The Cat in the Middle East

The cat (the psychotic government) is trying to persuade the kids (the  people) into playing games that will cause destruction. The Goldfish (the pro democracy protester), who warns children about the dangers of going along with the cat’s game, is proved right in the end but gets beaten up in the process (the security apparatus ).
At the end, they tell him to please go away and take his thing(s) with him, because their mother is coming home. He cleans up (covers up) his wrongdoings and leaves, just as the mother arrives. Then, the narrator asks "Would you tell your parents ( the international Criminal Court) if it happened to you?"
Good old Theodor Geisel relevant today as back in 1957 when he first wrote these words.


“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house All that cold, cold, wet day.
I sat there with Sally, we sat there we two. And I said, “How I wish we had something to do!” Too wet to go out and too cold to play ball. So we sat in the house. We did nothing at all. So all we could do was to Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! And we did not like it. Not one little bit. And then something went BUMP! How that bump made us jump! We looked! Then we saw him step in on the mat! We looked! And we saw him! The Cat in the Hat! And he said to us, “Why do you sit there like that?” “I know it is wet And the sun is not sunny. But we can have lots of good fun that is funny!” “I know some good games we could play,” Said the cat. “I know some new tricks,” Said the Cat in the Hat. “A lot of good tricks. I will show them to you. Your mother Will not mind at all if I do.” Then Sally and I Did not know what to say. Our mother was out of the house For the day. But the fish said, “No! No! Make that cat go away! Tell that Cat in the Hat you do NOT want to play. He should not be here. He should not be about. He should not be here When your mother is out!” “Now! Now! Have no fear. Have no fear!” said the cat. “My tricks are not bad,” Said the Cat in the Hat. “Why, we can have lots of good fun, if you wish, With a game that I call UP UP UP with a fish!” “Put me down!” said the fish. “This is no fun at all! Put me down!” said the fish. “I do NOT wish to fall!” “Have no fear!” said the cat. “I will not let you fall. I will hold you up high as I stand on a ball. With a book on one hand! And a cup on my hat! But that is not ALL I can do!” said the cat… “Look at me! Look at me now!” said the cat. “With a cup and a cake on the top of my hat! I can hold up TWO books! I can hold up the fish! And a little toy ship! And some milk on a dish! And look! I can hop up and down on the ball! But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all… “Look at me! Look at me! Look at me NOW! It is fun to have fun But you have to know how. I can hold up the cup And the milk and the cake! I can hold up these books! And the fish on a rake! I can hold the toy ship And a little toy man! And look! With my tail I can hold a red fan! I can fan with the fan As I hop on the ball! But that is not all. Oh, no. That is not all…” That is what the cat said… Then he fell on his head! He came down with a bump from up there on the ball. And Sally and I, We saw ALL the things fall! And our fish came down, too. He fell into a pot! He said, “Do I like this? Oh, no! I do not. This is not a good game,” Said our fish as he lit. “No, I do not like it, Not one little bit!” “Now look what you did!” Said the fish to the cat. “Now look at this house! Look at this! Look at that! You sank our toy ship, Sank it deep in the cake. You shook up our house And you bent our new rake. You SHOULD NOT be here when our mother is not. You get out of this house!” Said the fish in the pot. “But I like it here. Oh, I like it a lot!” Said the Cat in the Hat To the fish in the pot. “I will NOT go away. I do NOT wish to go! And so,” said the Cat in the Hat, “So so so… I will show you Another good game that I know!” And then he ran out. And then, fast as a fox, The Cat in the Hat Came back in with a box. A big red wood box. It was shut with a hook. “Now look at this trick,” Said the cat. “Take a look!” Then he got up on top With a tip of his hat. “I call this game FUN IN A BOX,” Said the cat. “In this box are two things I will show to you now. You will like these two things,” Said the cat with a bow. “I will pick up the hook. You will see something new. Two things. And I call them Thing One and Thing Two. These things will not bite you. They want to have fun.” Then, out of the box Came Thing Two and Thing One! And they ran to us fast. They said, “How do you do? Would you like to shake hands With Thing One and Thing Two?” And Sally and I did not know what to do. So we had to shake hands With Thing One and Thing Two. We shook their two hands. But our fish said, “No! No! Those Things should not be In this house! Make them go! “They should not be here When your mother is not! Put them out! Put them out!” Said the fish in the pot. “Have no fear, little fish,” Said the Cat in the Hat. “These things are good Things.” And he gave them a pat. “They are tame. Oh, so tame! They have come here to play. They will give you some fun On this wet, wet day.” “Now, here is a game that they like,” Said the cat. “They like to fly kites,” Said the Cat in the Hat. “No! Not in the house!” Said the fish in the pot. “They should not fly kites In a house! They should not. Oh, the things they will bump! Oh, the things they will hit! Oh, I do not like it! Not one little bit!” Then Sally and I Saw them run down the hall. We saw those two Things Bump their kites on the wall! Bump! Thump! Thump! Bump! Down the wall in the hall. Thing Two and Thing One! They ran up! They ran down! On the string of one kite We saw Mother’s new gown! Her gown with the dots That are pink, white and red. Then we saw one kite bump On the head of her bed! Then those Things ran about With big bumps, jumps and kicks And with hops and big thumps And all kinds of bad tricks. And I said, “I do NOT like the way that they play! If Mother could see this, Oh, what would she say!” Then our fish said, “Look! Look!” And our fish shook with fear. “Your mother is on her way home! Do you hear? Oh, what will she do to us? What will she say? Oh, she will not like it To find us this way!” “So, DO something! Fast!” said the fish. “Do you hear! I saw her. Your mother! Your mother is near! So, as fast as you can, Think of something to do! You will have to get rid of Thing One and Thing Two!” So, as fast as I could, I went after my net. And I said, “With my net I can get them I bet. I bet, with my net, I can get those Things yet!” Then I let down my net. It came down the a PLOP! And I had them! At last! Those two Things had to stop. Then I said to the cat, “Now, you do as I say. You pack up those Things And you take them away!” “Oh dear!” said the cat. “You did not like our game… Oh dear. What shame! What a shame! What a shame!” Then he shut up the Things In the box with the hook. And the cat went away With a sad kind of look. “That is good said the fish.”He has gone away. Yes. But your mother will come. She will find this big mess! And this mess is so big And so deep and so tall, we can not pick it up. There is no way at all!” And THEN! Who was back in the house? Why, the cat! “Have no fear of this mess,” Said the Cat in the Hat. “I always pick up all my playthings And so… I will show you another good trick that I know!” Then we saw him pick up all the things that were down. He picked up the cake, And the rake, And the gown, And the milk, and the strings, And the books, and the dish, And the fan, and the cup, And the ship, and the fish. And he put them away. Then he said, “That is that.” And then he was gone, with the tip of his hat. Then our mother came in And said said to us two, “Did you have any fun? Tell me. What did you do?” And Sally and I did not know What to say. Should we tell her The things that went on there that day? She we tell her about it? Now, what SHOULD we do? Well… what would YOU do If you mother asked YOU?”




