Since it seems that Blogger is going to stay our home for a little while longer I’ve made a few changes to the right hand column. Our comments section is uncharacteristically quiet as compared to before so just revamped that section.
Subverting the discourse; using the colour card
Maybe I read too much of Steve Sailer & the alternative sites. Maybe it’s cuz I’m in Africa and see so much of the paternalism condescension of Muzungu NGO workers but I’m beginning to get awfully bored of our mainstream sanctimonious attitude towards “rights” (be it class, gender, race or orientation).
It’s increasingly leading to a culture of hypocrisy in the public sphere but a shadow culture, where such vices flourish. As long as you espouse the “correct” views in public you can get away with practically anything short of murder in the real clubby elitist world that these movers & shakers actually occupy.
It’s maybe a sign of the times when a Great Civilisation on the wane doesn’t have much else to do but fight imaginary wars all the while not offering any real solutions.
Do what I say not what I do
I hang out with a lot of expats in Uganda. The local term for Westerner is Muzungu (Swahili/Luganda for “wanderer” as the white man was always wandering all over the place, the English language is called Luzungu).
At any rate almost down to the tee any Englishmen or American in Uganda would be a reliable lefty, almost a sure voter for the Labour/Liberal party or a Democrat/Independent.
While these self-professed liberals (after all most of them are NGO types) regularly declaim the Tory party or the right wing for their racism and proclaim their paens to diversity, in many of their gatherings I end up being the only “dark-haired” person about. Now that’s another level of homogeneity and it’s only happened to me once before in the West (forget about being the only dark skinned person but dark haired to boot).
At any rate I find that while their adhere to the cult of diversity and multi-cultural ism in practise the Tory party gatherings (even the far-right UKIP) will be more diverse in terms of race & ethnicity. In part because the right insists on a minimum standard of acculturation/assimilation (which is easily accomplished depending on your class levels, immigration is fraught as a two-edged sword since underperforming immigrants “sponge on welfare” high performing “take jobs”) they are able to accommodate racial diversity.
Whereas I’ve noticed that the left liberals won’t notice anything amiss about their all-vanilla gatherings, it’s as though their ideological leaning insulate from any actual criticism. The right considers any superiority/arrogance to derive from wealth & the creation of wealth whereas the left seems to hold itself apart from a complex interlocking of race, class & ideology that makes it far more opaque and inaccessible to get into. Essentially the easiest pass is to blend in by just fudging the boundaries (understand the rules & play them to your advantage).
Save Our Servants (leaders)
Andhra Pradesh goes to vote today for the last time as an united entity. It is a bitter-sweet moment which has been 65 years in the making (an un-making).
There
are two parties presently in the battle-field led by (supremely astute)
Servant-Leaders: Jaganmohan Reddy (YSR Congress) and Sonia Gandhi
(Indian National Congress). While YSR Congress is expected to
shine in coastal Andhra (estimated 90% Dalit Christian population), the
fortunes of the INC (and the all-important Mission 115) will depend on its
performance in Telengana.
Bishop G Dyvasyrvadam and Archbishop of Hyderabad Thumma Bala have issued an S.O.S. on behalf of The Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches for today’s (April 30) and the May 7 ballot. The Bishops have also presented a detailed Charter of Demands.
John Dayal, a noted (Catholic) Dalit activist reports from the Christian foxhole:
……
The Andhra Pradesh Bishopsâ group has perhaps gone a step further and
presented a charter of demands to the political parties and candidates
in the election fray.
These demands included setting up of a Christian
finance and development corporation,
….removal of the ban on propagation and practice of Faiths in certain
areas, and Christian representation on various government
organisations. They ….also
demanded an Assembly seat in each district and two Lok Sabha (seats), …..apart from
land for building churches.
………
John Dayal is not happy with the mix of Church and Politics but he appears to be in the minority. Everyone recognizes that desperate times call for desperate measures (also every Sadhu and Mullah is doing it, so why not the Bishops?). That said the Bishop’s Charter of Demands on behalf of his flock are indeed nothing short of extraordinary.
