Musings, perspectives, rants

You know what really pisses me off about the States is all their self-righteousness, holier-than-thou attitudes while bullying other countries and telling them what to do.  Not only that, but they accuse other countries of doing something 'evil' when the US does exactly the same thing.  Torture, nuclear arms stockpiling, biological weapons production, pollution, poverty, aggression, invasion, dealing with terrorists, supporting repressive regimes - the US is guilty of all of these and more and yet have the audacity to attack others for the same thing.  Anthrax, for example:

US army plans to bulk-buy anthrax

Now if some Middle Eastern country were doing this, Bush would be pushing that nuclear warhead button.

Oh but the US is above the law.   They're different.  The US is allowed to do anything they damn-well please and fuck everyone else.  And Americans wonder why they're hated? 

I think not.  Just in the last couple of weeks there have been more attacks on tourists: for example - one guy being randomly beaten and now having to spend his two-week holiday in hospital; and a German hitchhiker being murdered.  Tourist websites and brochures really should stop pushing the 'safe' aspect.  It is NOT safe to hitchhike alone or even in pairs.  (A couple were murdered several years ago.)  And New Zealand isn't particularly friendly.  No more so than anywhere else.

I've just started reading another book 'Tinderbox' by Stephen Zunes.  I'm still on the Introduction, but one bit amused me.  After saying that Osama bin Laden's political agenda shouldn't be taken any more seriously than that of Timothy McVeigh...

"anyone who would be willing to sacrifice thousands of innocent lives for any reason is psychopathic..."

He was talking about 'terrorists' but my immediate thought was BUSH.  He's a definite psychopath - willing to sacrifice thousands of innocent lives - and not just Muslim lives, but American lives too.

Aside from that little slant, the book looks to be a good read.

Iraqis and other muslims are still being 'rounded up' and interrogated four years after 9/11.  Hmm - where's the logic in this, when the overwhelming majority of 'hijackers' were Saudi Arabian AND the whole family of Osama Bin Laden were escorted out of the US just days after the actual event.  It's not enough to have innocent people locked away and tortured in Guantanamo, but they want to find more innocents to lock up.  Everyone's a suspect simply because they're of a certain race or religion.

Read an excerpt from Tram Nguyen's book "We Are All Suspects Now: Untold Stories From Immigrant Communities After 9/11."

The Great Immigrant Crackdown

There's an Iraqi woman at my work whose husband had to travel to the states last September.  She didn't want him to go, afraid that they'd arrest him simply for being from Iraq.  He wasn't too keen himself but it was work-related.  I can imagine their fear.  As it happens all was ok.  He managed to get there and back safely.  I've spoken to a lot of NZers who no longer want to travel to the states - it's now viewed as an oppressive regime, basic rights having been taken away from many people purely on suspicion - no legal right to defend themselves.  Anyone can be regarded as a 'terrorist'.  Anyone, that is, except Bush himself.

See also:

128 Guantanamo prisoners go on hunger strike

Incidentally, I'm currently reading  Inside the wire : a military intelligence soldier's eyewitness account of life at Guantanamo by Erik Saar and Viveca Novak.  He went in there full of pride and wanting to do his bit to catch terrorists only to find that the majority of 'detainees' had been randomly caught by the Northern Alliance (for money) and had nothing to do with Al Qaeda or even heard of it.  Yet these innocent people are still being held there with absolutely no rights to be heard.  Check out the link to Guantanamo Human Rights Commission.

This guy is amazing.  Read the article at the following link to see how not only are politically connected companies like the infamous Halliburton given contracts for rebuilding in Katrina-ravaged areas, but he's revoked the Davis-Bacon law which entitles the workers to the local wage.  In other words these companies can pay their workers less than the minimum wage!  This guy doesn't stop adding insult to injury.

Bush Helps Disaster Profiteers

Doesn't this smack of dictatorship?  The guy creates rules or revokes rules according to his whim, to help his cronies rake in millions. America is most definitely a plutocracy - it sure as hell ain't democracy.

I just wrote a long entry about New Zealand schools and the web ate it.  It disappeared after I pressed 'Publish'.  Fucked if I'm going to rewrite the whole thing.  However...

Essentially what I said was that NZ schools are still old-fashioned, conservative disciplinarian institutions.  The Human Rights Commission acknowledge that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has not been incorporated into NZ education law.  So the NZ child, and I'm thinking more of the secondary school student,  basically has no rights.  They are not encouraged to voice their views. There is no freedom of expression.  They are not permitted to argue with the teachers.  'Shut up and do as you're told' is the prevailing attitude.

