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| 10.17.04 (12:14 am) [edit] |
Jon Stewart Bitchslaps CNN's 'Crossfire' Show
In what could well be the strangest and most refreshing media moment of the election season, "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart turned up on a live broadcast of CNN's "Crossfire" Friday and accused the mainstream media — and his hosts in particular — of being soft and failing to do their duty as journalists to keep politicians and the political process honest.
Reaching well outside his usual youthful "Daily Show" demo, Stewart took to "Crossfire" to promote his new book, "America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction", but instead of pushing the tome, Stewart used his time to verbally slap the network and the media for being "dishonest" and "doing a disservice" to the American public. After co-host Tucker Carlson suggested that Stewart went easy on Senator John Kerry when the candidate was a guest on "The Daily Show," Stewart unloaded on "Crossfire," calling hosts Carlson and Paul Begala "partisan hacks" and chiding them for not raising the level of discourse on their show beyond sloganeering.
"What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery," Stewart said. "You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.
"I watch your show every day, and it kills me. It's so painful to watch," Stewart added as it became apparent that the comedian was not joking. He went on to hammer the network, and the media in general, for its coverage of the presidential debates. Stewart said it was a disservice to viewers to immediately seek reaction from campaign insiders and presidential cheerleaders following the debates, noting that the debates' famed "Spin Alley" should be called "Deception Lane."
"The thing is, we need your help," Stewart said. "Right now, you're helping the politicians and the corporations and we're left out there to mow our lawns."
While the audience seemed to be behind Stewart, Begala and Carlson were both taken aback. The hosts tried to feed Stewart set-up lines hoping to draw him into a more light-hearted shtick, but Stewart stayed on point and hammered away at the show, the hosts, and the state of political journalism. Carlson grew increasingly frustrated, at first noting that the segment wasn't "funny," and later verbally sparring with the comedian.
"You're not very much fun," Carlson said. "Do you like lecture people like this, or do you come over to their house and sit and lecture them; they're not doing the right thing, that they're missing their opportunities, evading their responsibilities?"
"If I think they are," Stewart retorted.
The conversation reached its most heated moment when Carlson said to Stewart, "I do think you're more fun on your show," to which Stewart replied, "You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."
"That went great," Stewart could be heard sarcastically saying as the show went off the air (a transcript of the show is available on CNN.com).
In an era when the media is increasingly fragmented and viewers can surround themselves with programming that falls right in line with their own views, be they on the right or the left, Stewart's blast seemed especially on point. It seems fitting that the tirade came on a day when much of the media attention focused on the presidential race was directed at the mention of Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter during the last presidential debate, as opposed to the issues addressed at that debate.
Related Articles
[1] Jon Stewart to Tucker Carlson: "You're a dick"
[2] Left Hooks and Right Jabs: Stewart Tangles With Carlson
[3] Stewart: Novak? No way!
[4] Stewart's viewers smarter than the average citizen
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| 10.13.04 (11:32 pm) [edit] |
More political satire from Talkingcock.com ! :lol:
 Old Commie Head Pronounces Singapore a Success
by Pak Cham Kai
Former communist hardliner Chin Peng, visiting Singapore for the first time since the end of the Malayan Emergency in 1948, had only praise for the new Singapore.
Allowed into Singapore under a special waiver, Mr. Chin was taken on a sightseeing trip round the island, whereafter he pronounced Singapore, “the country of my dreams.”
“Truly, it’s such a success it made me weep,” said Mr. Chin, wiping away a tear. “The People’s Action Politburo succeeded beyond my wildest expectations! They really deserve all the luxury dachas they’ve built for themselves!”
“Central state control over the media, banking, commerce and all aspects of society! All these nationalized industries!” he gushed. “But so cleverly disguised that the running dogs of imperialism do not realize it! In fact, neither do the lumpen proletariat. And the proletariat in Singapore are very lumpen indeed.”
“But don’t be mistaken,” said Mr. Chin. “Singapore has not compromised communist ideals by instituting it covertly. Why, it’s still faithfully taking orders from China!”
Singapore, he continued, was a model for the socialist world. “It’s North Korea done right… truly, it is presided over superbly by the Great Leeder and the Dear Leeder, and also Madam Jiang Ching, sorry, sorry, I mean Ho Ching!”
Even as he was about to depart Singapore at Changi Airport, Mr. Chin could not restrain himself from heaping praise upon Singapore’s leaders, saying, “They have created a truly classless society. Under them, Singapore has no class at all!"
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| 10.01.04 (9:40 am) [edit] |
Was originally intending to submit an article to Commondreams about how the situation in Sudan could be better improved by allowing a greater bottom-up leadership role by NGOs. Unfortunately, being so busy with work and studies, all I could manage was this short entry fit only for a crappy blog like mine :twisted: For a summary of the distinctions between the human and state-centric security paradigms, click here. Anyway, I've never figured out how to work this html footnotes function, so you'll have to scroll down to see the footnotes :shock: Oh, and you'll be able to detect my unabashed Neo-Marxist leaning when I make use of terms like "emancipation", "critical social movements" and so on, but frankly, I don't care :P
An Opportunity and an Obligation
NGOs as the Providers of Human Security in Sudan
Introduction
The brutal raids by Khartoum-sponsored janjaweed militias in Darfur recently represent the latest and most serious manifestation of the bloody 47-year civil war in Sudan. Yet, despite evidence of a veritable “ethnic cleansing” campaign, inaction at best describes the response of the international community; with the UN security council continually mired in semantic arguments over the extent of genocide and legalistic acceptability of sanctions, China’s opposition to intervention on grounds of the inviolability of sovereignty and the African Union’s slow reaction to create a ceasefire commission and commit troops for its enforcement.
This refusal to take up Darfur in any serious way reflects the callous failure of the UN Commission of Human Rights, which often implicitly relegates humanitarian crises to irrelevance whenever considered extraneous to the national interest. The hegemonic state-centric notions of securitization have thus led to the marginalization of a range of issues and individuals, a shortfall which this article addresses by advocating an alternative human security agenda with the aim of attaining a sustainable peace in Sudan. Non-state actors, specifically NGOs are identified as key functionaries facilitating the operationalization of this agenda; comprising critical social movements dedicated to broadening the discursive boundaries attributed to actors and issues involved in the peacekeeping process.
Why Human Security?
When a state is not only unable to maintain a minimal level of security within its borders, but is itself a predominant threat to its own citizens as described above, it would be fallacious as well as irresponsible to confine the securitization discourse to traditional formulations based upon territorial integrity and domestic political order. The human-centred approach that has emerged due to dissatisfaction with these prevailing notions of security takes the individual rather than the state as the primary referent of security; thus encompassing into its conceptual framework a range of issues central to the pursuit of social justice and emancipation of individuals and communities. If this pertains to the safety and well-being of “all the people everywhere; in their homes, in their jobs, in their streets, communities and environment”, then certainly few other places match Sudan as being so lacking in human security. This is not limited to the cost in terms of human lives lost in armed conflict, but also the legacies of this conflict – poverty, hunger, lack of healthcare, displacement and unemployment; problems which would linger on long after a protracted ceasefire has been achieved.
Public Health and Disease Transmission
Although the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Southern Sudan is much lower than in the neighbouring Sub-Saharan African countries, this has been attributed to the containment of the virus due to restricted movement of peoples during the prolonged civil war. Once the country opens up with the end of the war, a massive surge in HIV infection is expected largely due to permissive conditions encompassing the chronically undeveloped healthcare infrastructure, general lack of education and local cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, polygamy and widow inheritance. An AIDS epidemic could prove to be even more devastating than the civil war, with its capacity to drastically shorten life expectancies and reduce the quality of life. This would present a severe impediment to the country’s post-war recovery, imposing a strain on resources that could otherwise have been directed towards social reforms, education and development; and also lower the workforce available for their implementation. Efficacious management of the spread of the disease is thus urgently required, and could be achieved via a combination of measures comprising education, improvement of accessibility to affordable pharmaceuticals and the encouragement of condom usage.
HIV is not the only serious health threat facing the people of Sudan. Water borne diseases like cholera and polio were able to spread rapidly during the rainy season in May, and the WHO has also reported that as many as 10,000 children in refugee camps are dying per week from a range of diahorreal diseases. Moreover, outbreaks of meningitis and measles are also said to be crossing “catastrophic” ranges of morbidity and mortality. An urgent need thus exists to address the shortage of food, water, medicine and shelter equipment available, as well as to increase the commitment of the international community to the establishment of adequate healthcare facilities to counter the spread of these diseases.
Hunger, Poverty and Destitution
Sudan has the world’s largest internally displaced population - an estimated five million people, with a million displaced people since February 2003 in Darfur alone. Many have fled their homes as a result of conflict, and are now living in squalid camps scattered across the Sudanese-Chad border where they are dying in large numbers from malnutrition. Broadly speaking, impoverishment and hunger experienced by the majority of the Southern Sudanese population can be attributed to two main factors – resource depletion and inequitable distribution.
Agriculture is the major economic activity of the Sudanese, with 80% of the population engaged either in crop production or animal husbandry. The IMF structural adjustment programs of the 1970s, selective promotion of export crops (eg. cash crops like cotton) over subsistence crops like wheat and devaluation of the Sudanese currency led to the rapid expansion of mechanized farming by the state. The subsequent impact on the environment was severe, characterized by deforestation on a massive scale, diminishing and erratic rainfall and accelerating desertification which culminated in the famine of 1982-5. The drive towards large scale, intensively mechanized agriculture in line with the “green revolution” to increase crop yields also led to environmental damage from the inappropriate use of fertilizers and pesticides.
To address the problem of resource depletion, agroecological approaches should be undertaken to provide long-term development solutions in the areas of water and food security, with a reform of agricultural practices required to encourage incorporation of landscape management systems and ecosystem services crucial for the improvement of productivity. The aim of such approaches should include the reduction of pollution through the use of alternative nutrient and pest management methods, creation of biodiversity reserves and the enhancement of habitat quality through the careful management of soil, water and natural vegetation. Another priority is the introduction of participatory plant breeding for yield increases in rainfed agrosystems, which would be particularly useful for subsistence farming practiced in many of the dry and disparate areas of the Sudanese desert. The fact that only 5% of the land in Sudan is irrigated (compared to 37% in Latin America) also points to a need for more investments in this area such that full advantage can be taken the rich resources available and capacity for food production.
