On Being Small and Powerful

Earlier this week I received my Surfrider Foundation monthly Making Waves issue and was struck by the simplicity and timeliness of the editorial.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Surfrider Foundation, I will just provide some excerpts from their Mission Statement and Foundation Principles page:

SURFRIDER recognizes the biodiversity and ecological integrity of the planet's coasts are necessary and irreplaceable. SURFRIDER is committed to preserving natural living and non-living diversity and ecological integrity of the coastal environment.

SURFRIDER believes environmental education is essential to the future health and well- being of the planet. SURFRIDER seeks to develop and utilize educational materials that are informative, factual, proactive, synergistic and fun.

SURFRIDER strives to be accurate and nonpartisan in its communications with its members and the general public. In addition, SURFRIDER will express the unique values inherent in wave-riding — individualism, camaraderie, non materialism, and an appreciation for human kind's historic relations with the Ocean.

SURFRIDER is a grassroots organization, effective through the participation of its members. SURFRIDER activities emphasize the value of an involved membership.

SURFRIDER will not permit sponsors to divert the Foundation from its mission or projects undertaken.

Anyone who has a love for the ocean or an appreciation for the preservation and protection of our natural resources, I encourage you visit the Surfrider website and assess whether their efforts to protect the world's oceans is worthy of your support.

Now, back to the editorial...

People have to come to terms with one fact of life. If one is unhappy / dissatisfied / uncomfortable / etc. with ones situation, is it ultimately up to the individual to analysze the situation and make a choice as to whether there should be any action taken to change the situation or accept it as what it is.

There are those who like to complain. Either they see a futility in the situation, because they feel there are no options for changing the situation, or it is a preferred method of getting attention from others.

There are those who expect others to take care of the situation for them. You know, taking care of something takes work! Some don't want to work. Maybe it's not about the work but about the responsibility they will assume. Taking action means taking responsibility.

There are those who refuse to acknowledge the situation in the first place. Either they are afraid of confirming the reality behind their situation or concerned about the ramifications of having acknowledged the situation at all.

There are many more reasons for not DOing anything about a situation which one knows is just not right. And many will live a life less than what it could POTENTIALLY BE.

Then, there are those who see this life as something meaningful. Life is made up of each individual moment, each decision, each action or inaction of every one of us on this planet.

From the editorial, for those who see life as an opportunity to grow individually and collectively:

Ever feel like you're not getting anywhere no matter how hard you try, or that everything is going wrong in the world? Well do not fret, for everything you do affects the whole, and it doesn't work proportionately. Just as a butterfly flapping its wings in one hemisphere can effect a hurricane in another, one sincere gesture on your end can have positive consequences of geometrical proportions. So don't ever give up.

So yes, as one individual changes, the entire system changes. You never know when you are going to be the tipping point.

I'm small and I know it and it's great news. Every time I stand at the water's edge and a wave races up and embraces my feet, it's a trip. I think one of the most tragic things of all is how we cheat ourselves of the present moment, of the small moment.

Make the small moments count.

Technorati Categories: Feeling, Health and Wellness, Life, My Life, Other, Random Thoughts.

9/11 and the Holocaust: Emotional Ties that Obfuscate

Last night President Bush made references to the 9/11 terrorists five times during his 28-minute speech. The focus of the speech was Iraq. So, why the need to mention 9/11?

"The president's frequent references to the terrorist attacks of September 11 show the weakness of his arguments," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said. "He is willing to exploit the sacred ground of 9/11, knowing that there is no connection between 9/11 and the war in Iraq."
AP

The obvious answer is to remind the American people why it is necessary for America to continue its "defense of freedom" by fighting terrorism. But, this speech was about Iraq, not about terrorism.

Ever more obvious are the attempts by the Bush administration to link everything to terrorism. Last night's references to 9/11 were blatant emotional triggers meant to "remind" the American public of why the Bush administration goes after countries like Iraq.

In a similar vein, pro-Israeli policy advocates whip out the Holocaust, either directly or indirectly via cries of anti-semitism, to tug on the emotional strings, to remind the world why Israel must "protect" herself. Same song, different verse.

The Bush administration has taken a page right out of the book used in Israel's handling of the Palestinian people. Label your opponent a terrorist or associate your opponent with terrorist acts, whether factual or fabricated doesn't matter, so you can gain the emotional support of your citizens. There will be no peace in the Middle East.