Let us hope the International Criminal Court asks him. Happy International Workers Day.

An eye for an eye

As each Friday becomes another blood bath in the Middle East, the impotent response from the International Community to the continuing homicidal brutality of the Syrian regime is a Carte Blanche for the further murder and repression of innocent civilians.
Violation of human rights have become commonplace as crimes against humanity go unpunished. Unless there is a clear message by the International Community that there is a moral will to stop the tragedy that is unfolding there.
The Good Doctor has taken to violent repression like water off a ducks back. The son of a duck is a floater, however he has squandered any legitimacy he may have had when he ordered the first protester shot.
Regime change in Syria is inevitable and will in time prove to be good for the region as it will focus Israel into making a comprehensive peace with its neighbours instead of the cold peace they have been enjoying up till now.
The longer Assad stays and the more he kills the more likely civil war could break out as unarmed protesters who are intermarried with many of the regional tribes bordering Syria  go back to the adage of an eye for an eye and " Haq Arab", in their search for revenge. Kinship is still an important part of daily life.
This repulsive regime has to be removed and fast, as any leadership that uses torture arbitrary detention and murder as tools of governance has no place in this world.

Weddings and murders

On a day that saw a spectacular Royal wedding with a pomp and pageantry that inspires people all over the world to cause one commentator to say " since when has our Royal family become the worlds royal family" the Royal family  in Bahrain ordered the brutal rape and killing of Bahraini poet Ayat Al Ghemezi.
The familiar orders from above as security forces intimidated her family are a testament that this royal family is no longer fit for purpose.
The days of mass killings have to be brought to a halt.  As Gaddafi releases drugged up hooligans on Viagra to rape and pillage in order to sow more confusion into the already volatile situation in Libya and Assad deploys snipers and tanks to repress his people at Friday prayers as ten thousand in Damascus protest for regime change the less brave  stay frightened  at home.
Yemen still a point of potential violence it seems that the International community has lost it's moral will as it juggles business considerations over human dignity and freedom.
Today's wedding was great as it showed the world that Britain had social responsibility and dignity, that monarchies need not be repressive and can be loved not only by their own citizens but by the world at large, so long as they exhibit a humility and do not forget that they lead by example.
King Farouk was right when he said there would soon be only five Kings left. The King of. England and the four Kings in a pack of cards.

Somebody pushed the envelope

I thought this was interesting.


Push the envelope

Meaning

To attempt to extend the current limits of performance. To innovate, or go beyond commonly accepted boundaries.

Origin

This phrase came into general use following the publication Tom Wolfe's book about the space programme - The Right Stuff, 1979:

"One of the phrases that kept running through the conversation was ‘pushing the outside of the envelope’... [That] seemed to be the great challenge and satisfaction of flight test."

Wolfe didn't originate the term, although it's appropriate that he used it in a technical and engineering context, as it was first used in the field of mathematics.

The envelope here isn't the container for letters, but the mathematical envelope, which is defined as 'the locus of the ultimate intersections of consecutive curves'. In a two-dimensional example, the set of lines described by the various positions of a ladder sliding down a wall forms an envelope - in this case an arc, gently curving away from the intersection of the wall and floor. Inside that envelope you will be hit by the ladder; outside you won't.

(Note for the mathematically inclined: it might seem intuitive that the centre point of the ladder would follow that same arc. In fact it describes a circle centred around the origin).

That's enough mathematics. The point is that an envelope is that which envelops. The phrase has something in common with an earlier one - 'beyond the pale'. Inside the pale you were safe; outside, at risk.

In aviation and aeronautics the term 'flight envelope' had been in use since WWII, as here from the Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, 1944:

"The best known of the envelope cases is the 'flight envelope', which is in general use in this country and in the United States... The ‘flight envelope’ covers all probable conditions of symmetrical maneuvering flight."

That envelope is the description of the upper and lower limits of the various factors that it is safe to fly at, i.e. speed, engine power, manoeuvrability, wind speed, altitude etc. By 'pushing the envelope', i.e. testing those limits, test pilots were able to determine just how far it was safe to go. By 1978 the phrase was in use in print. In July that year, Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine had:

"The aircraft's altitude envelope must be expanded to permit a ferry flight across the nation. NASA pilots were to push the envelope to 10,000 ft."

The following year, Wolfe picked up the phrase and it went from a piece of specialist technical jargon into the general language.

Poor people are angry people.