While increased agricultural productivity represents a positive step towards the alleviation of hunger and poverty, it largely addresses only the symptoms and not the root causes of hunger. The fundamental reason why hunger persists relates to the fact that people either lack the purchasing power or are deprived of access to the means of its production. The adoption of IMF/World Bank austerity policies by the state in the 1980s disrupted domestic production of food staples in its overt focus on export-oriented cash crop production, resulting in the displacement and disenfranchisement of 14-20 million agro-pastoralist farmers in that decade alone and drastically eroding the food security of millions more. Moreover, the production and marketing of these export crops is controlled largely by multinational corporations such as Unilever and Monsanto, with this dependency and detachment leading to the selective enrichment of a small group of Sudanese (predominantly Northern) elites, and the impoverishment of the majority of the populace.
With the power of agribusiness set to increase given the increasing trends of market globalization and trade liberalization – as well as the potential for increased penetration of the Sudanese market by MNCs after a sustained ceasefire, there is the need for more heightened vigilance in the wake of a possible onslaught of Genetically Modified (GM) technology and the creation of a new asymmetric economic dependency. As GM crop development is driven by the commercial interests of Northern companies, and with global patent rules enabling the promotion of monopoly control over genetic resources, there is little or no financial incentive for these MNCs to preserve farmer’s rights, consumer safety and crop biodiversity. Global economic governance and the promotion of substantial representation at the sub-state level facilitating policy changes in favour of equitable food redistribution is thus required to prevent further impoverishment and food insecurity of the majority of the populace. Sudan must not be allowed to become the next “dumping ground” for GM crops.
NGOs and the Operationalization of Human Security in Sudan
The absence of institutional guarantees of human security opens the door to the key role played by civil society in its provision. Specifically, civil society as described here would encompass the organizations (primarily NGOs) operating independently of government and corporations on a not-for profit basis with voluntarism as its primary focus. Indeed, NGOs have been key contributors to many developmental processes in Sudan, and have developed a range of comparative advantages that enable them to stand out as experienced, renowned and resourceful actors in the provision of human security.
Particularly, most of the NGOs have developed an organizational structure unparalled by most other organizations, and thus are able to reach communities that are largely inaccessible to governments and multilateral organizations. NGOs such as World Vision, Oxfam and Save the Children were able to recognize and respond quickly to the Darfur refugee crisis; and subsequently mobilize resources and public support to this cause via the Sudan Emergency Fund. The Equatorial United Youth Development Association (EUYDA) was also able to carry aid and reach out to remote areas such as the Nuba Mountains, mainly due to their familiarity with the ground and local populations. The reach of NGOs is also facilitated by the trust with which they are accorded by rebel movements which view them as interlocutors facilitating the redress of grievances and providing a voice for the dispossessed; demonstrated by their close cooperation with the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) in addressing problems of HIV infection and food security. NGOs are also able to deal effectively with the transnational dimensions of problems like disease transmission and environmental degradation by virtue of their involvement in multilateral initiatives such as the SARDC which were founded to address these threats on a regional basis in Sub-Saharan and Northern Africa.
Another key feature of operationalization relevant especially in the Sudanese context is that of local empowerment. This is essential not only for the facilitation of participatory farming and resource distribution, but also in the provision of a legitimizing platform for hitherto discordant or radical demands. NGOs play a key role in this process; employing indigenous talent on the basis of local expertise, and providing the impetus for the formation of local political leadership not derived from Northern elites. This thus sets in motion a more participative form of democracy that devotes more attention to human security concerns on a longer term rather than reactionary basis.
The perceived effectiveness of NGOs in addressing human security concerns have garnered them a place of prominence in donor funding plans; apparent when as much as 83% of funding for developmental efforts in some countries is channelled through NGOs. This is in accordance with increased calls for the reform of the Breton-Woods international financial institutions by increasing sensitivity to human security issues to achieve improved policy and operational practices undertaken in an integrated fashion with NGOs.
Relative success has also been noted in the use of the “CNN effect” by NGOs to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Darfur despite initial efforts by numerous governments to suppress relevant information in their possession, such that governments were moved to action only after media coverage heightened public awareness. This awareness campaign has also enabled the mobilization of a vast pool of committed talent from the global progressive community, faced with the dilemma of opposition to war in all cases, yet expressing sympathy with the afflictions of communities subjected to the oppressive rule of dictatorial regimes. In addition, NGOs have also demonstrated the capacity to put pressure on multinational corporations such as pharmaceutical and food companies on issues pertaining to the pricing of AIDS medication and the release of GM products respectively.
Aside from such indirect coercive methods, governments could also be convinced that it is within their national interest to incorporate human security concerns into foreign policy, particularly with respect to the “war on terror”. Effective advocacy networks have been established to articulate and disseminate information pertaining to the nexus between the environment, disease, poverty and conflict, a key concern given that evidence has surfaced recently implying increased Al Qaeda operations originating from the Horn of Africa. The African Union could also be persuaded to allocate increased space for NGOs to resuscitate human rights initiatives within NEPAD which have failed to adequately address the Darfur crisis, by drawing on the rich resource and expertise of these organizations.
Given the range of activities undertaken, NGOs are indeed a force to be reckoned with in world politics as a driving force in rule and norm entrepreneurship. As stated by former Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, “one can no longer relegate NGOs to simple advisory or advocacy roles … they are now a part of the way decisions have to be made”. Hence, NGOs are likely to have a significant impact on the policy-making arena by influencing the values of its actors and institutions principally through the dissemination of the idea of human security, and are able to undertake bottom-up leadership roles in correcting the preponderant social injustices which currently plague the international system.
Conclusion
According to Robert Cox, historical structures comprise the interaction of three categories of forces; ideas, material capacities and institutions, which impose pressures and constraints on how policy decisions are made. The prevailing hegemonic historical structure is not immutable; and is subject to resistance when an alternative emerging configuration of forces sets in motion the production of a rival structure. In this article, NGOs are shown to represent critical social movements geared towards the conceptualization and propagation of the idea of human security; with this role buttressed by comparative material advantages described here as exclusive availability of resources and expertise. Both of these axes are mutually reinforcing, and allow the engines of institutional reform to be set in motion via the operationalization of this human security agenda. The forces described here, however are not ostensibly directed towards supplanting the state centric paradigm from its position of ontological prominence. Rather, they present a counter hegemony of ideas – exposing the underlying inadequacies of a perennial fixation of policy solely on statist notions of security. Political stability cannot exist without human security, and vice versa, as the lack of the latter has been demonstrated to invariably constitute a precursor to conflict. Moreover, an alternative order is inconceivable under circumstances where most institutions and organizations (including NGOs) are predicated upon the foundations of state centrism. However, when states are uncommitted or unwilling to address values of key concern to individuals both within and outside their borders, general discourse must favour extending the “responsibility to protect” to more competent bodies like NGOs.
Footnotes
[1] For a background to the Sudanese civil war, see Robert O Collins, “Sudan: A History of Uninterrupted Violence.” African Geopolitics Magazine, No. 3 (Fall 2001). [2] Julie Flint, “Darfur Destroyed : Ethnic Cleansing by Government and Militia Forces in Western Sudan”, Human Rights Watch Vol. 16 No. 6(A), May 2004, p.39. [3] Steve Crawshaw, “Genocide, What Genocide ?”, The Financial Times Magazine, 21st August 2004. [4] “The UN’s Hollow Threat”, The Economist, 20th September 2004. [5] Katherine Arie, “Does the African Union have Teeth in Sudan ?”, Reuters AlertNet, 22nd September 2004 [Online]. Available: http://www.alertnet.org/thefa... [6] Glen Stassen et al., Just Peacekeeping, Alternatives to Military Intervention, (New York : Peace Action International Office, 2000), p.7. [7] For the state of the art in the conceptualization of the human security agenda, see “Human Security Now”, Commission on Human Security, New York, 2003, pp. 1-14. Mahub ul Haq, “New Imperatives for Human Security”, RGICS Paper No 17, Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, New Delhi, 1994, p. 1. [8] Under mounting pressure from the international community in the past month, Sudanese president Omar Hassin Bashir has finally agreed to take steps to disarm the Janjaweed militia, with a ceasefire currently being effective in most of the south and southwest. See “Darfur rebels agree with Sudan on aid framework”, Reuters Alertnet, 1st September 2004, [Online]. Available: http://www.alertnet.org/thene... [9] “Sudan: Epidemiological Fact Sheets on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections”, UNAIDS Fact Sheet, [Online]. Available: http://www.unaids.org/html/pu... [10] “Health Risks for People in the Greater Darfur Region: The Cocktail of Environmental Hazards”, Medical News Today, 15th September 2004, [Online]. Available: http://www.medicalnewstoday.c... [11] “Survey concludes deaths in Darfur exceed emergency threshold”, World Health Organization Press Release WHO/03, 13th September 2004. [12] “Evaluation of Nutritional Surveillance Activities in Southern Sudan January to December 2003”, Action Against Hunger USA (ACF-USA) July 2004, [Online]. Available: http://www.aah-usa.org/news/A... [13] Mohammed Sulaiman, “Civil War in Sudan: The Impact of Ecological Degradation”, University of Pennsylvania African Studies Centre Working Paper, 18th December 2000, pp. 2-6. [14] Pablo Eyzaguirre, Masa Iwanga, Participatory Plant Breeding, (Rome, Italy: International Plant Genetics Research Institute, 1996), pp 99-116, 151-159. [15] Theib Oweis, Ahmed Hachum, Jacob Kinjne, “Water Harvesting and Supplementary Irrigation for Improved Water Use Efficiency in Dry Areas”. System-wide Initiative on Water Management Paper 7, International Water Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1999, pp. 3-11. [16] See Country Profiles of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Agriculture Sector, [Online]. Available: http://www.fao.org/countrypro... [17] Contrary to the pessimism of Malthusian economics, the rate of increase in population has not outstripped the rate of increase in food production, the latter increasing with respect to population increase at a rate of 3 to 1 from 1990 to 1999, as described in Peter Rosset, “Now Serving Six Billion Empty Stomachs in a Land of Plenty” in The San Francisco Chronicle, USA, 15th August 1999. Hence, it is not ecological limitations so much as