Jingoistic ego and pomposity are bad allies in a war. Take Afghanistan and the arrest of the taliban’s #2 man, mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
Baradar was arrested in Karachi by Pakistani authorities who were tipped off by American intelligence (always a contradiction of terms). Great job! Welllll, not so fast my friend.
Evidently, Baradar was in Pakistan as part of secret peace negotiations between Afghan president Karzai’s and the taliban. Baradar’s arrest could very well quash the ‘peace talks’ and prolong the 8 year war.
But there is more. Apparently, British and UN officials think that now is the best time for peace negotiations, and Karzai is moving ahead with that. The fly in the ointment is the United States. They don’t see the same writing on the wall.
The invading forces are losing as did many before them. Allies realise that there is a chance for a draw. But America says, “We don’t want no steeenkin draw”. The same mentality that governs their sports governs their wars. Winning is everything.
However there is no winning in Afghanistan and the more prolonged the war, the more Afghans and coalition troops will die. But human casualties are not America’s problem… perception at the polls is. And this perception is corrupted by arrogance and ego.
Whether Karzai is corrupt or not, he knows his people and their history, and knows that the taliban can carry on the war foreverrrrr. Karzai himself has said that peace attempts with the taliban has little chance of success without the US and international community. Previous attempts he said, was sabotaged by ‘sections of the international community’. It doesn’t take a maths genius to figure out whom. This also exposes that Karzai is simply a puppet since his peace efforts is so easily overridden by the US.
Here’s a little something something. Defense secretary Gates says that he doesn’t believe that the taliban would be willing to come to the bargaining table until they believe that they can’t win the war. That means that the taliban, despite facing overwhelming forces, think that they can win.
Nevertheless they are willing to talk. So like the British and the UN is suggesting, “Isn’t it reasonable to get peace with some honour?”.
There is another twist to Baradar’s arrest. The Pakistanis are displeased because the Americans promptly announced the arrest to the press. Now, if my memory serves me right, this isn’t the first time that America has put public relations above the intelligence interests of other countries, even to the point of compromising further intelligence operations.
Years ago during the Bush regime, Britain passed on some intelligence to the Americans who promptly emailed it to the press. Britain was aghast.
***
I’ve been hearing stories about college attending voters (a large voter bloc for him in ’08) who are abandoning Obama and turning to the republicants. That doesn’t speak well about college education in America.
I can understand people feeling disappointed in Obama in terms of the pace of getting things done (although how much he could have done in one year is debatable), or disappointed on his failure to immediately act on some of his campaign promises.
I understand them backing off. But it is completely irrational to the point of absolute stupidity, that many are talking about voting republicants in the next elections.
The republicants if anything, are now more backward than ever. They have fought to kill any initiative that the Obama administration put forth. They have battled against giving poor people anything while stoutly defending their bosses. They haven’t put forward one progressive idea, nothing that is remotely close to what these young people were hoping for when they voted Obama in ‘08.
No matter Obama’s faults, he remains the best that this country can offer for improving this nation. So he has waffled and sailed with the winds… lose faith in him. Yes. Of course the democrats have proven to be a set of wishy-washy, spineless and even corrupt (though no more corrupt than their opposition) crab louses.
But the republicants are a threat to the interests of the majority of college graduates. They are the antithesis of everything most college students want. They won’t support lower tuition or support for college students. They don’t support education, science or the arts, they really don’t support anything but wars and big business.
They are not looking to the future. They don’t recognize the threat of global warming, the environment, clean air or water. They’re not for fair wages. And yet these dumbasses, the best we have to send to our colleges want to vote republicants… the future of this country surely sucks.
***
The census is on and I have been urged by to fall behind the effort to include information that will highlight the numbers of Caribbean born or related citizens. As well-intentioned as this is, I decline.
I see the census document lists such ‘races’as … Asian Indian, African American, Korean, Filipino, Tongan as races. Like Jamaican, Grenadian, Guyanese those are not races but nationalities. Caribbean is a group not a race. I have no intention of bloating an already foolish concept. I dislike the American idea of taking well-accepted words and meaning, and changing them into something convenient for the time. It’s Alice in Wonderland all over again.