With the failure of the United Nations Security Council to come up with a resolution  as there was a lack of support for  a draft proposed by France, Britain, Germany and Portugal for the condemnation of the Syrian crackdown on protesters it will be interesting to hear what the regime makes of the resignation of the two hundred odd Ba'ath  party members over the homicidal use of violence.
Certainly the conditions for regime change in Syria are there after years of economic stagnation and lack of participation the majority Sunni population deserve the freedom we all enjoy in the West , with or without World powers blessing. Though Saudi Arabia may offer this repulsive regime a lifeline by helping to slow the rate of information being fed to the street by demanding its Al Arabiya satellite channel stops reporting from there and blocking it's Thuraya mobile communications system.
Though Syria has been enjoying a cold peace with Israel  the time has come for Israel to realize that change is inevitable and therefore they have to approach the Palestinian - Israeli  solution with fairness and rapidly.
 Where Hafez Al Assad the current dictators ruthless father excelled in taking advantage of Syria’s value to Israel and the United States as a key player in Arab politics and as the symbolic stronghold of radical Arab nationalism, the Good Doctor though learning fast the ways of brutal dictatorship is not up to the task.
There is a genuine opportunity after the West's failure to stop the repression in Bahrain to ease regime change in Syria, and stop the Arab Spring becoming a sectarian strife but one about enfranchisement economic and political participation . Poor people are angry people so we should not allow the conditions for long term chaos to thrive. 

Clowns and lion tamers.

Diogenes the Cynic used to go around Athens with a lamp in daylight claiming to be looking for an honest man. We could well use that lamp today as the morally contaminated society we live in corrupts our environment . Virtue is better served with actions rather than words.
With barely lip service being paid to the ongoing massacres that are happening in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East as repressive authoritarian regimes attempt to cling on to power the conditions for longer term chaos are only increasing.
We are told to prepare for the long haul in Libya, which with already an estimated forty percent of it military incapacitated encourages other homicidal leaders to hang on longer as the impotence and lack of coherent strategy being exhibited by NATO only emboldens them.
If these despots are not made accountable to the world for their ruthlessness then we are  in for a dark period indeed.

Club Secretary: I say, Lawrence. You are a clown!
T.E. Lawrence: Ah, well, we can't all be lion tamers. 

It's raining bullets

 Syrian media outlet Al Watan reported on Saturday that the protesters in Midan near Damascus had taken to the streets to celebrate the rain rather than protest against the bloodthirsty Assad regime. It defies belief that in this day and age the Asaad regime thinks that they can continue to violate the people's intelligence.
As tanks and snipers continue to be deployed against unarmed peaceful protesters the world shamefully can only condemn the use of violence exposing the hypocritical approach to Middle East foreign policy.
The days of the Bashar Al Asaad are numbered and without doubt he should be tried for crimes against humanity. Syria being a repressive authoritarian police state it is ridiculous for them to continue to blame outside influences , Salfiti Islamic provocateurs or Israeli spies for the demonstrations and resulting massacres. Syria has been enjoying a cold peace with Israel and given all of the minority Alawites are in control of the armed forces and intelligence apparatus it is a hard sell that these extremists just appeared from nowhere as much as it is unbelievable they did not have a hand in Rafik Hariri's assassination .
Meanwhile the UAE have continued their crackdown on dissent just weeks  after arresting three human right activists. The move is just further evidence of the lack of respect shown by the authoritarian regime for the rule of law and respect of human dignity.
Mad Mo Gaddafi  is seen prancing about after NATO's strike on his compound failed to take him out giving rise to the North Koreans telling the Chinese that if that is the best Americas got they have nothing to worry about.
Palestinian Authority President Abu Mazin claims Obama left him in the lurch using a witty  metaphor of being left up a tree without a ladder, he must have a new script writer as he is not known for his brilliance.
Brace yourselves for the Arab Spring to turn into a hot summer.

Americas selective values

Well as it looks like Robert Gates is set to resign as Secretary of Defence which may bode better for Hilary as tensions between the huge departments have been strained to say he least. As Gates goes to say his goodbyes and no doubt pick up a few after office prezzies from his Gulf allies his old friend Ali Abdalla Saleh is set to resign within the next month in a deal struck by the GCC. He his family and cohorts have all been promised immunity from prosecution. I personally was not aware that the GCC had that sort of power to grant immunity from crimes against humanity.
The brutal crackdown continues in Bahrain and as if nothing is wrong Prince Charles has sent the Al Khalifas an invite to the Royal Wedding. Who advises these people on timing? Or like Gates do they want a few more prezzies?
With bloodbaths looking set to continue in Syria , the Good Doctor learning the ways of brutal dictatorship like a natural, recent Wikileaks released documents show that the US State Department has been secretly backing opposition groups to bring down his downfall and funding such projects as the London based satellite channel Barada TV. It must unnerve Israel who have been enjoying a cold peace with the the Assads  who kept hostility to mainly rhetoric .
With so much hypocritical foreign policy decisions being taken it is a wonder anything get done at all.
Time for thinking out of the box otherwise others will, a case in point is the proposed power damn that the Chinese want to sponsor in Ethiopia which will effect Egypt or more chillingly the potential Iranian intervention in Syria to support the Assad regime.
American humanitarian values applied selectively will only lay the foundation for future chaos.

Let my people go.

It is now self evident that there has to be regime change in the Foreign and Commonwealth office. 
Willie " I don't have a clue" Hague continues to sputter gibberish from his mouth like   "I condemn the killing of demonstrators." And the more patronising "The Syrian government should address the legitimate demands of the Syrian people."
Comments like that are unhelpful and only go to show the lack of moral fibre that has permeated modern British political thinking .
Where once people around the world feared loved and respected UK foreign policy now they can barely smirk at the idiocy that is oozing out of the FCO. 
The Good Doctor is learning the ways of homicidal dictatorship like water off a ducks back with over three hundred kills in the last few weeks alone, now granted it is not in the same league as his father and uncle but something that still warrants the attention of the International Court of Justice. Time for him to leave.
Now Hilary is displaying a touch that Bill would be proud of and I hope her sanity overcomes the ongoing pettiness that has hampered the relationship between the Department of Defence and the State Department when it comes to balancing ideology and pragmatism .
We have to shape the world we live in otherwise others will and I am far too old to be learning a new language. For once short term strategy should be shelved for long term benefits and in the words of Moses " let my people  go". 