New Zealand schools have a very high number of suspensions and expulsions.  It's purely the school's decision as to what they regard as 'bad behaviour'.  I'll give you two arbitrary examples.  A student will be denied his/her right to education if his/her hair is an 'extreme' colour and will be made to stay home until the hair is dyed to a more 'natural' colour. ( How is one to know what particular shade of red is acceptable?)  Isn't this just a little ridiculous, denying education because of the colour of ones hair?  The other example.  No piercings, even if you happen to have a nose piercing and you're Indian.   There's no point complaining to the Commission.  They do not have the power to rule over school's rules.  School rules outweigh human rights.  The Ministry of Education unquestioningly accepts the school's judgement over behaviour.

The schools seem to regard discipline as the highest priority.  So guess the result.  Kids resent their teachers and the arbitrary rules, are treated like young children, don't want to be at school, can't wait to leave, get bored.  New Zealand has a very high rate of youth suicide and a very low rate of teenagers in education.

I won't even begin to rant about the quality of education itself.  In an environment of petty rules and teachers shouting at you, who wants to learn anything?  Spelling is out the window.  It's rare to come across anyone who can actually spell properly.  In my line of work I deal with university students - supposedly the more intelligent young people.  I'm astounded at their lack of skills - in writing, in general knowledge, their narrow thinking.  NZ schools are not educating these people - they're just 'controlling' them.

Children and Youth in Aotearoa   www.acya.org.nz/LinkClick.aspx?link=ChildrenYouthAotearoa2003_Appendix15.rtf&mid=336

Excerpts from 'Why America can't cope' by Andrew Stephen

'The self-image of America, now largely adopted in Britain, too, is that of a nation of uniquely hardy and resilient people predestined by God to be omnipotent in the world, be it against the forces of nature or of bogeyman dictators.

Because, in reality, the reverse is so often true- present-day Americans, after all, are the most pampered human beings in history - the mythos fostered by popular cultre and especially Hollywood, have given rise to a complacency that is increasingly dangerous not only for the rest of the world but for Americans too.'

'Thus, the task of spearheading the mighty US government's response to Katrina was left to a twit appointed because of his social networking rather than any sound qualifications to lead.  The prevailing ethos, after all, is that government is unimportant and can be left to amateurs, just like Bush himself.'

'Since 1993... progressively larger areas of protective wetlands had been lost forever in Louisiana alone.  Bush then, in effect, froze spending on the US Army Corps of Engineers, the body responsible for protecting US coastlines and inland waterways from disaster.  So that just at the point when the corps said it needed 62.5 m for the Louisiana urban flood control project in the next fiscal year, the Bush administration slashed its projected budget to 10.5 m.'

...'nurtured on tales that America is a paradise.. but the reality is that it is increasingly falling behind western Europe in technology, education and healthcare.'

Americans are 'self-deluded'.  They still believe the myths that they're the greatest.  But didn't Katrina show the reality?  Didn't it show how vulnerable, inefficient, uncaring and brutal it really is? 

The case against Iran to justify attack.  Not only because Iran wants nuclear power, but because, apparently, they may be behind unrest in Basra.  So I read, in a small newspaper article today.  Bollocks, I say.

Mainstream western media can be fed any lies about any rumours involving Al Qaeda, Iran, Syria, you name it and they're demonised - provoking 'revenge' attacks because they're so 'evil'.  The media doesn't even bother to find out the truth behind these 'rumours' and rumours they are.  There is no factual evidence.  It's simply propaganda.  If you want real investigative journalism then look elsewhere.  TV (and newspaper) news is not news - it's propaganda for Bush, Blair (and Howard).  You're all having the wool pulled over your eyes.

" The new US sneak attack nuclear doctrine has been
viewed with alarm by Russian President Putin.
This past week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Ivanov warned the United States about the new
plans for pre-emptive nuclear strikes: "Lowering
the threshold for use of atomic weapons is in
itself dangerous. Such plans do not limit, but,
in fact, promote efforts by others to develop
nuclear weapons." (Wire service report, September 14)"

Someone with some sense.  Rumour has it that Bush is planning a nuclear attack on Iran very soon.  By the time it comes around to voting Bush out, it will be too late.  Our worst fears are coming true, thanks to America.   Words just don't describe what I'm feeling right now.  That an inarticulate ape (an insult to our cousins, sorry) is responsible for all the worst in the world is just astounding.  And humans are supposed to be the most intelligent species.  God help us.

