From Zmag's website, here're 2 essays written on the the use of military power to build up empires in this age, and the use of 'God' and religious beliefs to justify wars and violence against other.

The first is a look at the military policies of the US with its 'war on terror' in trying to increase its strength in the world and maintain American dominance over foreign regions. The author believes that all this is unjust and will fail, as locals resist.

The second looks at the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians and the influence of religion as one of the root causes.
The writer also goes through a little American history pointing out previous president McKinley (and drawing a comparison to the current president) who used religion to justify their invading and occupying lesser nations like the Phillipines.

It's been a while since I've updated, and it's because of my exams and worries. Well, for now it's over and I have a few links of interest.

Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches is a site I recently discovered which has some reports and hard accounts of events in Iraq, as well as some graphic photos of carnage and human tragedy. This site is written by a journalist reporting from inside Iraq and working independently- not an employee of any large, mainstream organisation but he has been published in many publications and news services.

This article by Naomi Klein in the Guardian is a strong response to criticism by the american embassy to a previous article she wrote on Iraq. What was so controversial she wrote to warrant such a reaction from the American embassy? The callous, indiscriminate fighting tactics of American forces which result in the killing of many civilians without any remorse or prevention and their attempts to eliminate (both literally and figuratively) respected people of society who can find out the tolls and speak up on these incidents.
Naomi Klein illustrates this point by writing of the ways how clerics, journalists and doctors have all been targeted by American forces through arrests, media bans and physical attacks on mosques, hospitals and civilian targets.

This indymedia page has some pictures of the Bush protesters in Ottawa during GWBush's visit recently. These people all had the courage to come out on the streets and demonstate for what they believe in, whether anti-Bush, anti-war, or for peace.
Many people and media will look on these protesters as a bunch of freaks, punks, anarchists, delinquents, idealists, dreamers and misfits but people should consider the issues that are at stake. And see that these demonstators/ protesters do have a point. Reason to protest, to demonstrate. They're standing up for a cause, causes that're greater than themselves and that's much more than many of us can attest to in our lives.
You might have a few troublemakers or delinquents but the conception of unruly, violent mobs is a media creation.

I'll make it a priority to go to at least one of these demonstrations later on, whether they're anti-war, anti-American or anti-globalisation, anti-WTO/WorldBank/IMF. I need to.

Iraq body count keeps an extensive toll of civilian deaths in Iraq arising directly or indirectly from military action. Its estimate of 14,600-17,000 deaths is far less than the 100,000 claimed in several articles but that is still a large number of people dead. The number keeps growing and growing and certainly both American forces and Iraqi resistance/rebels have contributed to the mounting toll.

Read this letter from an American soldier serving in Iraq and who fought in Fallujah during the recent and ongoing campaign to take control of the city. It's a pretty gritty and brutal account of the terror and bleakness in the fighting there.
And the writer makes some valid points on why the US cannot 'win' the 'war on terror' in Iraq. The stubborn courage of the resistance fighters, the anger and bitterness of the civilians, and the arrogant and reckless ignorance of the American government in their strategy of occupation and using overwhelming force against the resistance.

A new site to check:
This blog is written by a group of US soldiers in Iraq "who are fighting in a war they oppose for a president they didn't elect". It seems really interesting and should have some deep, honest insight on the circumstances down there.

It looks like another war about to flare up again in Central Africa. Rwandan soldiers have been seen and verified to have entered the Democratic Republic of Congo (formely Zaire) to hunt down and kill Hutu rebels.
The largest African war in recent history broke out in the DRCongo with over 2 million killed in under 5 years. Large-scale fighting stopped last year but regional clashes break out constantly. Sadly this war happened as a result of the massacre in neighboring Rwanda in 1995. That tragic massacre/genocide is so famous especially in Canada where there's a lot of guilt felt by the lack of response and action to prevent it.
From the site link given above, this is a small sideshow which includes a few horrific and tragic images of what happened.

Recently there was the showdown between Ivory Coast and French soldiers, and there's the ongoing tension in Darfur in Sudan, with the mass killings ,rapes and looting done by government-backed militas (the so-called janjaweed) against the locals.
Africa seems to have no end in sight to its great suffering and devastation and 2004 is as worse as any.

This article from CSMonitor on the arrest of former British PM Margaret Thatcher's son for a foiled coup in a small African country earlier this year provides some details on the proliferation of unrest in this continent. An astounding 80 coups occured between 1956 and 2001, and that's only the successful ones, according to research done by a university professor mentioned in the article.

Bush is coming to Canada, to Halifax and Ottawa. Naturally he'll be met by strong protests and much angry demonstrators,activists and plain anti-American protestors (excuse the limited vocabulary). Of course he won't be able to handle all these 'critics' of his, and he won't be addressing Parliament.

People who turn out to these protests have my support but I think people should not lose fact that GWBush is not the sole perpetrator and mastermind of all his policies, but his administration (VP DCheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld etc.) and his corporate backers. GWBush may be ideal for portraying the ultimate but he is just one cog in the wheel of injustice that rules the world through military force, media perception and free-trade capitalism.
What I'm saying is, "Don't focus so much anger and rage on Bush that you ignore or forget all the other real causes of oppression and exploitation that cause so much evil."

Much has been made of that admirable woman, Margaret Hassan especially her vast humanitarian work among poor Iraqis. Her execution was a very tragic event, as no doubt was that of all hostages in Iraq.
It is right to feel repulsed and outraged by her killing, but it is not to blame her death on all Iraqi or Islamic militants. Several Iraqi resistance groups in fact called for her release and many Iraqis who knew her begged for her release.
Before we all jump to conclusions about the barbarity of those Iraqi militants/extremists please keep in mind that nothing is clear or certain on the circumstances of her death.

This article makes a very valid argument about the American killing of an unarmed man during the campaign in Fallujah and American atrocities in general.
I assume that the point derived is how the media blames all hostage deaths on all Iraqi resistance fighters, yet when western /American soldiers commit murder it's blamed on the individual and not on the whole.

Some people wonder why do I write this blog? What is the purpose of posting and linking to articles on world affairs and news? Well, it's just my feeble and idealistic but honest attempt to draw attention to issues that interest me, on news and articles on all the terror and evil all over the world.
However I really got the idea from other people, specifically the writers of instapundit.com and kurtnimmo.com. These people inspired me that it is meaningful to write/ blog about these issues in order to inform people, to draw attention by linking to various sources. By no means am I saying my blog is anywhere equal to them, it is not. Kurtnimmo (I'm not sure about his real name) writes some really good stuff and most of his postings are his own articles and opinions which are anti-Bush and liberal. Instapundit is allegedly, the most popular blog (read that in a Wired magazine) and he is a real, strong Bush supporter and right-winger. Also his blog has a lot of links to news and his model is the one who I more base this blog on. Also 'Instapundit' writes some really prejudiced (though honest and blunt) and provocative material.
It's ironic that I got the main idea for this blog from somebody who has the opposite ideas and viewpoints I have.

Investigating imperialism is another newsite run by an individual that I find is quite good. This site also has articles by other writers and some which can be controversial and a few seem conspiratorial. It's got numerous articles on different trouble spots including Haiti, Venezuela, Middle East and Africa and many times, they reveal information and viewpoints that are vastly different from those of the mainstream media.

A lot of people get skeptical of all these 'alternative' information that seems contradictory or is not published or reported in mainstream media but I think it's really important for people to broaden their knowledge, their ideas and perspectives. Reading or checking up 'alternative' media is the best way of doing this and while there may be unbelievable or bigotted material sometimes, keep in mind the mainstream media has the same. It's impossible for anyone to assume mainstream media is fully fair, honest, balanced and right.
So please give alternative media a fair chance. Instead of CNN, Time, newspapers, check out some of the links I have on the side of the blog, and also the sites I mentioned above. Read The Nation, Harper's, Adbusters and Zmag.
These 'alternative' media like the ones I mentioned, all do a great job pointing out injustice and telling us the story behind the scenes. The world is a dark place, and many times, what we read about may seem hard to believe, but sometimes the truth is strange.

On the subject of Islam, it seems there's so much stereotyping against it but also sympathy (from others). As one of the largest religions in the world in terms of number of believers and countries that practice it and its cultural and historical impact, Islam should be learned about and better understood if we desire a greater chance of peace and tolerance, which seems more and more unlikely. This interview with a former member of a militant Islamic organisation in Trinidad, has some interesting opinions and explanations on various aspects of Islam. Certainly the one about Saudi Arabia being like the Amish is quite amusing but it does ring a little true.