Anyone for Farsi?

While the Americans have meeting to have meetings on meetings etcetera etcetera someone finally in the  State Department  said this week, "It may not be Vietnam but barring someone close to Gaddafi  `taking him out', it's not going to go our way quickly.
Not really surprising as everyone dilly dallied about what the real objective in Libya was.
At one point it became a shop window for the arms industries competing fighter jet manufacturers then it was saving civilians  then finally said it was regime change. Now how difficult was that.
Optimists in the Middle East are learning English  pessimists are learning Farsi and realists are cleaning their Kalashnikovs .
The motivations for the Arab Spring are not hard to find. If people are poor and unemployed they are unhappy. Poor people are angry people and when regime change or rapid reform does not happen then you are lighting a tinderbox.
Bahrain is a prime example, there the ruling regime has lost its legitimacy and with the Grand Ayatollah Sistani expressing concern at the brutal crackdown America must be worried about the home of the Fifth Fleet. The longer it goes on the more they have to worry.
The Good Doctor in Syria has lost his also and without a mass murdering henchman in sight ( his uncle is in London ) the Sunni majority have to take charge.
Ah now where can I find an Ak 47? 

Sandals on the ground

At last those dreaded two words were uttered. Regime Change
So after being subjected to a glorious display of aeronautical agility to boost sales of the two competing fighter jets , the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dessault Rafael the powers that be have in their wisdom decided to send a military advisory unit to help back up the rebels.
After being told there would be " no boots on the ground" this advisory group which will be armed must be wearing sandals , so that they comply with resolution 1973. A little more honesty is needed from the West as it was obvious that was and is the intention so just get on with it and remove Mad Mo's brutal regime and make sure that the Good Doctor can't go around shooting his people or he will be next.

Happy Easter.

Love the rhetoric , Israel's ambassador leaves for  a few days from Egypt while Ben hide under the desk Netenyahoo says he is worried about developments in Egypt's hijacked revolution .
Meanwhile Barak Hussain Obama's income drops by a couple of hundred thousand.
Back in the real world  all I see are hookers getting richer, entrepreneurs complaining about taxes and lack of opportunity and scallywags passing themselves off as gentlemen.
At least my friend Goodluck won the election in Nigeria, and change in the Middle east is finally about to happen.
As  london is drenched with sunshine I took the opportunity to walk and saw buildings I had to sell in order to survive the economic terrorism I was subjected to.
When my walking companions told me I should not live in the past I just smiled and said I love to as it is a lot cheeper.
Happy Easter .

The creativity of suppression

While Bahrain is accused of intimidating the families of students who were photographed taking part in peaceful demonstrations outside their embassy in London and the United Arab Emirates having arrested three pro reform activists in their attempt to suppress dissent other countries are getting a little bit more creative.
As the Egyptian example has shown the Mubarak regime did not know its pokes from its tweets and that surely helped protesters accelerate the fall of the regime. In retrospect, it's shocking how few pre-emptive steps Mubarak's regime had taken to control the Internet. There were no China-style attempts at Internet filtering; no Kremlin-style online propaganda chiefs or government-paid bloggers; virtually no cyber-attacks on the websites of bloggers and activist organisations. Mubarak's only foray into the world of Internet control was to beat up and jail bloggers—a tactic that only helped to publicize their cause.
Murder and shootings apart state apparatuses are fighting back using social media tools  to disseminate propaganda and to to announce fake demonstrations to lure and then arrest those that turn up in an attempt  to stem the tides of change.
Syria's "concession" of allowing Facebook and You Tube is more about monitoring public dissent as opposition groups expose themselves on these social media sites.
All this must prove very frustrating as a conflicted West has to see their proxy Governments use methods which should be abhorrent to the norms of decency but which they turn a blind eye to as their ethics and morals are compromised for their greed.
The light at the end of the tunnel is however visible and change is inevitable so it is better to accept it with dignity than to be complicit in its suppression.

Hypocritical Democracy.

While we talk about regime change in Libya we only talk about reform in Bahrain yet Bahrain has repressed it's religious Shia majority.
If Iran had sent troops to help Syria to suppress it's dissenters would Washington have remained silent ? Certainly any criticism of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates participation in the security crackdown has been muted, but while double standards are applied, little will guarantee long term stability.
Call me old fashioned but true stability can only come from the people being satisfied with their leadership their economic and political participation,  the removal of fear from arbitrary detention  and the rule of law.
Any regime that turns it's weaponry on their own citizens must surely forfeit their right to rule. In this fluid but integrated global society it is only a question of time before unacceptable practices will no longer be tolerated as fear barriers tumble and people are aware that their aspirations are not only legitimate but an inherent right.
The quicker regime change takes place in repressive autocracies the more likely that stability will ensue. Equity and the principles of justice is what will ultimately bring peace and thus stability to the region.
Though countries such as the United States and Britain have taken it upon themselves to support selective regime change trying to install one proxy for another supporting reform in some countries and not in others these  measures are short sighted as hypocritical principles are no longer guaranteed to keep puppet regimes in place.
The people of the Middle East have regained their voice and overcome their fear and those who oppress these changes are the ones who are on the wrong side of history.

A morality tale.

A morality tale.

