Iran Military Strike – Running With Scissors

Over the last few months alternative news websites have been full of articles by some seemingly very well-informed people, explaining Iran‘s military strength; and how the US and Israel would be biting off more than they could chew should they  instigate a coordinated strike against Iran.

I can make no comment on Iran’s armaments and how they would fare during conflict, or regarding the US and Israels, knowing little about this aspect;  my interest lies in people.

What has intrigued me more is the ongoing people response to the possibility of yet another conflict within the Middle East.

We seem to have reached a point in society ; where a large majority of people appear to be incapable of making any form of rational assessment ; or to display the capacity to analyse anything at all that really matters.  It is  fascinating ; but more importantly it’s extremely dangerous; as these same people often prove they are capable of  joined up thinking; but seemingly only within other, more superficial spheres of society and life.

Everyone now understands that the US/UK governments were complicit in implementing intentional regime change in Iraq; drawing on wholly untruthful conclusions to establish and then maintain control.  There are many differing opinions about why; but the important aspect is that they succeeded in bringing about the  regime change they were seeking; whilst incurring a huge cost to innocent human life.

People did not have to pursue Alternative News websites to find the facts, therefore the reasoning that the majority of people were just not aware is unrealistic.

It does not take a leap of faith to understand that the same sequence of steps are now being  implemented to bring about  intentional regime change in Iran.  The latest is the condemnatory response of the International Atomic Energy Agency requiring Iran to prove a negative; exactly as they did in the run up to the Iraq invasion.

Even though a strike against Iran could catapult the West into yet another conflict, this time with the capacity to lead into a nuclear exchange of such proportions that the loss of life would be incomprehensible; somehow many people still remain disconnected from logic.

Why is this?  How could we once again reach the stage where a large majority arrive at the same point we have visited before; where we accept ideas and solutions with very little evidence, perhaps with no real evidence at all; and are even being presented with solid evidence in direct conflict with the evidence?

Simple logic denotes that even if Iran were able to develop a nuclear weapon, the risk of  any nuclear conflict would be  far less likely; than by Israel and the US instigating a military strike against Iran now with all its possible implications.

Explanations for the behavioural patterns of the large majority of people unable to comprehend this present sword of Damocles range from simple gullibility; a lust for war;  and to the vacuum created by modern mans loss of religious faith.

I’m not sure I accept any of these explanations; they just don’t seem to coalesce, given that the majority of people apply logic and reason on an everyday basis just to survive our modern world.

Could it be that although almost all people are capable of recognising a scam; and that they are fully aware there has been a scam ; they can only recognise scams in a purely external sense and not internally?

If this is so, it  is a terrible affliction as the people are in the process of being scammed twice in the same way; because although they accept that Iraq was a scam, they have not accepted that there was a scammer (multiple governments) and that it was actually they who were the victim of the scam.

The Iraq war was highly contentious and a lot of people invested a great deal in the position that the invasion was entirely justifiable.

This is a major barrier in accepting they were wrong about Iraq, and the minority they fought tooth and nail against were actually right.  In order to save face, the acceptance of the scam is externalised.  It is accepted it was a scam, but it is almost as if the scam inexplicably materialised from nowhere;  that it just happened that way.

There is no acceptance of being wrong, there is no acceptance of any personal responsibility for supporting the  innocent loss of life, there is no process of self-analysis (because they haven’t accepted they were scammed and made to look a fucking idiot by their governments), so there is no adjustment to; and improvement to their ‘armour’.

Now the same faces are presenting the same manipulations, using the same verbiage, hook-lines, cheap emotive innuendo and hyperbole; and because the holes in the armour have not been addressed, the same people are falling for the same manipulations again.   People are saying  ‘Ok Iraq was a scam but I really believe Iran is making nuclear weapons’  but when you dig  just a little below the surface, you find the reasoning behind this conclusion has actually less weight than the Iraq-WMD reasoning.

The  ego, will not allow them to accept, that the Left-hippies-liberalists-unpatriotics (pick your own) were right; and that their beloved leaders and the psychotic philosophy of what is ‘right‘ to protect ourselves were wrong ; nothing more than a sleight of hand which yanked at certain emotional levers and cynically manipulated inherent racism.

In short, their heroes ensured they looked like and behaved like depraved idiots.  These  people still cannot face the truth, as truth undermines not only their stability and security on a personal level; it prevents them from recognising the real nature behind the scam; and the horrendous implications of a strike against Iran.

How people can be prevented from continuing to run with scissors instead of taking that step I have no idea.  I wish I did.

Knock! Knock!
“Who’s there?”
“The Truth”
“Go away; I’m busy looking for the Truth”
Chuck Gallozzi

IRAN And NUCLEAR WEAPONS – A Game Of TIC TAC TOE

Once again the US, UK and Israeli Governments seem to be in cahoots in pursuit of their very own fallacious and highly dangerous manifest destiny.

