beautiful monsters

war of fuel?

"It's not about oil, they say. And yet, if Iraq produced radishes rather than oil, would anyone seriously suggest invading?"
- Eduardo Galeano

To be honest, I don’t think it’s just about oil. Sure, that’s part of it, and that’s probably the reason why Iraq has been chosen as the target. But I think there’s more to it than oil. I think it’s got a lot to do with power. And arms. And delusion. I think Bush really does believe he’s saving us from some great evil.

I reckon Bush equates power with military might. And I think he believes that the more power one state gains, the less others have, and so interactions between states must be constant power struggles. I think the US needs to create threats in order to sustain their military development. And Bush and his cronies believe that they need military development, otherwise the economy could collapse, and what a disaster that would be…

See, it’s all very rational.

If you think that no one can be trusted, then you get scared and so you buy a gun to protect yourself. And then your neighbour buys a gun, and you think that they must mean to shoot you, so you buy a bigger gun… and then they buy a bigger one… and then suddenly you have enough weapons to blow up the whole neighbourhood, but you don’t feel any safer.

You think that power is a limited commodity, so if someone else is getting some then that means you’re missing out. And then you get so obsessed with gaining power that you forget why you needed it in the first place…

"Make no mistake about it. This battle we are in is not just about Iraq or this particular war. It is about a desire on the part of those that have hijacked the American government to create a permanent war machine abroad, and a proto-fascist state at home. The outcome of this political battle will shape America's, and the world's, future for the next several decades. The stakes are that high."
– Bernard Weiner

Fuel of War

"The oil-drunk consumer society is deathly afraid of withdrawal symptoms."
- Eduardo again.

I should have known better than to listen to Kim interviewing Teddy Goldsmith on Saturday. He always gets me down, even when I’m not in the psych ward. Doom doom and gloom, no matter what we do we’re all going to die.

Or was that just the way I heard him?

Speaking of shock and awe

Did anyone see the Kim Hill / John Pilger cat fight? I missed it cos we don’t have a TV and last week I didn’t manage to schedule my psychiatric breakdowns so that I could be in respite on Thursday (they have a TV in respite).

"Dear Kim hooked up this week with Saint John Pilger of the Parish of Sydney. And by the end of the programme he was shouting that the interview was a "disgrace" and she, eyebrow arched like an angry Siamese, ventured that it had been "interesting" talking to him. It was hard to see what got Pilger's goat so badly. Sure, she interrupted his flow a few times, and got a bit catty herself towards the end, but does he do this every time an interviewer fails to go down on bended knee? Does he seriously expect to be interviewed without having his views challenged?"
– Russell Brown.

Iraq

What do you think of this excerpt from the children’s novel, Gulf, by Robert Westall. "Saddam is our hero. He is not afraid of the Americans. He is the only Arab who is not afraid of the Americans." – Latif, an Iraqi boy fighting in the Gulf war.

There are accounts of Saddam as a hero, and accounts of him as the ultimate villain. I believe he has done some awful things, but then, so has George Bush. Yes, I think Saddam should be removed from power. But I don’t think we should wage war on Iraq. I believe we should support the people of Iraq, support free debate among Iraqi people and discussion of the alternatives. We should offer our support to help the people of Iraq build the society that they want to live in. I do not believe we can support them by bombing the shit out of them.

"Consider what Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez accomplished without succumbing to the temptations of picking up arms. Consider the protesters who by sheer (mostly) non-violent "people power" hastened the end of the dictatorial regimes in the Philippines, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, et al. Not only is non-violence a powerful political tool, but it is, and becomes, a spiritually uplifting force.

And why? Because it changes the interaction. Instead of you reacting to their violence with your violence -- which then leads to more violence, and then to more and so on -- you've changed the parameters. Suddenly, they have to deal with you differently, as a human who bears them no ill will even as you confront their power; they often get flummoxed by these new rules of engagement. (One extremely effective way is to be friendly toward the cops -- addressing them by name when possible, offering them food and drink, telling them in conversational tone why you're protesting, how your concerns may connect to theirs, etc.; the tensions tend to relax, even when arrests are made.) And, most importantly, the larger public, appreciating the non-violent nature of the protests and raised with a belief in morality and fair play, starts to understand the immorality of their government's policies and brutalities, and begins more and more to support the protesters."
– Bernard again.

Brief interlude of cheerful superficiality

Cos I don’t know about you, but I need cheering up.

My favourite flavour combinations

Chocolate, spices and orange
Banana and cardamom
Chocolate and praline
Lime, chilli, onion, coriander and kiwifruit
Chocolate and peppermint
Basil and tomato
Chocolate and almonds
Orange and mint
Chocolate and fresh strawberries
Pumpkin and nutmeg
Chocolate and ginger
Lemon, garlic, basil and olive oil
Chocolate and banana
Ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli
Chocolate and coffee
Sugar and caffeine and anything

Seeking trivial kitchen related advice (life goes on regardless)

You know those things that go under the elements on the stove? Where do you buy them from?

Celebrating resistance

"We basically have two choices: give up, and be sure that the worst will come; try, and it may make things better. Because a great many people make the second choice, the world does become a better place. A good shot in the arm is to spend a little time with people who do not share our immense privilege, but go on to struggle, without ever asking questions, facing terrible risks and sometimes enduring harsh punishment, even assassination. It's a humbling experience."
- Noam Chomsky.

Posted by Fionnaigh at March 24, 2003 12:37 AM