Thursday Morning Stupidity

While I was sitting at my laptop writing a post (unpublished as of yet) recapping my Remembrance Day with my grandfather so total asshole decided that he would rob the Legion in Scarborough Ontario of the money that veterans collect with the yearly sale of Remembrance Day poppies.

The Globe and Mail reported an armed man entered the basement of the Legion building where veterans were counting the donations received in the annual Remembrance Day campaign. He pointed a gun at an 84 year old veteran and demanded all the "bills".

The veteran lunged at the man with the gun and tried to subdue him, with the help of another veteran, who was 64, the intruder dropped his gun and fled on foot.

I'm not sure what kind of idiocy compelled the would be thief, I mean really... Is there no respect left in this world that someone would rob elderly war veterans of the money they collect for charity? And to do it after the one day of the year the entire nation stops to honor them?

I sincerely hope the police catch this man, put his face on the news and make sure that the entire country knows who he is.

The True Price of the Afghan Election

(Image taken from: HERE)

With the Afghan election around the corner a bunch of articles have been popping up just about everywhere online as well as in printed papers about the fear that people have in regards to the vote, the violence leading up to the vote, the potential violence on voting day and most of all the corruption that will most likely plague this election.

The Globe and Mail had one on this very subject, trying to weigh the amount of corruption or what was already being faced as far as vote buying and whatnot. There was an interesting sentence in the article: "The discussion among analysts, both Afghan and Western, revolves around “acceptable levels” of voting irregularities..." The article goes on to talk about bribes and vote buying by Karzai who is running for reelection and the same things being done by the opposition leaders.

Some Afghan citizens were even quoted in the article saying that they might fear the police even more than they fear the Taliban. A shop keeper said that he had turned down bribes and offers of lavish meals by the Karzai family and in the face of bribes and intimidation says he still plans to vote for the opposition.

One important thing that the international community, who is footing the bill for this election to the tune of 250,000,000$, must remember is that Karzai is the one who played behind our backs and passed the infamous "rape law" and promised to revise it but has left us holding our collective breath, the same Karzai whose brother is playing middle man with the Taliban. Not only are we paying for this election with our money, but we've paid for it in blood with the lives of our young men and women, dozens of whom have not returned home to their families and friends.

So what is acceptable corruption? The Globe asked the question but didn't get an answer... I don't think I will find one either. I mean let's just face the facts: in a country where most of the people can't reach polling stations, where registered voters have the names of American pop stars, where husbands are legally allowed to rape their wives and people are afraid of the police; the country seems corrupt enough without us asking the question: how much corruption is acceptable?

I hope the people of Afghanistan have a better shot at democracy and freedom of choice that I think they will. Because a lot of Canadians don't even bother voting but for some reason those same Canadians are willing to give up their sons and daughters for the right to vote of the Afghan people. That my friends, is the price true price of an election.

Sunday Morning Quote

"A man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war. And afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory, and he believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands, love a woman, build a house, change his son's diaper; his hands remember the rifle."
Anthony Swofford (from the movie Jarhead)

Muchacho Enfermo

D-Day Remembered.

I know that I'm a couple of days behind, but it's better late than never...

On June 6th 1944 over 160,000 young men of all the western allied nations landed on the beaches of France to mount the single largest landing campaign in history. The suffered massive losses but ultimately broke Hitler's Atlantic Wall.

The Canadians that landed on Juno beach that gray morning suffered a 50% casualty rate on the first wave, the second highest of the invasion.

This won't be a long drawn out post about logistics and opinions on military tactics. This is simply a post to salute our boys and the boys of all the other nations that participated.

French, English, Canadian, American, Polish, Norwegian all fought side by side regardless of race, color, origin or birthplace. Thanks to them and all others who fought in the Second World War we can all live the way we do.

I owe you all so much.

I will never forget.

Thank you.

Muchacho Enfermo

There is No Border Here

Recently a good friend of mine gave me a picture she took in Havana. On the picture (seen above) you see yellow tape that's made to look like police tape, this was placed somewhere in Havana as part of the Bienal art festival and it reads: There Is No Border Here.

This picture, what it says, what it represents and the friend that gave it to me all make me think of one thing that I remember hearing for the first time back in 1994 (even though it was written in 1986, by +++The Mentor+++)... It makes me think of two paragraphs of the Hacker Manifesto which read:

"We explore... and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge... and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias... and you call us criminals. You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals.

Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is
that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like.
My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me
for."

And it gives me chills, both the Manifesto and the picture. Even though I am not a hacker, I am still a netizen, a citizen of the internet, as is everyone else who reads, comments or posts here. Everyone with a facebook, with a blog, with a myspace or anyone who has contributed to forums or websites. We are all the same. This place, this cyberspace, provides us with a borderless world, the true global village; it gives us a place where color, age, race, location and religion don't really matter.