At this time I don’t think these leaders and  politicians who are at best shallow and naive warmongers, or at worst palpable monsters can genuinely expect a thinking public to believe that their present war drum beating; supposedly based upon ‘concerns‘ about Iran’s nuclear programme’ is necessary, benevolent, or even true.

These so-called ‘concerns’ stink to high heaven and the parody smacks of little more than a policy of furthering   imperialistic control and economic expansion; whilst at the same time executing Netanyahu and his admin’s personal bidding.

If we stop to apply logic and critical analysis to the subject of Iran developing Nuclear weaponry; what exactly is the problem?

Yes, Iran has rapidly progressed in various scientific and technological fields; despite being under economic sanctions by the United States for about three  decades; and I think this is the real threat to our Governments; that these emerging countries are thriving while Western  countries are quickly fading.

Successive Governments have enabled our countries to be thoroughly ruined through the greed of a few; and so now they have to forcefully steal the resources of other independent countries, who  have no intention of playing their game.  This I think is rational thought; as I can think of nothing at all to circumvent  the reality that  even if Iran did have a nuclear weapon, what could they possibly do with it?

The problem for Western governments lies not with any fear that Iran would pre-emptively use such a weapon against another country; but that it would put Iran on a more equal footing with marauding Western countries and Israel; and give them substantially more bargaining power if their independence is threatened by the West and Israel, just as it appears to be now.

What I find really scary is that each of our leaders are put into power by the populace, as thoughtful caretakers of our countries best interests. These men and women are also supposed to be articulate and intelligent and yet show little comprehension or wisdom.

There is nothing remotely intelligent about further bankrupting us with perpetual wars and edging us ever closer to total world destruction and for what?   There is no real logic being applied by any of our leaders, only continuous displays of what can only be described as complete insanity.  Friedrich Nietzsche said “Madness is rare in individuals; but in groups, political parties, nations, and eras it’s the rule”.  Never has a quote resonated quite so much.

There was a film a few years ago called War Games where the lesson learned was that thermonuclear war is like playing a game of Noughts and Crosses (Tic Tac Toe); in the film the concept of ‘winning’ had to be re-evaluated by a computer because in global thermonuclear war no-one wins. The concept of a ‘draw’ was also investigated and could be construed as logical; but only if neither side can afford to use them, which is why there is no logic in the  rhetoric being trumpeted by the West and Israel.

The lessons are simple for sane rational human beings; the so-called threat being articulated at the moment is highly flawed; in that even if Iran created a whole  arsenal of Nuclear weapons they understand perfectly that ‘winning’ is impossible and that to use them ultimately futile.   I’m sure Iran also understands that once they have a nuclear weapon the only sane ‘draw’ possible is achieved by not participating in the game; and why would they?

Iran has never invaded another country; and although there are aspects of their culture and behaviour I may  find unsavoury; the Iranian admin never strikes me as unstable; whereas the worrisome US and UK have a history of invasions and war; not to mention that their integrity and moral compass has all but diminished, while their hypocrisy has reached the highest possible pinnacle of late .

What is even more worrisome is that in the last few decades those leading the US and UK have at times  behaved like complete lunatics; while the Israeli Admin has displayed to the world at large over several decades  their complete lack of conscience and integrity; and their penchant for untruthfulness has also reached a peak.

The Israeli Admin and our Governments somehow think  holding Iran to ransom, or initiating pre-emptive attacks against them under the pretense that  they might be building a Nuclear Device is perfectly rational and acceptable, regardless of the fact that Israel already holds an abundance of illegal Nuclear Weapons. Not only that; successive Israeli Admins have openly indicated that they have very little respect for either their neighbours, nor innocent human life.

The only Presidents, Prime Ministers, Generals and war mongers advocating pre-emptive strikes are those in the West and Israels, not Iran’s.  They try to justify their own warped aims by consistently drawing attention to Iran’s human rights abuses and failure to adopt our kind of ‘democracy’ via the media; solely  in order to ease the path to war with little protest from the people at large.

Unfortunately too many people tend to disregard the more recent  human rights abuses perpetrated by our own Governments and Israel’s too.

We in the West ignore our own filthy laundry by justifying Extraordinary Rendition, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo  Bay,  Capital Punishment and  Police Brutality among others.  While Israel has been found wanting in so many instances of late that just the mention of Cast Lead will suffice; and yet we condescendingly tell ourselves our ‘way‘ is better than theirs; and excuse our part in enabling Governments to impose this sordid interpretation of democracy upon them.

With all this in mind I ask myself which countries with a long proven track record of both a lust for war, control  and power; are logically likely to push a Nuclear button; I somehow don’t think it will be Iran.

The US , UK  and Israeli Governments; are playing Tic Tac Toe with people’s lives, unfortunately this is not a movie.

 

We Can’t All ProduceTelevisions

It seems like I have been waiting half of my life for something to happen; and like countless others I imagine, from my early teen years onward, I always felt there was something really wrong with the world; but could never really put my finger on it.  Too young and too stupid.