When a young child asked his well to do  father to explain how Politics works as he needed it for his homework   the father tried to explain it like this.
" Son, " he said " Politics is the interaction between The Government,big business, the people in general and the workers. It is how they combine together to make the future a better place."
The young boy looked a a little confused so his father continued " You  take our house for example your mother is the government as she makes all the decisions around the house. I am big business as I am the provider, you are the people and your baby brother is the future. Chiquita the maid is the worker as she does all the cleaning and cooking. It is how we all interact together to make the house function is how politics works."
Still a little confused the young boy just nodded his head and went up to sleep.
He was awakened in the middle of the night by the crying of his little brother who had had a pampers moment. As his brother wouldn't stop crying he went into his parents room to find his mother fast as sleep. Try as he would he could not rouse her from her slumber, so he went to try to find his father , when he heard strange noises coming from the maids room. He opened the door ever so slightly to see his father in passionate swing. A little shocked at the sight he went back upstairs to bed.
The next morning at breakfast  the father asks his son if he understood the relationship for his class.
" I think so dad , while the Government sleeps big business is f###ing the workers, the people are confused and the future is full of S## t"

Weapons anyone?

As Hosni Mubarak is "hospitalised " after being arrested for questioning and his two sons detained whilst the department of illicit gains prepare a detailed case against him Western Arms companies are having a field day as enforcement of UN resolution 1973 is turning into the best shop window for competing combat aircraft as the Eurofighter Typhoon built by Britain, Germany Italy and Spain competes with the Rafael built by  French arms supplier Dessault.
Though every modern conflict has served as as test of air power the Libyan no-fly zone enforcement coincidently coincides with a new arms race and a surge in global demand in the jet fighter market and the arrival of a new generation of equipment in the air and the sea.
With France and Britain agreeing to step up military pressure on Gaddafi and promises of cash to the rebels  Arms manufactures will be in for a bonanza.
With French President Sarkozy trying to push the sales of the Rafael worldwide , recent dispatches have shown that American attempts to monitor the him are causing US officials irritation with the US ambassador claiming his 2009 visit to the United Arab Emirates brought out the " most unseemly " aspects of both host and visitor." the Emarati desire to be the object of unrestrained praise met its match in the French willingness to abase themselves in front of rich clients".
Well nothing new there as the French say unflattering things about US lobbying too.
The real fear is that as long as the cash flows the war in Libya could be protracted  as combat proven weaponry is a much easier sell as prospective buyers will see detailed information on reliability and the ability of the aircraft to operate in conjunction with other air force systems.
A desire by the Libyans for freedom is being hijacked by big business . For once The worlds powers should do the right thing and bring this conflict to a rapid conclusion or an honest rebellion could prove Mad Mo right as he is playing on the greed and fragility of the coalition. 

Marines Hymn

Words speak for themselves.

From the halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean:
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.
Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines.
Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven’s scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.

The Myth of the Benevolent Dictator

The whole point of a benevolent dictatorship is benevolence. As Wikipedia describe it"Benevolent dictatorship is a form of government in which an authoritarian leader exercises political power for the benefit of the whole population rather than exclusively for his or her own self-interest or benefit or for the benefit of only a small portion of the population. A benevolent dictator may allow for some democratic decision-making to exist, such as through public referendums."
The reality is however much different though many despots like to describe themselves as benevolent dictatorships this is pure myth.
In order to maintain power these regimes often use torture and violence to suppress  their citizens desire to participate in the direction of their future. Security crackdowns, Government informants, fear and intimidation are tools that dictators frequently employ in order to inflict their will on their people. They deny economic participation of any meaning to their citizens. There is no enlightened absolutism.
While Saudi send troops to contain Bahraini  dissidents they, due to the upsurge in oil prices, are able to employ a combination of money and violence to stem the tide of liberation that is sweeping across Arabia.
In Syria as elsewhere in the Middle East it is violence that is the preferred weaponry of the regime to contain their populace. They fail to acknowledge that the root causes of this Arab Spring are The dictatorship themselves, sectarianism, human rights violations, government corruption, lack of economic participation, unemployment, extreme poverty and prefer to blame foreign interference for their eventual demise.
As it is well documented that Western Governments and intelligence agencies have always tried to promote and prop up their own proxies and vassals this wave is proving to be a bit of a dilemma for the enlightened causing an awkward balance between idealism and pragmatism. As their strategic assets are yearning for change the solution is for once to do the right thing and allow the people their fundamental human rights and ensure this change is rapid. Otherwise extremism will become the order of the day.

Courage saves the day.

Courage Saves the Day 
A short story about courage 

by Wes Fessler


When Archie was small, he was sometimes afraid.
When it came to new things, Archie often delayed.
He was careful and cautious to try something new.
There were some things that Archie was too scared to do.

His big brother and sister seemed fearless of all.
They were so big and strong, but Archie was quite small.
They learned what to expect with the passing of years,
but Archie was still young and he had a few fears. 

When they went for a climb; he decided to stop,
and his family kept going right up to the top.
They went skating outside up and down the whole street,
but poor Archie was too scared to stand on his feet. 

When they went to the pool, everyone got in fast.
But when Archie got in, time for swimming had passed.
It went on that way with some other things too.
There were some things that Archie was too scared to do. 

Then his brother and sister made fun of his fear. 
They said some mean things he did not like to hear.
They called him a "coward," and that was not fair.
Though he tried to be brave, they did not seem to care. 

When they went for a hike in the hills far away,
Archie followed behind in the usual way.
Then a growl and a bark were heard somewhere nearby.
The sound scared them so much that they started to cry. 

Archie's brother and sister were scared as could be.
Then an angry wolf appeared from behind a tree.
They ran quickly away as the wolf began chase,
but Archie did not run. He stayed there in his place! 

With an angry look, Archie showed no fear at all;
and the wolf did not think that Archie was so small.
Archie yelled at the wolf, and it turned right around.
It was so scared of him that it slipped on the ground. 

The wolf ran through the trees, quickly out of his sight.
It was then Archie knew he had done something right.
When his brother and sister saw what Archie did, 
they thought Archie was truly a courageous kid. 

