Early Posts

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Two New Friends

Islam Karimov - President of Uzbekistan
Karimov is one of America's new best friends. In 2002, Karimov's government was given $500 million by the
Bush administration in reward for being a valuable ally in the "War on Terror." Given his behaviour at home,
Karimov looks like another Saddam Hussein. (America's old best friend) Political opposition to Karimov is
outlawed. Political prisoners are routinely tortured. There is evidence that some have been boiled alive. 
In May 2005, in the town of Andijan, Karimov ordered his security forces to open fire on unarmed protestors,
killing more than 500 people. The United States seems happy to stand with one tyrant while invading another.
Saparmurat Niyazov - President of Turkmenistan
Niyazov is more commonly known as "Turkmenbashi", the father of all Turkmen. Some of his career
highlights include having Parliament declare him President for Life and ordering the renaming of Turkmen
cities and months of the year after himself. (The Caspian Sea port city of Krasnovodsk and January) April
was renamed after his mother. The great leader also has a penchant for building gold statues of himself. 
One in the capital Ashgabat rotates to face the sun.  Recently he has ordered that a river flow through
Ashgabat, the desert capital of his desert country. There is no dissent in Turkmenistan. Any opposition to
Niyazov is crushed with extreme force. Still, the United States is happy to give military aid to Turkmenistan
in order to have Turkmenbashi as a new ally in its "War on Terror."

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Moral Values
A Bush Supporter Writes to the President About God's Law
Sixty Million Americans have chosen George Bush for president. Many of them say they have done
so because of "moral values." In particular, Evangelicals Christians talk of morality. Some of 
them believe that God Herself put Bush in the White House but that is beside the point. What are
these values that have guided their choice? They say family and faith, which really seems to mean
opposition to the legalization of gay marriages and a blanket opposition to abortion. Though I 
don't agree with these positions I can respect that people have strong beliefs telling them that
these things are wrong. Certainly they are entitled to these beliefs. Having established these 
preferences, let's play a little game of moral relativism. As George Bush has never said that he 
would press for the abolition of abortion, we can concentrate on the gay marriage issue.

  A gay couple has been living together for years. They have a loving and commited relationship. 
Maybe they have children. Together they own their home. What would be the negative effect on 
society if they were able to marry in a civil ceremony? People say that this would damage the 
"sacred institution" of marriage, though more than half of all marriages already end in divorce.
Heterosexuals have done plenty to denigrate marriage an as exclusive insititution by themselves.
We live in a secular society. This means that religious beliefs have no place in dictating civil 
law. Churches would never have to sanction gay marriages, but if the state were to, Who would 
get hurt?
 

Contrast the potential repurcussions of living in a society that allows gays to marry with 
those of life under a leader who has invaded a sovereign nation that posed no threat to the 
United States. The US military has murdered over 100,000 Iraqis. Bush has stated his intention 
to continue his aggressive policies, perhaps putting new nations in the bullseye. Surely, some 
of the Iraqi dead people have left behind family members or friends willing to take revenge on 
the US whatever the cost, perhaps some of them will become suicide bombers. Egyptian President 
Hosni Mubarak has suggested that the invasion of Iraq will create "One thousand new Bin Laden's"
We will see a whole generation of new terrorists, many of them simply seeking revenge for acts 
taken against their own families. This will undoubtedly lead to the further erosion of civil 
liberties in an effort to catch these potential attackers. The result of the "moral" choice made 
of millions of Americans is that Bush has been granted "political capital." Who gets hurt? 

  Of these, which choice offers greater "moral" integrity? Is the acceptance and inclusion of 
homosexuals a greater peril to society than the murder of countless innocents overseas? 
Christians ought to reflect upon how Christ would feel about this issue. Would Jesus argue to 
exclude and discriminate against his fellow man while advocating the murder of so many others? 
Who would Jesus Bomb? Perhaps the issue all comes down to intolerance. Populations that have 
traditionally excluded and discriminated against its minority groups have overwhelmingly 
supported George Bush. History suggests that these so-called Christians who voted for George 
Bush have always ignored that central Christian theme of "love thy neighbour." 



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American Leadership
Republican Party Platform 2004
The United States is the leader of the world. In other countries we may debate                   
this, though it is fundamentally true. The strength of the only superpower can                   
not be matched by any other nation. Yet as strong as the US military and economic                
forces are, the most powerful force exerted by the United States has always been                  
its ideals. In America, the world saw a shining example of personal freedom, the                  
rule of law, and opportunity. The United States led the world by what it represented.                

