Davos efficiency...

We struggle for crumbs
World rulers dine in Davos
Hail Democracy

Dictator, Strongman, Friend

Too many people are ruled by brutal governments. Tunisia's fallen government was backed-up by the USA, and Washington may have orchestrated their deposed president's sanctuary in Saudi Arabia.

When US Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Tunisia in 2003, he declared: "Our bilateral relationship is very, very strong. We are great admirers of Tunisia and the progress that has been achieved under President Ben Ali's leadership."

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited in 2006, and warmly praised Tunisia's government: "They have demonstrated, if one looks at this successful country...the ability to create an environment that's hospitable to investment, to enterprise, and to opportunity for their people."

But too many Tunisian people in fact hated & feared their government.

Now Egypt's government is under threat. And for 30 years the USA has invested heavily in the Mubarak family - which has ruled Egypt since 1981 under a "State of Emergency."

Secretary of State Clinton's statement today is thus much too little, far too late: "We believe strongly that the Egyptian government has an important opportunity at this moment in time to implement political, economic and social reforms to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people." Unrest in Egypt will not be easily stemmed. No doubt our silent operatives offer violent help to government. These are critical moments.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/01/20-3

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110126/wl_nm/us_egypt_protest_usa

Stop Wars & Overseas Occupation

Tonight U.S. President Obama will give an important speech to the people of the USA and the world. His State of the Union Address offers the opportunity to promise (again) to wind-down U.S. wars and bring U.S. troops home. He could boldly propose redirecting those huge often-wasted resources; he could withdraw tens of thousands of occupying soldiers from overseas postings in Asia, Europe, Hawaii, and elsewhere. He could further renew his pledge to uphold the rule of law, stop torture, and end "indefinite detention without legal arraignment" (continued state-sponsored kidnapping). Let's see what happens.

Power "in the Raw"

Wikileaks offers everyone rare glimpses of people & procedures usually kept hidden behind the curtain in our deceptive world. The State cables reveal a reality of informal agreements that deliberately & explicitly bypass national democratic parliaments. Many cables describe espionage, others portray a contemptuous juggernaut gathering bureaucratic information. Not much seems for the good of all America, and we see a cabal crafting deceit for the 95% non-USA global population.

These scum repeatedly concoct lies & myths for illegal wars.

Cablegate also shows media unveiled. Neither Mr. Assange nor Wikileaks created the cables; other big news organizations have received the raw material; many separate reporters are publishing excerpts. Yet a large percentage of mainstream reports focus on Wikileaks or Assange. Nutty & telling. Just now a similar slant is on BBC headlines: "Wikileaks banker found guilty" leads to details of a man fined 6000 Swiss francs (a small sum) for breaking bank secrecy laws by releasing tax evader details (valued many ten thousand times greater). He passed documentation to Wikileaks, which has not released any contents. He's not the banker for Wikileaks, but the "Wikileaks banker" label suggests financial intimacy, now linking to "guilty" -- an unreasonable BBC summary headline. "Minor fine for whistleblower banker" is more appropriate. The BBC lead is deceptively constructed.

Those arrogating authority are inconvenienced by Cablegate. But most of the embarrassed are hired staff; minions in service for a few years. A more major unraveling would come if the unredacted cables (or similar documentation) were suddenly released -- sneakiness uncensored. This is promised if Mr. Assange is severely attacked. He's thus protected by friend & foe; the rest of us impatiently wait for information, to learn what's really going on in the haunts of power.

Winter Options: Heat or Eat

In his quest for the Presidency, Barack Obama offered visions of HOPE. In electing Obama, we were led to believe costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would end. We were promised Guantanamo's limitless incarceration and abuse would stop. People hoped for government in service to the wider community, not a government serving the wealthiest. For most Americans, however, conditions have gone from bad to worse.

Failed States

Those using violence and intimidation are corrupt.

I Am Spartacus

Saw ten minutes of the classic film Spartacus a few nights ago on TV. Slaves are being asked to betray Spartacus on offer of reward, but instead the many proclaim "I am Spartacus!"

Struggle against Empire continues through the centuries...

Today the secret mechanics of our governments are slightly open to view via Wikileaks, assisted by major media channels throughout the world. At this moment, the authenticity of leaked official cables has not been denied; the process was condemned as "dangerous" but Wikileaks is not yet a banned organization. As we struggle against our rulers, each of us individually quite powerless in the face of behemoth government wielding illegal kidnapping, torture & assassination, please remember:   "I am Spartacus!"
== "I am Wikileaks"

Provocation or Peace

The Republic of Korea (ROK) and USA plan to continue military exercises and naval drills in a disputed area bordering the DPRK (North Korea).

Heavy-handed military operations are a provocation; knuckleheaded "war games" can quickly lead to war.

I've no opinion on where the border is or should be. But the huge South Korea coastlines (east, south & west) offer many alternative venues. Focusing live-fire operations in the northwest border area adjoining the DPRK invites trouble. How important are these military exercises? Why provoke hostility?

We common folk can't know what's up or why. Published maps differ & mislead; we're forced to think them others are evil...

Thanks for Rot?

Thanksgiving is a special time for reflecting on good fortune, family, community, and our wider world. Some helpers volunteer to feed the homeless or disadvantaged. It's likely few Americans consider our untried tortured captives at Guantanamo, or the treacherous autocrats we fund around the world (at the cost of human rights & basic investment in US domestic infrastructure & education).

I know that my blogging and talking about political problems is unlikely to make much positive impact. On the contrary, I lived in Japan long enough to wholly understand "the nail that sticks up gets pounded down" (出る杭は打たれる).

Yet perhaps perversely, I also feel it's important to speak up, not to accept bullying or quietly acquiesce to antisocial chauvinism. Perhaps my persistent interest could be labeled a hobby; more importantly, I hope when the smoke clears to have stood on the side of justice, and have worked for integrity.

After WWII, many emerged from the rubble of defeat wondering how they'd been fooled; blaming their leaders or the military for excess, ignorance, cruelty & genocide. Some falsely claimed to have always been anti-fascist (some weasels claimed active resistance when instead they'd prospered as toadying sycophants). As many ignore horrors, we all suffer escalating indignities. I believe it's important to work for peace, with our God(s) & ourselves.