The writings of John Pilger gave me my first glimpse into the wrongs of the world and from there on in it’s been like waking up in the middle of a bad nightmare; only to realise that it’s not a bad dream after all, its real, its tangible, it’s a roller coaster of injustice, greed, corruption, death and destruction and the ride never stops.  Or so I thought.

In 1873 Mark Twain wrote the Gilded Age; This book deals with a supposed entirely ideal state of society where the poor are all simple-minded and contented; and the rich are honest and generous.

The author’s preface especially, is profoundly relevant today.

Anyone in the US who may still cling to the belief that all is well within the present era of political corruption, gaudy excess and manifest destiny should read the author’s preface, even if you have no wish to read the book itself.

Twain said “In America nearly every man has his dream, whereby he is to advance himself socially, or pecuniarily, it is a characteristic which is both good and bad for both the individual and the nation. Good because it allows neither to stand still, but drives both for ever on toward some point; and bad because the chosen point is often badly chosen and then the individual is wrecked; the aggregation of such cases affect the nation; and is bad for the nation”

Twain goes on to touch upon another feature; “the shameful corruption which lately (then) crept into our politics; and in a handful of years has spread until the pollution has affected some portion of every state and every territory in the union”.  This is not only relevent in the US today, it can be applied to countries throughout the Western hemisphere and beyond.

The author goes on “But I have a great strong faith in a noble future for my country; a vast majority of the people are straightforward and honest; and this late state of things is stirring them to action.  If it would only keep on stirring them until it became a habit of their lives to attend to the politics of the country personally, and put only their very best men into positions of trust and authority! That day will come”.

I think ‘that day‘ may have finally come for the USA.

The Occupy Wall St protestors are the modern equivalent of the men (and women) Mark Twain refers to; the only aspect within the author’s preface yet to be addressed is “the improvement has already begun” as the US has a long battle ahead before they can hope to sentence those who continue their “vile, shameless careers season after season, sneering, defying the legislature and brought low”.

But I don’t hold out any hope that the monsters running the US for the last few decades will gracefully “break their hearts and die in the palaces built with their robberies, even when they see the same blow preparing for their own head and sure to fall upon it” as Mark Twain so adroitly put it.

I like so many others want to see justice done and a fair share of the wealth of nations for all hard-working people; but if we think this can be achieved by removing the 1% from the equation we are wrong.  If we think we can carry on with the present Capitalist economic system, minus the psychopaths presently in charge of the asylum, intact, we are also wrong.

Don’t start screaming ‘commie‘ please, I’m not one, but I like to think that maybe I am a realist.

Back in the 50′s and 60′s when the first PC’s were invented, the brightest and best of the time talked of a future where machines would do most of the work of men; and that we humans would have to change not only our whole way of thinking, but our whole way of working too.  The trouble is they were right and unfortunately we didn’t listen, nor prepare. In fact we successfully avoided this truth by creating an abundance of state funded employment, manifesting a false appearance intended to deceive.

Even if we rid the world of greed, corruption, death and destruction, even if we take back our countries and are governed by honest patriotic men and women, we can’t go back to the old economic system, we can no longer sustain it.

Modern technology has transformed our world and our means of production. Even if we can turn the clock back and recover our manufacturing bases and are able to compete again, we now need very few men to produce the things we need, rather than the many in bygone eras. By definition we can’t ever reach the pinnacle of full employment for all.  In a better world our present economic system is untenable, we have to understand that in removing all that is wrong and unfair within our societies, we also remove many of the work categories that have evolved through such inequities.

Really we already know this; and so do they, this is why the present system consists of a perpetual series of economic bubbles that can never create real wealth for the majority, or nations as a whole; and why we can only buy products that are deliberately poorly constructed that fall apart within months,or even days. The world doesn’t have the capacity to enable the level of production, or services required to guarantee everyone full employment.

So, not only do we need to remove those who have used and continue to use the present systems to consume every last morsel of wealth populace’s have ever accrued, we also need to change our own essential nature and somehow adapt.

This is possible; but it will mean that the present generation have to make initial sacrifices; some of us will also have to let go of any determination to continue with our inherently selfish mindset.  We have to comprehend that the nine to five, six days a week employment has to be a thing of the past.  if we are not willing to come to terms with this and actually embrace it, we can move no further forward.  If we all try to give a little rather than just take, we all gain. 

The UK 99% and Cameron The Clown

 

Why do politicians blatantly contradict themselves in everything they say?  Why does the Prime minister and his cabinet behave like they are completely insane; by saying and doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results?

The new buzzwords are ‘Optimistic‘ and ‘Can Do‘.

In a speech to the Conservative conference in Manchester delivered by David Cameron, we the populace were told we must stop being “paralysed by gloom and fear“; and he also said that Britain must “reject pessimism” and turn this time of challenge into a time of opportunity“.