Oppressive and regressive governments try to limit access to cyberspace because they see it as dangerous, but the more they say no the harder we push to hear yes. It might seem like something simple and insignificant to some of us, but for those living behind the walls of aggression cyberspace is their gateway to a world they've never seen and a place to say things that people would otherwise never hear.

So this post goes out to everyone who fights everyday to exist in this global community and to have their voices heard among so many others. This post goes out to anyone fighting and writing for their cause and for the cause of others. This post goes out to everyone who tries to make a difference.

Remember there truly is No Border Here.

Muchacho Enfermo

If only the French fought the Germans this Hard

I read today about yet another case of French workers taking their boss hostage to try and negotiate a better severance package after being laid off.

The only time I got laid off, I didn't think of taking my boss hostage to put pressure on my employer... I thought of getting a lawyer to negotiate my severance for me and hope for the best. It's insane how fast France seems to riot and take things to extremes sometimes.

I just thought about this because I couldn't help but smile and think to myself that if they'd fought the Germans this hard in WWII things would have been much different.

Muchacho Enfermo

Everybody wins!

When I was a kid I played soccer. My team was bad... I mean horrible. No matter how many goals we lost by at the end of the game the coaches and refs would say that we had all won. Everyone was a winner!

Now look at Israel pulling out of Gaza...
Israel says: We won!
Hamas says: We won!

Which just goes to prove my point: Watching this stuff play out in the middle east is like watching a children’s sporting event where everyone gets a trophy. Hamas can’t possibly say that they won because Gaza City looks like Nuremberg did after the Allies bombed it. Hamas is like those idiot coaches who tried to make us feel good for being mediocre. Over 1000 dead, a crumbling city and leaders in hiding for over two weeks? You can hardly call that a victory by anybody’s standards.

Israel can’t really say it won, even though it’s clear they inflicted the most damage. You just can’t win against people like Hamas. They’re willing to sacrifice their on people to launch 30 rockets a day at Israel and inflict exactly ZERO casualties. Israel is not the winner in this conflict, all it did by pulling out is to play into Hamas’ hand. Hamas knew international pressure on Israel to pull out would grow and that one day Israel couldn’t ignore it anymore. So they waited in bunkers and planned their victory speeches...

Watching this is sad, watching the Hamas soldiers walking around Gaza giving people money because they lost their homes and their loved ones. How much money? One source stated that he received a few thousand dollars after he lost his house and his business to Israeli bombs. A couple of thousand dollars? Wow... I could walk to an ABM and cash advance that on my credit card right now. Good job on taking care of the people you’re supposed to be defending Hamas.

All that to say that this twisted little interpretation of victory only goes to show the world how far in left field both sides of this conflict actually are.

Muchacho Enfermo

What ceasefire?

The UN security council called for a ceasefire in Gaza yesterday. The vote was 14-0 with the US abstaining, standing by their original position that since Israel and Hamas wouldn't listen there was no point in trying.

Hamas is now being reported by the Associated Press as having said that it "is not interested in a ceasefire".

The violence has been escalating again, militants in Lebanon have reportedly been firing rockets on Israel.

Israel has been accused of firing on Red Cross aid workers and bombing a UN school. Since then all aid supplies in Gaza have been stopped.

If Israel is firing on the UN and Lebanon is firing on Israel... what does that leave? Are we on the eve of a much bigger crisis then was first expected in Gaza? Has Israel finally bitten off more then it can chew? And when will the UN actually step in and impose a ceasefire? If it does how likely is it to work?

Just a few questions I had... I'm hoping some of you have answers because I certainly don't.

Muchacho Enfermo

Joe the Plumber does what?

The associated press reported today that Joe the Plumber is going Israel to become a war correspondant. He is leaving for a 10 day trip to cover the fighting for the conservative website PJTV.com.

He wants to let Israel's “Average Joes share their story.”

Kudos to Joe the Plumber for knowing when to capitalize on an opportunity, kudos for PJTV.com for cashing in a meal ticket when they see one. But shame on both PJTV and Joe for trying to make a buck from the misery in the middle-eat.

While he's there Joe the Plumber should walk into Gaza and ask regular Palestinian average Joes their story. Get it from both sides like a real journalist.

My main concern is what more can Joe the Plumber possibly bring to the already extensive coverage of the carnage in Gaza? Do Israelis know who he is? Will the average Israeli care who this guy is? Why would they even talk to him instead of another more qualified correspondent that might have a deeper understanding of the culture, their emotions and the conflict as a whole?

My other concern is that this stunt might turn this conflict into a little bit of a joke despite the rising death toll. Imagine how Americans would have felt if Joe the Plumber interviewed "average joes" after hurricane Katrina or some other US tragedy with massive loss of life. Because that's what he will be doing in Israel.

While I think it's a great idea to have an average guy ask questions of regular everyday folks... I think it should be done at home in the US where people at least know who he is and it shouldn't be in the context a potential humanitarian crisis.

Again, I can't blame Joe the Plumber for wanting to make a buck. I'm just saddened that this sideshow comes at a time like this, in a place where so much blood is shed and where tension is at an all time high.