Fallujah has been secured and a crushing defeat inflicted on the Iraqi resistance. 50-plus Americans dead but over 1000 Iraqi resistance fighters killed, and many more civilians and non-combatants. The carnage is terrible and no doubt this 'victory' by the US will not lessen but only increase the bitterness and hatred of the locals against their 'occupiers/saviors'. Obviously the Americans are using fear and military might to win over the locals, as written in the second the double-article in the above link, hoping that overwhelming military power will make the Iraqis come to their senses and start supporting the Americans.

Yasser Arafat, RIP also.
There's so much conflict about his legacy, he was well-loved and idolised by most of his people but hated and detested by the Israelis, by the Americans and others who thought him corrupt, inefficient, and dishonest.
This article presents a different view from that commonly expressed in most news-media articles and reports, one that paints an ironic picture of Arafat's actions and their impact on his people.
We can only hope that the situation in the Palestinian territories don't flare out of control.

Afghanistan has largely been forgotten by (American) mainstream newsmedia but that doesn't mean that things there are good and just. This news feature from The Nation's website shows just how chaotic and oppressive conditions have remained like before. Warlords of different factions rule the countryside and the government in Kabul are not blameless themselves. Also the democractic elections that took place weren't exactly democratic as the feature mentions.

The coming elections in Iraq are not exactly democratic either, and Naomi Klein writes about how and why the US administration has gathered so much hatred, ill-will and mistrust from the Iraqis concerning the running of their country.

The battle in Fallujah is almost coming to an end with US forces gaining control of most of the city and inflicting huge losses on the Iraqi resistance. However there is nothing beneficial to the Iraqi people from this victory or occupation for that matter. There's certainly great suffering by the people of Fallujah that we may never be aware of and know, but is happening.

Fianlly, this article also from the Nation, is on Columbia, more specifically the mounting US-supported war on drugs and rebels, one which is the longest-running war in the western hemisphere and also the bloodiest. While both sides in this conflict, the leftist FARC guerillas and the government with their rightist paramilitary 'allies' have committed serious violence and atrocities in this war, the government is reputed to carry out human-rights violations like assasinations and imprisonments of government civil opponents.

Pat Tillman A real UnAmerican hero

-Pat Tillman, you were a brave, humble and strong man. You had such great fortitude and self belief,you seemed like you could do anything and succeed. You walked on to your college football squad, you won a starting position there, you graduated summa cum laude from college in three and a half years, you got drafted to the NFL, you did a marathon one off-season, another you did a triathlon, you started as a substitute and became a starter, you got a multimillion dollar contract and you joined the US Army and became a Ranger. You served well and in the end you made the ultimate sacrifice for your country. I admire you greatly.

Many of you might not know this person or even heard about him but he was a very special guy. He was a graduate of Arizona state who graduated with honors in marketing. He was a NFL football player for 4 years, a starter at safety for the Arizona Cardinals with a multi-million dollar paycheque.
Six months after the September 11 attacks levelled the WTC towers in New York, Pat Tillman went to his coach and told him he was leaving the team and quitting his job to join the Army. This he did without any fanfare or publicity and against the advice of his own agent, he and his brother, an aspiring minor league baseball player signed up for the Army and 'tried out' for the Rangers-argurably the toughest, roughest elite band in the Army.
They both made it and Pat Tillman did his first tour of duty in the Middle East before returning in December 2003 to visit his former coach and teammates for a game in Seattle, then slipping out a side door afterwards to avoid any reporters. In fact he never gave any interviews since it was announced he was joining the Army. He also made a pact with his family to stay silent about his service.

Pat Tillman was a guy who never seeked the limelight or glory, but he was blunt and determined, he always worked hard and dedicated himself. He was a guy who didn't own a cellphone and biked to team practices. He married his high school girlfriend right before joining the Army and he used to climb the light towers overlooking his school's stadium to reflect and think in solitude.
His attributes of humility, courage and hard work are qualities that everyone should strive for and attain. He lived a simple life, worked hard at his goals and succeeded without any fanfare, bravado or false humility.

I really admire him for 3 reasons, all of which make my title clearer, all which embody qualities which go against what society deems most important in America:

-he gave up a glamorous status, guaranteed job and rich contract as a NFL football starter for a stint in an elite fighting unit, undergoing extreme hardships and danger whilst earning little doing it (like all soldiers do).

-he lived a simple life without many of the luxuries we take for granted like cellphones and expensive cars. He never valued material things and wealth, especially when he turned down a more lucrative contract ($9 million for 5 years) with another team because of loyalty to his team that had drafted him

-Shunning the limelight and mass adulation, he turned down various offers for book and movie contracts about his life, especially during his visit back in 2003 after his first tour of duty.

Pat Tillman was not some crazy football player who relished the chance of killing some Middle Eastern 'infidels' nor was he some kind of patriotic flag-waver. He joined the Army maybe because of a sense of duty after the damage done on September 11, certainly not because he wanted to fight a war. He never used the word "patriotism" when explaining his reason to enlist, and he didn't like to talk about it. He cited his great-grandfather serving in World War 2 and other family who served in wars and compared himself to them saying, "And I haven't really done a damn thing as far as laying myself on the line like that."

Pat Tillman died at age 27 in Afghanistan this April after being hit by friendly fire while on patrol in a hostile area.

His death was no worse than any other combatant who gave his or her life, his patriotism and service was no less or more heroic than any other soldier, but his spirit and life stands as a true inspiration and in great contrast to the negative values that are so prevalent in society.

Well, the final push into Fallujah to reclaim the city and cleanse it of all those resistance "fundamentalists/rebels" is going on with mounting casualty tolls and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Those poor civilians will suffer the most, especially from the American artillery and air-strikes against military and civilian targets. The American military have commited so many war crimes in Iraq, and more will be done in Fallujah, including the bombing of a hospital, (see previous posting).

It's old news by now that George W. Bush will be the president for another 4 years, for sure there'll be a lot of soul-searching and bitter infighting among the Democratic party faithful over what went wrong and who'll step up to lead them. It's sad that Bush has a lot of supporters and got many votes because of his 'morals' and 'faith', which haven't done any good to the people of Iraq, American soldiers and many thousands of working class Americans. It's obvious that Bush has used or exploited his 'faith' to justify his actions in invading Iraq and sell the occupation and fighting to many Americans, who believe in him and that he's their best protector against terrorism.

This is a fine speech by Arundhati Roy, the famous female Indian author and human-rights activist (though she claims she's not). She made this speech on accepting the Sydney Peace prize, on the danger to justice in the world.
She goes into great detail and clarity on the injustices carried out in Iraq. The corruption, the killings, the flagrant violation of international law in invading a country with false reasons,
the suing for millions by American corporations over 'lost profits' because of the 1991 Gulf War, the tragic effects of the economic sanctions against Iraq in the 90s. This list goes on and on, and shows how much injustice exists today and gives you an idea of why so much hatred exists against the Americans over there.

Right after their presidential election, US forces have launched their campaign to capture Fallujah,a Sunni town that has remained in Iraqi resistance hands since April this year.
There will be tough fighting and terrible casualties on both sides but the worse thing will be the plight of many civilians who will lose their possesions, their homes and their lives.
With their callous disregard for civilian lives and safety, the Americans will use overwhelming force including artillery and airstrikes to destroy selected targets which includes civilian homes and infrastructure including hospitals.

The Ivory Coast in West Africa is undergoing serious fighting as government troops push on rebel-held positions. French peacekeeper troops have been attacked by government forces and fought back, allegedly killing some civilians.
This former French colony and economic pride of West Africa has deteriorated greatly during the 90s up to now, with civil war breaking out in 2002. There is a lot of poverty and economical decline in this country as with many of its neighbours.

It's still taking time to sink in but GWBush won again. This time in a fair and outright way, winning both the electoral and the popular vote.
Or did he??
Check this article by the Greg Palast, author of The best democracy money can buy and the feature on the illegal and deceitful way how Bush won Florida back in 2000. What he writes is definitely worth considering.
There's also the twin issues of malfunctioning or inaccurate (or rigged) vote results with electronic machines which seemed to favor GWBush and the discrepancy between exit polls (polls taken of voters after voting on who they voted for) and actual results.