……
The Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches has written a letter to
churches within its jurisdiction asking them to âelect leadersâŠ. Who
uphold secular character and promote communal harmonyâ.
The APFC is body of several Christian denominations including
Catholic, CSI, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Mennonite, Salvation Army,
Seventh Day Adventist, Assemblies of God, Pentecostal Churches and other
Christian Denominations. It functions under the Andhra Pradesh Bishopâs
Council.
Christian leaders say they are âworriedâ about the violence in Kandhamal, Odisha and hence they had taken the step.
The letter asks Christians to âelect leaders who are close to people
and their needs, and only vote for those who uphold secular character
and promote communal harmonyâ
It has been signed by Bishop G Dyvasyrvadam a moderator of the Church
of South India and the Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches. It has
also been signed by Archbishop of Hyderabad Thumma Bala.
The letter will be read out on a Sunday before the state goes to
polls. Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections will be held on April 30 and May
7.
.……
Link (1): http://johndayal.com/church-politics-mix-india/
Link (2): http://www.thenewsminute.com/stories/AndhraPradeshchurchesaskChristianstovoteforsecularcandidates
…..
regards
“Rahul Gandhi is not a running item any more”
On the eve of the April 30th ballot, the bookies have closed their books on the dynasty. Enough said.
……..
As May
16 nears, leading bookies in Rajkot, Indore and Ahmedabad have stopped
offering bets on Rahul Gandhi as the next prime minister of India,
suggesting that the Congress VP does not stand much of a chance to move
into 7 Race Course Road after the Lok Sabha poll results are out in
mid-May. Even a month ago, some bookies were offering odds of about Rs
6-7 for Gandhi to be the PM, while the rate for Arvind Kejriwal, the
founder of Aam Aadmi Party, was about Rs 500-525.
In contrast
to Rahul Gandhi, the rate for Narendra Modi, the BJP candidate for the
PM post, is 45 paise, nearly unchanged from what the rate was about a
month ago. This means if one bets Rs 100 on Modi to assume the coveted
office in Delhi’s South Block, and he actually becomes the PM after May
16, one would get Rs 145.
“Rahul Gandhi is not a running item
any more,” said a person who is aware of the rates. According to the
person, the rates in other parts of the country would differ by 1-2
paise, and not much.
In the Rajkot-Indore circles, the rates
for the NDA coming to power is 44 paise. The rates for the BJP, which
led the alliance that ruled the country from 1999-2004, getting 200 Lok
Sabha seats is 46 paise and 58 paise for 250 seats. This rate has
slightly changed what was offered about 10 days ago, â 50 paise to 75
paise for the BJP getting 250 seats â indicating the party has a lower
chance of getting to that level.
Bookies are also betting
heavily about the Congress getting less than 100 Lok Sabha seats, with
the rates for it getting 85-90 seats at Rs 1.60-1.70, the person related
to bookies said.
…….
Link: http://www.siasat.com/english/news/no-betting-rahul-gandhi-bookies
……
regards
STOP Genocide now !!!
People hate wind turbines because they are an eye-sore (and in the proximate zone, ear-sore as well). This is a fact. People who hate wind turbines for other reasons accuse the technology for causing a genocide of the bird population. This is not supported by facts.
If you really want to protect birds, start building underground (which will kill rats, snakes etc) or at the least, seal off all the windows.
…..
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-21/beware-the-blades-of-death-world-s-top-serial-bird-killers-.html
……
regards
Israel: “Apartheid State” (under US protection)
What is not remarkable is that John Kerry uttered the A word (which is common-place in the left universe led by Jimmy Carter). What is remarkable is that he made the point at all, in the face of humungous support for Israel from the American public. The Gallup poll shows it all:
A quick (if shallow) analysis shows that prior to 9/11 the factions of Americans saying that they have sympathy with Israel and those who claiming sympathy for both Israel/Palestinians were roughly equal. Things changed drastically after 9/11 and now Palestinians are completely in the dog house.