This really takes the biscuit. Apparently, not only must we the ordinary people, the UK equivalent of the 99%, be fucked in the ass for the fraudulent ‘mistakes’ made by the financial sector and experience all the pain that goes with it, while the 1% get to give themselves ever bigger bonuses, take no responsibility, nor experience any pain at all; we must be fucked in the ass again by being told we’ve got to smile about it at the same time.

No, sorry; we should be paralysed by gloom and fear.  If only because the mechanisms that caused the fatal economic instability and the gloomy (understatement) economic data are still there.  Nothing has changed in that respect, only now we have to endure the pantomime act of a dimwit Impresario and the equally dimwitted cabinet supporting him.

What has changed are the unemployment stats; according to official UK Statistics the unemployment level is currently 2.5 million; we can reasonably deduce from this figure that the real level is 3 to 4 million.  We have also had the sharpest rise in unemployment in several years and things are set to become far worse; but apparently we should be optimistic because the private sector has created half a million new jobs in the last year.

What Cameron fails to address is that these newly created jobs are low paying and many menial in nature. Fine, if we want our graduates, who leave university up to their ears in debt, to flip burgers, or stack supermarket shelves, if, I say if, they are lucky.

While Cameron spouts optimistic, yet meaningless platitudes; he fails to state that over the next few years unemployment will continue to rise dramatically, when over a million public sector jobs go; John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) has stated that at least half a million, to a million more jobs are also set to go in the private sector.

I find it extremely difficult to smile and be positive; as he abysmally fails to acknowledge that the opportunities he suggests we create through optimism, will no longer exist for the majority.  What the majority can expect is more unemployment, cuts, inflation and radical austerity measures, all of which within a debt based, consumer economy, can do little more than stifle growth even further.

This so-called Impresario also stated that “The only way out of a debt crisis is to deal with your debts. That’s why households are paying down their credit card and store card bills,“.   The most famous of pantomime clowns was Joseph Grimaldi; instead of Impresario, Cameron should be demoted to pantomime clown for he would surely rival Grimaldi; as by some skewed thinking, he somehow believes that we can create growth, opportunity,jobs and wealth by undermining the dangerously flawed lynch pin the ‘ health‘ of our whole economy relies upon?

On the one hand he admonishes the UK populace for getting into debt and being financially reckless; yet the health of our whole economy has depended upon and still depends upon getting into debt and being financially reckless.

The real icing on the cake is that Cameron was forced into a last-minute rewrite of his speech to clarify that he was not calling on households to pay off their credit card bills, something that economists warned would seriously damage UK growth?

When you have an economic system that revolves around spending what you haven’t got, how can not spending work?  “Show the world some fight” he said. “Let’s pull together, work together” he said; “And together lead Britain to better days”.

How exactly, when we don’t produce anything, when we don’t create anything real and tangible?  All we as a nation can and are expected to do is consume, or did; only now we no longer can because everyone is already in hock up to their eyeballs, with no means to ever clear said debts, only perpetually service them?

Sorry, but I cannot rustle up enthusiasm and be confident about the future when all the mechanisms that caused; and continue to cause our economic spiral are still in place.  They have not been addressed by Cameron and won’t be in the future because not only he is one of the 1% himself, his belief  in the present mechanisms, which he both censures and praises at the same time, renders him nonsensical.

Not only this, we have interest rates at an unprecedented low and yet still people struggle to keep up with their mortgage payments.  In England alone Statistics show that more than two million people find their mortgage a constant struggle, and/or are falling behind with payments; and repossessions are at an all time high.  Also energy bills have doubled, or more, over the last couple of years, petrol prices remain at an unprecedented high; and yet throughout salaries have remained static.  It’s extremely difficult to feel all fluffy and warm about this.

The UK political/Corporate Pantomime seems at present to hold its own, but I don’t see how it can continue to do so.

The populace of the USA have finally grown a pair and are now bravely trying to take back the ’99%’ presently residing with the ’1%’.   How bad must it get before the UK follows suit?

Pantomime tradition appears destined to be broken; as instead of the ‘baddie’ in the white sheet waving his arms behind the hero going “whoo” “whoo”, whilst the audience cry out “Its-behind-you!” the roles will be reversed.

Mr Cameron would do well to remember that in Pantomime tradition the good, battle against evil, and always emerge triumphant, eventually.  There is nothing worse than watching a bad pantomime where they are having more fun on the stage than we are in the audience. It’s insulting and it’s demeaning.

People often comment that the Pantomime is no longer what it used to be; that Pantomimes have had their day.

I somehow think they will turn out to be  right.

Palestinian Statehood Bid – Impotent America

The more I read about Obama’s gutless stance regarding the Palestinian Statehood bid, the more I get a recurrent mental picture flashing through my mind of a dirty old man with erectile dysfunction ferociously slapping his penis for hours on end, day after day, in a fruitless effort to get it up.

Actually I know exactly why I am visualising such a ghastly depiction.