However it can't be overlooked that John Kerry was not the ideal leader candidate, and that his party and platform were weak in many ways, including in Ohio. If Bush's victory is a legitimate one, then the Democratic party of the US must be prepared to stand up more(as well as all Americans who don't support Bush) and adopt a better strategy and attitude towards its people.

Today's the eve of the US presidential elections, and many hope,including me,the eve of GWBush's term as president (not exactly as the incumbent remains president until inauguration of the new president in December or January).
These last few years have brought nothing but lies, deceits, trickery and oppression from the American (GWB) administration. Nothing illustrates this more than the Iraq war and occupation but along the way there's been countless examples and incidents revealing the guile and injustice perpetuated by GWBush and his administration. See Fahrenheit 911, remember VP Cheney telling a senator IN the senate chamber to "Go FUCK yourself!", read about the awarding of contracts without any bidding to Halliburton and the other shady business deals that went on, read about the growing deficit of the US, the continuous support to big business corporations, the Weapons of Mass Destruction accusation bullshit which even had them threatening Iran for a while and the branding of anyone who asks tough questions to or criticises the administration as being UNPATRIOTIC, traitorous and hating their country(US).
We mustn't forget Iraq, which many people instead of asking how just are the US in running the country, are being caught up in their prejudices of the 'barbaric and uncivilised' Muslims/Arabs/Iraqis, which is something that's promoted by the US administration who refer to all and any Iraqi fighters as terrorists or extremist.
Through all the news reports of violence and death especially to American and allied personnel and western workers, we hardly hear about the total death toll that's resulted from US military actions. This article, written by a former UN arms inspector in Iraq, claims that there's been over 100,000 Iraqi deaths since the US occupation. It first appeared in the
Guardian newspaper of UK.

Some people favor Bush because of his policies which ring true to Christians such as being against legal abortion, homosexual marriages while John Kerry and his Deomocrats support the opposite of these measures. This is true. Christians don't think this is right, neither do I.
However the big question is whether as Christians, is it more important to oppose homosexuality or the killing and exploitation of countless thousands and millions in foreign lands??

It's amazing to read about how Iraq (post-Saddam Iraq) is now paying out retributions for its military aggression under Saddam. Sorry, it's amazing that a large amount of these reparations are being payed to Corporations, for "lost profits" or "decline in business".
This is the kind of exploitation going on around the world and under our noses.
Jubilee Iraq is an organisation that seeks to prevent the payment of massive debts by Iraq against foreign nations by invoking debt forgiveness from the creditor nations.

It's been a barren time in this space for the past few weeks. School, disillusionment and laziness have all combined to postpone my postings and linkings for a while now.

It's really something to read about what happened in a downtown university here , with a miscreant putting up hate-filled postings around campus, with racist messages and death threats against both Jews and Muslims. Apparently this guy is trying to provoke some big fight or conflict between those groups and it's good that he was caught. Why would he do something like this? Out of pure spite or malice maybe, but it seems like maybe there's something more. This is ignorance of the extreme degree and I'm glad he got caught.

In other worldly news, fighting rages on in Iraq, especially in Fallujah this past week where US forces are mounting a heavy campaign to crush local resistance and regain control of the city. Fallujah was where the bodies of 4 American military 'contractors' were mutilated this April and led to heavy fighting and then a virtual siege by US Marines and Iraqi government troops until eventually ceding the city to local resistance forces.
Also British forces are being asked to be sent near troubled areas to assist the US military in holding control. There are lots of oppostition to this move as it suggests that the Americans, to use a cliche,having bitten off more than they can chew,now need outside assistance to reach their own goals of winning their blatant and unjust war on the Iraqis.

There's lots of other news/ injustice happening around us but that's it for right now.

The US presidential election is coming up soon, November 5, and there are frantic efforts to get Democratic candidate,J.Kerry elected so that finally we can all be rid of GWBush, his corporate- (see Dick Cheney and Halliburton) administration and including those sinister neo-conservatives.
It's a good idea, for a lot of people, the get-Bush-out-at-all costs, the Kerry is so great mentality in spite of the fact there's little difference between his views and that of GWBush on America's foreign policies (which were the main reason people Bush hate Bush so much). I believe that people need to be careful, that they don't place so much hope and trust on Kerry and his policies. There are some good points made here about whether there would be any real changes to US foreign policy with Kerry on williambowles.info.
From the same author, this is another article on his own site which seems quite interesting with frequent articles on world injustice and politics. This article talks about the injustice that happens everywhere yet there are only a few that the US and western world intervene in. The thing is, are their intentions really magnaminous or is there a deeper and darker purpose? Read it and see. Power, greed and deceit all cut deep and everytime, it's the poor and disadvantaged (3rd world) who suffer the worst.

From Russian media sevice Pravda, a good summary of the history of the conflict and turmoil in the Middle East and Iran and Iraq. We often wonder why there's so much violence in that area, and consequently we develop a great sense of wonder, shock and derision towards those Arabs/muslims who're always fighting and making trouble, especially in Palestine. Yet do we know of the roles that the western countries have played in starting and stirring those conflicts and hatreds? Do we know of the oppressions and manipulation that have been carried out on those nations and people by the western world?

An article from the International Herald Tribune on the conflict situation in Iraq, which describes how numerous the attacks against the US have become.
A touching mosaic of faces of all US servicemen who gave up their lives so far in Iraq, forming the face of GWBush.
This South African article was written after the week of 911, and it really rings true, the contents in it, of how alliances were formed without any clear ideas who the real enemies were.

It's almost the end of September 2004, and things in Iraq are still heating up, and there's no reliable signs of valid improvement there. The US death toll has surpassed 1,000 and God knows how many thousands/tens of thousands Iraqis have died since.
From the Nation's website , here's the Top 10 reasons for why the US should get out of Iraq though I think it should be the Top 10 reasons why the US were unjust, exploitative and criminal in invading Iraq.

I'm looking at my first posting on this blog, way back from last year, and I realised back then I actually supported GWBush's view on evil in this world. I mean I disagreed with the methods the US used to wage war, but I was in support of his reason for waging war. I was naive back then, and didn't have much knowledge of global politics and events especially the US. Also I didn't have any exposure to alternative/ non-mainstream media and information so I relied a lot on mainstream media for my international knowledge. I was naive, and it's really hard to know that there are so many people out there who still think the way I did. So many people who support GWBush and his administration/government and their policies in spite of all the injustices, crimes, anger and evidence to back these up, that's occured because of Bush and his administration.

Been quite preoccupied these past weeks so couldn't blog regularly. Tonight's posting links to articles on accusations and provocations against Iran by Israel,
and a webpage on the massacre that occured at the Sabra and Shantila refugee camps in Lebanon in the 80s.
The final link is to an article on the public scorn and scandal , such as being branded as unpatriotic, meted out to American journalists, specifically Dan Rather, who dare to ask the tough questions about their government and its policies and actions. This article on Zmag, is written by Greg Palast, who in my opinion is one of the best investigative journalists around, based on reading his best-seller: The best democracy money can buy.

So after the tragic loss of life in the Beslan school hostage-taking, Russia is planning to turn up their fight on terrorism and fundamentalism, taking a page from the recent US war policies of these past few years and threatening to carry the fight anywhere. Also Russia is apparently turning for advice and support from Israel, itself a victim of 'fundamentalism'.

This is a nice brief summary of the failings of the US' policies and actions and why there's so much hatred and anger against the West in the middle east.

There's a main point to be derived from all these article referrals above,
these 3 countries have all been horrendously afflicted by terrorism and their first and main solution is to attack and destroy these 'terrorists' to stop the terrorism.
They are all deluding themselves, the only way to stop this terrorism is to stop their own terorism/ oppression, whether against the Palestinians, against the Chechens, and for the US,against so many people.
Violence only begats more violence.