distributive inequalities which account for poverty worldwide. [18] Aaron deGrassi and Peter Rosset, “The Economics and Politics of Genetically Modified Organisms in Agriculture”, Implications for WTO2000, Bulletin 809, University of Illinois Board of Trustees, Illinois, November 1999, pp. 69-71. [19] While equitable food distribution is the ultimate aim of this activism, so long as systemic constraints exist to hinder its progress, credence must still be accorded to agricultural innovations and reforms, as well as the environmental preservation efforts in order to protect the livelihood of Sudanese subsistence farmers. See Stephen Jaffee, Ron Kopiki, Peter Labaste and Ian Christie, “Modernizing Africa’s Agro-Food Systems: Analytical Framework and Implications for Operations”, World Bank Africa Region Working Paper Series No. 44, February 2003 p. 20. [20] Stephen Walt, “The Renaissance of Security Studies”, International Studies Quarterly 35, No. 2 (June 1991), pp. 212-213. [21] Barry Buzan, “Human Security in International Perspective”, in Mely C Anthony and Mohammed Iawhar Hassan, eds. The Asia Pacific in the New Millenium : Political and Security Challenges (Kuala Lumpur: Institute of Political and International Studies), 2001, pp. 588-589. [22] Sarah Michael, “The Role of NGOs in Human Security”, Paper for the Commission of Human Security, Harvard University, Cambridge, May 2002, p.3. [23] “With Peace Expected in Sudan, HIV/AIDS Threat Looms”, United Nations Foundation National Journal 21st October 2003, [Online]. Available: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/... [24] Interview with Mary Biba, SPLA/M secretary for Yambio County, [Online]. Available: http://www.plusnews.org/websp... [25] Mary Kaldor, Global Civil Society, an Answer to War, (United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2003), p. 89. [26] Nat J Colletta, “Human Security, Poverty and Conflict : Implications for IFI Reform”, Paper for the Commission on Human Security, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, January 2003, pp 15-21. see also Joseph E Stiglitz, “Globalization and its Discontents”, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003), pp. 240-242. [27] Eric Reeves, “Genocide in Sudan: The United Nations Suppresses Its Own Report on ‘The World’s Greatest Humanitarian Crisis’”, In These Times, May 6th 2004. [28] Kenneth Bacon, “Hiding Death in Darfur: Why the Media Was so Late”, Columbia Journalism Review Issue 5, September/October 2004. [29] Chan Chun Kong, “TRIPping Over AIDS in South Africa”, MSc Dissertation, IDSS, 2002/2003. [30] “Five Year Freeze Position Statement”, Five Year Freeze Foundation, [Online]. Available: http://www.fiveyearfreeze.org... [31] M Sulaiman, “Civil War in Sudan”, p. 9. [32] “AIDS and Violent Conflict in Africa”, United States Institute of Peace Special Report 75, [Online]. Available: http://www.usip.org/pubs/spec... [33] Ibrahim A Elbadawi, “Civil Wars and Poverty : the Role of External Interventions, Political Rights and Economic Growth”, Paper for World Bank Economic Research Group Conference on Civil Conflict, Crime and Violence, Washington DC, 1999. [34] Part of the key to comprehending the basis of the war in Sudan would be to identify and examine the connection between resource scarcity, poverty and conflict. Indeed, the intensification of the civil war in the 1980s can be directly attributed to the privatization of the state and the push southwards due to resource deprivation in the North. While there is a clearly identifiable separation of the warring factions along ethnic factional lines, effective conflict resolution or prevention of further conflict requires attention to be paid as well to factors such as asset inequality, discriminatory and exclusionary government and social policies. When state aggression increased in response to the resistance that followed increased poverty in the South, in the absence of societal institutions that allow effective conflict management (rule of law, democracy and safety nets), many of the dispossessed took to taking up arms and enlistment in rebel movements such as the SPLA/M as a final resort in expressing their discontent. See “The Roots of Conflict in Sudan”, Ockeden International Report, [Online]. Available: http://www.ockenden.org.uk/in... [35] Rohan Gunaratna, “Terrorism Outlook for 2004”, IDSS Commentaries, 7th January 2004, p. 3. [36] Lloyd Axworthy, “Notes for an Address by the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to the Oslo NGO forum on Banning Anti-Personnel Landmines” DFAIT Statement (Oslo: September 10th, 1997). [37] Robert W Cox, “Social Forces, States and World Orders : Beyond International Relations Theory”, Millennium 10:2 (1981), p. 36. Ibid, pp. 36-37. Cox identifies ideas as “shared notions of the nature of social relations which tend to perpetuate habits and expectations of behavior”, material capacities as “technological and organizational capabilities” and institutions as “particular amalgams of ideas and material power which in turn influence the development of ideas and material capabilities”.
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| 10.01.04 (8:49 am) [edit] |
For some reason, this entry of mine was deleted. Oh well, here it is again, the blog entry i wrote a few weeks back after watching the National Day Rally Speech by General Lee. Somehow, i don't feel that same sense of optimism anymore ....
Navigating Out of the Whirlpool
The Singapore-Malaysia Water Dispute through Constructivist Lens
Uncovering the Basis of Water Securitization
Due to its limited water resources, Singapore’s dependence on Malaysia for its supply has been traced to the first water agreement in 1927. With rising demand owing to increased domestic consumption and industrial growth, Singapore has been rated a highly “water-stressed” nation where the high premium placed on water is increasingly presented as a life-or-death gambit. This chronic dependency has ensnared it in the vicissitudes of “[i]water politics[/i]”, where Singapore’s sense of vulnerability was often accentuated whenever Malaysian politicians sought to exploit this asymmetry as a leverage tool to impose their policy or domestic agenda on the city state.
Immediately prior to Singapore’s independence, Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman candidly remarked to British High Commissioner Anthony Held that “[i]if Singapore’s foreign policy was prejudicial to Malaysia’s interests then we could always bring pressure to bear on them by threatening to cut off the water supply in Johore[/i]”. Because of the prickly relations surrounding the issue, much skepticism looms over the terms of the 1961 and 1962 water agreements which guarantee its supply under the specified terms until 2011 and 2061 respectively. A considerable level of insecurity has subsequently come to characterize Singapore’s bilateral relations with Malaysia, often exacerbated by vocal reiterations to prematurely terminate Singapore’s water supply whenever Malaysia’s elites felt the need to protest perceived slights, for instance in the context of the visit by Israeli Prime Minister Chaim Herzog in 1986, and the CIQ and CLOB disputes in the late 1990s. Perhaps, this link between survivability and Singapore’s water insufficiency was best articulated by then Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew who stated in 1978 that, “[i]if water shortage became urgent, in an emergency we would have to go in[/i] [to Johore], [i]forcibly if need be, to repair damaged pipes and machinery and restore water flow[/i]”.
The preponderance of the military dimension overlaying relations across the causeway has provided fertile ground for the promulgation of realpolitik as a mechanism driving the foreign policy between both states. Indeed, there is considerable support for this position owing to growing evidence of a veritable arms race underscoring the balance of power politics, and security dilemma posed by the active acquisition of offensive weaponry by both states. This essay however outlines a constructivist approach to provide an alternative lens through which Singapore-Malaysia relations can be analysed. As such, rather than to accept the dominance of power politics in an environment defined by anarchical relations between sovereign states as given, this approach posits identity as a variable in comprehending the insecurity described thus far. By identity, we refer to the varying constructions of the “[i]self[/i]” defined vis-à-vis the “[i]other[/i]”, wherein state identities are shaped within the context of their interactions and social environments. Security concerns and threat perceptions dictated by state interests thus rest upon the foundations of socially constructed identities, which then exert a feedback constitutive influence upon the cultural environment in which states are embedded as ontological actors.
[b]Towards a Constructivist Security Strategy[/b]
Within this framework, the culture of insecurity perceived and internalized by “[i]old guard[/i]” Singaporean and Malaysian elites can be traced to the traumatic and chaotic political environment surrounding Singapore’s unceremonious eviction from the federation of Malaysia on 9th August 1965. Both states thus socially constructed their identities in the context of the often tense relations that followed, explaining the emotional baggage of a deep-seated vulnerability underlying Singapore’s foreign policy - a culture which has been constantly reinforced by reference to its limited physical scale, confined geographical scope and prevailing ethnic Chinese identity; much to the chagrin of its northern neighbour. This discomfiture was further exemplified by Singapore’s policy of pairing its consciousness of an innate vulnerability with a culture of competitiveness and exceptionalism. Consequently, the associated clear-cut sense of external threat as arising primarily from Malaysia and the latter’s subsequent suspicions explains why the water dispute remains such a contentious issue. Certainly, this was summed up aptly by Singapore Foreign Minister S Jayakumar who, in an address to Parliament in 2003 on the subject of the water dispute, remarked that “[i]our very existence as a nation is at stake[/i]”.
From the constructivist perspective, these threat perceptions are socially constructed and thus amendable to change under permissive conditions; offering prospects for progress via the transcendence of imagined structural constraints. Two key developments may allow both states to vanquish the impediments of self help and distrust that the water issue has hitherto commanded. One concerns the change of leadership in both countries, with both leaders (and most of their reconstituted cabinets) belonging to the post-independence generation. As self-proclaimed pragmatic technocrats cognizant of the economic pressures of the highly globalized world, the ruling elites are likely to see the benefits of the mutual renunciation of rhetoric that often conflates the water relations with references to “[i]threat[/i]”, “[i]vulnerability[/i] and “[i]war[/i]”. Notably, both leaders have concurrently issued public statements recently stressing a fresh commitment to improvement of bilateral relations, thus providing an impetus for the gradual eradication of the dominant threat-producing security discourse.
Another cause for optimism arises from the development of technology that enhances water resource management and alternative purification methodologies. While self-sufficiency may not yet be attainable for some time, the reduced water dependency and sense of vulnerability would enable Singapore to deal with a hypothetical premature termination of Malaysia’s water supply without resorting to military measures, hence leading to a moving discourse and eventual desecuritisation of the water issue. This opens up the possibility of restructuring the intersubjective culture of the two states; through widened policy and institutional options and reduced barriers to cooperation.
As such, state identities and interests are not given and can be transformed after interaction at the systemic level. Ultimately, the resolution of the security dilemma is incumbent upon the establishment of new norms of conduct as confidence-building measures are employed to construct a culture of greater transparency, which would ultimately benefit the inhabitants of both countries by reforming the regulative rules of anarchy and avoiding the dangers of its self-fulfilling prophecies. In the final analysis, it will be ideas, norms and rules arising through sociological interaction – not material forces like military might, which would contribute to the creation of an enduring peaceful and stable environment. Only with the development of a socially shared identity of cohabitation can all other unresolved bilateral issues be amicably addressed externally to the chicanery of “[i]water politics[/i]”.