Why would, or should the Palestinian leadership abandon its Statehood bid and go back to the ever decreasing negotiating table?  Why would, or should they take any peace process seriously when the Israeli Admin with their ongoing, systematic land grab, not to mention human rights abuses, have proven unequivocally that they don’t; all of which the US Admin appear powerless to stop.  Who could possibly blame them for taking matters into their own hands?

A negotiating table I might add, at which for twenty odd years and via numerous Prime Ministers; Israeli Administrations have made every possible effort to sabotage any so-called peace process.

The US Admin is basically telling the Palestinian leadership that the only way to achieve statehood is to re-negotiate with an Israeli Administration that has proven time and again that it has no wish for peace whatsoever.

An Israeli Admin who will continue to use protracted non-negotiations with the Palestinians for as long as it takes for settlers, endorsed by Benjamin Netanyahu and the US, protected by the IDF, to grab every last bit of Palestinian land; leaving no Palestinians left to actually negotiate with.

The repetitious impotence Obama and previous/current US Admins display when they know and understand this to be the case; and when they also know, that we know this to be the case, goes way beyond self-deception. It takes spanking
the ‘dead‘ monkey to a whole new level.

It’s laudable that Obama and his Admin keep slapping at the same old ‘security for Israel‘ and the same old opposing something it supposedly ‘supports’.

Amazingly he not only expects clueless Americans to accept his unconditional support of this undemocratic and criminal regime; but countries throughout the middle east and the rest of the world too.

Obama says that a statehood bid will damage the Palestinian cause; I don’t think so.  For even though the inevitable will happen and the US will use their veto, the Palestinians can then take their case for recognition to the U.N. General Assembly, an environment where they have more support and the US and Israel has less power.

The only achievement the US Admin will gain by using its veto is to ensure that the rest of the civilised world will continue to utterly despise US foreign policy; and will rightly, or wrongly hold the US as a whole in even more disdain than they already do.

America and its Admin appears to be completely destitute of vision, is incapable of making decisions based on sound virtues, or morals; and has totally sacrificed any integrity it may have once possessed; she should never have put all her eggs in such a dangerous basket that is Israel.

The rest of the world will long remember this latest betrayal of the Palestinian people; and with America in such desperate straits at the moment, in every respect; she needs all the friends she can get.   With its unconditional support of the Israeli Admin no matter its crimes, the American Way is no longer the way to make friends and influence people.

How long and just how much Palestinian suffering will it take before Obama and the rest of the US Administration finally gets it up; and sticks it to Benjamin Netanyahu and his fellow plunderers?

Alternative News Websites – Altruistic? – Not Always

For quite some time now I have been getting a very uncomfortable feeling regarding a number of well-known and respected alternative news/opinion websites.

We gravitate toward such sites because we know and understand that almost all mainstream news media outlets are not only specifically agenda driven for the most part; but extremely dangerous.

Not only do they severely limit the information presented to the public at large, they also distort information in such a way that black becomes white and vice versus.  This, as I am sure those who reach further than the mainstream know, has enabled various western governments and other organisations to carry out many heinous acts in our name, because the majority remain ignorant, or completely misinformed.

What I am getting at here, is that we should not automatically assume alternative news/opinion contributor websites do not also have their own agendas; and may not be as benign as one might at first conclude, especially when commentary is included.

One aspect that I think should be considered by anyone accessing alternative news websites, is that what I call the  ‘Big Four’ are first and foremost businesses; and I defy anyone to imply that they are completely non-profit making organisations.

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with people who invest a great deal of time and effort into a website of any description receiving financial gain; if only to cover costs,  but it should be noted that whenever money is involved and when financial stability is paramount, self-interest often becomes predominant.

Money and it’s influences play a large role in human behavior and if the paid advertising on some of these sites is anything to go by, then high principles and morality become secondary.

It’s easy enough to state that such site advertising is not endorsed by, nor representative of the views and opinions of the website and it’s contributors; but if such a website is all about informing people of the criminal, amoral state of elitists, governments and others who control our world, whilst at the same time promoting change that could remove the former, then the least one can anticipate is that those responsible for the informing demonstrate a satisfactory moral compass themselves.

Another aspect currently making me feel uncomfortable, is how each of the ‘Big Four’ demonstrate possession of a large Ego; and hence are not open to genuine constructive criticism.  Not only that; I have noted on numerous occasions that any directed criticism by readers or others, no matter how valid, is roundly dismissed out of hand, sometimes ridiculed, often aggressively, if the opinion does not adhere to their own beliefs and values.

Such behaviours also undermine the articles composed by the contributors and based on such responses alone, one has to question the motives of the owners of these websites.  Freud once said, ‘The ego is not master in its own house’.  I feel this is definitely food for thought.

Which leads on to the many childish and egocentric catfights the ‘Big Four indulge in’;  if such websites are altruistically dedicated to informing the public and making us aware of the many deceptions and machinations being carried out in our name, then why all the rivalry and contention?

