Five Years

It has been five years since the Iraq war started. Many Americans took to the streets today protesting the continuation of the war (and some got arrested), but George W. Bush took the day to once again proclaim victory against the enemies of America and Iraq. To George W., the costs of the war have been exaggerated by his opponents and, moreover, whatever the numbers, they have been necessary for victory in the war against terror. Here are some numbers by generally reliable sources:

** The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the cost of war at $600 billion, while Joseph Stiglitz estimates that once post-war costs are included, the Iraq war will have cost somewhere around $3 trillion. (Taken from today's BBC news report: http://news.bb.co.uk/2/hi/americas/730523.stm)

** www.iraqbody count.org estimates civilian deaths to be between 82,249 and 89,760. They use numbers from documented sources. I've seen websites which place the number at over a million--I don't know about how true that is and I'm not sure how they're calculating their numbers.

** The AP reports that close to 4,000 American troops have died. The DoD reports the same.

I'm not sure what 'cost' is necessary but these numbers are very high. It's disturbing that we think collateral damages of over 80,000 civilians is considered okay by the government and the Armed Forces. If we're trying to maintain our values of life, liberty and justice, why aren't we following those self same values?

Some poetry

INTERDEPENDENCE

We cannot have well humans on a sick planet.
We cannot have a viable human economy by devastating the earth’s economy.
We cannot survive if the conditions of life itself are not protected.
Not only our physical being, but our souls, our minds, imagination and emotions depend on our immediate experience of the natural world.
There is in the industrial process no poetry, no elevation or fulfilment of mind or emotion comparable to that experience of the magnificence of the sea, the mountains, the sky, the stars at night, the flowers blooming in the meadows, the flight and song of the birds.
As the natural world diminishes in its splendour, so human life diminishes in its fulfilment of both the physical and the spiritual aspects of our being.
Not only is it the case with humans, but with every mode of being.
The wellbeing of each member of the earth community is dependent on the wellbeing of the earth itself.

—Thomas Berry

Some common courtesy? And some politics to spice it up...

I am convinced that I may be the champion of bottled-up frustration. There are a lot of disgruntled people out there, but I may just take the cake in not expressing extreme levels of irritation that I feel on a daily, perhaps even hourly, basis. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that this level of pent up emotions have got to be terrible for me and that I should really learn to let go of this unhealthy amount of rage.

Perhaps the biggest reason I have for this level of rage, is that many, many things that people do bother me. But I feel perfectly justified in getting bothered by these points because they so often are matters of common courtesy or common sense. By the way, neither of these two attributes is as common as you'd like to believe. There are two primary things that have me all het up by the way and I point them out here so whoever reads this blog can appreciate and perhaps even empathize with my situation:

1. Talking on phones loudly in public locations: It's not simply a matter of YOUR privacy, it's every person's right to not be subjected to every last detail about the last crazy party you went to or the recent family scandal. So please, talk softly. Actually, let me refine this: Don't talk loudly in public. Unless your fellow conversationalist (conversee?) is hearing impaired or you are in a very loud place, there is no need to raise your voice.

2. Walking in large groups so that you take up the entire sidewalk: I am a fast walker and like to get to places quickly. It won't hurt your 'pack' to be a little more scattered so as to allow innocent bystanders passage. Is it too much to ask?

So now that I have let that off my chest…pheww. I’m now good till the next time it happens, at which time I may have an apoplectic fit. Or some other thing may grate on my nerves.
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In other news, I have come to the somewhat disturbing conclusion that bomb blasts in my home country do not seem to affect me emotionally anymore. I have become increasingly blasé about them and that worries me. It happens so often that I can no longer react in an appropriately shocked manner. Which, in turn, saddens me intensely. What does it say about the state of a country when its citizens have come to expect bomb blasts by extremists on a regular basis?

And while this cycle of violence and death continues, the only other news about Pakistan is the power struggle between the “democratically” elected parties and their power-brokering deals…best of both worlds? I think not. We are, once again, at a point where the military has failed us and Pakistanis once again look to democracy as a savior, only to be disappointed, and in about a decade the tides will shift again and the army will step in again. How does this cycle stop? Once we leave behind all our Zardari’s and Sharif’s with their false promises and feudal ideas and find an honest-to-goodness ethical and just leader. What a pipe dream it seems right now.