The whole idea of race is foolish, and how it is used in the American context, it’s also racist, used to justify the domination of one group over others.
Interestingly, while the census has all these diverse categories for blacks, Asians etc, there is one category for whites… and that is White. Hello! What’s up with that? Why isn’t French a race as Pakistani is. Why not Irish as Samaon is listed? Don’t you see that as racist in itself?
And question 5 says, “For this survey, Hispanic origins are not races”, Huh? Why? If you are a hispanic black, where do you fall?”.
Plus, most of the people inputting census information wouldn’t know what a Nevisian is (they have already confused Dominican (English) with Dominicans from Dominican Republic) and that would completely confound an already unwieldy system, and most likely input us to some category which wouldn’t probably recognize us as Caribbean peoples anyway.
I won’t be an accessory to a bigoted definition of myself, or any one else. The general white claim is that one drop of non-white blood disqualifies someone from categorisation as white. In that racial context, Barack Obama is black even though his mother is white. Even if his skin was several shades lighter, once his father’s heritage is known, Barack is black, black, black.
Well, I have a little white in me and I demand to be regarded as white and get all the benefits that accrue from that. Something is wrong where a little black in me can get me ‘demoted’, but a little white is not enough to make me even ‘honorary white’. Acceptable? I donnnnnnt think so.
Some reason that the money will help ‘us’ get a larger slice of the pie. Governor Crist recently said that the money allocated for all minorities in Florida, was about $21m… a drop in the bucket, a gimmick, a poor rationale that too many of us fall for.
Our need to apply and justify absurd labeling is nuts, and in this case self-degrading. It will never help to create a better world. So in that space, I will put a category I know I belong to, something I’m sure I fit in. HUMAN.
***
It certainly will be emotionally difficult for me to buy a ticket on Caribbean Airways. Most of the times I had traveled to Jamaica, I used the ‘lovebird’ out of emotional ties. I might have paid a little more in money or convenience, put up with a lot of BS, but Air Jamaica was a solid representation of my homeland, flaws and all. Now those ties severed.
I won’t launch into a defense of Air Jamaica. The airline is in poor shape, wrecked by the mismanagement of governments, private sector, workers and even flyers alike.
And it doesn’t help that AirJ is sold to a company which if I remember right, bankrupted their own airline BWIA. Neither does it help with all the controversy surrounding the terms of the sale, including the fate of the now-to-be former employees.
It’s a sad way to see the lady go, and I’m prepared to wave her bye, but not quite ready to welcome her unproven successor, already besmirched by unseeming pimping.
***
Read recently that Jamaica’s economy performance is still bordering on pathetic. Let’s move along, folks… nothing new to see here.
One can always lay all the blame on successive governments or finance ministers but then one would be delusional. No matter how we rotate governments or financial ministers, the one constant is that we continue to do the same things the same way and expect things to be different… the definition of stupidity.
One of the good things coming out of a recent financial report, is that the agriculture sector grew by 20%. That would be great news until we consider where that sector is coming from… but it is still good news.
For years, successive governments have paid little but lip service to the sector. In fact, their policies have worked to virtually kill it, with importation policies that saw subsidized genetically poisonous foods pushing local foods aside.
One of the beneficiaries of the current growth is the banana industry, and it was positive to hear some producers claim they were making a greater profit supplying the local market than when they were exporting. Hmmmm. A nation that cannot feed itself is hostage to every failing wind.
***
Pm Golding’s defense of alleged (right, I said alleged) Tivoli don Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, has moved to the ridiculous. Golding surely has his balls in a twist.
I figure that the arrest of Buju Banton and the canceling of certain high profile US visas are just the beginning of the pressure that will continue to be slowly exerted on the government.
It is noteworthy that this is an issue that should have been handled publicly by the Attorney General. But I sense that Mrs Lightbourne knows that the less she has to do with this is the better for her. Dudus is Golding’s problem. It shouldn’t be Jamaica’s problem also.
***
Weeks ago I told someone that there will soon be a rise in hate crimes, particularly against blacks. Watch for it.
