Honor a Vet -- Ask Questions.

Sure it is good to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the country. But we need to be careful. Worshipping the military only leads to bad things. In addition to remembering those who have served, we would do well to think about why it is necessary. Reasonable people accept the argument of self-defense. I’m allowed to defend myself from some one who wants to do me harm. But when was the last war we fought for self-defense? Iraq? I don’t believe so. Granada? We needed the Marines and a carrier battle group to take down a fruit stand! The Gulf War? Was Kuwait a state I just never learned about? Vietnam? Was Uncle Ho a credible threat to California? Korea? We may have had a little more reason to be there than some of the others but it is a little stretch to say The North was a threat to the USA. World War II? I can accept this. How about Afghanistan? Yes but more… No. We have a legitimate goal of not wanting terrorist attacks originating from here but is keeping Karzai in power through hook and crook legitimate? Who dares to ask?

Yes, we do need a military but we owe it to them to ask questions. There are those out there who want to do us harm sure, but who gets to say who? In remembering “The Troops” we do them a great disservice by not asking hard questions about why, when and where they are sent. They go where they are told and leave it up to us to insure it is for legitimate reasons. I think we are failing our fellow citizens in the military miserably. We buy the spin of both parties while rarely asking any questions. Can anyone tell me what WMD’s were found in Iraq that was worth the life of a single army soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine? If this was indeed a big fat lie, who lost their job over it, much less went to prison? Have we learned anything?

It is painfully clear to anyone with more than two brain cells our involvement in Vietnam was based lies and falsehoods. Just google “False flag operations.” The suffering from this conflict forty plus years ago is still with us today. More US Vietnam Vets have now committed suicide than were lost in all the fighting. Vietnamese still suffer from unexploded bombs killing people, cancers related to chemicals used by the US and birth defects. We take no responsibility for these actions. Instead, a little time goes by and the whole cycle repeats itself. The names and tools change. Booby traps become IED’s. Vietcong are known as terrorists. Westmoreland has morphed into Petraeus, Nixon and Johnson are now played by two guys named Bush and Obama. Then as now, the military does as it is told.

Want to really honor the troops? Ask questions.

Wiki Leaks and stuff

With a docile and toothless press, where are we to turn for information? Keep this in mind. Basically only six companies control the press here in the USA and they have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Do this yourself sometime. Flip through the news channels and watch how they all cover virtually the same events. Today (May 24, 2011) it is tornado clean up; Obama goes to Europe, Ratko Mladic and as always The Middle East. Detailed coverage is virtually non-existent. We get the Youtube two to three minute versions of events (followed by advertising for denture creams, drugs and tanning lotions). This past Sunday, the self styled hard hitting 60 Minutes spent two thirds of the broadcast talking about charges of Lance Armstrong doping. I don’t know about you, but I could care less. It would be great it this was really our most pressing problem. Let’s not think about contractors killing people and blood money in Pakistan, possible links between sever weather and climate change or the very real dangers of nuclear power. Real news is hard to come by. It is sad but we have a pressing need for wikileaks.

This Julian guy gets the idea to create a website for whistle blowers. Sounds good. Send us info on corruption, genocides etc and we will post it for the whole world to see. When there is nowhere else to turn, this is a good and useful option. The only problem is it is also run by human beings all carrying their own baggage and axes to grind. Who gets to decide what stays secret and why? I think there is a need for state secrets staying secret. I don’t need to know where the missiles are our all about our latest bio weapons. That said, how do I know corruption, abuses and worse are not being hid behind the wall of state secrets? How can we keep tabs on this and all the conflicting interests? It is not a black and white situation with heroes and villains. This is taking place in the real world with real people who have mixed motivations and agendas. Frontline did a pretty good story on Bradley Manning recently.