Related Articles
[1] Timeline of Singapore-Malaysia Relations
[2] Singapore Slams "Loose Talk of War" by Malaysia
[3] Malaysia Denies Arms Race with Singapore
[4] Response to Tim Huxley's "Defending the Lion City"
[5] Force Modernization Trends in Southeast Asia (pdf file)
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| 10.01.04 (8:20 am) [edit] |
Well, General Yeo, you've got to be proud of yourself. Now both the Chinese and Taiwanese hate us with equal ferocity.
Will our leaders ever learn that we can't afford to go around the world poking our noses into the business of other sovereign states ? Just because we're supposedly allied closely with a superpower doesn't make us one !
The time has come for us to realise that the lack of humility in our foreign policy will lead to our eventual downfall.
A dozen pro-Taiwan independence activists set fire to a Singapore flag in the southern city of Kaohsiung October 1, 2004, to protest the anti-independence comments by the city state at the United Nations. The protest came after Taiwanese Foreign Minister Mark Chen called Singapore 'the size of a piece of snot' after the city state's foreign minister said that any push by Taiwan for independence could spark war with China. - AP
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[2] Taiwan Minister's Hokkien Expletive Spawns Raunchy Jokes
[3] Taiwan Minister Slams George Yeo's Remarks
[4] Controversy Continues Over FM's Comments
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| 05.08.04 (12:08 pm) [edit] |
Congratulations fellow $inkaporeans, we are moving even closer to becoming either a US protectorate or the 51st state :evil: Check out what Mr Law Sin Ling has to say about PM Goh's speech in Washington yesterday
Yet Another Attempt At Becoming the 51st State
Our Prime Minister made history on the 6 May in Washington D.C. at 1200 noon by delivering a speech to the council on foreign relations entitled "Beyond Madrid: Winning Against Terrorism". The historical aspect wasn't that a speech was made, but rather that a snub was.
The speech, or what was missing from it, was a veritable proclamation by the Singapore government of its dissociation from the United Nations, and to henceforth operate under the orders of the US. In all its 4663 words, the word "UN" was only twice mentioned in the text (see footnotes 2 and 3). In one instance, it was incidental and not directly related to the subject in the speech. But there was no ambiguity in the second, considering the entire context of the speech, that the role of the UN was rebuffed by the Prime Minister.
The essence of the speech, stripped of its paraphernalia, consists to:
[A] Suggest through no uncertain terms that terrorism as defined by the West is a Muslim problem. The speech emphasises the flawed assumption that Muslim terrorists are exclusively a product of misguided and brain-washing indoctrination by very evil men to foment violence and mayhem against the democratic establishments of the world. Of course the US was portrayed to look like an innocent victim unwillingly dragged into the fight.
[B] Construe that "Islamic" terrorists are the greatest threat of the civilised world. The speech contains a strong connotation that Islam is a religion that has the tendency to predispose its followers to terrorism.
[C] Imply that Europe and the US public, and especially opponents of George Bush's policies, that any demonstration of lack of partisanship towards US policies, under the pretext of combating terrorists, will be equated with a support of terrorism. In fact, this ominous warning is extended to any country and any individual.
[D] Reinforce the justifications of the unilateral US intention of establishing a US hegemony over the future of Iraq. It should be apparent by now that the US had no intention of relinquishing its control over all major future Iraqi affairs that are of immense interest to them (especially those concerning oil, commerce, and military presence).
[E] Implicitly renounce the credibility and usefulness of the UN through the elevation of the important "central issue" of maintaining "America's credibility". In short, the entire world community is urged to modulate their foreign policies (as well as internal policies of certain countries like Iraq and Singapore to quote a few) and bring it in line with that of the US, because only the US has the real might and capabilities to shape the world as it deems fit. The era of the UN, to say the least, is history. It definitely was history when the first US bomb fell in Iraq in 2003.
[F] Avow in a round-about way that the Singapore government admits that their initial stance on the WMD thesis in support of the US war against Iraq is now dead and buried. More seriously, to reaffirm Singapore's near-unconditional servitude to the US.
For his "troubles", a resolution was passed by the US Senate thanking Singapore for its efforts in the reconstruction of Iraq. This effectively guaranteed Singapore's continual future involvement in the zillion-dollar reconstruction of the ravaged nation. But as far
as the world community is concerned, the position of the lackey Singapore government deserves nothing less than severe censure.
Footnotes
[1] Link to full text of speech.
[2] "Let me conclude with a few words about the role of the US. Only the US has the capacity to lead the geopolitical battle against the Islamic terrorists. Iraq has become the key battleground. Before he was killed in Saudi Arabia, Yousef Al Aiyyeri, author of the Al-Qaeda Blueprint for fighting in Iraq, said: if democracy succeeds in Iraq, that would be the death of Islam. That is why Osama Bin Ladin and others have put so much effort to try and break the coalition and America's resolve to stay the course to build a modern Iraq that Muslims will be proud of. Those who do not understand this, play into their hands. The key issue is no longer WMD or even the role of the UN. The central issue is America's credibility and will to prevail. If that is destroyed, Islamic extremists everywhere will be emboldened. We will all be at greater risk" The most critical part of the PM's speech.
[3] "They are critical of what they regard as America's double standards, citing, for example, the US' determination in taking action against Iraq but not Israel for non-compliance of UN Security Council resolutions" The other time the UN was mentioned.
[4] "(Divisions) will only encourage the terrorists to exploit political differences within countries and divisions between the US and Europe. We must not let them succeed."
[5] US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said the still-undefined government due to take power in Iraq on July 1 would have to give up some of its sovereignty to allow a free hand to US-led armed forces.
Related Articles
[1] Why America bothers to listen to Singapore
[2] Singapore-US Strategic Framework Agreement on Track
[3] US must not falter in Iraq: PM Goh
[4] Fight Terror with Ideas, Not Just Armies
[5] PM Goh Discusses Trade, Geopolitical Issues with US Officials
[6] PM to US: Stay the Course
[7] PM Goh discusses Mid-East issues with Rumsfeld, Rice
[8] Washington Extends a Warm Welcome to PM Goh
[9] Iraq takes Centre Stage in PM's talks in US
[10] US Senate Passes Resolution to thank Singapore for Help in Iraq
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| 05.08.04 (12:38 am) [edit] |
[b]A Progressive Response to the Nader Campaign[/b]
I am ideologically aligned with Ralph Nader, not John Kerry. I agree with Nader on virtually every issue, while agreeing with only about half of Kerry's positions (or what can be deciphered as Kerry's positions). Like other peace and justice activists, I am distressed that Kerry -- who spoke so eloquently decades ago against a war based on racism and lies -- has given support to the current war that is based on racism and lies.
But I'm also distressed by the deception coming from the Nader campaign. We keep being told that Nader will draw votes away from the Evildoer-in-Chief, George W. Bush; yet poll after poll shows the Nader vote depleting Kerry and helping Bush, and tipping swing states and their electoral votes to Bush.
In my view, Kerry vs. Bush is not Coke vs. Pepsi. It's more like Coke vs. Arsenic (quite literally, in the environmental sense). The Bush/Rumsfeld/Ashcroft regime is far more dangerous than the regimes of Nixon/Kissinger/Mitchell or Reagan/Weinberger/Meese.
There can be no greater imperative for progressives this year than to Vote Bush Out. In the 17 or so competitive states, that means building the Kerry vote to defeat Bush.
But our work doesn't end on Nov. 2. After we mobilize to oust Bush in '04, progressives must stay mobilized in '05 to ensure that our agenda is heard by the Kerry White House. If the Iraq war drags on under the Kerry administration, I'll be in the frontlines of peace protests.
Progressives seemed to demobilize in 1993 after Bill Clinton ended 12 years of Republican rule. In the absence of powerful and independent networks of activists, we saw that a Democratic White House was capable of enacting pro-corporate Republican-oriented policies. We won't be fooled again. Thanks to the Internet and the youth-infused antiwar and global justice movements of recent years, it will be easier to sustain progressive activism in '05 and after to hold a Democratic White House accountable.
Progressives need to understand that Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 on a wishy-washy platform no bolder than the Kerry platform. But powerful social movements, especially militant unions, propelled the New Deal agenda and pushed FDR to being the most progressive president of the last century.
2004 is a crucial juncture in our country's history, with millions of people in our evenly divided country -- especially people of color, labor, feminists, enviros -- yearning for a path to end the national nightmare of George Bush. Progressives need to be a bridge forward, not an obstruction. Noam Chomsky has described the choice we face: "Help elect Bush, or do something to try to prevent it."
Ralph Nader has long set a standard for public integrity: speaking truth to power no matter what the consequences. But in recent months, he's sounding more like a politician, making promises that he must know he can't deliver on -- like his claim that he will help defeat Bush by pulling "more votes away from Bush than the Democrats." And Nader is being ridiculed as just another politician: "Conservatives for Nader," scoffed Comedy Central's Jon Stewart. "Not a large group. About the same size as 'Retarded Death Row Texans for Bush.'"
This election is not about Kerry. Nor Nader. It's about putting Bush out to pasture before he does any more damage.
[i]Jeff Cohen (jeffco@ulster.net) founded the media watch group FAIR and was communications director of Kucinich for President. The views expressed here very much reflect what I personally feel about the Nader 2004 campaign ... even though I was an ardent supporter of Nader in 2000 and actually devoted a lot of my efforts towards assisting his campaign then.[/i]
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[1] Ralph Nader, Suicide Bomber
[2] My Life as Ralph Nader's Flunkie
[3] Kerry's New Woe
[4] Nader in Tight Race to get on State Ballot
[5] For Ralph Nader, but Not for President
[6] Ralph Nader is Not the Enemy
[7] The Nadir of Ralph Nader
[8] Electoral Votes Seem to be Tied, Polls Show
[9] A To Do List for John Kerry
[10] Nader takes Selig and MLB to Task
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| 04.27.04 (9:11 pm) [edit] |
I stole this from Rick Sheinfield's superb website :lol: This is hilarious ! Take that, Hutton and Mel Gibson ! :twisted:
Gibsons Father Convinces Jews To Give Up World Control
 Bowing to intense pressure from Mel Gibsons father, Jews announced today that they would no longer control the world. In a press release, Jews stated, Although we have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of world domination for the last 300 years, we feel it's time for gentiles to take control of their own affairs. We plan to spend more time with our families and pursue other interests.