These are just some thoughts I have on the perspectives that North american people have on foreign countries, specifically those that are Islamic,African and even Asian. These perspectives are sometimes really prejudiced, like when people automatically associate Islam with terrorism after 9/11, and when people think Africa consists of hopeless savage people who're incapable of . In all this, do people ever think carefully about the other side, about why so much hatred exists towards America from a lot of the international community? No, and I'm not blaming ordinary people themselves, I think the mainstream media has a lot to do with enforcing our rather negative and patronising opinions of those foriegn, troubled countries.
If I was an American
What I think on our cocoon of our comfortable society
Living in North America and being middle class, people really enjoy/get accustomed to a relatively comfortable life. Having a nice,big,air-conditioned house or apartment to live in, driving a car, being able to get loans freely, having a tv in each room of the 5 bedroom house, a car for each person, spending freely on clothes,food and electronics,DVDs with multiple easily-obtainable credit cards,watching the latest reality tv-shows, and listening to similar, formulaic pop music. All this may be wonderful and even I've benefited from a few of these amenities but at the same time do you ever think life may be too (perfect), too scripted, that life is defined by a set of rules and formulas that once broken makes one an outcast or weirdo?
We live our lives convinced that ours is the best life, and that our culture is the best. Everything we learn and pick-up drums into us that our way of life is superior, is the God-given righteous way. From school where we're taught about democracy, patriotism, honour, tolerance, about who won WW2 and who the evil enemies were, about the hard-fought ideals our nation stands for,about the great British empire and the primitive, ignorant, backwards nations and kingdoms it helped modernise as if invading, conquering and exploiting a people is a favor to these people.
The media, or should I say mainstream media, that we obtain news and information and facts from, that's supposed to educate/inform us on events and states of affairs around us, gives us content that creates a biased view of the world, a view that says we (the Western world) are much more civilised than the rest of the world, that we have a superior society, where peace and justice and democracy and human rights and respect reigns, that everywhere in the world we intervene we are doing good things, bringing our democracy and justice and equality to those less privileged, and that when locals get angry and attack, it is only because they don't want and can't accept what's good for them, that they prefer tyranny, fundamentalism and their primitive ways. All of this was sadly exposed during our reasons for and subsequent invasion of Iraq, with all the bold assertions of hidden weapons of mass-destruction, collusion with al-Qaeda, giving the Iraqi people our kind of freedom and democracy that they and the rest of the Arab world lack but really need, confirming the hollow ignorance, narrow-mindedness and stupid prejudices of our feelings towards foreigners.
And the sad thing is, this succeeds, all this one-sided media coverage and succeeds in making us feel superior towards others, feel pity for those who don't live our lifestyle, causes us to want to help others live our lives, (and if our names happen to be D. Rumsfeld or GW Bush or D. Cheney) causes us to want to enforce our 'standards' and 'democracy' on them.
The mainstream (large,corporate media organisations) media easily dominates public attention, with many people turning to CNN and FOX and reading the NYTimes and Time for their regular news.
Many alternative media do exist, with the Internet being the best source of it with independant media sites like Zmag, and personal blogs that link to a wide range of relevant news and articles. A growing number of people are turning to these alternative sources of information and hopefully soon the alternative/independant media will be seen by general public to be as dependable and accurate/reliable if not more than mainstream media [is considered]. In addition foreign media like BBC (which is mainstream but considered more unbiased than American media) and Al-jazeera are also good sources of news and can offer a more worldly perspective and view on events that local pro-american ones can't.

A brief posting tonight, a reference to an article from the Guardian newspaper of England, on the reason given by Chechen militants for their hostage-taking in Beslan. Read the article and see why the Chechens have so much hate and malice for Russians, to the point of deliberately harming schoolchildren.
Then if you want more news and background info on this vicious conflict between Chechyna and Russia that has largely gone unnoticed by the West, check out this section on the Guardian's website.

A new site I recently found that offers good news articles and opinions from the "left" point of view. Green Left weekly, of Australia.
This is something from the site about the present situation in Darfur, Sudan.

These 2 previous posts on Chechyna and Africa were written by me during last year-2003. A little of the information on Africa might be outdated but not because things have gotten better. Indeed things have gotten worse especially with the crisis in Darfur,Sudan, the continued plunder and killings in Congo, and the hostage taking and suicide bombings perpetrated in Russia by Chechyen rebels/'freedom fighters'.

It's really sad to hear of the school hostage-taking by Chechynen fighters and the outcome in which untold hundreds of innocent people and hostage-takers died.Even now the exact circumstances are unclear but I'm sure that the public will strongly regard those Chechynens as evil, sadistic monsters and the Russians as innocent victims of these 'terrorists'. People should be aware of the untold and many tragedies that the Russian military has done in Chechyna in the years since the mid-90s. Then they'll know there are no clear sides of good and evil.No good guys and bad guys.

Africa is a great continent filled with a wide range of countries, peoples and cultures. However sadly, it is also filled with countless tragedies-wars,conflicts,poverty,disease,famine.Though sometimes these events make it onto the news and public awareness,Many times they do not. As a result most people in general regard all the sufferings in Africa as just one big faceless problem.
But really the sufferings in Africa count among the worst in modern history and it is crucial that in these times of technological achievements and social prosperity the general public should be aware of this fact,of the details and the extent.

Western Africa:Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia
Brutal civil wars have been fought in both Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast, with Liberian involvement each time.Many people have died and others have been mutilated,tortured and raped and all sides have commited these terrible crimes. In Sierra Leone, government forces battled the rebels until a peace settlement was forged in 2002 partially due to armed intervention by British soldiers.2003 was certainly not better in Ivory coast which saw a civil war raging on until French armed intervention saw a ceasefire being brokered. This started from a failed coup attempt September 2002 by disgruntled troops which then escalated to a full-scale rebellion due in large part to alleged discrimination felt by northern Muslim people from the government. Liberian troops had gone into the Ivory coast to fight on the side of the rebels though Ivorian troops have joined with French troops to push out these Liberians.In Liberia whose leader,US-educated Charles Taylor has funded and sent forces into Sierra Leone to support the rebels and worsen the conflict to rake in profits from diamond resources in that country, there is another civil war going on which involves several rebel factions.

Central Africa:Democratic Republic of Congo(formerly known as Zaire)
A terrible war has been going on in this impoverished nation which started as a civil war and erupted into full-scale warfare involving several nations including Angola,Rwanda,Uganda and Zimbabwe.The death toll from this catastrophic is at least 3 million.That's right-I'm not mistaken. At least three times the amount of people killed in Rwandan civil war in 1994 and certainly much more than the casualties in Iraq,Kosovo or the Middle East. This war was started in part from the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide 1994 when Hutus in Rwanda after their horrific mass murder of over 500,000 Tutsis fled into Congo where many of their kinsmen live and found sanctuary under the Congo's then leader/dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Looking for revenge and to bring the murderers 'to justice', the Tutsi-controlled army of Rwanda crossed into Congo in 1998 and attacked the Hutu militia refugees-the genocidaires. In addition, Rwanda helped engineer a rebellion to topple Mobutu Sese and installed another as leader Laurent Kabila who was friendly to the Rwandans. However, Kabila instead rearmed the Hutu genocidaires so the Rwandans tried to start another coup to topple Kabila. Other African nations got involved, Uganda and Burundi aided the Rwandans in this attempted uprising against Kabila, but friendly nations,most prominent Angola and Zimbabwe intervened to help save Kabila from the fate of Mobutu Sese. In 2003, most of the nations involved have pulled out or have stopped fighting each other. They have all exacted a terrible toll on Congo with their fighting and plundering.the difference now is that instead of full-scale warfare there are now numerous bands of militias and thugs most armed by different countries such as Uganda and Rwanda, and they roam across large parts of Congo such as the eastern countryside creating an atmosphere of unlawlessness,pillage and exploitation. Essentially most of those nations that invaded became less interested in fighting each other and more active in pillaging the local peoples and plundering their resources. Recently in May there were reports of massacres in Northeastern Congo by rival tribal militias-Hema and Lendu whilst UN troops were helpless to stop the carnage. Thousands of people were killed in fighting and massacres and the international community was finally forced to look at this terrible conflict and intervene with French soldiers forming the brunt of an international force. However certainly for the last few years the international community including the Western media,developed nations and government leaders has hardly done anything to stop or expose this violence. It is laudable that the UN and France have sent peacekeepers and troops into Congo but as judged by the death and destruction it is far too late for the millions killed and violated.