Mood: incredulous

FEMA blocked relief efforts, even advising first responders from out of state not to respond.  Incredible.  The list is so long that I will cut and paste from another website:

FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations
<http://news.ft.com/cms/s/84aa35cc-1da8-11da-b40b-00000e>

FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
<http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/5/105538/7048>

FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspec>

FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspec>

FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
<http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm>

FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans
<http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=>

FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid
<http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/171718/0826>

FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509040369sep04,1,4144825.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050902dale>

FEMA turns away generators
<http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html>

FEMA: "First Responders Urged Not To Respond"
<http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470

That last one is straight from FEMA's website.

This is surely evidence that the White House wanted to ensure maximum damage.

Yup, still rising - at the highest since 2000.  For all the rhetoric about America being peacekeepers (whoever believes that is blind and stupid) " The U.S. has a long-standing (and accelerating) policy of arming, training and aiding some of the world's most repressive regimes."  But of course we know that already - or anyone with a brain knows it.

Ending Tyranny, the Bush Way

Frida Berrigan writes "It's time that President Bush begin to honor his pledge to "end tyranny in our world" as part of the war on terrorism by overhauling U.S. weapons transfer policy. "

The man's a cold-blooded liar.  The writer of this article gives him too much credit.

More on that rumour that the levee was actually blown up to allow flooding.  The link I have doesn't seem to be correct, so here is the article:

EXPLOSIVE RESIDUE FOUND ON FAILED LEVEE DEBRIS
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2005

Ruptured New Orleans Levee had help failing

By: Hal Turner
September 9, 2005
3:36 PM EDT

New Orleans, LA -- Divers inspecting the ruptured levee walls
surrounding New Orleans found something that piqued their
interest: Burn marks on underwater debris chunks from the
broken levee wall!

One diver, a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saw
the burn marks and knew immediately what caused them. He
secreted a small chunk of the cement inside his diving suit
and later arranged for it to be sent to trusted military
friends at a The U.S. Army Forensic Laboratory at Fort Gillem,
Georgia for testing.

According to well placed sources, a military forensic
specialist determined the burn marks on the cement chunks
did, in fact, come from high explosives. The source,
speaking on condition of anonymity said "We found traces of
boron-enhanced fluoronitramino explosives as well as PBXN-111.
This would indicate at least two separate types of explosive
devices."

The levee ruptures in New Orleans did not take place during
Hurricane Katrina, but rather a day after the hurricane
struck. Several residents of New Orleans and many Emergency
Workers reported hearing what sounded like large, muffled
explosions from the area of the levee, but those were
initially discounted as gas explosions from homes with leaking
gas lines.

If these allegations prove true, the ruptured levee which
flooded New Orleans was a deliberate act of mass destruction
perpetrated by someone with access to military- grade
UNDERWATER high explosives.

More details as they become available . . . . .
****
Rather disturbing.

It's basically a myth, unless you count the artificially fertilised denuded grass paddocks full of sheep and/or cows.

A small article on page 8 of one of yesterday's newspapers illustrates my point:

Ngakawau is the site of the Stockton coal mine.  The worsening pollution has turned a once clear river into a lifeless, black flow, devoid of life.  3600 tonnes of coal and 1400 tonnes of dissolved aluminium infiltrate the waterways running through Stockton opencast coalmine and end up in the river.

"Every time it rains aluminium and coal fines wash down St Patrick's stream and Mine Creek and over the former (sic) scenic attraction of the Mangatini Falls".  Between the Conservation Department survey in 1998 and the Solid Energy survey in 2003 fish life disappeared.

This is just one example of pollution in New Zealand.  As I've said previously, the only reason it's not as bad as other countries is because of the small population of 4 million.  New Zealand in my opinion is proportionately no 'cleaner' or 'greener' than any other western country.

The government has had the audacity to propose starting up coal-powered power plants.  We do, thankfully, have some wind-powered turbines dotted around the country, but not without fighting the selfish locals who think they're 'an eyesore' or 'too noisy', and a threat to 'bird life'.  Bullshit.  There are some turbines near where I live.  The closer ones are rather large and hard to miss but when the evening sun shines on them I find them rather attractive.  They are not noisy at all - you can't hear them.  The number of birds killed would probably number less than one a year.  They're not so stupid or blind.  These people who moan about a green alternative when it might appear on their backyard really make me sick. 

Another briefer example, talking of rivers.  It's estimated that 95% of New Zealand rivers are too polluted to either drink from or swim in.  How is that 'clean'?