This unconditional support for Israel also is reflective in terms of the massive amount of aid and diplomatic backing that Israel receives. Israel, Egypt, and Pakistan have always been amongst the top in-countries for US civilian/military aid, the case for Egypt is actually that it agrees to respect a formal peace pact with Israel- thus a quid pro quo for US funding.
If the US wall breaks down (it will not), it is possible that Israel will face a lonely fight to the finish against the combined forces of the Arab League and the Euro-American Left (which is leading the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions campaign). Kerry’s words are an amber signal in that direction.
……..
If thereâs no two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
soon, Israel risks becoming âan apartheid state,â Secretary of State
John Kerry told a room of influential world leaders in a closed-door
meeting Friday.
âA two-state solution will be clearly underscored as the only real
alternative. Because a unitary state winds up either being an apartheid
state with second-class citizensâor it ends up being a state that
destroys the capacity of Israel to be a Jewish state,â Kerry told the
group of senior officials and experts from the U.S., Western Europe,
Russia, and Japan. âOnce you put that frame in your mind, that reality,
which is the bottom line, you understand how imperative it is to get to
the two-state solution, which both leaders, even yesterday, said they
remain deeply committed to.â
According to the 1998 Rome Statute, the âcrime of apartheidâ is
defined as âinhumane acts⊠committed in the context of an
institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one
racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with
the intention of maintaining that regime.â The term is most often used
in reference to the system of racial segregation and oppression that
governed South Africa from 1948 until 1994.
Former president Jimmy Carter came under fire in 2007 for titling his book on Middle East peace Palestine: Peace or Apartheid. âApartheid is a word that is an accurate description of what has been
going on in the West Bank, and itâs based on the desire or avarice of a
minority of Israelis for Palestinian land,â Carter said.
Leading experts, including Richard Goldstone, a former justice of the
South African Constitutional Court who led the United Nations
fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict of 2008 and 2009, have argued
that comparisons between the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians and
âapartheidâ are offensive and wrong.
Kerry has used dire warnings twice in the past to paint a picture of
doom for Israel if the current peace process fails. Last November, Kerry warned of a third intifada of Palestinian violence and increased isolation of Israel if the peace process failed. In March, Democrats and Republican alike criticized Kerry for suggesting that if peace talks fail, it would bolster the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
…..
American
support for Israel really is quite extensive. The U.S. has given Israel
$118 billion in aid over the years (about $3 billion per year
nowadays). Half of all American UN Security Council vetoes ended
resolutions critical of Israel. ………
Link(1): http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/27/exclusive-kerry-warns-israel-could-become-an-apartheid-state.html
Link(2): http://www.vox.com/2014/4/29/5664444/kerry-compared-israel-apartheid-palestine
…….
regards
Imran Khan boarding the wrong train…as usual
Our great leader has taken the pulse of Twitter and Facebook (or heard good news from on high) and has decided to throw caution to the wind and board the anti-GEO bandwagon.
Sadly, once more, he may be boarding the wrong train. The army’s ability to swing itself into the harness and give orders has been slowly but steadily weakening for years. Zardari’s successful tenure (successful in not falling to a coup) and the peaceful transfer of power to MNS were baby steps. A major Paknationalist media empire deciding its time to openly challenge the ISI after its reporter is shot (by the ISI or by someone else) is a bigger step (because it means serious sections of the ruling elite feel it is time they can do this). This is not to condone GEO’s method of making the accusation, or their odious past record of labeling others as thieves, traitors, etc. That is all condemn-able and has been condemned in the past and should be condemned now. But their willingness to do so still indicates that they perceived a power shift.
The deep state (and its useful-idiot supporters in the PTI fan-base) have since mobilized to teach GEO a lesson and to show them who is still boss…but it is not exactly going as planned. It took a few days, but liberal fascists (a term GEO and Hamid Mir freely popularized when they and the establishment were on the same page) continue to pop up to question the army’s right to label GEO (or anyone else) as traitors. More significantly, MNS does not seem to be cooperating. Astute politicians like Zardari will soon get the hint (if they have not already got it) that there is not going to be a coup and its time to stand aside and let the ISI expose itself and its remaining supporters for what they are: people out of step with Pakistani political reality. (Look at the dozens or at most hundreds of people showing up to wave pro-ISI posters at rallies).