They thanked Archie and told him how brave he had been.
He was big when it mattered, and now he fit in.
They did not call him names or tease him anymore.
They were patient with Archie like never before. 

Archie faced what he feared, and learned how to be strong.
He grew braver in time, and it did not take long.
Though he did not have great courage every day,
when it mattered the most, he did not run away.

Democracy and spies

As the Washington historian William Blum has documented, since 1945, the US has destroyed or subverted more than 50 governments, many of them democracies, and used mass murderers such as Suharto, Mobutu and Pinochet to dominate by proxy. In the Middle East, America has sustained every dictatorship and pseudo-monarchy. In "Operation Cyclone", the CIA and MI6 secretly fostered and bankrolled Islamic extremism. The object was to smash or deter nationalism and democracy. Most of the victims of this western state terrorism have been Muslims. The people gunned down recently in Bahrain and Libya - the latter a "priority market" for the UK, according to Britain's official arms "procurers" - join those children blown to bits in Gaza by the latest US F-16 aircraft.
Therefore it should come as no surprise that the secret deals to turn a blind eye  to  "Operation Peninsula shield " the rather tame sounding name for the violent suppression of pro democracy protesters in Bahrain are par for the course. With the new Saudi policy of denial it beggars belief that you have senior officials claiming  that there was no major crackdown in Bahrain and that the Shia community was essentially content.
Whilst Saudi King Abdallah has deep pockets and has thrown billions in a carrot and stick approach in an attempt to stem the tide of change sweeping his neighbourhood others such as Syria do not have this luxury.
The inevitability of Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh's demise has meant that the Saudis are putting pressure on even the Jordanian King to resist reform and as Iran has upped the stakes as it piles on pressure as it demands that Saudi remove their troops from Bahrain the uprisings that started out as an attempt to achieve democracy ,liberty and social justice are in danger of falling victim to sectarian divide making a Sunni - Shia clash more likely.
That would be disastrous for not only the region but the world as a whole. Now being a lover of conspiracy theories one has to wonder what role if any have the Western intelligence agencies played in stage managing these revolts given their past track records?
With still a lot of dilly dallying going on with Libya the dangers of things spiralling out of control increase exponentially. Change whether it is regime change or reform has to be speedy.
Whatever happens there is an urgency to change those regimes  that have lost legitimacy by killing their own citizens so that the region can evolve just sweeping democracy under the carpet is not a solution and a security crackdown is not not going to dampen people's desire to live in dignity and have the ability to shape their destinies.

Mind how you topple.

What a topsy turvey world we live in.
Who would have thought that good old communist China would embrace capitalism at breakneck speed overtaking America it's spiritual home in it's public support of it?
Or that Mad Mo would would still be in power despite the bombings?
And how about the latest batch of honesty from the State Department publishing a damning report on human rights abuses .The report, mandated by Congress for the past 35 years, offered a blistering portrayal of government repression in countries across the Middle East and beyond, including those where the administration retains close security partnerships. It cited continuing restrictions of political freedoms and widespread abuses by the police and security forces against those viewed as dissenters, underscoring the administration’s sometimes awkward balance between idealism and pragmatism in foreign relations.
Protests erupted across much of the Arab world on Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, with demonstrators killed in Syria and Yemen while Egyptians staged one of the biggest rallies since President Hosni Mubarak’s fall.
Syrian security forces killed 17 pro-democracy demonstrators and two were shot dead in Yemen. In Saudi Arabia local Shi’ites protested in the oil-producing east to call for the withdrawal of Saudi troops from neighboring Bahrain.
Well Saudi has come up with a new solution to the problems they are facing. Just close your eyes and don't acknowledge that there are problems. Fascinating really , not quite sure which planet they are living on. These problems are not going to be addressed only by security measures.
It is as Hillary Clinton said “Freedom from fear makes economies grow as citizens invest, innovate and participate. Where human rights matter, children grow up with the precious belief that they matter, too, that they should be able to live in dignity and shape their own destinies.”
Let us not forget that this awakening is about change and enfranchisement , the rule of law and a better future. So mind how you topple.

The Internationale

 The Internationale:

Arise ye workers from your slumbers
Arise ye prisoners of want
For reason in revolt now thunders
And at last ends the age of cant.
Away with all your superstitions
Servile masses arise, arise
We'll change henceforth the old tradition
And spurn the dust to win the prize.

So comrades, come rally
And the last fight let us face
The Internationale unites the human race.
So comrades, come rally
And the last fight let us face
The Internationale unites the human race.

No more deluded by reaction
On tyrants only we'll make war
The soldiers too will take strike action
They'll break ranks and fight no more
And if those cannibals keep trying
To sacrifice us to their pride
They soon shall hear the bullets flying
We'll shoot the generals on our own side.

No saviour from on high delivers
No faith have we in prince or peer
Our own right hand the chains must shiver
Chains of hatred, greed and fear
E'er the thieves will out with their booty
And give to all a happier lot.
Each at the forge must do their duty
And we'll strike while the iron is hot.

Eugene Pottier

Yemen and things

Recently revealed documents show that the United States was warned about the vulnerability of Ali Abdallah Saleh's regime in Yemen  for more than two years.
A Yemeni Sheikh and business man Hamid Al Ahmar had vowed to an embassy official that if Saleh did not guarantee the fairness of parliamentary elections scheduled for 2011 he personally would organise mass demonstrations modelled on protests that toppled Indonesia's President Suharto more than ten years ago.
Though he warned of controlled chaos his warnings were dismissed as no more than mild irritations for Saleh.
While Saleh is barely hanging on Al Ahmar looks as he could possibly be a candidate for the Yemeni Presidency.
Leaked cables show that even though the Americans were aware of the vulnerability of the regime they chose to ignore them despite European diplomats and Saudi Princes warnings that the chaos that would ensue would be destabilising for the region as a whole.
Though Yemen has been an important front for the fight against terror the United States chose to back and cheer the autocratic despot instead of encouraging him to make the rapid and smooth reforms demanded by the people.
When they get it wrong they get it wrong and the people of the region have to suffer.
Let us hope that his rapid departure is negotiated sooner rather than later as when he started to kill his own people his right to rule was revoked.  

