OPEN BOUQUET (November - December)

By William Markiewicz

(As other short items may follow, I've decided to group them together.)

Sunni ... Shia ... Kurd ... (12/30)
Saddam’s trial is one act in the Sunni-Shia straightening of accounts. A 'democratic and united' Iraq will be a prison for its Sunni population. We saw in Yugoslavia, even in peaceful Czechoslovakia, that the best peace among ethnic groups and religions is among the separated ethnic groups and religions. Just like others who finally separated, Shia and Sunni are not made to stay together. Despite the NWO philosophy, you can't force those who don't desire it to stay together. Peaceful Iraq will be Iraq separated along its principal ethnic lines, the sooner the better.

Is It Reasonable to Negotiate with a Suicidal Blackmailer? (12/19)
Politicians brainwash us with nuclear North Korea and Iran. During the cold war, the nuclear powers faced each other with mutual respect because they were not suicidal. A nuclear power may become suicidal if it feels weaker and threatened by the stronger. The weaker can afford only one strike and then it will all be over for him, but the winner may pay too high a price. That’s why the weaker may be ready for the poker game but if not threatened, he’ll stay in his corner. There is no reason to assume that the weaker power would be crazier than the powerful one.

Iranian Youth Tired of Their President’s Priorities (12/17)
Young people have demonstrated against Iran's preoccupation with matters like the holocaust while national matters, like the economy, are neglected. In this they echo the Bloc Quebecois' critique of premier Harper for being more interested in fighting terror in Afghanistan than in Canadian internal matters. Before WW2 and until the seventies, Western democracies functioned relatively well. Now we witness a global return to archaic times when the world was ruled by ideologies and creeds at the expense of global and local interests. Today, leaders sacrifice their countries and the planet for ideologies like the suicide bombers who sacrifice their lives. The East does it according to their ancestral traditions while the West, according to Philippe Clay's song, "follows the trail of boredom" engendered by prosperity.

Jimmy Carter's Book about Palestine (12/02)
President Carter's book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" will encounter vehement criticism but Carter, perhaps a soft President but great man, wrote this book to save Israel's life. Israel can't afford to support an eternal wrong and lost war as America can. The fight with terrorism is a cheap excuse because by its stand, Israel provokes, not resists, terrorism. The war for the Golan Heights and some settlements on Palestinian territory is ridiculous. It's not Syria and Palestinians who are the danger; it's the whole Muslim and Arab world plus countless people like Jimmy Carter who do not take Israel's side in this kind of war. When the time comes that America turns away from its inflexible stand, it may be too late for Israel to follow

The Appeal of President Ahmadinejad to the American People (11/30)
With this clever move, the Iranian President hopes to make Bush's predicted invasion of Iran as unpopular with the American people as possible. Will he be successful? For Bush, the only negotiation is the ultimatum and the only peace is a totally crushed enemy. The ever-continuing wars seem to be the only thing in sight. Who and when will anybody be able to change this process?

"I'm Me Plus My Circumstances" (11/28)
In these words Ortega y Gasset skillfully defined the essence of “being”; those who stay focused on ethnicity omit the fact that 'nation' is not so much a notion of ethnicity as of territoriality. It's territory that cements national culture, ethnicity and history. Gypsies are not a nation because they don't have their own territory. The Quebecois remained together because of territory and kept their language and culture so they are a nation. Will they remain a nation within "United Canada"? Unpredictable.

Wrong Focus on Michael Richards’ Case (11/22)
It doesn't matter what one thinks or feels, it matters how one acts. Personal and collective security require self control by those who could harm, and protection for the weaker. The law in our Western society watches over those requirements fairly well but in a dynamic society total calm will never be possible. Homogenous societies are statistically less exposed to social troubles than complex societies. Apologies are nothing but cosmetic, punishment is a warning and the vulnerable must do the maximum to be less vulnerable. The law, from its distance, watches over it all.

Iran, Syria, Iraq, Get Together for Talks (11/21)
It looks like a breaking point: a peace conference between Sunni and Shia in flagrant defiance of US and Nato's crushing policy in the Middle East. The US currently encourages Israel to attack Iran; it targets Iran for helping the Shia, and hopes to simultaneously weaken its burdensome ally -- Israel; targets Syria for alleged help to Sunnis, and Pakistan for helping the Taliban. By holding all the neighboring countries in check, the US hopes to maintain dominance over Iraq and control the Middle East and Central Asia. And now the peons in this US game start to take their destiny in their own hands. Will they be able to maintain the momentum?

