Category: Global Issues

NaPoWriMo Day 18

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, Politics, SocietyLeave a comment

 

Currently, I’m well over halfway through this round of NaPoWriMo. Predictably, my mental batteries are starting to run a bit low. But hey… I’m still in there swinging.

 

Doomsday?

There are rumours about a war,

that may come to us soon.

It’s times like these I wish I lived,

on Mars or on the Moon.

One idiot decides to try,

to show strong they are.

Another fool just has to prove,

that they will go as far.

The troops are set, the planes in flight,

and all the ships at sea.

They’re dreaming dreams of glory but,

more death is all there’ll be.

While millions starve and millions more,

have watched their children die.

These “leaders” talk on our TVs,

and all they do is lie.

“Our enemies, they must be stopped,

for they are evil men.”

But we have heard this all before,

will hear it all again.

I pray that it will pass once more,

that tensions will decline.

But never have there been such fools,

our future to define.

So pray for all if praying’s what,

you think will save the day.

And maybe when folks vote again,

they’ll send these fools away.

 

Cheers, Winston

NAPOWRIMO Day 14

On By WinstonIn Bullying, Discrimation, Global Issues, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

The Immigrants Lament

Don’t stop, don’t stay, just move along,
There’s no place for you here.
Though we all came from somewhere else,
You’re different so we fear.

Your ways are not like how we live,
We will not change for you.
Though we changed those were here before,
When we got here it’s true.

So we will tell you how to live,
Don’t think that you are free.
To build the lives you want to build,
That’s not how this will be.

So stay at home do not come here,
Unless you’re just like us.
Don’t talk of rights for they’re all ours,
No use to cause a fuss.

The choice is yours to stay or come,
But know before you start.
There’s some folks here so bigoted,
It’s like to break your heart.

So if you come then come with strength,
Enough to withstand hate.
And build your life and live your dream,
And make your future great.

Cheers, Winston

This Is A Travesty

On By WinstonIn Discrimation, Global Issues, Politics, Society, Values, WarfareLeave a comment

I have to take a moment out from my month of poetry to draw attention to this. Over 200 girls were abducted from their school at gunpoint in Nigeria.  While no one has claimed responsibility the well known terrorist group Boko Haram is believed to be behind the kidnapping.  Read the full story here.

As horrible as this is, it get’s worse. No one is trying to find these girls. Not the Nigerian government, not the UN, not even the Americans. They normally jump at the chance to generate some good P.R. on the international stage, but not this time.

Why isn’t the world beating a path to Nigeria to find these girls?  Well, it’s because it’s in Africa.  These sorts of things happen there and there’s nothing you can do about it.  Also, the girls are…. well, they’re black.  It’s terrible to say, but it’s true.  If a couple of hundred white girls were abducted by terrorists, the whole western military apparatus would already be mobilizing.

But it’s Africa… and the girls aren’t white.  Besides, we’re all tied up with this territorial dispute with Russia.  Besides, we can’t get drawn into another foreign war.  Besides…. they’re not our daughters.

I’m not advocating an Iraq or Afghanistan type invasion.  I’m talking about a dedicated strike force tasked solely with finding and executing the kidnappers and any available affiliates, repatriating the girls to their families and then going home.

I want to send a very clear message that there are some lines that cannot be crossed anymore.

But it’s Africa…. and the girls are black.

If the girls were Ukrainian and it looked like Russia was behind it, the tanks would already be rolling.  Because that’s the drum we’re beating right now…. and the girls would be white.

Despondently Yrs, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day Nineteen

On By WinstonIn Bullying, Discrimation, Enlightenment, Global Issues, NaPoWriMo, Personal Responsibility, Poetry, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

I realize that I am part of that group of people referred to as “the chattering classes”.  I sit and write about all the things I see, but I don’t actually do anything to change them.  This is about me and all the others like me.

Enough To Make You….

I sat and read the news today
The world scrolling by.
Mans’ inhumanity to man,
Enough to make you cry.

The murders are quite bad enough,
The wars more horror still.
The famines, rapes, and plundering,
Enough to make you ill.

Anti-gay bills and rights denied,
More vile than they seem.
Enforced values on someone else,
Enough to make you scream.

What do I do about these crimes?
Like you they make me sad.
But just like most I do nothing,
Enough to make you mad.

So if you look around the world,
And find compassion lacked.
I hope the outrage that you feel’s,
Enough to make you act.

If you don’t like the news….. Change The World, Not The Channel!

Cheers, Winston

The War On Terror Has Ended

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Politics, Values, WarfareLeave a comment

U. S. President Barak Obama has announced an end to the “War on Terror” begun by his predecessor, then President George W. Bush.