Seriously, if these website owners are genuinely trying to bring about world change then it matters not who actually supplies the information; as long as it is communicated.  As yet another wise soul once said; ego has no value in the pursuit of truth and freedom.

Taking the above into consideration, I would personally advise caution in donating money to any of these websites, whose requests are constant.  There are plenty of hard-working, alternative news/opinion websites out there that inform us without the drama, without the ego’s and without such a distinct, vested self-interest.

UK RIOTS – Just The beginning?

Well it finally kicked off and much later than I imagined it would to be truthful.

I despair at the way the MSM and the Tory Government pundits, along with the public at large appear to be so shocked regarding the behaviour of the protesters and are demanding that something, anything  be done.

It compounds the fact that UK Authority has no clue; they just bumble along serving platitudes about how they will ‘find and punish the perpetrators and justice will be served’ to the angered public living within the areas affected and that the perps are just copycat, opportunist rioters, who hate the police, want something for nothing and so loot, set fires and ruin the livelihoods of British Retailers.

Lets get something straight; these people are not opportunist, nor copycat rioters.  These people belong to a generation of disenfranchised UK youngsters  who have nothing; have no hope, or chance of ever having anything within their lifetime, nor their children’s lifetime and who are finally demonstrating to the UK Authorities that they really have nothing left to lose.

Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. Having had successive Governments, including the present, who have openly demonstrated that they have no respect for the law themselves, who behave like criminals and carry out criminal acts, who have no respect for their fellow-man, nor the populace as a whole, who flagrantly take anything and everything they want at the expense of others, who do exactly what they want with little or no consequence, why should these young people behave any differently?

Learned behaviour is learned behaviour and no amount of hand wringing and wailing will change this.

The same shoes apply regarding the UK police force, with the once protect and serve UK bobby long gone; only to be replaced with hitleresque, all too often corrupt officers of whom people fear, instead of trust?

And what about the banking sector; who have fraudulently and criminally taken away their chance for a productive and contented life?

Its ironic that the general populace look on appalled and full of venom at the protestors for their wanton destruction of businesses; yet the cost to British business caused by arson, will be small peanuts when compared to the destruction caused by fraudulent financial instruments.

The rows of boarded up shops on High Streets across the country, were once flourishing trade outlets, decimated long before the first petrol bomb was launched in anger; and was not personal gain also fundamentally at the root of these machinations?

Yet the majority of us refuse to accept the wanton destruction the financial sector has wrought; for surely if we did, we would already be alongside the chavs wouldn’t we ?

Somehow we find it an easy step to classify the underclass as an abhorrent, hostile force, yet struggle when applying such a classification to the well spoken man dressed in a suit and tie. Maybe rather than time, we need a bucket of cold water to rectify this.

To cap it all the UK government (and a portion of the populace applaud it) are saying that they may send in the military to control their own protesters.  The hypocrisy is quite staggering; as are we not condemning Libya and Syria for doing exactly the same thing?

The present situation may well be quashed for now; but you can be sure that it will kick off again at some point, because the situation that caused it is not going to get any better.  Only then it will be bigger; and many of those condemning these young people as chavs, thugs, criminals and opportunists will be right beside them whether they like it or not, as they too are surely destined to become the same underclass, the same disenfranchised.

Israel – Ali Siyam – If we don’t stand up for children, then we don’t stand for much.

Take a good look at this picture.

This is a little boy named Ali Siyam and he is seven years old.

He’s a bit of a sweetie isn’t he; just like your seven year old son, grandson, nephew, or even the cute little boy who lives next door to you, or across the road.

What would you do, or how would you feel if one afternoon the police arrived; arrested and then forcably removed your little seven year old son, grandson, neighbour, from the safety of his home and at the same time severely assaulted and hospitalised his parents (you) when they (you) tried to stop them; based only on a suspicion that the child had commited the terrible offence of throwing stones?

Would you be mortified, would you immediately make a complaint to the police, or your MP, or relevant childrens authorities, would you try to physically prevent the police from taking the child, would you be afraid, angry, astounded, vocal?

I suspect that most parents, grandparents, neighbours in the UK would feel and/or do all of the above.

UK Law and common sense dictates that a seven year old is not sufficiantly capable of truly understanding the difference between right and wrong in all things; a moral compass has not sufficiantly  developed in children of this age, so very young children cannot possibly be capable of understanding full responsibility, nor the consequences of things they may do.

Would it surprise you then to know that on 30/05/2011 little Ali was arrested and forcably taken from his home in Silwan in East Jerusalem by the Israeli Special Forces; held and interrogated for hours on end, completely alone and without any form of representation because the solicitor assigned to ‘look after’ little Ali was not only not allowed to see him, she was actually herself detained for trying to gain access to the child.

Now if you have read this far I have no doubt you are up in arms now at the injustice of such a scenario; and that you are saying to yourself how on earth could such a thing ever be allowed to happen.  It must be a one off, a mistake, an oversight?

