January 2006
_________________________________________________________________
January 30th, 2006
Gong Xi Fa Cai
Another year has passed. The Year of the Rooster is over and the Year of the Dog is upon us. The Year of the Dog is usually characterized by the canine traits of loyalty and generosity. In general, Chinese horoscopes say that this year should be a good year. Looking at what is coming our way this spring, it is an old Chinese curse that may be more appropriate. This curse says, "May you live in interesting times." This is going to be an interesting year. Hamas has just won a free, fair, and democratic election in Palestine. Israel will have their own election in March. In response to the Hamas victory, Israel is likely to empower the Likud Party of Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has a reputation as a hard-liner. He, like Ariel Sharon, would not hesitate to use the Israeli military to settle disputes. He has suggested that he would consider launching air strikes against Iran's nuclear installations. This act would start a disastrous war with Iran, and by extension, all of Shia Islam. Israel and the United States will say that they have to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Again though, just as it was in Iraq, the conflict would be all about oil. present, oil can only be traded for US Dollars. Iran plans to change this. If Iran succeeds it will be attacked. The fear of their phantom nuclear weapons is nonsense, another red-herring like the WMD case for war in Iraq. Iran is scheduled to open a new oil market in March. This market would trade oil for Euros rather than Dollars. This move would undermine the supremacy of the "petrodollar" worldwide. Countries like China and Japan have tremendous reserves of US Dollars. They bought massive amounts of US debt in order to help George Bush finance tax cuts for the richest 1% of Americans. The opening of the Iran Oil Bourse would allow these countries to diversify their holdings. With the ability to buy oil with Euros, many countries would no longer need their vast Dollar reserves. They would dump their US Dollars, sending that already shaky currency plummeting, bringing the US economy down with it. The United States will not let this happen. That is why there is so much propaganda now. Through Israel, the United States will attack Iran. Until then, expect to continue to hear about how evil the Iranians are. The war drums will be beating from now until March, when the Iran Oil Bourse is set to open. The Americans are facing a terrible choice. They can suffer an economic collapse or they can start another war. Expect them to choose the latter. Gong Xi Fa Cai? I'm not so sure. We live in very interesting times. This Dog could be a real bitch.
_________________________________________________________________
January 19th, 2006
A Thousand Words
This photo is very significant. We ought to read between the lines. On the left is Syrian President Bashar Assad. On the right is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They have formed a "common front." Who will be caught in the middle?
_________________________________________________________________
January 17th, 2006
The Lesser Evil
Forgive me if this sounds like a campaign ad for the Liberal Party, it isn't meant to be. The Liberal Party is corrupt. The ruling Liberals were complacent on important issues like environmental protection and the elimination of poverty, both at home and abroad. They have also been weak when it comes to defending Canada's sovereignty. (remember that we live in the shadow of the Empire) The Liberals don't deserve my support. Still, I'm going to vote for them, I have to. My stance is comparable to that of many of my progressive friends in the United States. They don't necessarily like the Democrats, they just have no other viable choice. I would like to support the NDP. I would be thrilled if they could ever become popular enough to win power, but that doesn't look like its ever going to happen. The NDP's quasi-socialist platform is a little too much for a majority of Canadians. Though they can be a very effective voting block in a minority parliament, The NDP can not lead the country. Given the structure of our economy and the reality of our geography, an NDP government would isolate Canada from its largest trading partner, greatly damaging our standard of living. Sorry Jack. I can't support the Conservatives. They are just like the Republicans in the US. Their leader, Stephen Harper, supports the war in Iraq. He wanted Canadian soldiers to join that party. He wants Canada to pull out of the Kyoto Protocol. He is in favour of upper-class tax cuts and a rapid expansion of the prison system. Since his counterparts in the US like to speak in stark terms, I will do the same. Here is where the national parties line up on my "Continuum of Evil." Nice chart eh? Monstrous Not So Bad <-X---------------------------------------X------------------X----------X---------------------------------------------------------------X-> Bush Crime Family Conservatives Liberals NDP The Dalai Lama With the Conservatives ahead in the polls and only six days to go until the vote, I'm starting to get a little nervous. The Liberals have to weather attacks from both left and right. They need to turn things around and quick. Canadians are in a bitchy mood and are looking for a change. The Liberals might do well to remind us that we are better off with the devil we know. There is footage somewhere of Stephen Harper appearing on FoxNews to complain about how Canada stayed out of Iraq. Harper told the Fox sheeple that a "silent majority" of Canadians support the war. If I were the Liberal Party I'd be sure that this clip aired fourty times a day. That might remind us that seeking change for the sake of change is not always a wise thing to do. That might remind us that it really is a choice of lesser evils. Over the next few years, the Americans have more Imperial adventures planned. I hope that Canadians aren't going to give power to someone who would seek to join them.