I have commented elsewhere on this blog about the futility, indeed idiocy, of a war on a concept. Finally, there is someone in the Whitehouse with enough brains to realize it. Well done Mr. Obama.

Of course the perennial hawks are busy decrying this decision. According to them, the President is capitulating and throwing in the towel. This is definitely not the case. the President was very clear regarding his intent to continue his policy of straight up blowing the crap out of anyone he sees as a threat to the U.S..

He isn’t giving up, he’s just focusing on the issue at hand.  From a huge, amorphous, concept, he is being very specific as to who he wants to blow up. Well, sort of specific.  But much more specific than the previous administrations plan to blow up terror itself.

President Obama is also moving closer to his long standing goal of closing Gitmo.  In a fit of clear– headedness, Mr. Obama realized that illegally detaining foreign nationals could be hurting American credibility on the world stage.  People tend to ignore your human rights complaints when you run an illegal, off-shore detention center.  So now he’s pushing for trials or repatriation where possible.  It’s not going to undo all the damage that’s been done, but at least its a start.

So the war isn’t actually over.  Its just been rebranded, refocused, and given a more achievable mandate.  These are all things I’ve been wanting since W. first announced his ill-conceived war on terror. Of course the people who hate Obama are going to accuse him of trying to appease the terrorists.  The simple fact is that “Drones “R” U.S.” has probably killed more actual terrorists than both of George (The Great Invader)s wars combined.

Now it’s time to gear up for the new and improved War on Terrorists because the war on terror has ended.

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day:22 Spare A Thought

On By WinstonIn Environment, Global Issues, Loving Life, NaPoWriMo, Personal Responsibility, UncategorizedLeave a comment

My 22nd NaPoWriMo effort is in honor of Earth Day.

Earth Day

A vernal warmth is on the land
As round the seasons go.
On this small world we call Earth
The only home we know.

She gives to us all that we need
Trash is all we give back.
The water’s dead, the soil too
The very sky is black.

We take so much then take some more
We take until we die.
Well what if we gave back instead
At least we ought to try.

Try taking less reusing more
Perfection’s not the goal.
For every single, smallest thing
Helps heal her wounded soul.

Plant some flowers or plant a tree
Put feeders in your yard.
Leave the car and take a walk
It’s really not that hard.

The Earth she needs your help my friend
She needs your help to heal.
It’s easier to just not look.
That won’t make it less real.

So won’t you please come work with us?
The time is now at hand.
To take much less and give much more
It’s time to heal the land.

Cheer, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day: 12 Two Sided Story

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, NaPoWriMo, Politics, Society, Uncategorized, WarfareLeave a comment

I’ve been reading a fair bit about the ongoing drone war controversy. I don’t agree with the idea of murdering people because they might be a threat to your “interests” somewhere down the road. Let’s not kid ourselves. If you kill someone without due process of law, that’s murder. Even more so when the dead are “collateral damage” in something as vague and useless as a “War on Terror”.

So NaPoWriMo Day 12 looks at it from two different perspectives. The receiver is in a normal font. The sender in italics.

Enjoy!

Two Sided Story

I was sitting in a cafe
Somewhere that has no name
Drinking coffee with a good friend
The day the drone strike came.

I was sitting in a soft chair
Away from those I killed
I’d received a big promotion
Because I am so skilled.

Others were there with us that day
A dozen maybe more
When it was done the final count
Survivors, we are four.

It’s not my fault don’t try to blame
Me for the things I hit
I’m not the one who makes those calls
Just try to do my bit.

The smell of blood and burning flesh
Strong as the day they died
It’s never gotten easier
For all the tears I’ve cried.

They say here is your target site
Inside a terrorist
I ask if there are others there
I ask but don’t insist.

There’s some who say I should strike back
A part of me agrees
Yet then I know they’ll have their turn
Then us, like some disease.

Sometimes when I close my eyes
The mangled strangers there
Will reach for me, scream “I accuse!”
Or sometimes they just stare.

I know that some will choose revenge
That is their path to seek.
I choose to walk a different path
Some say this makes me weak.

But still I go to work each day
This is my path in life.
This pain the price I must pay to
Prevent a wider strife.

But I endure still seeking peace
Despite the odds I face.
I still believe in truth and good
And in the human race.

I hope one day that I won’t need
To do these awful things.
I hope we all can be at peace
Enjoy all that it brings.

Cheers, Winston

You Just Got A Little More Equal. Enjoy.