Bottom line is that these are attempts to manipulate the logical analysis of the situation at hand by inserting references to emotionally-charged events clearly meant to obfuscate the issue under discussion. Unfortunately, the strategy appears to work quite well as most people can't seem to get past the emotion to see what is actually unfolding right in front of their eyes.

Technorati Categories: Current Affairs, Government, Iraq, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, Politics, Terrorism, War on Terror.

Iraq War's Illegality and Immorality will not be Heard Tonight

Tonight, President Bush will address the American people from Fort Bragg, North Carolina (interesting selection of locale). The live speech will speak to the current Iraq situation, of course spun to minimize political damage. There will likely be mention of Iran and Syria to keep the public from forgetting why at some future date the US will most likely attack or support an attack by Israel. And, there will certainly be no mention of controversial, yet factual, news items.

Several "hot" items have come up in the world press although have received limited air time, if at all, by American media. I'm sure those who have been following the news from more objective news services and aggregators (American Free Press, AntiWar.com, Centre for Research on Globalization, Counter Punch, Information Clearing House, Signs of the Times, Truthout) will be listening closely to see how he dodges the key revelations and accusations.

Take a look at the most significant news items which have disappeared from the American media:

• News of no WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) in Iraq.
  
• Downing Street memo showing a US administration committed to regime change (i.e. war) in Iraq.
  
• Support for Bush and the Iraq War at an all-time low.
  
• Additional memos and testimony indicating the bombing of Iraq started even before congressional approval for the war.
  
• Use of napalm in Iraq.
  
• US acknowledges torture at Guantanamo and Iraq, Afghanistan.
  
• US stalling on requests to allow visits to terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay.
  
• CIA caught in the "extraordinary rendition" of an Egyptian.
  
• Non-participation by the US in the World Tribunal on Iraq.
  

Mr. Bush will try to convince the American public of the moral basis and responsibility of America to "spread freedom and democracy", "defeat evil", "win the battle against terror", etc. Yet, for all the righteous spinning of the reasons, one fact will be indisputable: there has been more death and destruction in this war than all the terrorist acts combined.

The American public should instead spend their Tuesday night listening to the proceedings of the World Tribunal on Iraq (compilation of reports available here) or reading the Statement of Principles.

About WTI:

The World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) is a worldwide undertaking to reclaim justice. It aims to record the severe wrongs, crimes and violations that were committed in the process leading up to the aggression against Iraq, during the war and throughout the ensuing occupation, that continue to be widespread to this day. It is our intention to also record the social, political, environmental and cultural devastation. In the end, the evidence gathered and presented will serve as a historical record that breaks the web of lies promulgated by the war coalition and its embedded press.

WTI is a horizontal network of local groups and individuals worldwide that work together in a non- hierarchical system. The project consists of commissions of inquiry and sessions held around the world investigating various issues related to the war on Iraq, such as the legality of the war, the role of the United Nations, war crimes and the role of the media.

On June 23rd to the 27th 2005, at the start of the third year of the occupation of Iraq, the culminating session will take place in Istanbul. This session will reach a decision following an examination of the results of the previous sessions as well as new reports and testimonies, while evaluating the implications of the aggression against Iraq for the world at large.

Technorati Categories: Current Affairs, Government, Iraq, News, Politics.

China Viewed More Favorably than US

For most Americans, the belief that, to the rest of the world, the US has always been the model to which all other countries aspire has been ingrained since youth.

America... the land of the free, the home of the brave, where all is possible and achievable if you work hard. The image to the rest of the world exuded the commitment to fairness and equality, the fostering of the entrepreneural spirit, and reserved strength. The quiet, protective kid, possessive of an aura of respect, whom the bully on the block would not even mess with.

That was then. This is now.

What a shock it must be to learn that the America which used to be the envy of the rest of the world, the culture and success to which others would aspire to duplicate, is no longer the America in which we live.

We live in an America despised by a large part of the world for the military actions undertaken by the Bush administrations. An America viewed by the rest of the world as a staunch supporter, financial and political, of Israel and Israeli policy. This unwavering support of Israeli policy, regardless of the facts, may very well be the lit fuse to the powder keg which, when it explodes, will affect millions of people.