Don't believe the tourist brochures.  NZ is no better.  Money talks, as everywhere else.

I read a press conference summary by Dr Mustafa Barghouti about the withdrawal of Israeli settlers.  He provides some interesting statistics which put the whole situation into perspective.  So often we only get the Israeli perspective (because they're good buddies with the US, sponsored by the US).  We never really hear about Palestinian deaths and injustices caused by the Israelis.  We're more likely to see film of a crying Israeli girl forced to leave her home instead of the shooting of an innocent Palestinian boy, for example.

Anyway, back to the press conference:

PRESS CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Aftermath of Disengagement:  More Settlers, More Walls

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi
Palestinian National Initiative
September 6, 2005

"Ramallah – Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi spoke at the
PNI offices about the situation in Palestine
after the Gaza disengagement, particularly in the
West Bank, and with regard to ceasefire
violations by both sides since the Sharm
el-Sheikh Agreements of February 8, 2005.

He noted that Israel’s marketing of the Gaza
disengagement as a ‘withdrawal’ and a move toward
peace is false, yet many foreign and even some
Arabic media tend to fall for it.

"To illustrate his point, he related several facts
on the ground before and after the disengagement,
including the fact that only 25 of over 150
settlements will be dismantled, and only 8,475 of
over 436,000 settlers (less than 2% of settlers)
have been evacuated.  Meanwhile, in the past
year, 12,800 new settlers have moved to the West
Bank – 50% more settlers than were evacuated.

And in fact, the Gaza disengagement is not a
withdrawal at all.  Israel will try to retain
control of all access to Gaza by land, sea, and
air.  Israeli officials have made plans to build
a new border crossing terminal south of Rafah,
where the borders of Israel, Gaza, and Egypt
meet, so that Israel can continue to control the
flow of goods and people between Gaza and Egypt."

" Furthermore, the Gaza strip is only 5.8% of the
Occupied Territories, so that even if it is
withdrawn from eventually, that will leave over
94% of the Palestinian territories still under belligerent military occupation..."

"Violations of the ceasefire

Since a ceasefire agreement was reached at Sharm
el-Sheikh on February 8, Israel has broken it
hundreds of times but has blamed Palestinians for
their intransigence, and the world has generally
agreed with Israel.  However, the following
statistics make the picture much clearer:

Israeli violations

Palestinians killed
75
(including 17 children)
Palestinians injured
717
Shooting incidents
2,184
Settler attacks on Palestinians
394
Palestinians arrested by Israelis
1,916 (many more than the 900 released as per the agreements)
Israeli checkpoints imposed
2,306
Palestinian land confiscated by Israel
34,718 dunams
(8,700 acres or 140 sq km)
Incidents of uprooting and bulldozing Palestinian land by Israel
104

Palestinian violations

Israelis killed
14
(including 2 children)
Israelis injured
149
Qassam rockets launched
92
Attacks inside Israel
3
Israelis arrested by Palestinians
0
Palestinian checkpoints imposed
0
Israeli land confiscated by Palestinians
0
Incidents of uprooting and bulldozing Israeli land by Palestinians
0"

More statistics and details from another press conference:

Israeli Disengagement Plan

It's an apt time to mention some discrepancies between the official '9/11' story and evidence which indicates an inside job.  Read the article here for just some of the discrepancies:

Cold Case

Just as I wondered, where exactly was the plane which was supposed to have hit the Pentagon?  How would a plane hit so low and not leave a trail on the grass in front (which was amazingly green and clear of debris)?  Think about the speed of the collapsing towers - they fell remarkably quickly considering it was supposed to be caused from damage towards the top of the towers.

Stories also abound of involvement by Pakistan and Israel.  For example, some Israelis (later confirmed as Mossad agents) were seen, just after the collapse of the WTC towers, laughing and jumping in apparent celebration on top of a van from which they took photos.  Something's not right here.  Just think about it - the motives and the implied involvement.  There are many books and links out there which all mention the same types of discrepancies and evidence of involvement from others (payment from a Pakistani official to one of the hijackers for example).  I urge you to read up about them and stop believing the lies told by the White House.  I can provide excerpts or links if anyone is interested.

Is Bush the antichrist?

Not content with taking away personal freedoms, detaining citizens indefinitely without trial, attacking any country he says might attack, rebuilding the UN to allow laws to be changed to justify his actions, any future wars he starts will involve nuclear attacks.