Hutton Gibson stated he was pleased with the announcement, but expressed concern he was losing a scapegoat for all of his problems. He said he would be launching a search for a new minority group to demonize.
Many Jews expressed relief that they could give up burdensome responsibilities. Retired accountant Jerry Friedman, who controls all media in Montana, said, I would just as well let the citizens of Montana manage their own TV and newspapers. Dont get me wrong, Montana is a fine state. But it gets awfully cold, and theres nowhere to get a good bagel.
Attorney Allen Franks said he's glad he no longer has to manage Bulgarian monetary policy. It was getting to be quite a hassle, he said. I already have a full time job and cant even balance my own checkbook, let alone control the finances of an
entire nation.
Homemaker Judith Levine said she would ...miss the hustle and bustle of setting the international price for magnesium every day. But my son is about to be Bar Mitzvah'd, and oy! Such a party we're gonna have you wouldn't believe!
 Hollywood producer Sidney Greenbaum was pessimistic about the announcement. Do you really think goyim know how to make movies? he asked. They'll all end up being high budget, technicolor snuff flicks if you leave things up to Mel and his kind.
Comedy experts expressed concern that the business would suffer if Jews suddenly withdrew. According to one insider, Take away all the Jewish comics and writers, and all you have left is Carrot Top. Thats not a world I want to live in.
A potluck dinner in honor of Jews contributions to mankind will be held at the Hoboken Holiday Inn on April 3. All gentiles are welcome to attend. Participants will be encouraged to share an an offensive Jewish joke.
Related Articles
[1] Mel Gibson's Dad Rants Against the Jews
[2] The Anti-Semitic Gibson Family
[3] Hutton Gibson Denies the Holocaust Ever Happened
[4] Hutton Gibson - Anti-Semitic Nazi
[5] Mel Gibson Defends His Father's Holocaust Denial
[6] About Anti-Semitism
[7] Rutgers University Publishes Disgusting Anti-Semitic Cartoon During Holocaust Remembrance Week
[8] Remove JewWatch - We Won !! :D
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| 04.24.04 (9:20 pm) [edit] |
Tony Tan, Back Up Your Claims !
This is a typical example of loudmouth PAP politicians who are so eager to be patted on their head by the Americans that they make outrageous claims that American and British experts themselves dispute.
[Click Here]
[i]"...Speaking at the conclusion of a five-day visit to Washington, Dr Tony Tan stressed that if the United States had not invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, many thousands of terrorists would still be getting trained there before being sent out to wreak havoc around the world..." [/i]
[Click Here]
"Rumsfeld was saying that we needed to bomb Iraq," Clarke said to Stahl."And we all said ... no, no. Al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan. We need to bomb Afghanistan. And Rumsfeld said there aren't any good targets in Afghanistan. And there are lots of good targets in Iraq. I said, 'Well, there are lots of good targets in lots of places, but Iraq had nothing to do with it..."I think they wanted to believe that there was a connection, but the CIA was sitting there, the FBI was sitting there, I was sitting there saying we've looked at this issue for years. For years we've looked and there's just no connection." - Richard Clark, Terrorism Advisor
[Click Here]
[b]BRITISH INTELLIGENCE CONTRADICTS POWELL. NO LINK BETWEEN SADDAM AND AL QAEDA, THEY SAY[/b] "There are no current links between the Iraqi regime and the al-Qaeda network, according to an official British intelligence report seen by BBC News. The classified document, written by defence intelligence staff three weeks ago, says there has been contact between the two in the past. But it assessed that any fledgling relationship foundered due to mistrust and incompatible ideologies. That conclusion flatly contradicts one of the main charges laid against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein by the United States and Britain - that he has cultivated contacts with the group blamed for the 11 September attacks. The report emerges even as Washington was calling Saddam a liar for denying, in a television interview with former Labour MP and minister Tony Benn, that he had any links to al-Qaeda."
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| Why is the Truth Always Not in the English Press Part II |
| 04.22.04 (1:27 pm) [edit] |
Steve Chia !! Chiam See Tong !! Low Thia Khiang !!! Where were you when we needed you most ?!! :evil:
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Click [here] for the transcript of the Parliament Session during which this Constitutional Amendment was made
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[1] Temasek Holdings Press Release : Offering of S$792,000,000 Zero Coupon Guaranteed Exchangable Notes Due 2009
[2] Temasek Holdings Press Release : Offering of Singtel Shares and Exchangeable Notes
[3] Temasek Holdings opens up as it Eyes Regional Markets
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| 04.22.04 (10:29 am) [edit] |
Congratulations to the Men in White. Because of their unequivocal support of the illegal war in Iraq, we are now on the Top 8 list of countries to be targetted by terrorists ! Another Made in Singapore record that the PAP can be proud of !! :evil:
New Terror Threat Targets 8 U.S. Allies
Thu Apr 22, 9:41 AM ET
By SOO-JEONG LEE, Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea - A self-proclaimed "anti-American" group is threatening terrorist attacks against eight U.S. allies by the end of the month, including South Korea, Japan, Australia and Pakistan, a South Korean official said Thursday.
The group, called the "Yello-Red Overseas Organization," warned in a one-page letter sent to the South Korean Embassy in Thailand that it will launch the attacks through April 30, embassy spokesman Ryoo Jung-young told The Associated Press.
The group described itself as "anti-American" and threatened to attack diplomatic compounds, airlines and public transportation systems in the eight countries that are U.S. allies or have plans to send troops to Iraq. The four other countries are Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Kuwait.
Click [here] to read the rest of the article.
My fellow $ingaporeans, let us wear this T-shirt to celebrate our proud achievement !
I wasn't born then, but I have heard my parents speak with trepidation about the attempted terror attacks at their workplace planned by the Japanese Red Army and the Palestinian Authority during the 70s. Not something one would like to experience again.
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| 04.22.04 (8:34 am) [edit] |
The Brief Elation
"The brief elation we experience appeasing sensual impulses is very close to what the drug addict feels when indulging his or her habit. Temporary relief is soon followed by a craving for more. And in just the same way that taking drugs in the end only causes trouble, so too does much of what we undertake to fulfill our immediate sensory desires. We must acknowledge that there can be no hope of gratifying the senses permanently. At best, the happiness we derive from eating a good meal can only last until the next time we are hungry."
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
From "The Pocket Dalai Lama," edited by Mary Craig, 2002
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| 04.21.04 (7:57 am) [edit] |
Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby present you with yet more garbage to come forth from none other than our Multi-Million-Dollar Minister of Manpower Dr Ng En. Hey Low Thia Khiang and Steve Chia ... is that ALL you have to say about this ?!! :evil:
Wednesday April 21, 20:17 PM
Unions no longer have right to ratify CAs after accord with management
Parliament approved on Tuesday changes to the Trade Unions Act which mean unions no longer have the right to ratify negotiations made by their executive committees after they are reached with management.
Labour relations at SIA were again in the spotlight as the amendments are clearly targeted at ALPA-S.
In moving the change, Manpower Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen gave the example of how the members of Alpa-S booted out the Exco last year after it agreed with management on wage cuts, the latest in a series of incidents he recounted.
He said: "The Bill will therefore facilitate a more efficient process of collective bargaining and will not compromise or diminish the rights of unions and members in collective bargaining. Sir, I do not want to give the wrong impression that this amendment alone will improve relations within the trade union or of their relationship with management, be it in Singapore Airlines or elsewhere."
Two Opposition MPs rejected the amendments, saying they will curb member's rights.
Mr Low Thia Kiang, MP, Hougang, said: "This is in effect giving elected union membership blanket authority to act during the term of their office to act on behalf of their members without the need to face the consequences of their actions until the end of their term of office."
Mr Steve Chia, Non-Constituency MP, said: "If this voice is being crippled by law what is the point of them joining a union anymore?"
Dr Ng said: "How we have crippled rights, but if this is so, what rights have we deprived from this amendment? Have we deprived workers of the right to collectively bargain? - no. Have we deprived them of the right to organise - no. Have we deprived them of the right, if they feel their interests have not been protected, to change their leadership not at all."
He also stressed that the changes 'facilitate collective bargaining' - and in no way prevents the leadership of unions from first getting a mandate from members before they negotiate
Members can still boot their leadership out if they are not happy - a point made by Labour MPs who spoke on Tuesday.
They lauded the changes as a way to promote better industrial relations.
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| 04.21.04 (7:16 am) [edit] |
Published on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
War and Peace
by Marianne Williamson
I remember before the war started in Iraq, watching Dennis Kucinich debate the Bush administration's Richard Perle on television. Kucinich said that if we went to war there would be hand-to-hand combat in Baghdad, to which Perle patronizingly responded that Kucinich clearly didn't know what he was talking about.
Today, there is hand-to-hand combat in Iraq.
Those who think comparisons to Viet Nam are facile, might want to think again. Those who think we are demonstrating for the entire world to see the unbeatable power of the United States, might want to think again. Those who think what we are doing in Iraq is somehow defeating terrorism, might want to think again.
It is hard to bear the thought of the fear our soldiers must be feeling now. They are surrounded by people they were told would see them as liberators, so many of whom now see them as an occupying army. Perhaps if we had had a real plan for what to do after strutting our macho-gone-mad display of "Shock and Awe," we would indeed have won the hearts of the Iraqi people. But clearly, we had no real plan for doing so. We seem to be very efficient at waging war, yet almost inept at waging peace.
As it is, we hear quotes such as this one from a forty-year-old college graduate in Iraq, who himself was imprisoned for two years by Saddam Hussein yet now resents the American occupation. When asked by New York Times reporters whether he wasn't grateful to the United States for overthrowing Saddam, he responded angrily, "It was God who finished Saddam, not the Americans. The Americans broke all their promises to us, and they have brought their infidel beliefs to Iraq. We hate them, and they are worse than Saddam."
What the United States government doesn't seem to understand is that you can't just go around destroying people you don't like, and expect all your problems to be over. Behind every Viet Cong there was another one behind the next tree. Behind Saddam there now appears Moktade al-Sadr, and once we've dealt with him, the consciousness he represents will morph into another leader just as troublesome. Until we recognize the importance of our relationship to the hearts and minds of the people of the world, we will continue to inspire enmity despite whatever good intentions we actually bring to the table. You cannot impose your will on other people -- even if your will is for their higher good -- and not expect them to resent you. A nation is a collection of individuals, and individuals are deeply influenced by their feelings. Imposing your will on others is a basically disrespectful stance, and showing disrespect --- particularly to an Arab male, whose culture so focuses on honor and respect -- is psychologically and emotionally inept.