Harper Burns the Forest to Divert Attention from One Tree (11/16) 
"PM stands firm on Chinese rights" 
      (CNews 11/15/06)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has never been particularly known for an obsession with human rights. His rather nonchalant attitude towards the environment is a typical demonstration of his humanistic interests. When Harper joined the team of neocolonialists, the first pretext was the 'fight against terrorism' in Afghanistan. But as the terror spread throughout the world, and Afghans are not particularly known for their activities on a world scale, more pretexts were necessary, like human rights, women's rights... Harper would never have sacrificed billions in business with China to defend Chinese human rights but he may have no choice; after fighting for "human rights" in Afghanistan he would lose all credibility if he sold his idealism for megabucks in China.

Good Surprise (11/08)
Bush said: "I expected that it would go well." I also thought that it would go well for him. Why? Because the citizens of arrogant powers usually stick to the status quo. The powerful are sensitive to statistics and can endure calamity as long as it affects only a small parcel of territory and population. The damage caused by terrorists in the USA and Europe was spectacular, but no comparison to what happens in the Middle East and Central Asia. Therefore the display of common sense by US voters was a very good surprise for me.

Nato's Golden Fleece seekers will probably quickly get over their "Drang nach Osten" adventure, while the victims of their invasion will suffer the consequences much longer and more painfully. Saddam Hussein, perhaps under the spell of forthcoming death, appealed to Iraqis to unite and not take revenge on the agressors and their population; good advice for all sides. When the war is really over, revenge over the stronger would only bring a painful prolongation of war.

Condemned To Be Hanged (11/05)
I doubt that Saddam Hussein was more cruel and heavy handed than other rulers in surrounding countries. If he deserves to die then the others, that have not and will not be judged, deserve the same fate. Correct me if I am wrong that Saddam Hussein gave unprecedented freedom to women and creeds. The population was highly educated. Scientists, technicians have a world reputation. Maybe this is among the reasons he has to die. For the neocolonialists it's comfortable to face an ignorant population held down by religious terror.

Tricky Bush? (11/03)
                    "Bush 'would understand' attack on Iran"  
           President Bush reportedly said he would "understand" a preemptive 
           Israeli strike against Iran s nuclear sites. 
                                  (antiwar.com, Nov 2, 2006)

If this isn't an invitation to attack Iran, then I wonder what it is. Chances are that Israel's attack on Iran would be as suicidal as were Napoleon's and Hitler's wars. Maybe Bush came to the conclusion or was advised that Israel out of the picture and a weakened Iran would mean a widened gate into the Middle East for 'American Democracy.'

Pollution Alert -- Planet in Danger (11/01)
War is war, whether against humans, the elements, plague, pollution... meaning that all forms of war require a similar focused responsibility and iron discipline. In the end, war and democracy don't cohabit well. Then how to mobilize countless polluting countries into one fighting unit? It’s strictly impossible so we're doomed. The planet will not necessarily die, but it will become something we wouldn't even like to visit; the survivors may face a fate worse than death.

Re: "Theology" (11/01)
In the last issue I wrote: "Why does God manifest himself through chosen individuals, why do we have to believe them before believing in Him? If God wants to be known, why not directly, why believe in emissaries who always end up fighting each other in his name?"

I return to the topic, because I want to straighten out the statement about "God who manifests himself." I forgot about some esoteric material I read a long time ago which didn't really affect me, but I appreciated the intelligence and sincerity in it. Even Gurdjieff, criticised by his adversaries for alleged cynicism, with his depth and wisdom cannot be taken lightly. It's true that he was proud to be "clever," and presumably his last words before dying surrounded by his disciples were: "Je vous laisse dans les beaux draps" meaning "I’m leaving you in a pretty fix" – a surprising statement from a spiritual leader. From esoteric writings, we know that God doesn't search for people, certain people search for God. It must be in their genes. Jung called their longings "Oceanic feelings." Common characteristics are: search for illumination, "satori." They often become monks, nuns, and some with exceptional leadership qualities become creators of religions, sects, esoteric philosophies... They have one thing in common -- God -- and otherwise they diverge in interpretations and rituals. There is nothing strange in this because they represent not only their faith but also their backgrounds. Therefore certain tolerant creeds advise candidates for conversion to stay in their own faith because "we all believe in the same God."

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