The proof of how the world views the US is in the result of a poll where China, even with well documented violations of human rights, is viewed more favorably than the US.

How can this be? Perhaps, the rest of the world, not so easily influenced and manipulated by American media (Fox, MSNBC, CNN, Washington Post, etc.) is forming a much more accurate opinion of today's America.

The poll was conducted by an American organization, the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, and surveyed public opinion in 16 countries, including the United States.

The United States' image is so tattered overseas two years after the Iraq invasion that communist China is viewed more favorably than the U.S. in many long-time Western European allies, an international poll has found.

The overseas image of the United States slipped sharply after the Iraq invasion in 2003, the Pew polling found, and it has not rebounded in Western European countries like Britain, France, Germany and Spain.CNN

Most people around the world can form an objective opinion of what has happenned to the America which was once highly-regarded. It all boils down to American policy.

The Iraq war remains the leading source of anti-American attitudes despite diplomatic efforts to counter that image.
Kyodo News


The poll, which was released Thursday, found suspicion and wariness of the United States in many countries where people question the war in Iraq and are growing wary of the U.S.-led war on terror.ABC News


Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Global Attitudes Project, said that 16,766 people in 16 nations were interviewed for the project's fourth international survey since 2002. He said America's image has slipped primarily because of the war in Iraq and has shown little sign of improving since it began, either in Europe or in Muslim nations.Toledo Blade


People in other countries who had unfavorable views of the United States were most likely to cite Bush as the reason rather than a general problem with America.

Madeleine Albright, the secretary of state when Bill Clinton was president, said big majorities of the public in these countries are discontented with Bush "and say Bush’s re-election has made them view the United States less favorably."MSNBC


People in most countries were more inclined to say the war in Iraq has made the world a more dangerous place. Non-U.S. residents who had unfavorable views of the United States were most likely to cite Bush as the reason rather than a general problem with America.CNN

Most can tell the difference between Americans and American policy. One crucial detail though which must be pointed out. If Americans allow the continuation of the policies which have collapsed the house of respect and admiration for America, the blame should lay solely on our shoulders. To not stand up and speak out in opposition to these belligerent policies is to accept the subsequent consequences.

Don't act surprised when the house that is America collapses. Many have tried to warn all occupants of the dangers, it is now up to the occupants to take whatever steps are necessary to salvage our house or prepare for its demise.


Technorati Categories: Current Affairs, Government, News, Politics.

Who Really Owns Your Property?

In a landmark decision today, the Supreme Court ruled local governments could seize private property "for private economic development". That is, take an individual's home or business if the local government deems there is the potential for improvement to the local community by replacing your property with one that would provide an increase to the revenue base.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this type of action, seizure of an individual's property, primarily restricted to eminent domain decisions which focused on the public use of the area? Now, it appears the focus is on the increase of revenue, not on the direct benefit to the community.

At issue was the scope of the Fifth Amendment, which allows governments to take private property through eminent domain if the land is for "public use."

Never mind the price the affected individual will pay by losing a home, a business, a livelihood. Never mind the property may be the result of years of hard work, perhaps even land passed down from generation to generation.

Susette Kelo and several other homeowners in a working-class neighborhood in New London, Connecticut, filed suit after city officials announced plans to raze their homes for a riverfront hotel, health club and offices.

New London officials countered that the private development plans served a public purpose of boosting economic growth that outweighed the homeowners' property rights, even if the area wasn't blighted.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been a key swing vote on many cases before the court, issued a stinging dissent. She argued that cities should not have unlimited authority to uproot families, even if they are provided compensation, simply to accommodate wealthy developers.

So, in effect, the high court has supported, although in a split decision, the right of a developer over the right of a tax-paying, land-owner legally in possession of the affected property.

Justice O'Connor sums it up nicely:

"Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random," she wrote. "The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms."

Once again, individual rights take a back seat to business interests and power brokers. Get used to it or do someting about it.

"It's a little shocking to believe you can lose your home in this country," said resident Bill Von Winkle, who said he would refuse to leave his home, even if bulldozers showed up. "I won't be going anywhere. Not my house. This is definitely not the last word."

Go Bill!

Technorati Categories: Current Affairs, Freedom, Government, Life, News, Politics.