But there is good news. Not all change comes from the government and there is so much grassroots activism that is focused on diminishing poverty, improving health and education standards amongst a multitude of other noble causes. Hurrah for the development organizations toiling away in the difficult arena that is improving the lives of others. With no real guarantee of success, it is a brave occupation to belong to. Also, hurrah to the philanthropists who give so generously to those in need. There is still some light left after all…

Irresponsible Journalism

Yesterday, I was sitting in a seminar waiting for the professor to start class when some of the undergrads began discussing an article they were quite shocked by in the university's student newspaper (which, by the way, only comes out once a week--hurrah for daily BDH's!). Now I rarely pick up the newspaper because it has little information of interest to me, such is the grad student disinvolvement with university life. Anyways, I hadn't read the Martlet and it turned out there was an article in it called: "Violence at root of Qur'an" which essentially called the text a genocidal document. The author, Derek Madson, was linking the Qur'an's hatred-inciting violence with the Criminal Code of Canada which in its hate crimes legislation exempts religious texts from its definition for hate speech. the article has kept me hopping mad since I read it and I've already sent of a complaint to the newspaper for printing it.

Now I am not arguing that the Qur'an does not have its violent moments, there's a fair amount of it to be honest. My issue with Mr. Madson was his irresponsible journalism. First of all, I think we all know some other religious texts that are equally violent. In a letter I wrote to the newspaper complaining on such hate-mongering acts, I noted that the Bible calls for the execution of homosexuals in Leviticus. Deutoronomy has its fair share of violence. For crying out loud: working on the Sabbath is a sin and the punishment prescribed is death!

Mr. Madson recorded his "casual perusal" of the Qur'an and cited various examples of hate speech within it. I would like to say to him, religious texts are complex and casual glances tell us little of these complexities. Furthermore, he says that the Qur'an's hate speech should not be tolerated because of 'jihadists' who preach them regularly. Oh well, if the fundamentalists are using this violent speech, then yes we must abandon everything about a religion that over a billion people (clearly they are all racist and violent) adhere to. I'd just like to add that the Criminal Code of Canada was written far before Islam had much of an impact on Canada and probably exempted religion from its hate crimes legislation because of the Bible!

Why does this man need to write such a hateful article? Does he truly think all Muslims are 'jihadists'? I am a Muslim and while I am enraged at his seeming righteousness, I wish him no harm. He can believe what he likes as far as I (and many, many other Muslims are concerned) but this racist diatribe is unwelcome and unwarranted. Before you publish something, check your facts more thoroughly, talk to a few experts perhaps. No "casual perusals" please.

Apologies

I've taken the liberty of copying the full text of Australian premier, Kevin Rudd's speech to Parliament apologising to Australian aborigines:

"Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing culture in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, indigenous and non-indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia."

Wow. 

As an American, I wish we could have some of that. Nobody even talks of apologies in the ongoing presidential race or in media generally. And we owe a few.

Apologies will not solve the many problems minorities face but they will open the door to seeing that there have been injustices and that something must be done. Moral leadership must be about more than talk but don't we have to start talking to move to action?

I'm not going to say anything more than this: Start talking

Emergency

I must say, the fashion for state of emergencies is in these days. Pakistan and then Georgia...who'll be next? I worry about dictators and their desperate need to stay in power. All I can think is, why are you needlessly putting yourself in danger of assasination? I'm figuring that they don't care about the people, don't they want to save their own skin? Or maybe Mushie realises how apathetic a nation Pakistan can be (quite frankly, if I was dirt poor like most of the country, I wouldn't have the time of day to care about what he did as long as i was able to complete each day successfully...so maybe apathy's a bit harsh). And Benazir Bhutto's going to get the country back on the right track...right, the woman who successfully robbed the country blind with the use of her husband, that thug Zardari. Do I feel disenchanted? A tad. Do I seem cynical? Maybe a smidgen. Do I have a solution? Don't I wish. Can someone find a real honest-to-God intelligent and humane and honest cavalcade of people (I can't expect a person to succeed here and group sounds so mild and I can't use politicians because that would be a contradiction of terms) to marginally fix this country up? A bit of emergency triage that's all. Let us all pray (or just hope really really hard if we're not into that prayer thing!).

Uniforms and resignations

Is he going to resign? Yes
...wait, no
...well maybe
...sort of?

If you thought we live in a fast moving world, you are absolutely right...the constant shift in Pakistani politics has hit the speed of light because I swear every time I hear the news something has changed...its starting to make me dizzy. In fact don't ask me about Pakistani politics because I'm sure that while I speak there have been five new developments. But, I guess, you could also say life is never boring in Pakistan can you?

Apart from the general excitement of all this change, there is an underlying apprehension...make that very noticeable apprehension, because we're seeing the return of two politicians whose tag-team years of power did very little for this country. Except, of course, from stealing from the nation's coffers...really not something you want to repeat.

Unfortunately, as a nation we are wont to repeat our mistakes. Lets just wait and see...eh? [Oh the Canadians, already influencing me!]

Of course in other parts of the world we are still moving at a dogged pace; finally the snail that is Alberto Gonzale's resignation has reached the finish line. I'm just saying...it was called for ages ago and should have happened then.