Terrorism is an emotion turned into a political force. Until we recognize that, and deal with emotion and psychology as the political factors they actually represent, we will continue to strut our military power without consciousness or concern with how it feels to other people when we do so. This will lead to disaster. It already has.
Governments tend to approach life from a left-brain, rationalistic perspective - which is fine, except that most people don't. In l997, I met an Egyptian diplomat in Agra, India, where I was leading a spiritual pilgrimage. He told me the following, which I quoted in my book "Healing the Soul of America".
"I do not mean this as a criticism of the United States," he said. "I know the Americans are good men and women. But please try to make them understand; many people in my part of the world feel they have been forced to try to keep up with you, in a race we do not really care to run. Your technology is amazing, but America seems spiritually polluted to many of us. Your ways are not our ways, and while we were tempted for a while to think that your ways should be our ways, we do not think that anymore.
This is the problem, Ms. Williamson, and there will be terrible consequences in the world if Americans do not come to understand this. Islamic terrorists have had such success - if you would call their campaigns a success - because they have been able to persuade millions of peasants that America is bad. It was not too difficult to do, Ms. Williamson. All they have to do is describe the television programs you export to this part of the world, and people are horrified.
Your government does not understand. They do not see how the people feel. We need the American people to understand. Perhaps you will bring more Americans to our part of the world. If they come to understand us, then they will respect us. We would feel that respect, and then I don't think the terrorists would have such success. This is not a job the CIA can do. It is only a job which people can do."
What a tragedy, that our government does not reflect the emotional sensitivity and sophistication of the average American. Until it does, we are all in danger.
Marianne Williamson (www.marianne.com) is an internationally acclaimed author. She has published nine books, four of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, including her most recent, EVERYDAY GRACE. Her titles include HEALING THE SOUL OF AMERICA and A RETURN TO LOVE. She also edited IMAGINE: What American Could Be in the 21st Century, a compilation of essays by some of America's most visionary thinkers. Marianne is a part of a citizen lobbying campaign to create a U.S. Dept. of Peace- www.DoPCampaign.org
Related Articless
[1] Bush Fails History...Jefferson Predicted Iraq by Thom Hartmann
[2] President Owes America Answers on Iraq by Senator Robert C. Byrd
[3] Permission Slips by Jonathan Granoff, Michael Doyle and Robert Grey Jr.
[4] US Christian Fundamentalists are Driving Bush's Middle East Policy by George Monbiot
[5] The Return of People's War by Martin Jacques
[6] The Lost Father by Karen Spears Zacharias
[7] Putting a Smiley Face on an Imperial Act by Bruce Ramsey
[8] Negroponte, a Torturer's Friend by Matthew Rothschild
Related Links
[1] Department of Peace
[2] Global Renaissance Alliance
[3] Monterey Educators Against War
[4] Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
[5] Antiwar.Com
[6] Code Pink
[7] Nonviolence Upfront
[8] Peace Action
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| 04.18.04 (11:11 am) [edit] |
Oil and U.S. Politics
On Thursday, April 15, 2004 Congressman Dennis Kucinich visited students in a philosophy class at Oregon State University. He discussed environmental protection vs profit; sources of sustainable energy and how these new industries could strengthen our economy and bring jobs; and the impact that oil has has on politics.
Video by Ryan Adkins
Corvallis, Oregon
Gilkey Hall, Oregon State University
April 15, 2004
Watch the video, listen to the audio, or read the text transcript below.
 Windows : Modem | Broadband
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 Audio only (mp3)
If you want the U.S. to take a more peaceful, balanced role in the world community, you can help right now. We are working to take this messsage to the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Boston this July. Contribute online or by phone - 866-413-3664 - or by sending your check to Kucinich for President, 11808 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44111. Your contribution will make a difference.
[b]VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:[/b]
We have to find out what we can do to help accomplish the healing of the world. Well, it's imperative that it be environmental protection. The New York Times 2 weeks ago in their Sunday edition had their lead article called "Up In Smoke." It detailed how this administration has just trashed environmental protection regulations. It has basically let industries regulate themselves, which is not regulation at all. You know, they let Enron regulate themselves.
Government's responsibility is to make sure that people have a context within which to breathe freely, and to balance all these conflicting interests in a society. But things are out of balance right now. There's a profound imbalance. The environment is not being protected. The values are skewed in terms of profits. And as a result, our own humanity gets eroded, gets diminished.
There's been this separation in our society of the human values which represent protection of the environment, and economic values which represent profit. We have to find a way to bring those together. We have to try to find a way to end the dichotomies. And it's possible to do that. We've been given a false choice in saying that, "take your pick, jobs or the environment, which is it, you can't have both."
Twenty-first century thinking sees where you create industrial processes that are protective of the environment. Twenty-first century thinking sees what's going up the smokestacks as profits, so you find a way to develop industrial techniques that are in harmony with the environment, and then we become in harmony with the environment.
Industries in effect create a system where they figure out that they can pass the cost of environmental protection along to you. If they don't have to have pollution controls, or there's no enforcement of pollution laws, then you pay the price with your health. Increased rates of cancer, pulmonary disease, ruined quality of life.
We need to move toward more sustainable energy policies. That means, and I believe, we should have a 20% renewable energy portfolio by the year 2010, with emphasis on solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, green hydrogen, bio-diesel, those things that are renewal and sustainable, and away from oil and nuclear and coal, any of those things that have environmental damage.
Now how do you do that? There's a sense in which there's an economic imperative. We're finding for example, oil, as being - it's not protective of the environment, and economically, it's becoming risky because the sources of oil increasingly are in other countries and there's geopolitics involved and people are now determining they're going to make some military moves in order to secure a source of oil. It's very dangerous.
As we develop the sustainable energy, we diminish the impact that oil has on our politics. We create a new context. You know, it's the old classic supply and demand - as long as the demand is high for oil, then there is a range of pressures that develop to get supplies of oil. It's very dangerous - we need to move towards conservation as well.
I think there's a point where we develop the economic incentive to grow new industries. That's where capitalism has a beneficial impact on this system. Because we can create millions of new jobs and have multi-billion dollar industries influencing decentralized applications for solar and wind alone.
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| 04.16.04 (10:45 pm) [edit] |
Buddhist Wisdom for Weekend Reflection
To this sage who sees what is good I have come supplicatingly with a question, How is anyone to look upon the world so as not to be seen by the king of death?
Look upon the world as void, O Mogharagan, said the Buddha, being always wakeful; having destroyed the view of oneself as really existing, one may overcome death; the king of death will not see the person who thus regards the world.
-Adapted from the Sutta-nipata, translated by V. Fausboll
From "Teachings of the Buddha," edited by Jack Kornfield, 1993. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, shambhala.com
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| My Guinea Pig, the Budding Progressive Activist |
| 04.16.04 (1:03 pm) [edit] |
At the request of my friend,
Here's a pic of one of my Guinea Pigs :D
and here's one of my Bunnies :P
Aren't they adorable ? :lol:
More Pics of another of my Guinea Pigs :D
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| 04.16.04 (3:59 am) [edit] |
Politicians to tread lightly when meeting Dalai Lama
Foreign Affairs taking pains to make sure they see him only on spiritual grounds
by Michel Valpy, Globe and Mail, 14th April 2004
 When the Dalai Lama flew into California from India earlier this week for three days of spiritual teaching and lectures, he was given full exalted personage treatment - an official motorcade, diplomatic security protection, and a smiling Paula Dobriansky turning up in Pasadena to officially welcome him to the United States.
Ms. Dobriansky is Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, putting her no more than two notches below U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. She is also Special Co-ordinator for Tibetan Issues in the administration of President George W. Bush.
As Special Co-ordinator for Tibet - the third person to hold the office since it was created in the late 1980s -- her mandate is to encourage dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama leading to an agreement on human rights and cultural protection for Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama was spiritual and political leader of Tibet until Chinese troops tightened their control in 1959, claiming it to be an inalienable part of their country. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since.
Although the United States, like Canada, does not recognize Tibetan autonomy, every president since George H. W. Bush has met with the Dalai Lama - minus any verbal mascara about the meetings being spiritual affairs. President Bill Clinton met him five or six times, the current president twice.
Such a difference a border makes.
When the Dalai Lama crosses the 49th parallel tomorrow - arriving in Vancouver first, followed by visits to Ottawa and Toronto - he will quickly become used to being a man who officially doesn't exist. It no doubt will enhance the humility that his Buddhist religion teaches.
No government official or political leader will officially welcome him anywhere in Canada, and every official who has agreed to meet him has repeated, like a mantra, that they're seeing him only on spiritual grounds.
Almost certainly this has something to do with a Department of Foreign Affairs document issued two months ago, telling municipal and provincial government leaders to avoid meeting the Dalai Lama at official locations or official functions and in general to be wary of appearing with him at "unpredictable" public events.
In addition, the three-page document - apparently sent to the mayors of Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto, the premiers of British Columbia and Ontario, as well as federal cabinet ministers - warns that Tibetan flags and other objects or signs "conferring sovereignty" on Tibet should not be displayed in public places visited by the Dalai Lama.
It specifies that the government of Canada "has not been involved in any aspect of the organization of this visit, except for matters related to security" and it implies that any government sponsorship of, or financial contributions to, events organized around the Dalai Lama's visit essentially were not a good idea.
It also states that if any political leaders do decide to meet with him, "it is important to bear in mind that emphasis should be on spiritual [and] civic matters, as opposed to political issues which might appear to confer recognition of sovereignty."
The visit of the DL - as the Foreign Affairs document calls him - "is an extremely sensitive political issue, due to opposition by the Chinese government. They view the DL as a 'splittist' whose aim is to push for Tibetan sovereignty and independence from China.
A former official with the Tibetan government-in-exile's office in New York said the U.S. State Department had never put out a comparable document.
What it means in Canada is that B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell will be the host at a civic sort of lunch for the "honoured guests" - the Dalai Lama being one - taking part in the Dalai Lama's round-table discussion on ethical and spiritual issues.
Prime Minister Paul Martin and Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli will meet the Dalai Lama - briefly - at the residence of Ottawa's Roman Catholic Archbishop Marcel Gervais. Mr. Martin is the first Canadian head of government to meet with him, although governor-general Edward Schreyer met with him in 1980.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto Mayor David Miller haven't worked out a date or venue for a meeting, but Mr. McGuinty has said he will be seeing the Dalai Lama in his spiritual role.
Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Kimberly Phillips would not discuss the substantive details of the departmental document. She said: "When we're asked for advice we respond. The department provides advice to government and business clients on a case-by-case basis each time we are contacted, whether in writing or by telephone. The degree of detail we provide depends on the nature of the request."
The Canada Tibet Committee, organizers of the Dalai Lama's visit, has urged Mr. Martin to offer to broker negotiations between China and the Dalai Lama, but Canadian government officials have said that is not going to happen. The Canadian government has in the past raised Tibetan human-rights issues with the Chinese.
Related Articles
[1] Tibetans hope Dalai Lama's visit with Martin won't affect talks with China
[2] Martin set to meet Dalai Lama
[3] PM defends Dalai Lama meeting
[4] Dalai Lama hits screens before visit
[5] Buddhism's guru
[6] Meeting with Dalai Lama irks China
[7] Martin Will Meet Dalai Lama
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| Sorry for the Lack of Updates =) |
| 04.08.04 (8:45 pm) [edit] |
Greetings [b]friends[/b] and [b]foes[/b] alike :lol: i sincerely apologise for not posting here for such a long time, the reasons including.
1. Very busy with my thesis
2. Very busy with work
3. Very busy with studies
4. Busy looking after rabbits and guinea pigs :wink: My cavvies are giving birth soon :D
5. Busy helping the folks from the Kucinich and Kerry campaigns with some stuff 8) will keep you guys updated about the developments in Kerry 04 after we set up the local (Southeast Asian) bureau, prob in June or July
6. Busy rebutting lots of arguments at this forum, especially those from anti-semites and right-wingers.
7. Have also been rather occupied with some army stuff, including a combined exercise with the Brits, Auzzies, Anzacs and the Malaysians (ie. FPDA-related), something which took up a month plus of my time.
8. etc etc etc
I should be fine after June or July i guess, so till then i'll still be posting here rather infrequently, although i'll continue to drop by at your webpages to leave comments whenever i can like how good 'ol mblog does :D
And oh, by the way. It has come to my attention that someone or a group of persons has been harassing my friend trace. These bigoted individuals, from their posts, appear to be your standard KKK-brand right-wing fundamentalist Christians are obviously hypocrites, who go around quoting Leveticus, Deuteronomy and other parts of the bible whenever it suits them, but conveniently ignore the rest of the bible, or the teachings of Yeshua/Joshua bar Joseph for that matter, when it comes into conflict with their hate-filled agendas. I therefore encourage all my faithful readers to visit her site to give her your support, but please note that this invitation does not extend to the neo-nazi anti-semitic bible-quoting KKK racist bigot hypocrites who often come to this site as well.
I'd also like to invite you to visit these excellent sites on tblog as well in the meantime. Note that they belong to to individuals from both side of the political spectrum. I support both liberals AND conservatives, because i believe that we should work together to make the world a better place rather than emphasise on what keeps us apart.
Blogs on Israel, Zionism and Judaism
[1] Red tigress
[2] Rsheinfield
[3] Neal
Blogs on US Politics
[1] Winston Smith <--this is the best i've seen so far on Tblog :)>[2] Dragonbait22
[3] Sam Adams
[4] James Doney
[5] Dianne Maire
[6] Iconoclastic Deer
[7] La Carte Blanche
[8] The Real Spartacus 007
[9] Who is John Galt ?
[10] Jimmy the Righteous
Political Satire Blogs
[1] Rasta
[2] Useful Idiot
Southeast Asian Politics
[1] O Sabah
[2] Anti-Pharaoh
[3] Tok Janggut
Have fun in the meantime :D and let us all, liberal and conservative, stand together against racism, bigotry and social injustice
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| 03.26.04 (5:26 am) [edit] |
Singapore Jewry Part 1 of 2
As per the request of another tBLOG user, here is the first in two part series on the Jewish community in Singapore. This is a highly summarized version, with more details available at the Singapore Jews website, which for unknown reasons, is currently down.
Part 2 will be up after i've had more time to take pictures of Maghain Aboth, Chessed-El, as well of Shabbat services, etc. Sorry about that, too terribly busy with work now.
History
A Jewish community has existed in Singapore for more than 150 years. The first Jews to settle here were merchants from Baghdad, and this group set the Sephardi tone of Jewish life that continues to this day. The first synagogue was erected in 1878. The early immigrants from Iraq were later joined by Jews from India and Ashkenazim from central Europe. On the eve of World War II, there were 5,000 Jews in Singapore, and they suffered great hardship during the Japanese occupation. Many emigrated after the liberation, but today the city is at least the temporary home to several hundred Israelis and other foreign Jews who have found work on the island.
Click [here] for the Virtual History Tour of Jewish Singapore
The Jewish Community
 The current permanent Jewish community numbers between 600 to 750, most of whom are affluent, and quite a few of whom are prominent, leading figures in the business and legal professions here. This includes a sizable Orthodox community which was founded over 150 years ago by Iraqi merchants, and whose present members are mostly Sephardic. The late David Marshall, the first Chief Minister (aka Prime Minister) of Singapore from 1955-6 as well as our ambassador to France, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland from 1978-1993, was a prominent member of this community. The Reconformadox community represents the next largest group within the Singaporean Jewry, and is centred around the United Hebrew Congregation of Singapore, with the members being mostly from a Progressive (Reform/Liberal/Conservat ive) background.
Click [here] to visit the website of the United Hebrew Congregation of Singapore
Other Related Links
[1] Einstein in Singapore
[2] Poolside Shabbat
[3] Reflections on a Singapore Yontiff
[4] Sojourners in Singapore
[5] Jewish Communities of Singapore
There also exists a significant Israeli expatriate community here, most of whom are business people here with their families, which means this community is constantly changing and steadily growing. The Israelis add an extra flair to the thriving and active Jewish community of the island, adding their own festive color and spirit. There are close ties between the governments of Singapore and Israel, which include healthy diplomatic and trade relations. Indeed, the two nations often engage in joint military training exercises.
Click [here] to visit the website of the Israeli Embassy in Singapore
Historical Fact : When Singapore was granted partial independence in 1955, David Saul Marshall, who had earlier served as president of the Jewish Community, was appointed Singapore's first chief minister. In 1956, Marshall resigned from his post when Great Britain refused to grant full independence. When the country finally did attain independence, Marshall was elected to its legislature, and later served in its foreign ministry as ambassador to several European countries.
David Marshall-Related Links
First Chief Minister of Singapore, founder of the Democratic Socialist Opposition Worker's Party in Singapore
[1] 1961: Party Chairman Mr David Marshall in Anson by-election. Mr Marshall, Singapore's first chief minister, held the seat of Assemblyman for Anson constituency from 1961-1963.
[2] Mr Marshall stopping by to listen to feedback from the people.
[3] Mr Marshall speaking at a rally.
[4] Mr Marshall leading leading "Merdeka" cheers at the Worker's Party Anson by-election rally.
[5] Mr Marshall as a Young Lawyer
[6] History of the Worker's Party, Singapore
[7] Road to Independence
[8] Open letter to David Marshall by Shirin Fozdar
[9] A Sensation of Independence, David Marshall, A Political Biography
The Two Shuls
Maghain Aboth was the first synagogue built on the island of Singapore. The primary benefactor of the building was Manassah Meyer. Built in the traditional Sephardic style- with a central bimah and a balcony for women- Maghain Aboth is now a National Monument.
Click [here] to read an account of Shabbat morning services at Maghain Aboth
Chesed-El was built some years later, again under the auspices of Manassah Meyer. The story goes that Meyer had a quarrel with his fellow congregants at Maghain Aboth, and therefore decided to build his own synagogue. Ironically, many people have seats at both Chesed-El and Maghain Aboth.
Relevant Information for the Jewish Visitor to Singapore
1. Rabbi
Rabbi Mordechai Abergil
Tel : +65 6737 9112, Fax : +65 6737 9112
2.Synagogues
Chesed-El 2 Oxley Rise, S-0923. Tel: +65 6732 8862. Services Mon only
Maghain Aboth Waterloo Street. Tel: +65 6336 0692. Daily & Sabbath services
3. Talmud Torah
Sir Manasseh Meyer's Hebrew School, 71 Oxley Rise, 5-0923. Tel: +65 6737 9746.
4. Jewish Welfare Board
24 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187950
Tel : +65 6337 2189, Fax : +65 6336 2127
5. Israeli Embassy
58 Dalvey Rd, Singapore 259463
Tel : +65 6235 0966 , Fax : +65 6733 7008
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| 03.22.04 (10:47 pm) [edit] |
Defending Zionism in a Time of Occupation and Oppression
by Stephen Zunes, [i]Tikkun Magazine[/i]
As someone who has emerged in recent years as one of the more prominent academic supporters of Palestinian national rights and critics of Israeli policies and U.S support for the Israeli government, many people are surprised that I am unwilling to categorically denounce Zionism.
I am not at all oblivious to the many crimes committed in the name of Zionism, but there is often real confusion as to how one defines it. Many supporters of the Palestinian cause tend to portray Zionism as its worst historical manifestations (just as many supporters of Israel do the same for Palestinian nationalism). Certainly, if Zionism is defined as an ideology which advocates dispossession, oppression, and racismwhich, unfortunately, is how most Palestinians have experienced itI have no problems calling myself anti-Zionist.
However, there is something fundamentally wrong with someone who does not identify with a certain ideology defining what that ideology is. (One can only remember Rev. Pat Robertson's definition of feminism as an ideology which teaches women to "leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians.")
This confusion has been exacerbated by the tendency of some American Zionist leaders to imply that one can only be a true Zionist by blindly supporting Israeli government policies.
What, then, is the nature of Zionism?
Read the rest of the article [here]
Related Articles
[1] A Time To Atone by [i]Rabbi Michael Lerner[/i]
[2] Why Progressives Can Support Israel by [i]Joshua Steinman[/i]
[3] Whither Progressive Zionism?
[4] Progressive Zionism's Lonely Dilemma by [i]Mark Seal[/i]
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| 03.22.04 (10:22 pm) [edit] |
The Passions of the Right: The Politics of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ
by [i]Harry Brod[/i], from Tikkun Magazine
The new sign of the cross is that of Hollywood. Drive South from the famous "Hollywood" sign along Highway 5 in Southern California, and you'll eventually get to the Crystal Cathedral, another modern monument that looms over its surroundings. (The route, symbolically enough, takes you past Disneyland.) It is the singular achievement of Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ to have closed the gap between those two monuments and what they represent.