Bradley Manning, a young US Army Intelligence Officer, turned over everything he could, even the kitchen sink, (American expression) to wikileaks. Some things needed to come out like shooting up Iraqis just standing around by US helicopter gunships. But why include Iraqis and Afghans working with the United States? Why include masses of diplomatic cables? The US Army did a very poor job in keeping track of data and helping Mr. Manning deal with his personal life. Not his being Gay but his unhappiness and anger. I can see him as both a hero and a villain. Freed Bradley Manning? Forget it people, it is not going to happen. He broke his oath, the law and pissed off some of the most powerful people in the world. My guess (and it only a guess) is he did it for mixed reasons. He came to hate the Army and he also saw terrible wrongs. It could also be he is serving the role as scapegoat. Could one low level Intelligence Analyst have had access to so much and leaked it all? This is also problematic. I have no problem with abuses getting out and find it sad this is how we find out. Keep reporting on Lance and other nonsense 60 Minutes!

Stepping out!

Nhtrang, Vietnam 2005.

An affordable and fun place to be!

Doomsday addendum

Nah, I did not REALLY go finance a 2011 yellow ‘vette. That would take my wife Thu and I getting more jobs and she refuses and I’m too lazy. It is almost as absurd as some idiots paying for billboards all over the country picking a day for the “Rapture” (A concept / notion I have no belief in what so ever). I’m an agnostic. Who the hell am I to say god does or does not exist. If you believe he does, great! We are not a Christian country any more than a Muslim or Scientology country. There is NO official religion here. We are free to believe (or not) as we wish. Being free, we can spend hundreds of thousands on bill boards and other outlets as we wish to get across pretty mush any message we wish (unless it is about really helping or uplifting poor people). Why do so many believe in such a dark message? Do they think God is a mass murder who could make even Hitler and Pol Pot blush? Are things really so hopeless? I think for some, they are. This is the real underlying issue behind doomsday cults of all stripes. It is a kind of powerlessness. My life sucks. This world is doomed for its wickedness. I cannot do anything about it. It is in God’s hands (so I don’t have to do shit). Maybe it all is but what a lame excuse to watch others suffer while you do nothing.

If I were God, I’d be pretty pissed. Everything we need is here. There should be no such thing as the Bottom Billion. We carry on about helping the poor and giving to charity but fail to ever ask why there are poor in the first place. Religions can do great and wonderful things and at the same time help maintain the existing power structure (read inequalities). You’re poor because god wills it. Besides, the kingdom of heaven awaits you. (long as you behave as we tell you). So life sucks and the end of the world would mean no more bill connectors, food always in the fridge and no more worry about wars, famine, tornados etc. Some of these problems we can solve! Solve the ones around you! All the great religions call on followers to be active in making this a better place and not worry about how and when it will end. Lighten up!

I hope there is a god and an afterlife and all the fun that goes with it but I live as if there is not. This really could be all there is. We need to make heaven here. Enjoy each day and every experience to the fullest. There is somebody laid up in the hospital as I write this who would love to have my small problems. Enjoy working through the bad stuff as well. Am I getting too preachy? I just want to share what works for me so you can take a little or as much as you like. Only one thing is certain, no one gets out of here alive. So we may as well enjoy life and help those around us to do the same.

Enough Doomsday already! Get living people.

Be what you want from others…

In my experience dealing with people, what I put out is what I get back. If I’m kind and easy going, that’s what I get in return 99% of the time. It is good to be positive but it has to be more than a shallow slogan. I like Michael Jordan’s approach. It goes something like this; when I meet someone, it may be the only time I ever see them. I hope to make it a good memory for that person. So I always try to look my best and be a polite as possible. I want them to feel good after our meeting. I think this applies to not just the people Mr. Jordan “meets” like fans, ill children or business people but everyone. I cannot speak for him but this is how I feel anyway. I strive to be polite to everyone I meet and leave them with the best impression I can. Think about it, when has being an ass to someone ever helped improve a situation or solved a problem? It may make you feel better for a moment or two but does little in the long run! Maybe not be possible to be polite and positive 100% of the time to everyone so I have room for improvement! If the other person is having a bad day and is sour with me, I cannot meet their negativity with my own. That will only make it worse. Keep it on the sunny side as the old song says. We are all better off for it.