Muchacho Enfermo

"Gaza will be paved with fire and hell"

Israel had its troops march on Gaza today as air strikes continued over the strip. Soldiers marched into Gaza one by one, following by tanks and gunboats. The death toll in in Gaza has exceeded 460 on the Palestinian side and 4 on the Israeli side. I do not condone Israel's actions. I do not believe that a rich developed country should invade a small strip of land that is fighting with metaphorical sticks and bone. Whenever I think of Israel invading Gaza is makes me think of images I'd seen of Italy invading Ethiopia where people with guns were killing people with hunting spears.

The main difference however is the hypocrisy of Hamas in all this. They're supposed to be protecting Palestinians, to provide for them... As their elected government they should have their people's best interest at heart, which they don't seem to have. When one thinks about all this it's important to remember that in their charter Hamas has refused to recognize the existence of Israel. It's also important to remember that Israel has aggressively tried to bring settlers into Gaza and the West Bank.

The rhetoric that is ongoing between the two nations is the worst, in an Associated Press article, Hamas was quoted as having said: “Gaza will not be paved with flowers for you, it will be paved with fire and hell.”
Israel has stated that it is prepared for a lengthy war.

Then near the end of the article a Hamas spokesperson said:“Anyone who thinks that the change in the Palestinian arena can be achieved through jet fighters' bombs and tanks and without dialogue is mistaken.”

Wasn't this the same group that said it would pave Gaza with fire and hell? How can anyone think that negotiating a ceasefire will be a viable option. Between Israel's fervor for war and Hamas' relentless threats, I fear that many more innocent civilians will die before any sort of temporary ceasefire is reached.

Muchacho Enfermo

Gaza is on its knees

After another day of air strikes and an apparent ground invasion of the Gaza strip by Israeli forces Palestinians rushed the Egyptian border in an effort to leave the strip where the death toll is now close to 300.

The press from all over the world has covered these stories, despite the reports the world has remained mostly silent in its response to this latest Israeli assault. The UN called on both sides to halt the violence and many Arab nations have called Israel's acts criminal... but what about Canada? What about the US? What about England? Why isn't the world putting more pressure on Israel and on Palestine? How can we in the west sit idly and watch hundreds of people get slaughtered by planes on one side and buses blown up on the other and do nothing?

The better question is what could we do?
I hope someone has the answer, because Israel and Palestine certainly don't look like they have it.

Muchacho Enfermo

"Now the time has come to fight"

"Now the time has come to fight" were the words of the Israeli defense minister today following the bloodiest day on the Gaza strip in over 60 years. Air strikes were launched from Israel killing over 200 and injuring hundreds more. Morgues in Gaza are said to be running out of room and hospitals in Gaza city are saying that they are running out of supplies to treat the wounded. Aid groups operating in the area fear that Israel's attacks will cause a humanitarian crisis in a place where over half of the population depend on aid to meet their daily needs.

I've held back about writing about Israel/Palestine for a little while. Not only because at the root of it all I'm torn, but also because my opinions aren't always the most popular but here it goes.

Coming from a country where Church and State are separate I may have a hard time understanding the inner workings of a religious government, on either side. But to me this is an absurd fight that doesn't need to be fought.
We, the old WW2 allies, started this fight when we decided to carve out Israel and give to the Jewish people what wasn't ours to give. There was nothing altruistic or symbolic about it, none of the allied countries wanted them living here so we sent them back to their ancestral lands. The problem with that is that there were already people living there... but we didn't care. People can argue with me about this and say it's their land, it was theirs 2000 years ago so they should have it... If that's your argument then all of us in North America need to get on boats back to Europe and give the First Nations people back their land. We took it, carved out reserves, and we keep violating the land treaties to build highways and golf courses.

The other thing is this... The people of Palestine are pretty much stuck in their assigned territories, a lot of them displaced by Jewish settlers. If someone moved into my house and said it was their ancestral right and I had to move out. I'd be pretty pissed off too and I'd probably put up a hell of a fight.

But to add to this already volatile situation there's Hamas... Which at its roots doesn't like Jews and wants to hurt them. This also, is utterly stupid and I in no way support their actions against Israel.

The bottom line is that these two religions have a lot of things on common, they are from the same region and they share many of the same values. It's beyond my scope of comprehension that one would want the other eliminated. I really hope that this isn't just a ploy to help the outgoing Israeli Prime Minister retain his job after the February elections. What makes me even more mad is that Israel just brought a tank to a knife fight and they keep doing it. The people of Palestine have nothing and they keep being pounded into the ground. This will never pave the way for peace talks, it will only increase the likelihood of bloodshed on either side.

For more please see the Globe and Mail.

Mucacho Enfermo

100...

There is now officially 100 Canadian soldiers dead in the current Afghanistan mission. My heart goes out to the families of the of these young men and women. While I'm not a huge fan of the mission I am a huge fan of the courage that our young people show.

Muchacho Enfermo