Older blog entries for yakk (starting at number 98)

Lets hope that the American "War on Terrorism" is more successful and claims less innocent victims than the "War on Drugs".

did you know: Afhanistan is world's the largest opium producer.

From: http://www.cedro-uva.org/lib/boekhout.drug.html:
One of the best books ever written about the international drug trade is The Politics of Heroin by Alfred McCoy, professor of Southeast Asian History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His analysis makes clear that both Burma and Afghanistan have attained this status thanks to the activities of American secret services. "The increasing opium harvests in Burma and Afghanistan (...) were largely the product of CIA covert operations. Just as CIA support for the Nationalist Chinese (KMT) troops in the Shan State had increased Burma's opium crop in the 1950s, so the agencies aid to the mujaheddin guerrillas in the 1980s expanded opium production in Afghanistan and linked Pakistan's nearby laboratories to the world market" (McCoy 1991, pp 440-441). McCoy has described how, during the 1980s, Afghanistan became Europe's main opium supplier, because CIA covert operations transformed southern Asia from a self-contained opium zone into a major supplier of heroin for the world market: "CIA intervention provided the political protection and logistic linkages that joined Afghanistan's poppy fields to heroin markets in Europe and America" (McCoy 1991, p. 441). Although the Americans have left, Afghanistan, just like Burma before it, has remained a major heroin supplier for the world market.

McCoy, A.W. (1991), The politics of heroin - CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade, New York: Lawrence Hill Books (revised and expanded of the 1972 publication The politics of heroin in Southeast Asia)

Everything in this world is far too mixed up and connected.

mjs: I do think a lot of the things America has done have been positive. I think them finally getting involved in WW2 was a good thing. As an Australian I'm very grateful - our forces were stuck in Europe and the British government wouldn't let them come home to defend their country for a long time. There are sadly many cases of American foreign policy that are self-centered and short-sighted. These cases do a disservice to the American people and cast a shadow over the more honourable actions of this country. These also provoke disrespect and hatred of this country and its people. If this isn't taken into account in the response to the attrocities on Tuesday then I'm scared that this might happen again.

mjs : If you really believe what you're saying about the American impact on Rwanda you should read some more.

Well, the russian help was accepted and they're on their way. Perhaps this country needs the help of a country that can't account for 5-10% of their own nukes.

mjs : Russia is sending anti-terrorism experts in too. I don't think theres any lack of international help being offered. Theres certainly a lot more than what was offered during the massacres in Rwanda - where more than a million people were kill in four months (imagine tuesday's tragedy, but every day for 4 months, in a country with a population of 7.5 million people). I'm glad the US government is getting the help it needs.
14 Sep 2001 (updated 14 Sep 2001 at 22:58 UTC) »

Please read this by Rabbi Michael Lerner. It expresses how I feel better than I can. Thanks to aelman for showing me this.

Once again the state of Israel has shown its complete disregard and disrespect for the lives of anyone but its citizens by using the media coverage of the tragedy in the US as a cover for its murder of civillians, inflamatory rhetoric and religous and political persecution of the Palestinians. This is no way to act in the aftermath of a tragedy. The cold, calculated use of the dead as a shield to hide these crimes makes me feel sick.

I'm getting the feeling that many of my friends here are offended at my reaction to the tragedies in New York and Washington on Tuesday. I hope this doesn't affect my friendships. I just feel that the best way we can show our sadness for the tragedies and our respect for the victims and their families is to try to make sure this doesn't happen again - to anyone, anywhere. The key steps in this are firstly not killing a whole bunch of innocent civilians somewhere else, and secondly trying to work out why much of the rest of the world has very little respect and affection for this country - and working to change that. Right now I'm very afraid that this won't happen and that the attacks on the US are only just starting :-(

In other news, George Bush has promised to rid the world of evil. I hope he also tries to do something about the terrorist attacks.

A guy I know from Australia, Grant Watson posted the following to a mailing list I'm on:

I used to have this theory that the 20th century didn't actually start proper until 1914, when Archduke Ferdinand got assassinated. The first thirteen years were basically hanging on from the 19th century.

The events of World War I fundamentally changed our society, and how we think about war, our own countries, our neighbours and ourselves. Like a big paradigm shift.

I think the 21st century has just sadly, horrifically started.

Every day I'm finding more personal connections to the tragedy, more friends and aquiantances who were there and whose lives are in disarray. Luckilly for me, I don't think I know anyone directly who was injured or killed, but its still pretty close. My heart goes out to the victims, their family and their friends. Every day it sinks in a little more.

bratsche: I don't think anyone hates you. I think (well, I hope) we're all adult enough to respect each others views.

more: Noam Chomsky gets it though I'm sure many of you will be offended by what he has to say. I've been impressed by his talks about a variety of human rights and international justice issues for a long time. He was one of the few people who spoke out loudly and publicly in Australia about our terrible policy towards East Timor for a long time.

campd :
Yakk: "Is there anything more brave than dying to save your country / people / faith?"

Yes. Doing it against someone who has a chance of fighting back.

Are you suggesting that the USA can't fight back against these terrorists? I'm sure this country has the means to retaliate.

bratsche:

Whatever you think of me or Americans, we don't want to see people hurt who had nothing to do with this. I want to see the people responsible for this dead, but I have serious doubts that they will be the only people.

I'm only saying that because I've heard people speak like that. I'll be very sad if more innocent people are killed. There is never any excuse for that.

13 Sep 2001 (updated 13 Sep 2001 at 04:24 UTC) »

Michael Moore gets it.

No wonder the terrorists are well trained. As someone at work pointed out, training is the CIA's hardest currency.

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