Syria and things

Dad You had it so easy

Where is a mass murderer when you need one? Well in Syria's case he is usually seen swanning  around the lobbies of either the Dorchester or Claridges .
I am of course referring to Dr Bashar's  paternal uncle the ruthless Rifaat Al Asaad.
Whilst the Doctor likes to keep his eyes on things( well he is an opthamologist)  his ridiculous speech to parliament last week showed how out of touch with reality he is coupled with his very pretty wife's ill timed fluff piece in Vogue last month the good Doctor seems conflicted on the amount of ruthlessness he should employ.
His father the late Hafez  no stranger to mass murder had at least Rifaat his brother, who played a key role in his  takeover of executive power in 1970, dubbed the Corrective Revolution, and ran the elite internal security forces and the 'Defence Companies' (Saraya al-Difaa).
In February 1982, he commanded the forces that put down a  revolt in the central city of Hama, by instructing his forces to shell the city, killing thousands of its inhabitants (reports range from between 5,000 and 40,000, the most common suggestion being around 15-20,000). This became known as the Hama Massacre. The United States journalist Thomas Friedman claims in his book From Beirut to Jerusalem that Rifaat later bragged that the total number of victims was no less than 38,000. Not bad going for a killer allowed to retire in the west unchallenged and unpunished for his crimes against humanity.
The good Doctor has murder in his genes and has shown though admittedly on a smaller scale his willingness to kill but with so many revolution fronts opening Israel will certainly not want this regime to fall and so in turn the Western powers have been fairly gentle in their criticism of how he has suppressed his people. Many in the Gulf don't want his ouster as they know it shortens their life span. A sort of honour amongst thieves. 
However once you turn your guns on your own your fate is sealed. Let us hope the International Criminal Courts keep their eye on things in Syria as it would be a crime if these atrocities slip through the net regardless of Saudi and or other despots protests.

Complicity with evil

Thank God for the information highway for at least the hypocrisy that is prevalent today in the way the world interacts has become less opaque thanks to a combination of satellite television , sites such as Wikileaks and Internet bloggers. 
Israel has been exposed as providing weaponry and mercenaries to Mad Mo's regime and utilising their Palestinian stooges Mohammad Dahlan and Arafats bag man Khaled Salam  a.k.a Mohammad Rashid as postmen.
When the Worlds powers allow these acts of criminality to happen then they are themselves complicit in the crimes against humanity that are being committed  and with so many different agendas in play let us not fool ourselves that the solution is easy.
Complicity with evil will always be exposed.

Arna's Child

When does a murder become an assassination?
In the city of Jenin in the West Bank a man of peace was shot and murdered for no apparent reason.  In the process peace was assassinated.
That man was an Arab Israeli actor and peace activist  Juliano Mer Khamis who directed a children's theatre in the West Bank city.
The Freedom theatre was one of many efforts to build bridges and understanding in an area where it is easier to destroy than to build.
What makes this murder more repulsive is that Juliano was the embodiment of the possibility of peace. Born to an Israeli Jewish mother and a Palestinian Christian father he had chosen to live in Jenin and founded the Freedom theatre some seven years ago, to give children a new way of life free from anxiety, stress and war.
In 2004 he had produced a film called "Arna's Children" based on his mothers work which won international acclaim.
It is when voices like Juliano's are silenced that we are all at risk.
While Shimon Peres and Barak Obama are to meet to discuss furthering peace talks Israeli officials in Jerusalem took steps to advance controversial housing in the West Bank and disputed areas in Jerusalem .
Unfortunately these unilateral decisions  taken by Israel will mean that innocent blood will be spilt from all sides as we lose the moral high ground to militants and people like Netanyahu who have no desire for peace as that would make them irrelevant.
With enough hypocritical behaviour already apparent in the way things are handled in the Middle East let us hope that the powers that be do not let Juliano's death pass lightly and every effort is made to end the causes of that feed violence and hate and get the stalled peace talks moving.
As for the children of Jenin  we can't even begin to imagine what emotions they are experiencing now, as the world mourns Arna's child.
Rest in peace my friend the world is a sadder place without you.

Libya

Excuses and delays  in Libya will only cause further suffering and will turn the tide of the Arab Spring into something more sinister if America and NATO do not take decisive action.  A long drawn out scenario will allow Libya to be a breeding ground for terrorists and can turn a revolution built on the natural desire to be free, socially politically and economically empowered into one that can become a clash of civilizations.
The West should not make the mistake of turning it into a crusade and short term interests may have to be sacrificed for long term stability.
The hypocrisy of it all has to be stopped or we are in for the nightmare scenario.

Reality Check

Reality check.
As the coalition seems to be confused as to how to continue and American planes no longer taking part in the bombing of Libya we are all wondering what happens next?
With the Bishop of Tripoli saying that Mad Mo will not leave and and a negotiated solution should be found, signalling an about turn by the Vatican on resolution 1973.
Mad Mo is now using Israeli made weapons committing crimes against humanity in Misratah and other Libyan towns. Nothing new there as Psycho Saif had turned up inTel-Aviv with a purported five billion US Dollars for Israel to supply arms and recruit mercenaries from Sub- Saharan Africa at the beginning of the unrest.
Maybe it is cracks between the State Department and The Department of Defence that allows such shenanigans to continue but that coupled with the intended public questioning of former Mad Mo loyalist and foreign minister Moussa Koussa about a variety of issues including the bombing of  Pam Am 103 is giving a completely mixed message to those who may be brave enough to defect.
Though the resistance is claiming that they are receiving weaponry from the United States and training by the Egyptian military  without a clear aim Gaddafi will continue to inflict death and destruction on his own.
Murmurs of Al Qaida infiltrating the resistance is making the coalition less focused on the main aim which should be the ouster and subsequent trial of the Colonel and his henchmen whilst still retaining  a credible corps of military and civilian administration so as not to make the same mistakes as in Iraq or Afghanistan.
It is therefore essential that this conflict is over as soon as possible with Mad Mo taken out of the equation, Israel to stop arming him or laundering his funds.
To quote Thomas Jefferson "Prudence ... will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
So now it is the duty of the coalition to use all means at their disposal to enable the people of Libya to be set free.