" The Pentagon has drafted a revised doctrine for the use of nuclear weapons that envisions commanders requesting presidential approval to use them to preempt an attack by a nation or a terrorist group using weapons of mass destruction. "  Washington Post

'Pre-empt'.  So when Bush decided that Iraq was a danger to the American public he sent the troops in.  In future, he could just decide to nuke the place - no questions asked.  As this 'war' against terrorism is an open-ended, non-specific war, he will use any excuse to justify any attack on any country.  This guy is a danger to every person on the planet. 

and I don't apologise if you get bored by the content.

I just realised that today, in New Zealand anyway, is the fourth anniversary of the destruction of the WTC, etc etc.  To those who believe I'm heartless and anti-American, that event affected me deeply, not least because a dear friend lives in NYC and could have lost a brother who worked in the building.  It was a shocking event which should never have happened and I've read countless books and articles since, to search for the truth of why it did.  One of the best is a book entitled 'War on Freedom: How and why America was attacked September 11 2001'.  Essential reading for everyone, especially those twats who continue to believe Bush's lies that Iraq had something to do with it (as well as all of his other lies).  The evidence that the government knew about it (if not caused it to happen) is overwhelming.  Something to be aware of as you give a moment to those who were killed.  But, how many thousands have subsequently been killed as a result of Bush's and America's 'revenge'?  I still don't, for a moment, believe that the pentagon was hit by an airliner.  Even when I first saw the footage, I was asking myself 'ok so where's the plane?'  That damage was not caused by a large aircraft.

I don't currently have time to write more, but may be back.

Meanwhile, I don't give a shit about Helen Clarke.  And I have no further thoughts on the lack of culture in New Zealand at this time.

The following article is succinct in explaining the failure of the US government in doing all it can to help the victims of the hurricane.  But, simply put, Bush doesn't give a rat's arse about poor people or any other people come to that.

A Hurricane of Consequences

Incidentally, to those Americans who believe they're the world's saviours providing aid all over the world, the article notes that America provided even less, financially, to the victims of the Asian tsunami and were equally slow to respond.  I hardly think that Americans have much to be proud of.  Their patriotism is empty boastfulness.

"Suppose you were an idiot... And suppose you were a member of
Congress...
But I repeat myself." -- Mark Twain

I read about an article that claims that witnesses heard explosions which damaged the levee and that the hurricane was 'man-made' or made to veer off course.  I don't believe such conspiracy theories without a lot of reliable evidence.  This disaster doesn't really need a conspiracy theory - Bush et al are enough at fault.

I also read that there were discrepancies between coverage of Bush at a food distribution site between CNN and German TV which led to claims that it was purely set up for a photo opportunity and that the minute the cameras left the 'food distribution' centre was dismantled.

Apparently this story has been spreading around the blogs, but here's the background to it.

Lost in translation

Mood: annoyed

of my rant the other day.  I read a small paragraph on page 3 of the world section of the newspaper about a typhoon in China last week which destroyed thousands of homes and killed several.  Flooding, landslides and mudflows affected a large area.  Similarly, another typhoon forced thousands to evacuate in Japan.  But there was no media coverage apart from that tiny paragraph.  Asians don't count, you see.  Nobody cares about Chinese or Japanese.  I'm sure the typhoons were no less traumatic for them, but it's not news when it happens to non-Americans or non-locals.

I saw a photo today of Bush supposedly comforting a (white, attractive)woman in the Katrina-ravaged area.  He looked like he was smiling.  Perhaps he felt he had to look good for the publicity shot.  This man doesn't even pretend sadness. 

The coverage of the area on TV shows the military, with soldiers aiming guns at civilians.  What the fuck is this?  Where's the humanity?  Where's compassion?  All they care about is what, loss of material goods?  I'm just amazed.  I'm also still completely astounded that these people weren't evacuated, that help was so slow in coming. 

It's truly mindboggling in a country that proclaims itself as the best, most progressive and 'caring' (excuse me while I roll on the floor laughing) in the world.  But non-Americans shouldn't dare to criticise - oh no.  Even if we simply make an observation we're hounded.  Some idiot even asked me what aid NZ had sent.  1) it's not our country - as the world's richest, surely you can look after your own; 2) we have sent aid but you won't hear about it because we're a miniscule country of 4 million.  How dare Americans be so arrogant as to presume that they're the only country who ever help in times of need.  New Zealanders have been there, in our own necessarily small way and contribute in every major event.  If you don't know about it, it's because your media is skewed to show America as the greatest.  Well guess what, it's not.  Only Americans view America as the greatest.  Wonder why that is?