December 2007- Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

Bhutto Assassinated!

I just read a few minutes ago on CNN.com that former
Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been
killed by a suicide bomber. Bhutto was at a rally to
bring to the world press’s attention that democracy in
Pakistan is still not functioning properly and at the
end an extremist began to fire shots at Bhutto and
then killed himself by blowing himself up. The blast
injured Bhutto and killed up to at least 20 other
people. Bhutto later died at a local hospital from her
injuries.

While I did not spend my time in college studying
world politics I do recall when Bhutto was elected PM
in Pakistan. I was a college sophomore and she was the
first female elected to PM in the Islamic country. I
remember thinking when I heard of her election that it
seemed amazing to me that a Middle-Eastern country
would elect a female leader before the USA. Having the
chance to read and experience more in life I can say
it no longer surprises me that the US has not yet
elected a female president-though it is possible that
will change in the next year.

Bhutto had been exiled from Pakistan for the last
several years but recently returned-in October of
2007-to be a spokesperson do democracy and a peaceful
solution in her country after current President
Musarraf suspended elections. With her return Musarraf
soon spoke of elections in the near future-not yet
schedule but government statements have indicated that
elections would be held in January of 2008.

With Bhutto assassinated I wonder if the pressure that
was brought upon the current government to hold
elections will now decide to postpone or cancel the
elections.

The world press needs to continue to place pressure on
the current Pakistani government to continue democracy
and the people of free countries need to continue to
be informed and to let their own voices be heard-both
in the home countries and abroad.

Bhutto Assassinated-12/27/07
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/pakistan.bhutto/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/pakistan.bhutto/index.html#cnnSTCText

Pres Bush makes statement ref Bhutto's assassination
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071227/pl_nm/pakistan_bhutto_usa_dc_4;_ylt=AmK3AuEwiPjO3kapaAxSmcUE1vAI

Thursday, December 27, 2007

America and Iran-Really so different?

I watched a PBS Frontline documentary last night [10/23/2007] on the political and military atmosphere of Iran and the US. It was very informative. I hadn’t realized that in 2003 just after President Bush had declared victory in Iraq that there was an attempt at a political resolution and political peace that was initiated by reformist politicians in Iran. The reformers in Iran had apparently received approval by the hard-line leaders to attempt a peaceful accord between the US and Iran. At the time President Bush apparently felt so confident in the US position in Iraq that he ignored the offer and never spoke with Iran.
I wonder if history will look back and say-how foolish you were Mr. President.
I know that I’m saying it. The US is stuck in the middle of a political and military civil war in Iraq and unable to extricate itself. Many young soldiers are dying on the other side of the world each month-each day-and I wonder how this is keeping the US safer? Isn’t peace with other countries, a working political accord-a dialogue-something that will keep this country safe? Isn’t ignoring that to go your own way and do as you want, regardless of how it affects others, reckless and ignorant of the ways of the world-as well as simply childish? Like pushing all the other kids out of the sand-box because you want to play alone? I can imagine that eventually you will either have no friends, or the kids on the play ground will band together to beat up the bully. In this scenario I’m envisioning the US as the bully. Unfortunately I think that many people and nations are viewing the US as the bully. Instead of being the world’s police officer and
peace keeper-even moral leader-we are becoming the world’s bully. President Bush has said it in press conferences before-either you’re with us, or against us! I find that to be a short sighted statement.
Many people in the Middle-East have been to the US to study and learn about the west-earning college and university degrees and then going home to better their own country. They are the leaders of today, and they no longer appear to be interested in learning or talking with the west. Yet what I find sad is that they are similar to all of us in the west. They grow up, go to school, work, have a family and worry about how to pay their bills and take care of themselves and their loved ones.  From those I’ve talked with who are from the Middle-East as well as reading books that have been written by those from Iran and Iraq about their life their I believe that their lives are very different, and much the same as ours.
History has its moments-both good and bad. September 3rd, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. June 6th, 1945 the Allied forces invasion of Normandy. September 11th, 2001 the destruction of the twin towers in NYC.  I wonder if may 2003 will go down as a date that could have prevented a more disastrous date in the future.

FRONTLINE: showdown with Iran
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/showdown/

FRONTLINE: home | PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/

frontline: History of US/Iran relations
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Sleater-Kinney and Freedom of Speech

Sleater-Kinney-the band which not many people outside of the North-West or indie group circles are aware of has taken a leave of absence-aka are on hiatus. This band is one of my favorite groups and their music is not only creative and stirring but the lyrics are insightful and purposeful as well. Many of the group’s songs have meaning beyond the music-such as Combat Rock from their cd One Beat. This song in particular is an example of artists using their talent to highlight problems in our country. The song asks whether dissent is indeed treason. And of course it is not. Our country’s founders spoke their minds and if they disagreed then they spoke out. The USA is a country that should not require complacency from its citizens. It is not a country that must require the people toting the party line-that sounds rather like the former Soviet Union. If you’re not with us you’re against us-that too is something that is not true in the US-but has been
made popular by many a politician in the last several years. This country felt civil liberties to be so important that it’s written down in law! The 1st Amendment allows for freedom of speech-of the press-of assembly and religion. How can dissent of another’s opinion be anything other than American?
Overall their vocals have an in-your-face style. The lyrics are poignant and the music flows with the lyrics to the point where I wonder which flows from which-the music–lyrics or the lyrics-music.
Their last cd-The Woods-was released in May of 2005 and it may very well be their last. This is a definite disappointment to me as they are one of the few bands that I not only enjoy listening to but admire as well. They have used their talent not only to entertain others but to question as well. Art is here not simply to please us, but to question and push us. Art must ask the difficult questions and force others to confront those questions.
I do not have the talent for composing music, but I’ve always been able to write, to journal and now blog. S-K has been a positive influence on my writing-it’s not a musical composition but a composition of words-and while I have the opportunity to do so I will continue to write and publish here. Perhaps others will read and find questions that they had not considered before.

SLEATER-KINNEY.NET
http://www.sleater-kinney.net/

The Official Website of Sleater-Kinney
http://sleater-kinney.com/

The Bill of Rights
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html

Wednesday October 10th, 2007

Squid Lobby!

Squid Lobby
Some of you may have seen the TV commercials for chick-filet that appears to be sponsored by the local dairy farms and perhaps also the local dairy workers-aka the cows! Well a new lobby is now trying to assert some of its strength in having people try a more vegetarian diet when they go out to eat and when the purchase food at their local grocery stores. That new lobby is the Squid Lobby!
For those of you who laugh, and there will be people laughing as they read this, think of the underlying facts here. If the Squid nation employs someone-a human-to speak on their behalf and convince people to eat a more vegetarian diet, then they-the squid nation-can live and survive much longer and grow. Now their underlying goal is not to take over the world-the water world or the on land world-but simply to live. After all if we keep eating them it’ll be a bit hard for them to live!
For those of you who’d ask, “Well what are you getting out of this?” That’s an easy answer-they don’t attack me when I go in to the water! You’ve seen that movie entitled “20,000 Leagues under the Sea” right? That was one of their own going after an alleged squid hunter!
So the next time you go to the grocery store remember to buy soybean products! After all eating squid and seafood is simply wrong. They’re just trying to live too-like you.
Plus…have you ever kissed anyone who just ate squid?
Plus just between you and me-there's a squid syndicate. Like a mafia. They might come after you if I ask them too.

So consider that when you go out to eat and have to choose between Red Lobster and the local vegetarian diner!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010