Morality and ethics

I liked this so I decided to share.


For many years I had always said that I am not a moral person, however, I am an ethical person. But when I would say, "I am not a moral person," I would wait to see the person's reaction to my saying that before I added the "however, I am an ethical person."

Normally the person would wrinkle their brow and get this confused look on their face, and then I would commence to explain my thoughts on the difference between "morals vs. ethics." 
The reason I have chosen not to rule my life based on "morals" is that I think there is an extreme difference between morals and ethics. Before you say, "This is a semantics issue," let me explain. 
I really am not playing "the meaning of words game" here. In my mind I clearly see a big difference between making your decision based on "morals" and making your decisions of life based on your personal ethics. The dictionary has this to offer:

Ethics: choosing principles of conduct as a guiding philosophy.

Morals: conforming to a standard of right behavior.

Here is where I see the difference. Morals, to be sure, are rules and standards that we are told we must "conform" to when deciding what is "right" behavior. In other words, morals are dictated to us by either society or religion.

We are not free to think and choose. You either accept or you don't! We are taught by society and religion that you "shall not lie" or you should "give to the poor" or you must "love others as you would have others love you" or you must do something because it is "your moral obligation." The key issue with "morals" is that you are expected to "conform to a standard of right behavior" and not question that "conforming" or you are not a "moral" person. But again, where do these "morals" come from to which we are expected to "conform"? Yep, from society and/or religion, but not from YOU, and that's what bothers me.

Ethics, on the other hand, are "principles of conduct" that YOU CHOOSE to govern your life as a guiding philosophy that YOU have chosen for your life. Again, call it semantics if you want, but I see a big difference between "conforming" and "choosing." With MORALS the "thinking has been done;" with ETHICS there's a freedom to "think and choose" your personal philosophy for guiding the conduct of your life. I like to watch movies about the "mafia" or TV shows like the "Sopranos." The people on these shows are extremely devoted people to their families and religions, but they have somehow "morally justified" their actions of killing, stealing, and lying.

How is it that these extremely devoted family men and supposedly devoted members of the Catholic religion think that what they are doing is moral is a mystery to me. Yet they wear their "crosses," cross themselves, love their kids, and dedicate themselves to the "family" while killing people who get in the way. Now that's an interesting morality. But morals don't stop there. Think of all the hundreds of cultures who have totally different ideas of morality. Some cultures think it is perfectly fine to have as many wives as they want; some think only one wife is moral in the eyes of God.

Some cultures think that it is fine to steal if you need food; other cultures think that stealing is stealing and is never morally justified. Some cultures think that "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" judgment is fine; other cultures think that this type of moral thinking is barbaric. 
When you leave MORAL THINKING to society and religion, there is no such thing as "absolute morality." So, is there any such thing as a 100% MORAL PERSON? I think not, at least based on the criteria, culture, society, and religion telling us what our morals should be.

ETHICS are a totally another matter. With ethics, you are free to choose your personal philosophy of conduct to guide your life. You are not dependent on the judgment of society or religion "based in fear" when making your ethical decisions.

For example, I believe in telling the truth not because God may curse me, but because it is the right and best thing to do based on my personal ethics. I believe in being 100% faithful to my wife, not because adultery is a sin, but because being true to your wife is the smart and right thing to do.

It is a better and happier way to live, again not because God will send me to hell if I commit adultery, but because it is the right and best way to live my life based on my ethical way of seeing things. I believe in keeping the laws of the land, however, I am not living my life based on the rules of society and religion, but solely based on a pragmatic and ethical way of living. 
I don't refrain from stealing because I'm afraid I might go to jail. I don't steal because I have decided not to steal based on my ethics. I don't have to be commanded to give to the poor. I concern myself with giving to and helping the poor based on my ethics.I have the freedom to choose and if I am smart, I will choose personal ethics that will enrich my life and the lives of others. As with all other freedoms, there is always the risk that I will make ethical decisions that could cause me to drift over to the "dark side."

That's the problem with the freedom to choose or free agency. Anytime we allow people the freedom to choose, we also give them the freedom to make bad choices. If you want to make bad ethical decisions that will make you, and perhaps others, unhappy, then you can. However, if you want to make good ethical decision that will make you and others happier, you have the freedom to make those ethical decisions too. I choose personal ethics to govern my life that make me happier, while I strive to enrich the lives of others. It's the ethical thing to do based on my personal ethics. You don't have to tell me not to lie, not to steal, not to kill, not to commit adultery, etc. I have already made my ethical decisions to NOT do those things.

You don't have to tell me to give to the poor, love my neighbor and my enemies, use my free agency for good, etc. I have already made these personal ethical decisions. I choose my principles of personal conduct because I have thought about them. My ethics are my ethics, and yet interestingly enough, they almost always agree with society and religion. The only difference is I made these decisions.

My personal thinking determines my ethics. I made these ethical choices. Not because I was told by society or religion to think a certain way but because I thought it was the best way to live a complete and fulfilled life of happiness. Freedom to think is a great concept. We ought to use this freedom more often. Think about it.