That leaves Imran Khan.
As expected, he has miscalculated. Thinking this whole sorry scheme of things entire may be wound up soon, he has boldly stepped forward (after waffling for a few days) and has now discovered that GEO is the enemy and he is ready to boycott them.
By doing so he stands ready to lose either way:
1. He is wrong and MNS and GEO both survive this episode, leaving him with abundant egg on his face after yet another failed “mobilization/revolution”.
OR
2. He has picked the “winning side” and the deep state will kill GEO and MNS (killing one without the other is not likely to be much help) on May 11th (the day Khan sahib and Canadian-gun-for-hire Tahir Ul Qadri are supposed to launch their campaign against this “corrupt system”). What then? He will find himself marked as a supporter of what will surely be Pakistan’s last and least successful coup. The inevitable disasters that follow will end his political career (and possibly more that that).
I present to you, Imran Khan, leader with impeccable (bad) timing:
Imran khan boycott on geo by zemtv
PS: foreign friends unfamiliar with the tenor of the campaign against Hamid Mir may understand better after an example. Here it is:
Hamid Meer and His Credentials
By Shah A Siddiqui
The episode of Hamid Meer is quite intriguing and merits comprehensive investigation from the concerned authorities including the government and the independent agencies. He is a celebrated journalist with an executive portfolio in the GEO group. He has survived the attack on his life which not short of a miracle. He is in the hospital and reported to be gradually recovering. Hopefully he would fully recover and join his family and his profession once again with the same spirit and zeal that he has always been displaying during his tenure in the field of journalism.
But factually the conduct and character of Hamid Meer has never been above board and he has remained under suspicion for his pro India stand and intensive publicity in favor of India. One of the manifestations and his controversial role is to be favorable towards India is the missionâ Aman KI Ashaâ that the GEO television and affiliated newspapers have been drumming up for several years now. âAman Ki Ashaâ apparently was an initiative launched together by India and the GEO and Jung Group of newspapers with lots of fanfare. Of course, such a high profile campaign cannot be carried on with meager means or alone by the finances raised by the Jang group. The funds and certainly in huge scale must have also been contributed by the other counterpart which is in this case is India.
As such when Hamid Meer has never been critical in the Indian role with regard to her suppression of the Kashmiri people and building of reportedly 22 dams on the water flowing down the rivers entering Pakistan ultimately causing drought and famine in Pakistan then independent observer start smelling something fishy. This inexplicable attitude on the part of Hamid Meer and his group of companies becomes more dubious when he never let any chance go in reviling and defiling ISI and for that matter the Pakistanâs Armed forces.
Those people who believe that he has been attacked by the ISI for his support for the missing people of Baluchistan are outrightly mistaken or misguided. The truth is that Baluchistan crisis has been lingering ever since the creation of Paksitan. If somebody wants to compare Baluch separatist with some other groups of saboteurs then the best prototype would be Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka. It is a well know fact that Pakistan came into being with the consent of the Baluchi people to join Pakistan. But over a period of time some self-styled liberators, supported and supervised by the local Sardars and feudal thugs launched a movement to cut that part from Pakistan like the former East Pakistan. The East Pakistan separation took place because of the Indian Armyâs blatant intervention in East Pakistan that was a sheer violation of the international coveants governing the interstate realtions. The Mukti Bahini is similar to Baluch Liberation Army and incidentally, in this case too, India is supporting this separatist movement by remote control. India wants Baluchistan to be separated to secede from Pakistan for the explicit reasons.
The most overriding reason is the Guwador port built and managed by the Chinese which India does not not like because her rivalry with China. So once pro-Indian elements take charge of Baluchistan (God forbid) the Chinese presence would be over or jeopardized and India could take over. Thatâs scenario is far fetched. But if East Pakistan can secede and East European countries can get out of the Russian orbit then anything is possible.