_________________________________________________________________
January 7th, 2006
Israel's Choice
The drama of Ariel Sharon's last days has dominated the news of late. As I type this he is still living, having suffered yet another day of emergency brain surgery. Even if he survives the next few days, weeks, or months, Ariel Sharon is not coming back. Though his body may technically be alive, the man everyone knew is dead. It is certain that Sharon has suffered debilitating brain damage, there can be no doubt that his injuries have been severe enough to make him incapable of returning to the post of Prime Minister. Israelis will mourn Sharon just as Palestinians mourned Arafat in November of 2004. Israel's enemies will celebrate Sharon's death just as Israelis celebrated Arafat's death. Though many in the West called him a peacemaker, Sharon leaves behind a legacy of violence. Ariel Sharon is a war criminal. In 1982, as Israel's Minister of Defence, he facilitated the massacre of Palestinian refugees at the Sabra and Chatila camps in Southern Lebanon. This event was condemned by the United Nations as an act of genocide. Most in the region will remember Sharon as a ruthless terrorist. All things being relative, Sharon has been a moderate over the last several years. Despite strong opposition from members of his own Likud Party, Sharon dismantled illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza. Sharon's Israel was less aggressive than many of his colleagues would have liked. His absence leaves a vacuum, and there is an election coming up in March. In anticipation of the vote, Sharon had quit his hard-line Likud Party in order to start a new centrist party called Kadima. Kadima was all about Sharon. Despite the participation of high-profile Israeli statesmen like Shimon Peres, Kadima was a one man show. Before the stroke, Kadima was expected to easily win power in the Israeli house of parliament, the Knesset. Without Sharon, Kadima's chances of winning a majority seem much less likely. Sharon's exit leaves the Israeli electorate with a choice between Likud and the centre-left Labour Party. Nobody in Israel can fill Sharon's shoes. He was irreplaceable. How will Israelis react to his departure? The constant threat of terrorism, and irresponsible comments by Iranian President Ahmadinejad, (perhaps the worst politician in recent memory) makes a hard-line leader more attractive. Israelis are likely to choose a leader who seems strong and decisive, one who will take action against Israel's many enemies. Enter Benjamin Netanyahu, a neo-conservative who has suggested that he would, if elected, launch air-strikes against Iran and its nuclear installations. This move would trigger a nightmare scenario of a new world war, Islam against Israel and the United States. This is a conflict that must be avoided. This is also a conflict that religious crazies on all sides seek. They claim that the great war will mark the return of the "Mahdi" (if you are an Islamic nut-job) or the coming of "The Rapture." (if you are a Christian wacko) Here is a more likely scenario of what would happen if the war were to occur. American "moral values" voters think that this potential war is a good thing because it will lead to the return of Christ at the Battle of Armageddon. (please) The rest of us should make it clear to our leaders that we must avoid getting entangled in this disaster. So much now is in the hands of Israeli voters. The March election will be one of the more significant events in a generation. All we can do is watch. Hold on to your hats, its going to be bumpy ride from here on in.