Chechnya

This small,mainly Muslim nation has been subject to many inhumane,oppressive and bloody actions stretching back from forced relocation of Chechynens to Kazakhstan by Josef Stalin after WorldWar II.In the early nineties during the collapse of the USSR,a separatist movement announced Chechnya's breakaway from Russia to become an independent country. Then in 1994 Russian leader,Boris Yeltsin launched an armed campaign against Chechnya to crush its independent movement which led to a bitter 2 year guerilla war and a humiliating loss and pull-out by the Russian army.A tentative cease-fire was agreed upon then.
However in 1999,Russia again invaded Chechyna in greater strength after Chechnyan forces invaded a neighboring republic Dagestan.
This led to a protracted campaign in which Russian forces took the capital Grozny and most of the country but in the process destroying most of Grozny and the country,forcing thousands out of their homes whilst carrying on a police-state rule over the Chechynans.Lots of alleged abuses have been commited by both sides though including kidnapping,torture,rape and murders.
Chechnyan fighters have been caught in Afghanistan fighting for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and this is one instance of how oppression and suffering has caused people to turn to extremists for direction and aid.
Recently in April 2003,American President Bush proclaimed in a speech that terror was on a decline but the sad truth is that once people are oppressed,suffering and desperate they will turn to anything to be able to express their rage and frustrations and religious fundamentalism is one of the most effective outlets. Only if the conditions that cause these situations are eradicated then can terrorism be "eliminated".
Info on Chechnyan War

I took off some links from the side. I'm sorry to those people as it is improper to put personal site-links of friends on this 'news' blog. From now on, this blog will be all business.

About a month ago, I saw a relative from the US. Nice person,from Texas, and going to the largest university there. It was a decent time, and it was just like any previous meeting, except this time, I happened to bring up politics. That was when I received a shocking insight into Americans and how chilling their ignorance is.
I had mentioned I read Newsweek and that it's good it's considered liberal (as opposed to conservative) when she asked me if I supported the Democrats (supposedly the liberal American party). I said I did, then quickly corrected myself - I'm not a Democrat supporter (I'm actually anti-American), I just prefer the side that's not led by Bush.
My relative was herself stunned by my replies to her question, and she asked why. Well, obviously because his administration has done many terrible things around the world. I gave her Iraq as an example, and she was surprised and indignant. Her responses, that Iraq was involved in the 911 bombings, that Saddam confessed to them, and then her statement that Fox is the most fair (balanced) news shocked me into a slight mental numbness. I did manage to question her about when did Saddam actually confess to bombing the World Trade towers, and say that a lot of people around the world and media know that Bush was wrong, that it's a widely-accepted view.
She defended Bush by saying he's a christian while Kerry was in his second marriage, and that they were stout GOP (Republican) supporters down there.
We ended up talking about other things, and there was no anger or bitterness arising from our political conversation, but it was something that affected me.
So what was so shocking about all this? The fact that my relative is oriental, intelligent, well-educated and decent, yet absolutely believes in Bush and his lies and manipulations. Can you imagine what those 'rednecks' or common folks especially Texans think about Bush? They must really worship him and believe completely in his every word and statements. How terrible is it when folks in the most powerful nation on earth continue to believe in the exploitative and deceitful and harmful (for lack of a better word) actions of their president and government out of blind loyalty despite all the evidence available, all the hatred and loathing by nations of the US all over the world, all the warfare and inequality that exists in large part to US intervention and interference (Haiti, Venezuela,Liberia-1980s, Chile-1970s,Ethiopia-1980s,Iraq, ......).

Soon the US elections will be held and we'll all hold our breaths to see if Bush will be re-elected or if a new but simlar kind of leader is elected. For now, it's obvious there's a media bias towards the ruling party in America from the lack or scarcity of serious coverage of the huge protests in NY against Bush and his party who're having their convention now. Check this link to see a story on the protestors and their passionate outrage and protests against Bush and his local and international policies.

These last few weeks, there's been some allegations of secret nuclear weapons programs in Iran from the Europeans-French and Germans, and the US. In addition, even Iraq, under its caretaker government had threatened Iran because of concerns over political interference in local matters. I certainly hope that this isn't the precursor of moves to create political and social upheaval or worse in Iran. I mean, the US already messed up in Iraq and certainly they've learned their lesson. Right? Or not. Let's hope for the best.

Iraq -
the fighting that continues on there is really serious especially in Najaf, yet the mainstream news outlets don't seem to be taking much notice. I never see any substantial footage or feature on the fighting on CNN or CBC these days or weeks actually. However there are heavy casualties on the Iraqi side especially Shiite cleric al-Sadr's militia and for the Americans, the number of dead servicemen/women keeps inching up. Still even the reporting of american casualties by western media may not be fully reliable as this story says.

Here's a transcript of a speech made last year by renowned Indian author and social-rights activist Arundhati Roy, on the invasion of Iraq by America. Very passionate and honest words.

Palestine/ Palestinian territories -
while a lot of the world's attention is focused on the Olympics, the troubles in this nearby region continue with officials of the UN strongly criticising the treatment of Palestinians under the Israeli regime. With these terribly unjust conditions that Palestinians live under, it's no wonder hatred and bitterness festers and grows in Palestinian youth.

An interesting discussion on the circumstances surrounding American Nick Berg's execution on video by supposed fundamentalists in Iraq. This deals with the American government's use of manipulations of half-truths and unsound facts to convince the public of the legitimacy of their war/occupation of Iraq.

The fighting in Iraq intensifies, day by day, month by month, inspite of the handover of power to Iraqis back in June, with the hatred and bitterness against America continuing and growing without any near solution.
In the holy city of Najaf, where prophet Muhammad's son-in-law was buried, US forces still attempt furious assaults on Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's militia's positions which hold on desperately. In other cities, fighting between the US and al-Sadr's militia rage on.
Though public opinion is with al-Sadr and his forces, both sides have done wrong in my opinion, and it just goes to show how prevalent evil is in, how it spreads and corrupts, no matter which side.

In another part of the world though same continent, Nepal, a bitter civil war continues as Maoist- rebel forces blockade the capital Kathmandu. Both sides- government and rebels, have been accused of atrocities. This is sadly the case in many wars and conflicts.

Africa

a continent with so much tragedy, so much evil, many think of as doomed and hopeless,some wonder why they should even bother thinking on this issue. Some don't even think about this issue at all. But how many of them realise the West or developed world is as much to blame as the locals for the tragedies that enfold this continent?

For hundreds of years, black Africans were enslaved, shipped and sold like commoditites to whites, not to mention that over the last few centuries, almost all of Africa was colonised by Europeans.
Why blame the former masters when African countries are now independent and run their own destiny? The fact is that a large part of the structure of many (especially African) countries is based on their former masters' influence, control and practices.
For example: Hong Kong had been occupied by England for just a hundred years and a large part of its (civil structure) culture and society is based on British customs and practises like government, law, business and education.

How then can the developed world not take major blame and responsibility for Africa? A large (part) of the terror and unrest in Africa, from Liberia to Congo to Zimbabwe is a result of Western policies during their rule, most notably that of 'tribal favoritism'.
Africa has been occupied for hundreds of years up to the middle of the last century by the English, Portuguese, French, Belgian, Italians, Spanish and Dutch, all of whom in one way or another carried out great injustices and oppressions on native Africans.
The number of African countries that were NOT ever occupied or ruled by Europeans can be counted on one hand.
Basically Africa served as a treasure chest for Europeans, with its peoples, natural resources, wildlife, land all subjugated, looted and taken over, in the process killing off large numbers of Africans, destroying tribal cultures (ways of life), and imposing their own systems including exacerbating and encouraging ethnic animosity ( as in the founding of Liberia, where returning slaves from America became the elite of the new country, lording it over original inhabitants acting same as the masters who they were freed from).

Here's a few sources of good information on the tragedies in Africa:
-this is a website of an individual freelance journalist who's done a lot of work on troubled areas.

-Zmag has a comprehensive section on African affairs and news , scroll down to near the bottom on the articles under "Africa and the world" to find out more on the relationship between Africa and the western world

Tonight's posting is a brief one, there's always a lot of war and terror going on around the world, and this Newsweek article is from a Russian journalist on the tragedy in Chechnya in which young people are driven by anger, bitterness and vengeance for lost loved ones to perform suicide bombings against their Russian occupiers. This ongoing occupation in Chechnya, a 'country' near Georgia, has lasted since the late 90s, and resulted in most of this country devastated by warfare and its peoples living in constant discrimination and fear.
This newsletter is just one of several found on http://www.williambowles.info
which contain letters, interviews, news and accounts of the events in Iraq from American soldiers' perspectives, none of which is optimistic. It's quite long, 24 pages on PDF, but worth the read.

