And Then There Was One

The Multi-National Force, the official title of Bush’s “Coalition of the Willing”, is no more. Australian forces planned to leave by weeks end and UK forces did not get an agreement extension from the Iraqi parliament. Perplexing that the UK waited for an extension, though this is a great excuse for leaving without embarrassing the US.

Pointless that US military bureaucrats are hastily creating a new official title for US forces in Iraq. Then again, a name is important because the original seemed to have fooled most Americans. The Coalition of the Willing totaled 38 countries, not all participating simultaneously, and most volunteering less than 100 troops. Japan committed troops that weren’t allowed to engage in battle!

Amazingly geology and coalition building have something in common. Recent mysterious tectonic plate movements have created an Atlantic coast line for the once landlocked Afghanistan. That’s given NATO grounds to frighten together its Coalition of the Unwilling for another protracted quagmire.

Change That's More Of The Same

The Obama administration has underwhelmed us again. They’ve resorted to Bush warmongering lesson #1: fear as the greatest motivator. The latest target our ally New Zealand (NZ). This nation of only 4 million people is fiercely independent in the foreign policy arena. So staunchly antinuclear, it prohibits any nuclear armed or powered naval ships to dock in any of its ports. Why would the US think that it could pressure this nation into a war that is very unpopular amongst its citizens? Not sure myself, but Obama’s proxy gave it a go. The new US ambassador to NATO, Dr. Ivo Daalder, was quoted in the NZ Herald saying “God forbid there be a threat directly to New Zealand. Wouldn't it then be good for a country like Holland or Canada or Slovakia or the US to be there [for you]?”

Really? Is this the extent of Dr. Daalder’s diplomatic persuasion, scaring your ally into sending more troops to Afghanistan? Or is Obama hoping NZ’s politicians ignore the negative opinion its citizens have for the US War on Terror? Fortunately, the tiny island nation isn’t easily bullied. NZ Labour Party leader Phil Goff said "New Zealand's contributions to Afghanistan are purely a decision for New Zealand to take, and we should not make that decision on the basis of pressure from anyone else."

If only the Europeans had the same moral fortitude of the New Zealanders, there may have enough voices of reason in 2003 to prevent the US from creating the quandaries of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iranian Frenzy

What can be more hypocritical than for one nation stained with two consecutive presidential election scandals to accuse another nation of the same wrong doing? Perhaps a free press executing propaganda duties worthy of state-run media.

But unlike the Colin Powell cartoon-talcum powder presentation or the Mushroom cloud-WMD fear mongering, the US media was correct this time! The Iranian election was a fraud. We didn’t need to peruse poll results or get tweeted from Tehran. The election was sham before the polls were open. This election was rigged back in 1979 when the current constitution was implemented during the Islamic Revolution.

Iran is not a democracy and doesn’t pretend to be. It is a theocratic dictatorship run by a Supreme Leader (the name says it all!), who personally appoints the heads of the judiciary, police, military, radio, TV etc. He appoints 6 of the 12 member Council of Guardians whose duties include selecting candidates to run in the presidential election. A country run by a dictator, and his hand picked cronies cannot masquerade as a democracy.
As contrary to political freedom this regime may be, it is not unusual for the region. A few seconds into an internet query would return the details of Iran’s government structure; I guess corporate news channels don't have time to do research. Another apparent omission; none of our allies in the region are democracies, not Jordan, Saudi Arabia, nor Israel, so why the fuss? I find the media coverage and hysteria misplaced and frightening. Not because the story is misleading but because the facts are so obvious. I have this strange feeling of deja vu. Didn’t the media help mislead us into the Iraq War? What are they trying to sell us this time? The Obama administration recently stated there is no ceiling to troop levels in Afghanistan. Will the extra troops use Afghanistan as a base to attack Iran?
Free elections are essential in a democracy. And so is a press free from government influence.

Man In The Mirror

The world mourns Michael Jackson; I’m amazed at how Michael captivated us. He created the most popular music worldwide for decades and may be the greatest entertainer the world will ever know.

Michael accomplished through music what the great empires in history could not; he united the world. Not with sword, gun, or smart bomb, but with music. Music is an amorphous art, not easily described, with meaning dependent on person, culture, and time, yet he used this art to conquer the world. This tormented child was able to meld dance and song into something people from every corner of our planet embraced. This may blasphemy to some, but he was bigger than religion! He reached beyond, touching the hearts of adults and children everywhere. No use of mythology, no fear of hell, he didn’t scare us into believing in his music, we just did.

But there was some darkness around him as well. His childhood is tainted with allegations of abusive from father as well as other mentors. The media constantly hounded the impressionable teenager about his sexuality. He responded by manipulating the media and controlling our perceptions of him by leaking bizarre rumors about himself to the press. He spent years abusing myriads of controlled substances in an attempt to self medicate undiagnosed mental anguish. Obvious self contempt drove him to bleach his skin and scar his face until unrecognizable. And we are all familiar with the sexual abuse allegations that followed him in recent years.

Even though he became the star attraction of a bizarre media circus, we still loved him. He created music that transcended culture, nation, continents; his music united our world. Sadly, the man was a creation of our world, shaped by the many forces within modern society. A society where antidepressants are the most common prescribed medications while our society scorns mental illness. Pain and malaise are the most common complaints we make to our doctors who respond by giving narcotics away like candy. Those of us living outside the mainstream medicate ourselves with alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs trying to cope with past abuse, broken childhoods, abandonment, or grief. Our media glorifies unworthy personalities who undergo plastic surgery on a regular basis. Hypocritical politicians persecute homosexuality yet privately have same sex lovers. Internationally, governments espouse democracy and freedom but oppress their citizens and ally with tyrannies. Our world is confusing and duplicitous. There exists a dissonance between what we aspire for and the reality in which we live.

And we acted the same toward Michael. We found hope in his music. And as we judged and scorned his public antics, secretly we could relate to his obvious, yet unspoken torment. The world's greatest entertainer encapsulated all the hope we strive for and the demons we wish to exorcise; he was society's Man In The Mirror.