Being polite and positive I think makes other people more willing to help out when I have a problem, helps everyone to feel good and lightens the day. This does not mean being phony. If I’m having a bad day or my back is hurting, these are not reasons to bring others down by complaining or being rude. In the last two years, I’ve been to the hospital twice. It turned out to be nothing major fortunately. But this is a great setting to see how staying positive and polite is helpful. I never had a problem with any staff and I feel I got very good service. I always used sir and ma’m and please and than you, even with the blood ladies who showed up at 2am! Who wants to help a wine bag or constant complainer? If I maintain a good attitude the resulting interactions with others will often make me feel better or maybe even bring a bad day around. There is no need for me to make my problems your problems. This applies everywhere, even when traveling.

I try to practice this approach with people all the time but especially when I’m traveling. When I’m in another country, it is like being a guest at someone else’s house. They have different rules, customs and attitudes. I need to be respectful and hopefully I can also learn a thing or two. When going overseas, I not only represent myself but the good ole USA and even North Carolina. I know on occasion I’ve on occasion been the only American some people ever met or spent any time with. I want them to feel good about me as well as the rest of us here. They don’t have to like or agree with our government but seeing us as a good people goes a long way. I think this is one reason why I’ve always had no problems when traveling. In 2007, I almost missed my connecting flight to Vietnam from Korea. The flight from Atlanta was delayed 3 hours. I resigned myself to being a guest in Korea for the night. Got to be flexible on the fly. No reason to get upset. When The Korean Airline people realized my plight, they held a small conference around me. I told them I could be flexible and made no complaints. There were about five or so people (two with walkie talkies) all speaking Korean and I awaited my fate. For all I knew, they could have been discussing how best to get me in a stew pot. That turned out not to be the case at all! The next thing I know a little Korean guy is pushing me in a low rider wheel chair through this vast airport running as fast as he could. I’m having to hold my legs up because the chair is so low. With this guy running at full speed it still took almost ten minutes to get to the next plane! I thought I was gonna die from holding my legs up but we made it! I don’t know for sure but I think they held the plane for me. It felt like they did anyway! I thanked the guy who got me there and he would take no tip money. I will always remember what he did for me. Despite my coach ticket, I found myself in an extra wide first class seat sipping wine for my last leg to Vietnam! Had I played plan B, the role of whiny American, I could have been spending a long night in the terminal. Plan A worked out better for sure!

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” --- The Dali Lama

End of the World News Stories...

My my, I better write quickly! It’s all over for us 6pm Saturday. Now, which time zone exactly? A few hours here or there no matter, I still plan to buy my Corvette tomorrow after work so I can have a fun filled last Saturday of joy riding. Most people would agree this is just more religious nut case lunacy but there is another question. Why is this a lead in story on CNN and other so-called news outlets? I view CNN (Certainly Not Newsworthy) as maybe just a slight step up from a tabloid. Other main stream media outlets are about the same (except Al Jazira- no doomsday nonsense there thank you). These fools get the attention while serious threats to our existence like climate change and nuclear proliferation are all too often denied by moneyed interests or simply ignored. Why is this? Well, the dumb ass stories serve as a good distraction from our very real problems. Look at all the fools commenting on it. Hell, I’m writing about it. We love to contemplate our own doom! There is something sublime about watching whole cities going up in flames, sinking under the waves or invaded by zombies or mutants (kudos Hollywood). Such Hollywood movies are entertaining even for an alleged thinking person like me. But for someone to really believe some god or other is going to end the world? It is wrong is so many ways. It is the same old worn out story of a “chosen people.” “We’re going to Heaven and you’re not! Na na nany bobo bobo stick your head in dodo.” Heaven? With these people? I don’t know about you but I’ll pass.