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Politics, Society, Uncategorized, Values, WarfareLeave a comment

In a recent story by the Atlantic Wire, Adam Clark Estes raises the alarm over a clause in the drone war policy that allows the U.S. government to kill Americans too. It seems Predator attacks are only fun to watch on CNN when the person on the other end is a foreign national. So now that it’s not just for random others, concerned groups like ACLU are up in arms over it.

The short version, the government has given itself authority to murder anyone

who “presents an imminent threat to the United States.

” They also don’t have to possess evidence that a specific attack against U.S. persons or interests is going to happen in the near future. Basically, if they think you or someone you are associated might at some point take an action which the government feels may pose a threat to the U.S. or its interests, they can send in a drone and blow Uranus halfway to Pluto. Oh yeah… They can also take out anyone near you just for good measure.

Again the irony lies in the fact that the outrage is over the inclusion of American citizens. It’s fine so long as it’s the people of Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, or somewhere in Central America. Once it hits home however, it’s a different story. Then the narrative changes from “Yeah, whatever.”, to “You can’t do that to Americans!”. As though they are somehow special and should be immune to their own peculiar brand of justice.

Well, as my mother was fond of saying when we were kids, “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”. It means if it’s okay to do it to one person, it’s okay to do it to everyone. America tends to talk to other countries about “equality under the law”. Well congrats people. You just got a little more equal. Enjoy.

Cheers, Winston

Salon’s Anonymous Love-In

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Media, Occupy Movement, Personal Responsibility, Pop Culture, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

Salon.com ran an article entitled “Anonymous Big Year”. It is essentially a celebration of the self-styled hacker collective. But let’s try for some actual balanced coverage here.

Sure they made a big fuss about SOPA/PIPA and they help organize protests when it’s something like the horribly useless Occupy movement. On the other hand, they cost hundreds of millions of dollars and deny ordinary citizens access to services. They also endanger lives by releasing names and addresses of at risk targets.

When they took Sony’s Playstation Network of line for months, that company’s alleged “crime” was its refusal to release the tools to hack their new PS3 console. To punish them, they hacked Sony’s database and stole the personal information of millions of members. This forced Sony offline until the Japanese government was convinced the security issue was solved. It cost the company millions in lost revenue and millions more in legal costs.

In 2011, Anonymous posted the names and addresses of members of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Force. This was in response to what they viewed as the wrongful shooting of a homeless man. One officer (cleared of any wrongdoing) made a judgement call so every officer on that force, and their families were put at risk of reprisals.

This is the group that Andrew Leonards article lavished such praise on. It is they who he is so happy his son supports. So let’s take a moment to realize this. These people aren’t selfless heroes keeping the digital frontier save for you and I. They are no better, and in some cases worse than those they claim to be protecting us from.

I’m not saying every member of Anonymous is a villain, but that’s the chance you take. If you want to bask in the glory of the best, you will also be tarred with the same brush as the worst. That’s the chance you take when you hide, shouting from the darkness. If you lack the confidence to publicly stand up for what you believe in, maybe you need to look at how strong that belief is.

Anonymous rails against faceless, unaccountable corporations and governments, yet they are the epitome of faceless unaccountability. It’s a little disingenuous claiming the moral high ground when you’re in the same mud as those you are looking to vilify.

These are just some of the many reasons I was so annoyed by Salon’s Anonymous love-in.

Cheers, Winston

Viva La Gun!

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Politics, Pop Culture, Rants, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

Dear Crazy NRA Spokesperson. Rather than placing armed guards in every school in the country, I’ve come up with an even better plan. At first glance, it might seem “a little out there”, but once you think it over in sure you’ll like it.

Why don’t we just arm the students. Paying police, or hiring and training armed security for all those schools would be cost prohibitive. Let’s cut out the middleman and put the guns where they belong.

There’s no reason these kids shouldn’t be learning how to defend themselves. Judging by some of the youth-oriented shooting competitions, it’s never too early to start training them.

I realize that some bleeding-heart liberal types are going to whine and complain… let ’em. It’s their ultra-violent video games and movies that have laid the foundation for this.

Violent media have already turned them into killers in waiting, why let all that potential go to waste? I mean really small caliber handguns are tailor made for young hands. Let the junior killers sort out the senior ones.

We save a ton of money on security. We get more guns into schools, and we make a boatload of cash for gun manufacturers and retailers. Seems like a sweet deal to me.

So Wayne… Let me know what you think. I figure this plan may just be psychotically delusional enough to appeal to you. It may be a tad whimsical and cheery for you, but we can work out the details.

Viva La Gun!

Cheers, Winston