It is only the Pakistan army and ISI that have thus far successfully managed to thwart Indian malicious designs in further dismembering Pakistan. NowHamid Mir created an anti-Pakistan storm for a few missing individuals to please India and to defame ISI and Pakistan army and even to be agreeable to truncate Pakistan. It is a sinster conspiracy which must be condemned and blocked by all possible means.
Hamid Meer is blowing out of proportions, the case of a missing person from Baluchistan, but does not talk RAWâs insidious role in Baluchistan and killing and kidnapping thousands of Kashmiris. This tendency speaks for the duplicity and hypocrisy that Hamid Meir and his cohorts seem to suffer from. The truth is that to blame ISI, point blank by him and his brother Aamir Meir is purposely an effort which seems to be preconceived and a mindset that was tailored for this kind of propaganda. It is therefore incumbent upon ISI and Pakistan army to clarify their position which has been immensely tarnished as a result of attack on Hamid Meer. One can watch round the clock anti-Pakistan poisonous propaganda on Indian media not only against Pakistan government but also ISI and Pakistan army. Understandably India and Hamid Meer group appear to be on the same page and talking the same language and blowing the same trumpet.
The Pakistan army and ISI have always been targeted for protecting their motherland and saving lives of Pakistanis, whether fighting against India, fighting against Taliban and other terrorist organization. Our army and ISI have been blamed for defending the integrity and the land of the motherland in 1971 when Indian RAW and Indian army helped Mukti Bahini separatist to fight against the Pakistan army in the result East Pakistan was separated from us. BUT it is so unfortunate that instead of criticizing the Mukti Bahi, Indian RAW and Indian army our own âpatrioticâ Pakistani citizens condemned and tried to defame the army. The most popular puppets of India and Bangladesh are âGroup of Fiveâ patriotic Pakistanis who have been declared âFriends of Bangladeshâ and awarded the highest civil award of Bangladesh last year on March 24, 2013. The recipients of awards from Pakistan are primarily those whose fathers had opposed Army action in then East Pakistan and criticized the Pakistani regime. The prize was conferred for the reason of condemning Pakistan army who was struggling to keep his country from the culprits and enemies of Pakstanon. Hamid Meerâs father Prof. Waris Meer was one of those five âFriends of Bangladeshâ. He was nominated for the award on the basis of his views about the 1971 military action in East Pakistan, He wrote hundred of columns against the army and against the Pakistani government, but at that time his columns were not allowed to publish, but later in 1985 the Jang group published all those columns in the book and the Bangladeshi Prime Minister was pleased to see the articles of a citizen of Pakistan who humiliated his own army and government. Four others were Salima Hashmy the daughter of Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Asma Jahangir, the daughter of Malik Ghulam Jilani; Hasil Bux Bizenjo, the son of Ghaus Bux Bizenjo and the daughter of Habib Jalib.
Shame on Salima Hashmy who said at the ceremony that âPaksitan government should formally apologize to the people of Bangladesh for the atrocities committed by the Pakistan occupation army during the war of Independence of Bangladeshâ The Pakistani forces was not an occupied force but they were fighting on their own land to save it from the enemies. Pity. NOT only this, but when she arrived back from this anti Pakistan statement in Bangladesh Salima Hashmy was also presented by the government of Punjab by another âpatrioticâ interim Chief Minister of Punjab Najam Sethi nominated her provincial Minister for the console. Najam Sethi, who himself figured prominently in the Baluch insurgency in the seventies.
Today it is time for the Pakistan Army and ISI to act and file an FIR against the allegation of shooting Hamid Meer by the victimâs brother Amir Meer and GEO and Jung group of Publications. A considerable time has been passed, but no FIR has been filed so far by the victimâs family which is astounding. This blame game against ISI and Pakistan army should come to an end for ever after a judicial commission and other private commission reports comes out in public.