Would it also surprise you to know that you and I; and almost everyone else in the UK regularly facilitates not only this obscene behaviour but far worse?

I know what you are thinking now,  ” how dare you accuse me, don’t be ridiculous, I would never facilitate, or condone such actions”.  Unfortunately, the sad truth is… you do.. in fact we all do.

You see, in spite of Israel’s blatant and continuous violation of basic human rights, we the populace of the UK allow and enable our successive governments to continue to approve licences for arms sales to Israel, in complete violation of its own arms export guidelines.  We say nothing…and we do nothing.

Because we say, or do nothing we are sending a message to Israel; that it’s perfectly alright to arrest, detain and interrogate seven year old children for throwing stones.  It’s also perfectly fine to continue to indefinately imprison children in Israeli Jails.  In April 2010 the number of children in Israeli Prisons was 280, so our mental justification that this must be a one off, a mistake, an oversight, is just that…wishful thinking.   You and I are responsible for this too.

By selling arms to Israel the UK (we) are giving direct material support for Israel’s aggressions which are wholly in violation of International Law, and we are also sending another clear message; that we actually approve of the human rights violations systematically carried out by the Israeli Government.

So the next time we indulgently watch our seven year old sons, grandsons, nephews, or neighbours playing happily with their toys in the garden, or riding their bicycles along the pavement to the park; free from fear and without a care in the world, let’s think of little Ali Siyam and what happened to him, think about why it will keep on happening to these children; and how the UK (you and I) and our indifference continues to sanction it.

Full Article Here.

http://uruknet.info/?p=m78173&hd=&size=1&l=e

If you wish to voice your concern please go here.

http://www.waronwant.org/campaigns/justice-for-palestine/hide/action/16494-stop-arming-israel

The Rapture And Other Things – Stop Yanking My Chain

There I was; waiting patiently at work for the rapture to begin, thinking wistfully about the usual (no cook) Saturday night Chicken Kebab that I won’t have a chance to eat, nor sadly ever eat again (unless fast food is served in heaven/hell of course).  Well it was a few minutes late already; and one always has to allow for discrepancies in individual clock settings, but woe is me, after all that gearing myself up, saying goodbye to loved ones, making sure there was enough dried cat stuff in the bowl for puss to eat until she could get her fat ass into gear and catch her own food, nothing at all happened.

I have to say I’m really getting sick and fed up with having my chain continuously yanked. There does not seem to be a single day that goes by whereby, we the people are reliably  ‘informed’ by the so-called ‘brightest’ and ‘best’  regarding ‘events’ ; that unfortunately turn out to be a complete crock of shit and it’s really very disappointing you know.

The MET Office told me last week that we would be having a mini heat wave this weekend; so yesterday morning before work I got my shorts out, rustled up the garden chairs ready for an in the garden reading in the sun sort of day, today.   I woke up to much, much lower temps than average for this time of year, sheet rain of an intensity normally experienced in February and bloody hailstones the size of golf balls.  You see where I’m going with this?

Talking about weather, that inveigler, (call me god), Al Gore and his slimy bunch of non-scientists that make up the cabal of lazy racketeers on the IPCC told me that the world was facing a real planetary emergency due to the correlation between CO² and earth temperatures; that when there is more carbon dioxide, the temperature gets warmer and that if we didn’t do something we would ruin the planet.

Al Gore and the IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their movie about how man-made carbon-dioxide emissions were causing run away global warming, and how together we could rise to the challenge and beat this terrible problem; so of course I had to do my bit by agreeing to eventually be taken back to the dark ages; and give them all my money, in the meantime I installed solar panels, which have just been smashed to bits by the hailstones and have not saved any electricity at all I might add because instead of getting warmer, it’s getting colder.

Tony Blair and numerous other consummate liars told me that Saddam Hussein was a very ‘bad man’ and that he and Iraq were complicit in 9/11 and that not only that, Iraq also had these awful weapons of mass destruction that could reach the UK  within 45 minutes and that it was ever so important to make our soldiers invade that country as soon as possible, kill and torture as many civilians as humanly possible and ultimately steal all their resources to make us all safe.  So I thought ‘oh my goodness’ we must stop him and inadvertently facilitated mass murder.

Talking about consummate liars, I was told by the brightest and best recently that unless I bailed out the Bankers we faced global economic collapse; and that it was up to me to give them all my money to ensure that this wouldn’t happen.

I was shocked to the core, so I agreed wholeheartedly to let them use my money and that of my children, future grandchildren and great-grandchildren to paper over the massive cracks, to allow them to continue giving themselves morally bankrupt bonuses, continue with currency betting, not implement any levy on future financial dealings to curb the power of the City, or a Tobin tax, or false wealth accumulations, or yet use the Western stimulus spending  to sustain world infrastructure, nor really change anything; but my government, nor the financial sector elites would ever lie to me, so I mustn’t complain when the paper covering the cracks unravels and there are no jobs, can’t feed my family,  and am subsequently, catapulted into WW3; it’s not their fault.