Gibson's film and Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral both purvey religion through mass media. "Mass" here means not the Catholic Mass, but "mass" as in "massive," and as in "large crowd." The Crystal Cathedral broadcasts the "Hour of Power" on TV, and the building itself is a truly massive structure, part of an even more massive compound. The denominational differences between Schuller and Gibson are overshadowed by the massiveness of the similarities. (These differences are very real, and I should say that I hold no particular brief against Schuller, it just that the symbolism of his ministry captures so much of what is at stake here. And the Crystal Cathedral web site is already selling the video of The Passion.) It is the conjunction of Hollywood and the religious right (of various denominations) that has fueled the massive marketing campaign for Gibson's film which has occasioned all the commotion about it. In the midst of all the talk about Gibson's revival of traditional anti-Semitism, we should not ignore what is fundamentally new, rather than old, about this film. Its newness, and its danger, lie in this mass appeal through the mass media.
Read the rest of the article [here]
Related Articles
[1] Gibson's The Passion - A plea to Christians to Respond with a Gospel of Love and Hope in place of this new fundamentalism by Rabbi Michael Lerner
[2] Loosely Based on a True Story - The Passion of Jesus Christ in Verbal and Visual Media by John Dominic Crossan
[3] Mel Gibson's Passion by James Carroll
[4] Who killed Christ ? and Why ? by Ray Dubuque
[5] Fundamentalist Cheerleading for Gibson's Passion - an Oxymoron by Rabbi Marc Howard Wilson
[6] The State of Hate : A Quick Overview of the New anti-Semitism by Leonard Zeskind
[7] Answering The Passion with Passion by Gavriel Aryeh Sanders
[8] The Thorny Line between Art and Propaganda by Richard L. Cravatts
[9] Boycott The Passion of the Christ by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
[10] Why Mel Owes One to the Jews by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
[11] Not so "Passion"ate - Will Mel Gibson's film The Passion crucify the Jews? by Rabbi Tovia Singer
[12] The Passion : The Movie and Its Aftermath by Rabbi Benjamin Blech
[13] The Passion : A Historical Perspective by Rabbi Ken Spiro
[14] Mel Gibson and the Jews by Rabbi Benjamin Blech
[15] Possible Leaflet to distribute at Gibson's Passion Movie
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| 03.22.04 (8:39 pm) [edit] |
As someone who was involved in the "black ribbon campaign" to protest the fee hike at the Universities, i found something in Sammyboy's Alfresco Coffeeshop forum by an anonymous poster rather interesting. Please be warned that the language used by this anonymous poster is somewhat harsh and accusatory, not really the kind of stuff you'd see here.
Being an activist of sorts in these circles, as well as a "victim" and therefore a critic of the current "Foreign Talent" policy, i would admit there is some truth to what he is saying, some [i]very disturbing truths[/i]. Sure, i believe that we should engage foreign talent, but the sad truth is that there are many locals out there who are even more qualified for such jobs and places in the university, as well as more committed to this nation's future ... but sidelined as a result of this ludicrous "Foreign Talent" policy.
University Fee Hike to FEED PRC!
If you have kept up with the local news, you'd have found out that the government plans to hike university fees, citing the reason as "only 25% of singaporeans go to university and that we should not put a strain on the primary and secondary school budget"
There is something terribly wrong with this logic.
Here in Singapore, local students pay $5000+ a year for university education. Nothing wrong huh? But lets take a look at how much foreigners pay. They pay $6000+! a mere 1000 at most more than local students! foreigners who pay $6000 + have to sign a bond saying they will work in singapore for 3 years after their university education.
Ok, lets face it. 95% foreign students are students from LESS developed countries like Malaysia, China and India, who wouldnt mind working 3 years more in a more developed country, after getting heavily subsidised education from them!? And let me tell you the number of foreign students here is by no means small. They come in SWARMS. Ask anyone in a science based-discpline. engineering, science, computer engineering.. in fact, its great! You don't even have to try to look for a job overseas in somewhere that offers you greater opportunities with its edge in technology and stuff.
Oh yeah and one more point i forgot to add. Did u know that Singapore advertises heavily in China for students to come over and study? and that's not all! They FINANCE the education of these students and even PAY them to study. Yup, and we can see why u say the universities are putting a strain on the education budget.
[i]ok. here's the deal[/i].
1. You're increasing our school fees because you say only 25% of us go to university but, EXCUSE me, perhaps, the reason why your finances are so strained is because they are going out to foreign students, and not local students, and you want local students to pay more to finance these people?! Haha. you foolish shits. Have'nt you heard what the foreign students are saying? "Once i get enough out of this government im leavin with my treasures!" ... and obviously they will because their countries definitely have MUCH more potential for development
2. Woah.. looking at undergraduate unemployment rate, its not really difficult to see why these bonds are putting local grads out of job isnt it? in times of economic uncertainty, jobs are scarce. and imagine, local students competing with foreign students for jobs. hah.
3. It is a well known fact that overseas universities get their money from full paying foreign students. So, why can't we do the same here? Why put the strain on local students, and not foreign students? Lets not forget, many Singaporeans have been hit by the economic downturn and at $5000+ a year, a uni education does not come cheap. oh yeah and u know what was the government's defence? students can take bank loans to pay for their univeristy education! right.. be saddled in debts before u even work to pay for your university education, because the government cannot handle paying your university fees AND FOREIGN STUDENTS. So yes, all you loyal singaporeans. Please pay a little more so we can have our foreign students.
More responses to this post can be found [here]
Related Articles
[1] Hiring Foreign Talent - How Many Jobs Do We Lose ?
[2] Foreign Talent - What is the Agenda of the PAP ?
[3] Statistics on Foreign Talent in Singapore by Hari Nasution
[4] Prestigous Overseas Scholarship for Foreign Talents - Meritocracy or Betrayal?
[5] Its Time they return Something back to the People when there is so much Hardship
[6] More Good Years? One year after GE, Quality of Life Reduced
[7] People Will Stay If PAP Quits Stopping Growth of Democracy
[8] Deconstructing the Stayer-Quitter Debate
[9] Singapores Dilemma - Job Analysis & Compensation System in a Changing Postmodern World
[10] Singapore: New Economy Proletariat or Bourgeoisie
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| 03.18.04 (11:56 pm) [edit] |
Here's Governor Dean's address marking the beginning of the "Democracy for America" Project. I sincerely urge all supporters of Dr Dean to take a look at the website, and give your support in whatever way you can.
A New Day
My run for the White House ended last month. But for me, and for supporters around the country, our work to take this country back has just begun. Thats why I have formed Democracy For America, a new organization building on the phenomenal grassroots support for our presidential campaign.
I need your help. Defeating George W. Bush will not be easy. His strategists have a $100 million war chest available to transform his failed record into an avalanche of misleading "morning in America" advertising.
What is the best response? To defeat George Bush, the Democratic Party and its nominee must stand up strong for our principles, not paper over our differences with the most radical White House in our lifetime. We must directly expose the ways in which George Bushs policies benefit the privileged and right-wing ideologues.
To win, we must confidently advance an agenda rooted in hope and real American values opportunity, integrity, corporate responsibility, and community. People want back the country they believed in, a fair country where middle-class people could make a decent living and send their kids to college. That is not only the right way to take on George Bush; it is also the most effective way to succeed with voters who might be tempted to support independent or third-party candidates.
Click [here] to read the rest of Dr Dean's address
Related Links
[1] Governor Dean's Meeting with Jonh Kerry
[2] from CBS News: Howard Dean Launches New Group
[3] from The Champlain Channel: Dean To Unveil Democracy For America Plan
[4] from The Corvallis Gazette: Howard Dean launching a new Advocacy Organization
[5] from TomPaine.com: Onward Deaniacs !
[6] from Dissident Voice: The Peace Movement One Year Later
[7] from World Socialist Web: The Political Strategy of the SEP in the 2004 US Elections
Related Websites
[1] Official Howard Dean Weblog
[2] Joe Trippi's Weblog
[3] Dean for America
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| 03.15.04 (9:28 pm) [edit] |
Why is the Truth always Out There and Not in the English Press ?
This tragic incident happened last week, but if not for the Discuss-Singapore mailing list, i'd never have known about it since, being the kin-jio kia that i am, i haven't touched the Chinese newspapers since my A levels. I know that this article is rather old, but it is very important that we are aware of it, because it reflects the sorry state of our society as it is today.
According to the article in Lianhe Zaobao, a 15-year-old student jumped to his death from the sixth floor of a Housing Board flat at Pasir Ris St 11 on March 5 around 4.45 pm. It was reported that the Secondary Three student was worried that he might be expelled from school after being warned by a female Accounting teacher of being romantically involved with one of his female classmates.
The two students had arrived at school at 3 pm that day and the boy was caught holding the girl's hand by one of the male teachers. The Accounting teacher was informed and later gave them a stern warning and asked for the parents to be in school at 6 pm for counselling. The boy's request not to inform his parents was rejected by the Accounting teacher.
The boy then rushed out of the school. His girlfriend tried to follow but was held back by the teacher. Two other classmates went after him, and one of them found him sitting on the sixth floor parapet wall with both legs hanging out. She tried to talk him out of it but to no avail, and watched him jump down to his death.
This both angers and saddens me. i am angry because the teacher had absolutely no right to interfere in the personal affairs of the two students. Moreover, she could have at least been a bit more sensitive to the feelings of the male student, who was obviously traumatised over how his parents would have reacted had they found out about his relationship; and even if she had wanted to intervene - she could have at least done it through a more gentle counselling approach rather than the hard-handed manner in which she went about doing so.
i am deeply saddened because this incident is but a reflection of the highly rigid society in which we live, where right or wrong is looked in terms of black and white; where operating strictly "[i]by the book[/i]" represents the order of our brain-dead and heartless society. The Straits Times has totally ignored this story, just as it has often, in its attempt to sterilse Singapore society, not ventured into the reality of human suffering that lies beneath the facade of economic success. We often shamelessly pride ourselves on being one of the richest nations of the world, but at what cost have we achieved this success ?
Most of all, i am deeply saddened because of the senseless waste of a young life resulting from one teacher's (or perhaps the educational system's) inflexibility and heartlessness, and how the student's girlfriend would probably be scarred for life by her guilt and depression over this incident.
It is indeed one sick society that we live in.
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