A Maori person may look very European with blonde or light hair, Polynesian, Asiatic or with some quite dark colored and native physical features too. I am sure such intricate interracial patterns maybe true with many other countries as well.

 

 

 

***CLICK HERE**

 

Note 2– Here (CLICK) is a very interesting

link about the origin and evolution of modern human

races.

Review of ”America Alone- The End of the world as we know it” by Mark Steyn October 20, 2007

 

 

 

‘**NOTE**– I noticed I became ”Reader of the day” on Mark Steyn’s website for making him reminisce his Hollinger days when despite his lack of formal education as a journalist Hollinger group launched his career because he had the foxy element that is usually good for ratings.

 

 

Anyhow, it is not about personal attacks and I want to stick to his work, in this case his book. I want to make a special mention that the ideas brought up in his book are not even original in the least. How easy it must have been to write this book… Just collect recent articles from conservative or right wing publications, read speeches, pamphlets of pathetic little right wing political parties all around Europe… and off you go stunning the world. At the back of the book Michelle Malkin (Another neurotic, xenophobic story, but we won’t go there and leave this Islamophobic Philipino-American alone…) writes, ”America Alone will open your eyes. You can’t afford to look away.” She also writes, ”Steyn strips away intellectual rust and PC rot to uncover the writing on the wall.” I think she would hit Bull’s eye if she had written, ”…to uncover the urine on the wall. And it’s his own urine.”

 

 

First of all, this mawkish rave about this book is ONLY FOUND in the so called Conservative media (or writers) who also seem to be the only ones who took care to review this book positively. The mainstream media- New York Times, Washington Post, L.A. Times, The Guardian etc..- just ignored this book as trash (or at least I could not find any reviews by them)Mark Steyn website also mentions that Mr. Joe Lieberman is clutching this book to his chest as dearly as the holy Bible (The Old Testament only) and giving it away to all other American Senators. Funny. I guess he also has gold inscription on his copy saying, ”An idiot’s guide to become even a bigger idiot.” This all rave made me laugh so hard and it continues to do so (guess what I am doing now). As I said, these ideas have been bandied about by each and everyone for such a long time.

 

 

One of my favorite authors and THE master essayist Gore Vidal talked about this dying out and other demographics of the White race DECADES ago as passing remarks in his essays. Please read it again, DECADES AGO. But Vidal never wrote a full essay or a book on the subject because he knew that there are about a million more real alarming threats to human race, peace, prosperity and freedom that we face every day.

 

 

I wanted to write a review on this little red book (red for Republican or Red Maple Leaf ?…) on Amazon.com but they would let you write a review only if you have bought books from them. Hmmm.. So well, I am writing this review on my blog. This book is a hot best seller now and many people have gotten carried away by it. Out of 5 stars I give it 2 stars for motley of interesting facts and some humor (P.J. O’ Rourke has been doing the humorous conservative writing for Decades), the rest is fluffy cheap journalism. You may say it is FOX NEWS IN PRINT.

 

 

Many mainstream liberals have refused to discuss the book because it is simply too childishly crass. And I can see why. Mark Steyn presumes that just because he can hurl racist, sexist and cultural insults, he gets to be pro-American. Not only this book reeks of xenophobia but also notice cheap comments about ”European slatternly women” on pages 67,68. What Steyn seems to be saying is that all White women who have anything to do with Islam or Muslims are SLUTS. Also, he mentions Luxemborg as a country slightly bigger than a rec room. How would he feel if he is ridiculed with jokes about his Canadian roots (Often delightful favorite American national pastime) and also about his pseudo Frenchie connections through Quebec (he even confesses his love for French food and naked French women who are angelic as opposed to the Slatternly ones?) Bad taste. Cheap.

 

The Demographics of Europe and Muslims– Well, this seems to be the founding (read foundering) pillar of this book and Steyn has used it as an interesting scare-mongering tactic. In short, he opines, the Whites of Europe are not making enough babies whereas Muslims all over the world and in Europe are breeding like nightmarish green bunnies (i.e. green for Islam) So, he says, naturally in due time, Europe will become ”Eurabia” where Muslims will call the shots. It is such an infantile and pathetic logic. He makes Muslim birth rates sound like some kind of Mars Attacks Hollywood flick, where all these little green evil souls will take over the world like millions of Locusts devour everything in their way. Not so.

 

To begin with, I have long wondered about Europe’s falling birth rates and that is a concern, especially for Eastern Europe. But it is not some kind of demographic suicide. I believe in Western Europe it simply exists because of individual selfishness, where people want all their time, money and resources for themselves whereas in Eastern cultures people always want to make plenty of babies and also want to see their kids, grandchildren grow. Not to mention the contraceptives are not only in little supply in many poor conservative countries ( ANYWAY, NOT ALL OF THEM ARE MUSLIM COUNTRIES) but are shunned for social, religious and personal reasons. But I don’t think Europeans will just die out. As The Economist once mentioned, this greying of Europe is not a bad thing if people can have healthier older age, can delay their retirement age, stay more productive, creative and have better standard of living than those who starve in the Eastern countries and watch their tons of children starve as well (forget about proper upbringing, education etc.)