President Obama told me he had killed that other very ‘bad man’ Osama Bin Laden the other day; so I was very pleased and took to the streets in celebration.  President Obama also told me he had to quickly bury Bin Laden at sea; to ensure that even though he had apparently brought about the deaths of 3000 of US civilians, and even though the US had paraded the bodies of many other ‘bad’ Muslims on TV; and even though President Obama is currently not respecting Muslims in Syria, Libya, Palestine and just about any and every Muslim Country in the Middle East; he had to be buried according to Muslim culture and beliefs out of respect.  I nodded my head and thought what a considerate man President Obama is.

President Obama also told me that he endorsed a major Palestinian demand today for the borders of its future state and told  Israel to accept that it can never have a truly peaceful nation that is based on “permanent occupation.”   I was so happy to hear this; even though President Obama, since taking office, has always been in the bend over and let Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu give it to me in the ass with the biggest dildo ever featured in my Ann Summers catalogue, craven unconditional support to Israel, position. I remain in awe of his stance as a bravely consistent president.

I just don’t know how many more disappointments I can take (sigh).

US – Obama’s Veto – The Straw That Broke America’s Back?

 

Any Riddlers out there?

When is black white?

When is a settlement not a settlement?

When is a lie not a lie?

When is a president not a president?

When is a country not a country?

When is a fool not a fool?

Are you stumped?  You shouldn’t be.

The Obama Administration just effectively vetoed the latest UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal. The US used its power to overrule the remaining UN Security Council members, who all voted for the resolution to be passed.

The reasoning ‘apparently’ was that although the US does in fact strongly believe that Israeli settlement activity is ‘illegitimate’ (illegal) and that the US should never be misunderstood regarding this it had to vote against the resolution because it favours direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians without interference by the UN.  Why I wonder?

The funny thing is; various studies have shown categorically that the UN has been successful in two out of three peacekeeping efforts. Studies have also compared UN nation-building efforts to those of the U S and found that seven out of eight UN cases are at peace, compared with four out of eight US cases.

US critics of the UN criticise them apparently because they believe UN motives stem from ‘illegitimate’ prejudices; that they are disproportionate in citing Israel as barbaric and unprincipled; and in turn effectively fuel anti-Semitism.

If its seems the UN is disproportionate, it’s because only a fool can fail to see that there has been and continues to be,  a disproportionate privilege bestowed upon Israel.  Only a disproportionate level of  concession on Israels part can enable a level playing field on which to aim for and establish a lasting resolution.  The US has always failed miserably to perceive this.  This is not endemic antiSemitism, just common sense, fairness and justice.

The Negroponte Doctrine, along with such hollow reasoning enables Israel to continue building their ‘not settlements’ and ensure that despite all future efforts the UN and the rest world, apart from the US , will remain to be seen as anti-Semitic; despite the fact that with one exception, the 15 residing UN Security Council members have diplomatic relations with Israel.

As far as the latest US led peace initiative is concerned, its continued unacceptable and cataclysmic failure means  the possibility of an agreement has in fact reversed to a position in which the prospect of peace is ever further away.  Surely even sane, albeit, sleeping people have to now seriously question US motives?

Since the vote I’ve been thinking about Obama’s Cairo speech.  He started his speech by stating that he was seeking a new beginning between the U S and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; he also mentioned how recent tensions had been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims.

The US veto makes a complete mockery of this aspect of Obama’s speech and to my mind demonstrates quite clearly that for a black man he has no less than a momentous lily liver; he is also a consummate liar without an iota of respect for himself, or his country, let alone Muslims in spite of the propaganda of  ‘change‘.

Obama also stated that he was convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other.

To any thinking person, the veto strikingly states that the things Obama holds in his heart include his intention for foreign policy to carry on as per usual; that the US will continue to capitulate to Israel, that there will be no sustained effort to listen to the world at large, or to learn from anyone.  The only achievement brought about by the veto is that he is now openly saying them, instead of speaking them behind closed doors.

Obama also spoke in his speech of the unfairness in citing the US as a  crude stereotype of a self-interested empire and that this could not be further than the truth.  I agree with him, The US has long been a country that holds no self-interest whatsoever; instead it spends every waking moment unequivocally ‘supporting’ another self-interested empire instead.

The most profound statement Obama made in his speech was that All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort, a sustained effort, to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

The veto has achieved exactly the opposite, as Obama has effectively given Israel carte blanche to continue to deny the people of Palestine any rights, or hope of regaining any dignity; he has also denied Palestinians and their future children any hope of a normal life.  Obama has also focused upon and ensured that the US will continue to push itself even further apart from the rest of the civilised world.

If the US ever did have any credibility as a mediator in Israeli/ Palestinian peace efforts,  the Obama Administrations veto has succeeded only to highlight its crowning and unendurable insult to the Palestinian people.