These past few days have been kind of hard, and sobering but also a real shock to me. I may write on this last experience later.
For now, I've been reading the writings of Naomi Klein on her site -nologo.org. These articles on the globalisation movement that I've recently read are actually written a few years back-2000 the supposed turn of the milennium, and among the oldest in her site's archive. However the information is still relevant as the conditions in the world haven't improved at all but only worsened, regarding globalisation, the continued domination and exploitation of poor countriesby large corporations.
The selected articles are: the growing resistance from different groups and reasons for their strong anger against the WTO, the IMF and the global capitalism they seek to spread, the resistance against the WorldBank and IMF in Prague and the (valid) reasons why ex-communist subjects would feel so much anger against the introduction of free-market capitalism and supposed prosperity,
why the UN is unable to really help in dealing with human-rights, the environment and workers in the world because of its growing involvement with those same corporations that are themselves the cause so much of this injustice,
a case where a supposed good use of genetically-modified crop actually covers up for the exploitation of poor farmers and peasants,
On a local note, this concerns the activists involved in the riot that broke out between homeless protestors and police outside of Queen's Park in 2000, and about the way that OCAP (Ontario Coalition against Poverty) operates and the challenges involved , by considering homeless not as helpness or mere statistics, but actual individuals fully capable of speech and thought.
Naomi Klein is a fine writer and social activist, and wrote for the Globe and Mail (which most of these articles first appeared).
With more like her, people in society might actually become fully aware of how unjust western society is (not for most of those living in it, but for the rest of the world).

Anyhow, moving on to the World Social Forum,a massive meeting involving workshops, lectures and seminars by a diverse range of NGOs and groups and movements on women's rights, anti-corporate, environmental, worker-rights and poor people, which was held early this year January 16-21 in India, here is a critique of the event , with a description of what went on and how the forum can improve on.
Finally, a posting on the blog of noted intellectual, Noam Choamsky on the vast social differences existing in India, especially between the high-tech centers and the surrounding countrysides.

I'm linking to an article from my homecountry's media, on the circumstances in which the US has made so much of a big issue on the terrible events in Darfur,Sudan whilst ignoring similar, if not worst cases in neighboring countries like Somalia and Congo (formely known as Zaire).
Though Trinidad is a small country, the media there is quite good, they're always critical of the government and of any important issues, and there are many talented columnists of which this one is one.

Tonight's links are to articles dealing with Iraq and the Darfur crisis in Sudan.
Firstly the crisis in Sudan is ongoing with hundreds of thousands of refugees still in refugee camps fearing for their lives and in danger of suffering outbreaks of malaria and other diseases in the cramped, squalid conditions. The Sudanese government (which is strongly believed to have causes this crisis indirectly through military and logistical support of the militias hunting the Darfurians as well as causing the root of the conflict which has been going on for years now) is still making unclear and (mostly) untrue statements on resolving this conflict. The article can be read here and it provides detailed description of the history and culture surrounding the Darfur conflict/ insurrection.
These articles, one and two provide some clearer insight into why there is so much hatred by Iraqis (especially the resistance fighters/militants/terrorists) against the US.

Well, carbombs go off, conflicts continue, commercialisation of life goes on and expands, innocent people get killed off, and life goes on. The only thing is, what kind of life will exist later on, whether 10 years,20 years or even 5 years from now.

Tonight's article link is a document drafted by a Christian organisation working in Iraq, that asks where exactly and how are billions of US dollars in aid used in Iraq and details why they have become suspicious that the money has, to put it mildly, not been used for what it is intended.
Also http://www.williambowles.info/ has a 'frontpage' article on its main page about the war/conflicts/unrest in Sudan which goes into the country's history and asks why in these past (at least) 20 years has there been interest or concern generated by international mainstream media outlets while now it's almost the main international topic of the day. The author goes on to voice his concerns over the role of oil in the West's (US, England and co.) 'sudden' (I include opportunistic) concern and sympathy for Sudan. (The frontpage has changed now and the article's link is now: http://www.williambowles.info/africa/sudan_gowans.html)
Yes, I know there is a genuine crisis going on in western Sudan-Darfur involving the hunger, homelessness, terrorising and violence afflicting those due to attacks by government supported militia. However, a war has been going on in the south for 2 decades now, and though a ceasefire was recently signed, hundreds of thousands of lives have already been destroyed and even the conflicts in Darfur have been going on for almost several years now.
We still need to wait to see if there are any tangible results from the current posturing and warnings from foreign leaders towards Sudan's government about Darfur, and certainly the peace in the South must last before people get too optimistic.

  Our bible study last week was on 'social justice' and the book was Amos. Among the injustices described during that time and place, were oppression of the weak, continual prosperity of the rich whilst the poor were suffering, and the vibrant festivities to God but the lack of application in regular life. Why do I focus so much on the US, on GWBush's & company (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, plus corporate connections-Halliburton, Carlyle group, the now defunct-Enron) blunders or manipulations, and problems and events that happen in distant lands-Africa, Iraq?
  There is so much injustice around us, so much around the world, there are wars, famines, poverty, crime, corruption and greed. Yet the biggest injustice of all, is the inequality that exists between the haves and the have-nots,the rich and the poor, the Canadas and the Ugandas.And the worst thing, is that it's continuing and spreading, with the inequality gap in incomes,assets, possessions, and influence.  

  A lot of the injustice in existence derives from corporate influence and quest for profit. As such, a lot of this is controlled by the WorldBank, ILO and WTO. Then, the most powerful nations are all influenced by corporate influence. The reason why these giant corporations are to be feared and need to brought to public awareness is the unseen but immense power they wield with their corporate interests and goals, their manipulation of people via advertising, sponsoring, and (by influencing their lives and stroking their greed which allows for consumption of more and more products), their huge stocks of cash, assets, land and other forms of wealth, and lobbyists that all work to influence and control political policies, decisions, and actions all for their good, not regular people. The scary thing is that politicians are like pawns to these corporations and no matter who is in power, corporations heavily influence, corporations heavily influence them and thingscan only get worse.
  This is why international bodies- the WorldBank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation are all so reviled and distrusted by many, especially in poor,developing countries.
   Journalist Greg Palast (author of "The best democracy money can buy") is one who doesn't fear searching and revealing the truth. His book and articles provide detailed and information on the shady practices of the WTO, IMF and WorldBank, the Bush administration, large corporations including oil giants, Wal-mart and the now-defunct Enron.  Here's a few of his articles- this one reveals 2 situations (Ecuador and Tanzania) where IMF policies have done harm to the common people (which they were supposed to help).  This one details how the IMF  helped cause the fatal plunge of Argentina's economy in 2000 and 2001.
And this talks about the secret agenda of the WTO in implementing trade agreements that would weaken state rights over a country's resources and affairs like environmental standards, consumer laws and government regulation so allowing foreign corporations to have more freedom without much restraint and safeguards in their operations.