 

On the other hand I am sure, in Western Europe birth rates among Whites will pick up sometime, when they realize things are going real bad. At the moment, the Eastern Europe is a real concern but it is not that they’re indifferent to making babies but they are just very aware of the pain they would end up causing every baby that they bring into a nightmarish world they are living in now: corruption, crushing poverty, crippling violence, crime, civil wars, unemployment (all this does not encourage wise men and women to have babies). I believe- as Steyn himself notes regarding the close relationship between high birth rates and robust market economies- that when economies in these countries become better (a good possibility with EU enlargement) their birth rates will pick up.

 

Steyn sees the world population growth from a stupidly bipolar vision: Muslim and non Muslim. He totally, disregards huge populations of non Muslims in Africa, Latin and Central America, East and South East Asia and that huge country called India whose population is about 82% Hindu. Steyn also makes a stupid blanket statement in the book saying Delhi’s (India’s capital city) population itself is declining. Someone should go to Delhi and any of India’s big (or even small) cities and see for themself the truth of people inhabiting a landscape like termites do timber!!!

In any case, it is the OVER- POPULATION that kills and cripples people and turns them into insects without education, resources, skills to survive… Something, I believe West European kids will Never face. How lucky a West European kid is not to have 5 other siblings who will only make life hell for everyone. If Europe has a population growth rate of some of the tribal nations Steyn fearfully mentions, it will turn into Eurabia much sooner than low birth rates will ever cause it to, if ever. So, shut up Steyn, You’re just the Hollinger media group’s foxy bitch.

 

No special, unusual and shocking threats from Muslim immigrants–

Steyn makes a big deal about Muslim immigrants raising hell in pretty European cities and Europeans cowering in fear. Total Bull-shit.***Added on 24th November, Check this out: CLICK TO Read this Blog post, ”NOT SO DIFFERENT” from a British blogger about Muslims in London***. As for European cowering before Muslims, what about French government’s militaristic stubbornness outlawing the wearing of Muslim head-scarves in schools even when many Muslim girls themselves wish to wear them? Interestingly schoolchildren can still wear small crosses/crucifixes. No multiculturalism or Western freedom of choice there.

 

 

Of course, Muslim immigrants (like any other immigrants) may have resentment because of bad integration, racism, discrimination, NO JOBS. And yes, when things like Paris riots happen, it is sad. But is it not the same kind of thing that goes on in USA vis-a-vis its former slave populations, today known as the Black or Afro Americans? My point is that, such anti- social, destructive or criminal behavior occurs only when there are inhuman disparities and schisms in the economic and social fields. Other than that, Muslim Immigrants may not be worse than any other immigrants from non Muslim countries that refuse to integrate with their new home country even when they’re given the opportunities.

 

I think Muslim immigrants have done a marvelous job integrating within the American society. Many of them actually, came to American shores as refugees: Iraqis, Iranians, Kurds, Palestinians etc. They themselves were the victims of horrendous persecution at the hands of neurotically violent and persecutory Islamist forces in their home countries.

As for religious fundamentalism, it is bad news in any part of the world. People make fun of Muslims being opposed to any modernity and they got Amish folks at home, people make fun of Muslims for having heaps of wives and children and they forget the Mormons at home, people talk about Muslim suicide bombers and they forget about Timothy McVeigh. Besides they forget to condemn NATO bombers dropping bombs over Wedding parties in Afghanistan mistaking them for terrorists, killing innocent children, women and old men.

 

They forget, they forget, they forget. They also forget and refuse to remember that both Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were American (CIA etc.) tag team partners during The Cold War. If Cold war had lasted a bit longer than it did, you could bet your American dollar that Osama Bin Laden would get honorary American citizenship by now. But they forget and this is why Mr. Gore Vidal aptly called the USA as the ”United States of Amnesia”.

 

Please don’t get me wrong after reading this review. Though I am not American, I am pro-American. I do believe that America is the only country in the world who will carry the torch of human freedom in the world and it should. I just hate diatribe built around misinformation like Mark Steyn’s book. People like that are the ones who actually, do a great deal of harm by destroying American goodwill in the world. They also forget that all societies are not like Vietnam. You can’t bomb them and then suppose they will never seek revenge. If killing of innocent American civilians in mad terrorist attacks can enrage Americans. Why should it be assumed that American bombs that end up killing civilians anywhere in the world will stay unaccounted for?

 

 

Does an Afghani or Iraqi mother love her children any less than an American mother? Think again.