  On September 12th, Le Monde said "Nous Sommes Tous Les Americans!!!" There                   
was an opportunity for the people of the world to finally come together, putting                   
aside our petty differences to work as one humanity. The American Government                  
instead saw an opportunity to loot and pillage, squandering all goodwill through                  
its arrogance, greed, and corruption. Once a beacon of hope, the United States has               
now come to represent the abuse of power, Orwell's "boot stomping on a human face", 
should that face turn towards Mecca, or be any colour but white. 

  Pre-emptive war has legitimized any attack by any force anywhere. "We had to kill them before they
kill us," represents the worldview not only of the paranoid and psychopathic but of American
foreign policy as well. The messages conveyed now are as follows. You are with us or against us, 
might makes right, The end justifies the means, human rights are not important and civil liberties 
should be sacrificed in the name of security. The invasion of Iraq has taught the world that the best
way to avoid American aggression is to arm yourself with weapons of mass destruction. 

  What will be the consequences of American aggression? Obviously it will be a legacy of violence   
and terror both at home and overseas. The killing of countless innocents can only result in the   
creation of countless new terrorists. We will reap what has been sown. The whole world has been 
destabilized and regular people will pay the price. America has forfeited its role as moral leader
of the world. We can only hope that its new examples will not be widely followed.
 

"A society that sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither." Benjamin Franklin 

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Western Emptiness
Yes, we have technology. Yes, we have relative stability and security. Usually we can keep a roof
over our heads and food in our stomaches. For this, I am grateful. People of the West are fortunate
to have achieved these things, yet they seem to have come at a high price. There is a hole in the 
Western soul. There is an alienation, an emptiness, a darkness.
  
Certainly, something is missing. I believe it is because we have built a religion of consumption. 
Shopping is our ritual. The dollar is our god. We burn gas to drive from store to store, buying stuff
that we don't need, thinking it will bring us happiness. While others starve, we pillage our
environment so that we may consume and discard to consume again. It doesn't matter how rich you
are or how much you buy, there is always more to get. Media tells us we're not good enough. 
Media tells us that we need more. This is how a consumer economy survives. The people must be
unhappy, always left unfulfilled. We work and work to what end? We survive, but for what? 
Possessions can not give us fulfillment. The material can not give ease to our souls.
   
Those of you who struggle each day just to feed yourself, may find these words arrogant. How can
one who lives in such relative privilege feel slighted? I tell you that I am not alone, the
emptiness is felt throughout the West, despite our affluence. Amid such luxury we see broken 
families, abuses both physical and chemical. Mentally, we should be in a much better space than we
are. We have all the things that people should need. Yet we seem to be lacking something 
fundamental. Perhaps this is where our arrogance and apathy to the rest of the world comes from.
Maybe being so caught up in wanting more stuff, we have turned a blind eye to what happens in the
world. In our need to consume, we have forgotten our family. 

I don't know how this cycle can be broken. I have no solution here. Some turn to their faith or
family, others to nature or voluntary simplicity. Myself, I am grateful that I was born into 
relative wealth. I appreciate what I have, but I see the cost that the system has inflicted upon
our society. We are alienated. We are lonely. We are empty and materialistic. It is in the interest
of big business that these ways continue. The long term costs can be measured in environmental
degradation and apathetic indifference to the world around us. My hope is that somehow,
Westerners will find deeper meaning in our lives, and wake up to the reality of the world we 
live in. Our world, where such poverty and oppression are preventable ailments. Our world, that
we could have the power to improve for our family, if only we had the will.
    

"The tsunami was a wonderful opportunity to show not just the U.S. government, but the heart of
the American people, and I think it has paid great dividends for us." Condoleezza Rice 

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Palestine
The West Bank Wall
The act of a suicide bomber is truly tragic. The bomber is often able to enter a crowded location,
a market or a bus-stop before the explosion which often murders many people, women, men and 
children, regular people, guilty of nothing but being in the wrong place at the wrong time. These
acts are horrible crimes that should be universally condemned. Having said that, we must ask 
ourselves what it is that inspires one to become a suicide bomber. How hopeless and desperate a
person must be to be willing to take their own life for the purpose of taking a few lives of the
"others" as well. 

  In the Western media we have heard a lot about suicide bombings in Israel. We call these people
"terrorists." We hear of violent acts committed by these terrorists all the time, though rarely is the
motivation for the acts discussed. Is there not another side to the issue? A suicide bombing is not a 
tactic carried out by a party in a position of strength. A suicide bombing is a desperate act by a party
that has no access to more conventional and effective weaponry. I would suspect that far greater
terror can be carried out by a force armed with much more sophisticated weaponry. When the Israeli
military launches an airstrike on Gaza city, and kills civilians in the attempt to hit a "suspected
militant" is this not also terrorism? 