Judgment Day. Now there’s a concept. All of the good people (unless they believe in another religion or no religion) go to heaven while all the bad people go to a bad place called Hell. God decides. Man, I would not want his job! I’ll leave that for the Decider, George W. Does that sound like an all knowing all loving supreme being or some vengeful old fart not getting his way? Now if I were God for a day I’d take everyone else but these morons. Let them figure it out. With the multiverse, it could happen and we would never even have to know! Just click the remote and we are on another copy of the Earth! Now that’s a movie I’d like to see, The Left Behinder bunch Left Behind scratching their balls wondering WTF. Oh, now I’m getting absurd.

Yes, the world as we know it will end one day but not from god. We’ll nuke ourselves, an asteroid with our name on it will show up given enough time, the sun will go supernova, or some other such event. There are plenty of real ways the end will come. When watching this BS ask yourself a question. What is NOT being reported on right now?

But what a fun filled Saturday it could be!

Freedom Riders...

I watched the Freedom Riders documentary on PBS last night and was stunned into silence at the courage I saw. It was just a part of the over all Civil Rights Movement but an important part nonetheless. The premise sounds simple enough; ride a bus through the segregated south and see if recent Supreme Court decisions striking down discrimination in interstate travel are being adhered to. The answer is they are not. Each state in the south is disregarding the new rulings.

The documentary did not demonize all white southerners and pointed out white folks from all walks of life also participated in the rides. It is easy for us living in 2011 to look back and judge the whites participating in the verbal abuse, beatings and assaults and wonder just what in the hell were they thinking? Now, they look like a bunch of redneck, inbred monsters. Change scares the shit out of people; let's not forget that. If the change is being imposed from so-called outsiders (people from the north and the Federal Government), it is even worse. As a conflict practitioner, I have to ask what caused such a violent backlash? This kind of response does not happen in a vacuum. So on one side (for lack of a better word) there are white southerners who see their way of life being threatened, competition for jobs, loss of long standing power and control, disruption of norms and plain old fear of the unknown. The Freedom riders were members of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and they wanted equal protection under the law and equality here in the United States. The Freedom Riders practiced non-violence and never carried weapons. Their goal was to travel in peace via the nation's bus system and bring attention to the injustices of segregation. It seems to me watching the film, they underestimated the hatred and the level of violence they would come to face.

Fifty years later we can look back and speculate if there was a better way to get the desired result. Could more have been done to alleviate the fears of the white people? I doubt they would have been open to cultural sensitivity training! Could something less "In your face" than Freedom Rides done the trick? To paraphrase Malcolm X who can set a timetable for another man's freedom? I cannot.

I think the key to the success of the Freedom Riders is sticking to non-violence. Had blacks and whites got into a tit for tat cycle of assaults and killings, progress toward equality would have been much slower. There would be much more fear and distrust that would have taken many decades to heal. Think about non-violence for a moment or two. It seems we seldom do these days. You are willing to go unarmed into a place you are NOT welcome and risk getting your ass kicked, arrested or even killed. The courage part comes in after some of these things have happened and you decide to continue in the face of violence. People can some be a mix of good and bad. I think, for the most part, people are GOOD. Given the chance people will do the right thing most of the time. Under the right circumstances, we can also do terrible things. For example, when there is no accountability, such as when the police hold back while a mob attacks non-violent activists, our darker side emerges. Combine the no accountability with fear driven hatred and things can get very bad very fast. Please correct me if I missed something but no freedom riders were killed. That is a small miracle given the situation. Other Civil Rights workers did lose their lives. They brought much needed attention to the injustices of segregation. Enough people saw what was going on through a well functioning free press, and demand segregation be brought to an end. It is never an easy undertaking to meet violence with non-violence. I think it is important to recognize the courage it takes.

For further reading check out these sites:

History of the Civil Rights Movement

http://www.america.gov/publications/books-content/free-at-last.html

Rep. John Lewis

http://johnlewis.house.gov/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Human Rights Watch

http://www.hrw.org/