 

 

I believe the most important thing we need is tolerance (respecting as well as leaving each other alone), spread of prosperity, education, employment, trade in the Muslims countries and societies. As Steyn himself notes, Malaysia is one Muslim country that can be considered prosperous. Though in his blind- ”all Muslims are shit”- faith he gives all credit for Malaysia’s prosperity to its Chinese population. He forgets to mention that Malaysian Muslims don’t go around the world exploding bombs. So at least there are Muslim nations that do not breed terrorists. I believe it is because they’re not threatened by any foreign military or controlled by some blood sucking multi- national corporations. Their sovereignty, sense of honor and self- determination is not hurt. That I think is something that Mark Steyn should read up on. But maybe he already knows that. Maybe Western- Muslim animosity (real and imagined) is not only something he just reports on but it’s something he passionately promotes. It’s his business. It’s all about the ratings… Sad.

An opinion on the current state of War in Iraq August 18, 2007

Picture: Map of Iraq with major cities and bordering countries.

 

Well, this was in response to a latest Washington Post story ‘‘Nonpartisan Group Calls for Three-State Split in Iraq” . It proposes that Iraq be split into three autonomous regions that will share natural resources. For the layperson Iraqi population is divided into many ethnic groups but the largest of them are:

 

Ethnic Divisions–Arabs (about 70% of the population, all of them Muslims)
Kurds (About 20-22% of the population, most of them Muslims, who mostly live in the Northern parts of Iraq and also have big Kurdish population in neighboring countries; Syria, Iran, Turkey, See the map.)

 

Religious Divisions–To make the jumble of diversity more confusing Iraqis are religiously divided as well. Almost 97% of them are Muslims. But Islam is divided in two warring groups; Shiite Muslims (about 60-65%) and Sunni Muslims (about 32-37%). Most Shiite Muslims live in the Southern parts of Iran though. Whenever I notice this crazy mixture the Balkan states ( especially former Yugoslavia) in Europe come to my mind. But that’s a different story anyway. Personally, I have always supported the idea of creating. at least 3 autonomous regions in Iraq. And in this regard following are my comments to Washington Post story:

 

Indeed this solution must have been considered in the beginning and even before the beginning of this wishful war to ”free Iraq”. What Iraq has always needed in the first place is freedom from itself.

 

 

Different ethnicities that inhabit Iraq remain bitterly opposed to each other on countless levels. They must exist independently of each other. This will not only give them better protection from ghoulish violence, security and freedom but also make them ultimately responsible for their own destiny that they ought to build themselves.
I think it is time we get past calling Iraq war a mistake because it is a well established fact anyhow. Now time is to move on and look for unanimous enduring solutions for Iraqis.

 

It is such sad state of affairs that people are still confined to their own narrow interests; political or ideological. As a result no sincere action is being taken. There are two shallow opinion blocs on Iraq war. One wants to continue drubbing Republicans/Conservatives for political gains while not having any sincerity towards fixing Iraq’s chaos. The other bloc- finding itself badly mired in Iraq- wants to RUN AWAY as soon as possible,especially as war in Iraq offers no political mileage at home (USA) anymore and body bags are coming back wrapped in American flags.

 

In reality, Iraq has become another Vietnam, only it can’t be left alone by convenient military evacuation. So it’s time that all people/politicians of good intentions in America and international community stop the blame games and strive for lasting solutions.

 

Creating autonomous three regions sounds like a good idea to begin with. After that the issue of fair sharing of Oil revenues can be tackled.

What about the world population? Is it growing beyond control or dying beyond recovery??? August 13, 2007

Picture: Brooding on the broods.

What follows is merely my long comment on Fuzzy’s blog. She raised the issue of ”population control” as she downed few glasses of wine. But in the process she fired my own brain to rattle off and this comment came to life. Right now, as of July 2007, the world population stands at 6,602,224,175 (est.) and I think this is an awfully large number considering the resources and size of our planet that is barely 29% land and much of that land is uinhabitable anyway, covered in hot deserts, arid lands, perma-frost, ice caps, rugged landscape and mountains. I personally, would support maintaining the current population that is having enough babies to match the death rate. But it has to be an educated, sovereign individual choice. Following is my comment (not edited for typos etc. yet):

This subject (birth rates,Population and controlling its increase) has zillions of dimensions and it all depends which one you’re talking about. Your point in this post is, it is wrong for governments to control population growth: ”Nothing good in history comes from population control, from trying to “fix” nature or God or the cosmos or whatever it is that you believe in.” You push all the buttons of the argument and top it off with this comment. I think the gist of your post was, ”I don’t give a rat’s ass anyway and wonder why some people do” LOL? Here are some views anyway:

1.) Overpopulation IS A PROBLEM, in most parts of the world. Poor parts, impoverished parts. yeah. It is very ironical that the birth rates are overwhelmingly higher in countries that don’t have enough food, potable water and other resources to sustain even their existing population. Quality of life as a result is further deteriorating and no one cares.