Many times, international events are (closely) connected to our lives,
and the terror on September 11 was one such. What happened in mainly Middle Eastern and Arabian countries in which crowds of people seemed to celebrate and rejoice over the WTC bombings sent shock, anger and amazement through many in America, and the Western hemisphere. Who were these foolish people to show joy at America's tragedy?
Certainly the first thing that comes to our minds about the Palestinians are
suicide-bombers or crowds of foolish,maddened trouble-makers always rioting and throwing stones. (Then Yassir Arafat, PLO, Hamas etc.) The fact is, with all these news of violence and turbulence in Israel and Palestine, many have come to equate Palestinians as terrorists and fundamentalists and Israelis as normal, innocent God-fearing people who're always the victims of Palestinian terrorist attacks.
The truth could not be more distorted and obscured. Modern circumstances show otherwise. History shows otherwise. How many of us know about Sabra and Shantila (1982 Lebanon -see Ariel Sharon's role in this) and Jenin (2002 the West Bank)-refugee camps where the Israeli military or Israeli-supported militia killed/ or masacred over a thousand Palestinians including women, children and old people (surely most of them were terrorists right and deserved their deaths, right?) ,or about the thousands of Palestinians forced out of their homes and towns to make way for the creation of the Israeli state?
And what about current circumstances, with the Palestinians living under a form of police-state with jobs, security, water and land, all controlled by Israel and its potent American-supplied military. And then, even in their own territory, they are not safe as they never know when Israeli tanks and bulldozers will come crashing through their schools, offices and homes, destroying their infrastructure and their possessions or when Israeli planes and helicopter gunships will rain some rockets onto their heads. These have occurred many times and each time, these inhumane attacks are passed off by the Israelis as standard raids to apprehend Palestinian suspects or militants.
September 11 was devastating, it was horrendous. And months later, the mighty US went on a 'crusade against evil', invading Afghanistan and toppling the ruling Taliban government, then more than a year later, went on the offensive again in Iraq, rolling into the capital Baghdad, toppling Saddam and his Baathist regime from power, and in the meantime, killing and wounding thousands of innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq. In the ensuing occupation of Iraq, thousands more civilians have been killed and wounded too.
The Palestinians having been subjugated and oppressed for decades are only guilty of doing what the US (or any other nation would do) did after suffering a large-scale attack. While the US have their cruise missiles, aircraft carriers and combat fleets, F/A-18 and F-15 attack fighters, special forces, heavy tanks and infantry divisions (and the world's largest military budget), the Palestinians only have their small and hand-held arms, their improvisational
bombs, stones and their own bodies (suicide bombers) plus their desperation and anger to strike back at their oppressors.
Of course, Palestinians were celebrating the WTC destruction and families of suicide-bombers were supported financially by Saddam Hussein himself. But then, their Israeli 'masters' are supported by the US financially and technologically, with most of their military equipment, technology and planes provided from the US.
This doesn't excuse the tactics of the suicide-bombers and those who dress their babies up as soldiers with guns and explosives but next time you hear of a Palestinian attack in Israel or see Palestinians using hit and run tactics against Israeli soldiers, remember the immense amount of oppression and terror these same Israelis have inflicted upon Palestinians. Think of entire generations of
Palestinians these past 3 decades who have grown up knowing only pain, frustration, bitterness and hopelesssness. Then think about if you were in their shoes and lived their life. What terrible feelings would run through your head? Then understand why these people did not display any sympathy for the 911 WTC attacks.

This glaring example of double-standards and hypocrisy provides a reason why hatred of America runs deep through many countries and people in the world ( and not just the middle east- check the huge anti-American protests in South Korea against the presence of american troops and against Korean troop involvement in Iraq eg.).
The sad thing is that regular american civilians- businessmen, teachers, students, scientist, officeworkers, housewives, factory workers, don't have an idea (or not a clear one) of their government's (not just current but previous ones) manipulative and divisive foreign policies, activites and roles and its consequent ill-effects- war, dictatorships, poverty, inequality, even religious fundamentalism (like the mujahadeen muslim fighters including OB-L, in Afghanistan fighting the Soviets) . So many buy into GWB's assertion that terrorists struck at us (America) because 'they' hate 'our freedoms' and democracy.

Can this be the freedom to exploit other nation's resources and support corrupt and brutal dictators (Saddam in the 80s, Pinochet in the 70s) and regimes when circumstances are profitable or suitable?? And freedom to interfere/intervene in countries by (or trying to) instigating revolt (Venezuela 2001, Chile 1970s) when their current leaders don't want to roll over ?
Can this be the same freedom that developed nations deny or control over weaker 3rd world nations during colonialisation, slavery, the policies of the IMF, WorldBank and WTO?? The freedom to invade weaker nations (whether rightfully or not) with full military might but do half-hearted job of rebuilding them?

Please.

 Another independent news-collecting site that features continuously-updated news that people wouldn't get from mainstream media. Check out http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/.
Today's articles include 2 that reveal plans by GWBush and members of his inner circle to dominate the world through US military aggression and developement. 
The first article reveals a report prepared by a think-tank PNAC (of which members of Bush's cabinet founded or are members of) which calls for US military campaigns and dominance to ensure superiority.
The second article describes this "PNAC" group and its doctrines and members. It then comments on the after-effects if the US continues on this path of aggresion and empire-building, including the profits to be gained by military firms (mentioned in Fahrenheit 911 for the Iraq war) and media outlets as well, and the roles of WTO and IMF in financing. All this implies a terrible outcome for the rest of the world when the US, its massive and superior military, its corporations and media control the state of the world. 

Finally, this is a report done on the war and turbulence in Africa. By foreign governments and multi-national corporations that is. That's right, read this article and get a brief glimpse into the murky world of multi-national corporations, rich nations and the exploitation, rape and pillage of the Dark Continent. However it mainly  provides a list of companies that have business interests in Africa (specifically their rich mineral resources including oil) and the powerful people (politicians, retired statesmen, generals etc.)  who have links or work in these companies.

Most of my recent posts have been about the state of American leadership ie. the Bush government and  what their nation has become like under this government (as well as previous ones). Reading more into recent history and news, one realises that previous governments and leaders have also had their roles in creating unjust conditions in the world using American power.  Anyway, why these things concern me (as I'm not an American) and why I think other people should be aware of these issues relating to America, is that America is the most powerful, richest and influential (whether for good or bad) nation/state in the world and it has been for the past few decades (even in the Cold War against the mighty USSR which was never as wealthy).  And if these are the problems that affect and occur because of the US, then this world is indeed in worst shape than we think.
 
It's reached the point that all institutions that exist around us in society have negative qualities and cannot be trusted. Whether the government, the established media, entertainment, corporations and world bodies (WTO, WorldBank) , all these institutions of society have been corrupted in different ways to cause great injustice, suffering, poverty, ignorance and social, racial and economical inequality. 
The first step in any action, is to realise the problem, and to do that, one needs information and knowledge. Mainstream media do not provide 'fair and balanced' news and most serve the interests of corporations or government.
Here are a few websites, that provide detailed, accurate, and honest information (many not mentioned or in contrast to mainstream media) relating to social and international issues.

Znet-a community of people (writers,intellectuals,professors,journalists) who write on a variety of topics. A great site, providing in-depth information and viewpoints.
 
whatreallyhappened.com -a collection of articles gathered from different sources that mainly deal with American politics, government and international actions. 
 
http://prisonplanet.com/ -from the sitename you know what they deal with, contains articles and reports on politics, media, and the increasing methods of surveillance technology and anti-privacy laws and measures to create a police state and control the population.
 
From international to the local scope,
Last week there was a workshop on social injustice in my church, and the pastor made a good point of 'becoming' before 'doing', regarding christians addressing social injustice. That might sound very vague to some, but the point he was getting at is that before you do things, you should search and examine yourself, your values,attitude, thoughts, and make the effort to really connect with God and care about others, and then perform relevant actions to help those less unfortunate.
From this, one can realise that there are many problems that need to be ,not just recognised, but understood and in detail. However many are still uncertain what can be done to address the problems of homelessness or rampant crime, for example. 
As a result, people must take more measures to understand the situation around them, whether by Internet, by reading books and magazines, and talking to those who see and know injustice, like pastors or social workers eg. All these are alternatives to depending on mainstream media to obtain news and information.
A great book to read is "No logo" by Naomi Klein, which was published a few years back but which gives excellent on topics as varied as corporate exploitation including sweatshops and the creation of 'perma-temps" and minimum-wage (McJobs) jobs, advertising and its excessiveness in North America and culture-jamming/ adbusting. It makes great points, such as connecting our North american/ developed nation materialistic urges to buy excessive clothes and SUVs with the exploitation of poor workers and nations by these same companies that produce, sell and market these clothes and cars.
A review of No logo on slashdot. 
 
Site by author of same name as book,but containing current articles and information by Mrs. Klein on relevant topics and her work.

Saw Fahrenheit 911 last week and it was really provocative, with scenes of parents of dead American soldiers questioning the reasons why their children were sent to fight and ultimately,die, and the heavy business investments Saudi royals have in America and of course, the corporate ties of GWBush, his father and VP Cheney which involved the Saudi royals and even the Bin Laden family.
It had a lot of dramatic scenes like the American soldiers (tankers not infantrymen) talking about what kind of music they played when rushing into battle in Iraq,footage of a public beheading in Saudi Arabia, and a raid by Amercia troops on an Iraqi home at night during christmas time. It also had its funny moments like the Bonanza theme and opening credits, but with the heads of Bush, Brit PM Blair, VP Cheney and Secretary of State, Colin Powell imposed on the bodies of the main characters,
the (ridiculous but true) footage of Bush declaring he's a 'war president' and that whenever he thinks foreign policy, he 'does it with war on his mind'.