  The land of the Palestinian people is occupied by the Israeli military. Tens of thousands live in
refugee camps. Checkpoints and roadblocks make participation in the economy nearly impossible. 
Those who fight the occupation we also call "terrorists." Before dismissing the fighter's cause, we
must ask ourselves what we would do in a similar situation. If your country were occupied by a 
foreign army that was murdering your people, would you fight back? If you did, would that make you
a terrorist?

  Many who criticize the policies of Israel are simply labelled "anti-Semitic." It is not anti-Semitic to 
question the actions of the government of Israel. Israel is a country, not a religion, not a people. 
Would it be considered anti-Buddhist to question the actions of the government of Nepal or 
anti-Hindu to question the actions of the government of India? The fact that most of Israel's citizens
are Jewish is irrelevant to the argument. Ariel Sharon's government is guilty of countless human 
rights violations. Expanding settlements are built on Palestinian land. Israel is building a wall around
the West Bank. Though the government claims it is being built to secure the Israeli population,
its construction seems to be little more than a land grab. The route of the wall ignores established
boundaries and goes into what is recognized as Palestinian land cutting some villages off from
others, in effect imprisoning the Palestinian people on their own land. 

  Sharon has also practiced a policy of political assassinations. International law clearly stands
against this practice. The murder of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin is an example of this. Regardless of what
crimes Yassin had endorsed, Israel chose to launch a missile at an old man in a wheelchair, killing
not only Yassin but seven others as well. Having done this, a dangerous precedent has been set.
What is to stop any group from following Israel's example, and assassinating the leader of any 
faction that opposes  them? How many innocent people will die as "collateral damage" when the 
next Palestinian "threat" is targeted?  

  The people of Israel deserve security, as all people do. Having said that, we should question why 
Westerners tend to support Sharon's policies. Though Israel has a vast advantage in military 
strength, regularly employing helicopter gunships, missile attacks and tanks upon the Palestinian
population, it must be recognized that both sides in this conflict are guilty of violence and murder.
To have peace, both sides must be willing to compromise, to negotiate in good faith. This happened
once, though sadly, the Israeli partner was murdered by his own people. Whoever the leader of the
Palestinian people may be, it is hard to imagine that we will see another peace deal while the 
heavy-handed government of Ariel Sharon is in power.
 



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The World is Changing
Despite the corrupt and destructive actions of the worlds only super-power, there is cause for
optimism in the world. An end to resource wars, a massive reduction in pollution, and an end to the
dominance of the oil cartels could be on the horizon. The oil age is ending, the age of hydrogen may
be dawning. In the works is the hydrogen fuel cell, a large battery capable of converting air into
energy. These fuel cells could be installed in our factories, our homes and our cars. The by-products
of hydrogen cells would be water and heat. No more smokestacks. No more exhaust. Clean Air. 
Clean Water. Nations that have embraced the Kyoto Accord are researching and developing the fuel
cell in preparation for a possible energy revolution.
   
   The reaction from the oil industry has been predictable. They have seized power in America as
part of a massive effort to maintain their way of life. They cling to the 20th century, seeking to
cash in while they still can, whether it means drilling in Alaskan wilderness or invading sovereign
nations under false pretenses. Oil reserves will maintain our current consumption levels for only 5
to 15 more years. The oilmen are getting desperate. The end of their way of life is in sight and it
scares the hell out of them. The result of this will be more and more conflict. More terror. More 
tyranny.

  Much of the world's oil sits under populations that are disenfranchised, angry, and young. With 
little else in their lives, many of these people will embrace fundamentalism. On our current path,
it seems inevitable that we face a "clash of civilizations" as this generation of Islamic youth comes
of age. Through fear, the Americans will be manipulated into accepting a policy of pre-emptive 
aggression in the name of homeland security. But the coming wars will not be about security. They
will not be fought in the interest of freedom or justice or human rights. The coming conflicts will
be about maintaining a system that has kept us divided. They will be fought in the interest of the 
corrupt status quo's power and profit.

  Still, there is hope. The rise of the European Union as a global power is on the horizon. It appears
that the EU will be dedicated to the values of environmental protection, freedom, justice and human
rights. If we can survive the next couple of decades, humanity stands a chance of seeing a better 
future. We may see the dawn of an age of enlightenment. We may finally evolve to the point where 
violence over resources is a relic of an old millennium. The oil age is a dinosaur. Let's hope it 
doesn't destroy our fragile world before its coming extinction.
"All great truths begin as blasphemies." George Bernard Shaw

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