It is largely because people there are such miserable wretches they neither know nor can afford contraception. Other than that those new babies are useful to them ragged folks. These kids can do manual labor, beg in the streets and very often can be sold as sex objects to horny Western paedophiles flying into these godforsaken lands from all sorts of rich Western countries.

2.) Religious folks have a strange idea about population control though: They oppose it, through and through. All Catholics, other Christians and of course Muslims too. I believe reasons for it are more political than religious in nature. Of course if one religious sect’s birth rate is high their total number is also likely to be high. For these reasons I find population growth encouraged by religious leaders as very depressing. Because it means religious leaders want their followers to breed like chickens for their own statistical advantage.

I have noticed even purely political calls for making more babies. The one I remember was by Palestinians leaders. They asked all Palestianian and Arabs women living within Israel to make as many babies as they can so that in due time it would be possible to outnumber Jews in Israel. The exact words were, ”use your wombs as weapons.”. Phew. That’s one twisted conspiracy. LOL.

3.) Finally, I come to what you’re familiar with. No problems about overpopulation in the Western world. It is true. Indeed your neighbor to the North, Canada is DESPERATE to have a certain number of people to immigrate to Canada- every year- in order to maintain minimum population growth rate which is VITAL for the growth of economy in all sectors from farming, housing, banking, industry to anything you can imagine. Just like Canada, Australia, New Zealand have TARGETS of ELIGIBLE Immigrants that must reach their shores every year in order to maintain the population growth rate that could at least replace the number of people that die or leave their country permanently every year.

U.S. of A is the only industrial and Western country that is not facing low birth rate problems YET. Indeed Americans are happily breeding at a very healthy rate all you Whites, Blacks, Latinos, Asians etc. But some countries especially in Europe are getting all Jittery. Population is increasingly getting OLD and not enough new babies are being born. More and more old pensioners needing public health services than young energetic employees. An economic nightmare. In Sweden it was considered a national crisis and there used to be ads on TV in which their international Tennis superstar used to urge his countrymen to ”F*** for future.”

I think Swedes (and other Europeans/ Japanese) would be much more successful if they all become Catholics. I should shut up, I’m sounding all political.

Farewell Cindy Sheehan June 3, 2007

Picture: The anti-war mom realizes that she was a pawn after all.

Finally, Cindy Sheehan has ”resigned” from her unofficial post of anti- war mom. As much as I totally understood her grief and helpless rage at the war president, Mr. Dubya, I pitied the way Democrats and the so called pro Democrat Liberal media quickly turned her into an anti war poster girl. The poor woman was drained of her emotions, energy, time and whatever else she sincerely put at stake. In her own words: “I’ve been wondering why I’m killing myself and wondering why the Democrats caved in to George Bush. I’m going home now for awhile to try and be normal.” I am relieved that she finally realized that but wonder what took her so long!?

There is essentially one major difference between activists like Cindy Sheehan and the good old politicians. The latter know how to use the former and the former got no idea! Cindy Sheehan’s fragile and agitated emotional state was successfully exploited by politicians. She was brainwashed and was launched for this divine mission to bring about peace. She would not listen to the impassioned pleas of her family members who begged her to come back home all this time. Hmmmm…. better late than never.

Now, as for wars they take place for good business and propaganda. Also, to justify the existence of billions of dollar worth weapons industry, war ministries, departments etc. As for excuses, use what you will. I just read Khaled Husseini’s book the Kite Runner. It is an entertaining quick read that also gives you basic information about the modern history of Afghanistan. It also mentions how barbaric and anti- women, anti- civil rights Taleban are. Bravo!!!

Many American readers Love that kind of stuff. And this book becomes the BEST SELLER. Fine. But no one likes to remember that American tax payers paid billions of dollars- albeit inadvertently- into creating, arming and funding Taleban about 30 odd years back. But of course, that makes people uncomfortable and besides, Taleban were not supposed to kill Americans, only to massacre Afghans and Russians. It didn’t work out exactly as planned. Bad Luck.

The truth is, as above paragraph asserts, this war stuff is a sinister business and there are people who truly benefit from both terrorism and war on terrorism. Both feed each other and will continue to exist. Apart from that it’s good entertainment for media empires and all. There is no substance to it if you dig a bit under the surface. And it’s not about which political party is running the government. For devil’s sake Bill Clinton used to start carpet bombing Bosnia and Herzegovina and pharmaceutical plants in Sudan whenever media focused on his sex life inside White House. Someone screws the wrong person and the miserable folks in the third world have to pay for it with their lives. This world is so tragic that it starts to sound incredibly funny.