Our Pakistan army is # 1 in the world if we demoralize our army then who will confront the foes. The Pakistani nation is alive today because of our army. God bless Pakistan and God bless our Pakistan army.
Black money for (smooth) roads, (sturdy) lamposts
The most memorable (bone-chilling) promise made to the (about to be independent) nation by our esteemed first Prime Minister:
“In an independent India,” Nehru declared in one of the first speeches he made on June, 1945, “such black marketeers will be hung from the lamp posts
“In an independent India,” Nehru declared in one of the first speeches he made on June, 1945, “such black marketeers will be hung from the lamp posts
Arvind Kejriwal on why Nehru’s party has (till very recently) been reluctant to retrieve black money hoarded in foreign banks (let alone call in the guillotine):
What will this notorious pot of gold get us? Lalu Yadav promised to use the black money for constructing roads (in Bihar) that will be as smooth as Hema Malini’s cheeks (if true this would be money well spent). We should be able to afford a few (metaphorically speaking) robust lamp-posts as well.
The names of the infamous black money hoarders have been finally disclosed. The only question is why the inordinate delay in releasing information from 2009? No need to answer that question though.
Well OK, it is only the Liechenstein Bank* and only a piddly count of 26 account holders. That said, this is a very promising crack in the Great Black Wall. We are confident that if the full power of the Indian state is made to bear the Swiss will also divulge the black-data (just like they have for the USA).
The actions of the govt today make us exclaim with joy: Yeh Dil Mange More”
……
The government on Tuesday has disclosed the names of all 26 account holders in Liechtenstein Bank to the Supreme Court.
It has also made public the names of 18 account holders against who
proceedings have been launched and the names of the remaining 8 account
holders have been given in a sealed cover.
The names were given to India by Germany in 2009.
Out of the 18 names made public, 5 are from Dhupelia family who are
trustees of Ambrunova trust, 4 from Manichi trust, 4 from Ruvisha trust,
KM Mammen of Webster Foundation and two others.
……
Link: http://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/black-money-govt-submits-18-names-of-account-holders-in-liechtenstein-bank/
…….
regards
MH 370 located in Bay of Bengal (maybe)
We have stopped covering this grisly business since there remains so much uncertainty. Now however there is a flicker of hope- there is actually a wreckage which has multi-element match with that of a Boeing 777 (not previously detected in the same sector).
If this is indeed confirmed it will be a major technical miracle.
On reflection, Bay of Bengal was always a more likely theater than Southern Indian Ocean, if there was foul play (likely) and especially if there was malfunctioning, it makes no sense that MH370 will continue to fly for so long.
……….
An
Australian marine exploration company has claimed that it has found the
wreckage of the crashed Malaysian plane in the Bay of Bengal, 5,000 km
away from the current search location in the Indian Ocean.
Adelaide-based GeoResonance said it had begun its own search for the
missing flight MH370 on March 10 and that it has detected possible
wreckage in the Bay of Bengal, 5000km away from the current search
location, the Star newspaper reported.
GeoResonance’s search
covered 2,000,000 square kilometres of the possible crash zone, using
images obtained from satellites and aircraft, with company scientists
focusing their efforts north of plane’s last known location, using over
20 technologies to analyze the data, company
spokesperson David Pope said.
He claimed his company used technology originally designed to find nuclear warheads and submarines.
Pope said GeoResonance compared their findings with images taken on
March 5, three days before MH370 went missing, and did not find what
they had detected at the spot.
“The wreckage wasn’t there prior
to the disappearance of MH370. We’re not trying to say it definitely is
MH370. However, it is a lead we feel should be followed up,” said Pope.
..
Another GeoResonance spokesperson, Pavel Kursa, said several elements
found in commercial airliners were detected at the Bay of Bengal spot
identified by GeoResonance. “We identified chemical elements and
materials that make up a Boeing 777, these are aluminium, titanium,
copper, steel alloys and other materials,” said Kursa in a statement.
………
Link: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/missing-flight-mh370-malaysia-airlines-search-for-mh370/1/358097.html
……….
regards