It was a very good movie, one that was informative and very entertaining to watch, however Fahrenheit 911 cannot be considered a true documentary. It is instead, a narrow, biased (though describing true images and events) and propaganda-like attack against GW Bush rather than a documentary on how and why 911 happened and the unjustness of foreign American policy. Moore personally did not try to hide this fact though, as he speaks out against Bush and his policies every opportunity he gets,
Still I found the movie had a lot of valid points and information but not a lot of depth in probing those points, such as Moore's lack of focus on those around Bush- Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and their actions and beliefs (if Bush is so dumb as Moore alleges, obviously Bush couldn't have come up with all this by himself, which he didn't). Another one is Moore tells how Bush and his GOP party 'stole' the election in Florida, by using his connections to prevent possible Democratic voters from voting, creating a stalemate and so causing the elction to be decided in the Supreme Court where the majority were GOP appointees (appointed by Republican administrations). From then on,Bush and his 'regime' went on the rampage, hiding poor domestic policies from the attention of the public (disproportionate large tax cuts for the rich, refusing to sign the Kyoto protocol on environmental standards etc.) by starting foreign military 'crusades' using a combination of terrorism and vague and untrue reasons. Yet throughout all this, Moore did not mention anything about how or why most of the opposition went along with all this, especially back to the election footage, the night of the election when a number of black (Democratic) congresspeople petitioned and made impassioned pleas to VP Gore (in his dual role as president of the Senate) for a recount but could not because no Senator (GOP or Democractic) agreed to sign the petition. Moore paints it as Bush screwing the blacks of America, both in society and in Congress but essentially they were also screwed by their own party.

The greatest danger is that Moore has focused so much blame and ridicule and anger on GW Bush that people are likely to think that Bush is the main (and only) evil and that to get rid of it, to restore their nation to its past glory and righteousness, Americans need only to elect the other party's candidate to office. There are so many factors, so many issues and problems that go beyond just GW Bush and his Saudi business connections that nothing would end with his defeat.
There is a lot of criticism towards this movie, but besides the usual Bush supporters and Republican (Bush's party) right-wing backers, there's also criticism from anti-Bush and leftist individuals,writers, intellectuals and activists.
Here's a few of these articles, this one from Counterbias, points out the absence of mention of Israel and the 'neo-cons', a group of politicians, thinkers and powerful people in society whose main philosophy is that the use of american power to change foreign nations ensures American dominance and progress. Whatreallyhappened.com has a list of questions for M. Moore on his implications of the Saudis and 911. This posting on libertyforum.com has a detailed account by an individual who cares deeply about the state of his country and he points out valid concerns that the movie only focuses on GW Bush thus making him seem as the source of all evil, whilst ignoring the larger picture of what caused 911 and consequently the unjustness in the American nation and its leaders,both Democrat and Republican.

Here's a very controversial inference to be found in the movie:
Using the official and widely accepted version of the events of 911, 19 Arabic 'terrorists', members of Al-Qaeda, hijacked 4 planes and succesfully crashed 3 of them into their planned targets, causing great loss of life and the destruction of the WTC.
Osama Bin-Laden is the leader of Al-Qaeda, born into a rich family with close ties to the Saudi royal family, and with business investments in the US. From offiical reports made by the US administration and the US media,Osama was supposedly estranged from his family, the black sheep yet in Fahrenheit 911, Moore states that Osama wasn't as cut off from his family as reported as one of his brothers had attended his son's wedding in the late 90s in Afghanistan. then after the 911 attacks, Saudi nationals including members of Bin Laden's family were flown out of the country (Moore alleges while the ban on all flights was imposed).
I hope you see the possible connection (on how 911 happened and who were involved), one that is hugely controversial and frightening.

Today's or tonight's articles comprise situations that one can draw parallels with the American people and their current 'rulers'.
The first article is on a very informative and website that deals with the reign of the Nazis in Germany,their leaders, and the way how they came to power and manipulated an entire nation. The article, called "They thought they were free " in which the German people were slowly and subtly manipulated to support the ruling Nazi party and their aggressive policies that eventually led to World War 2, being made to feel that everything was alright in their nation while its leaders was preparing it for war and conquest, to propogate the greatest evil in the 20th century.

The other article has a list of 14 'symptoms' of a society under fascist regime and the author is claiming the US is perfect in this list.
Something to think about.

A very harsh but accurate criticism of America 'evil' leaders and their manipulation and control of the US and its foreign policies. It's frightening seeing how corrupt and greedy the most powerful nation can become while keeping most of its citizens in ignorance. I hope more and more that people everywhere can learn and educate themselves on the evil state of the world and realise how much oppression and terror exists in this world (eg.Palestinians,Iraq,Sudan) outside of developed countries (eg. us in Canada)and all or mainly because of greed for power and money.

This is another interesting and provocative article that goes back into history to suggest questionable reasons behind the September 11 bombings.

This has been an eventful week for news- elections in Canada, handover in Iraq, Saddm Hussein's trial, even Euro 2004(well I had to mention it). I've spent more time on my readings especially with Adbusters, also I've been going through and searching new sites on the Net that offer non-mainstream news and opinions on foreign matters.
There's a huge bunch of these sites, and it's hard to absorb all this information. I admire these people whether journalists,webmasters,scientists,writers or simply someone with informed opinions, intelligence and good conscience who wants the lies and injustices out there to be exposed.
I've read some really interesting and provocative articles on 9-11 and the shady circumstances over who's to blame, comments of Michael Moore's new movie-Fahrenheit 911 (this one is very good), and the continuing unrest and oppresion in the Middle East.

A few sites I'd like to recommend:
Whatreallyhappened
investigating imperialism

and this article written by a soldier serving in Iraq, very candid,quite chilling account of simply what soldiers go through down there.

There's so much that's wrong in this world today, and certainly the least any of us can do is to be aware of them, not just the problems themselves (anybody can list them all: poverty,disease, war,corruption,greed etc.) but also to know the facts and details of these problems.
One problem that is really apparent in North america, even in Toronto is materialism. This rampant obsession and lust for material items and brands has become so widespread that materialism has ceased to become an obsession but more an addiction and ordinary and necessary part of life- shopping is up there with breathing oxygen and eating to survive.

(I can easily attest to materialism as shamefully, I used to put a lot of emphasis on CDs and brandname items for clothes and shoes. I have tried to cut my spending these last few years and curbed my attraction for brandnames except for sneakers)

I think materialism is the most obvious problem with society up here and especially Christians need to know that, that putting a lot of emphasis and enthusiasm on buying clothes, jewelry, Cds,DVDs, electronics and even cars saps us of our reliance and appreciation of God.

I recently bought and read my first copy of Adbusters, and the information is quite direct, detailed and of course, critical and largely accurate. The magazine is full of information, sometimes in the form of witty satires and sarcasm, on the prominenece of corporate control and manipulation of people in society in all aspects of life from shopping, eating, government and getting our news.
Adbusters is not just about materialism though, as corporations do control more than just our shopping habits but they also affect people in various ways such as exploiting lesser-deveolped countries taking advantage of cheap labour, weak economies, and political power.

Check this out and consider the society we live in- what the Flag of America
should be.

It's been a while since I posted. I went back to my country in May after an absence of almost 2 years. My stay itself was good but the condition of the nation was not, it was even worse than when I left. Crime was high, poverty still existed despite supposed growing economies, people were fearful and pessimistic about their future, and the politicians continued their inept, trivial, and incompetent rule over the nation's affairs.
What does all this have to do with this blog? Well, it showed that evil and oppresion and violence are spreading all around us, and Trinidad was a prime example, being an oil-rich, tropical nation renowned for its carnival and carefree attitude and genius of its people. Sure, places like North Korea, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the African continent are all notorious for their poverty, backwardness and violence but slowly but surely evil is spreading and increasing in many places around the world. Someday the "developed-world" especially North America will be affected though not now.

On the ChristianScience Monitor website , there's lots of articles and commentaries on news and events around the world, but especially, there's a nice little weblog on events in Africa by the monitor's journalists there.
The address is http://weblogs.csmonitor.com/notebook_africa and the postings reveal brief but insightful info on the state of different countries and their peoples.