Politics and Poetry 2

• The Cradle will fall: The mayhem in Syria reached epic heights over the weekend. A massacre in the town of Houla left 109 victims dead, mostly women and children - 49 under the age of 10 hacked to death with axes and knives. The men of the town were demonstrating at the town mosque and claim that while they were away, government forces ambushed the town, killing innocent civilians. The government has claimed that this is the act of rogue terrorists. Kofi Annan of the UN sat down with President al-Assad today to make clear the international weight of these decisions. Several countries, including the US, also expelled Syrian diplomats in protest to the weekends events. All this to say...well, just to say, really. According to Annan, he "appealed to him [Mr Assad] for bold steps now - not tomorrow, now - to create momentum for the implementation of the plan."
So he spoke to him sternly about having spoken to him about at some point doing what he had spoken to him about originally.
Meanwhile, people in Houla fear another attack: "Military reinforcements have been brought in, and artillery, and we are afraid that the massacre will happen again," Mahmoud Al Houli told CNN reporters. "Four checkpoints have been set up around the town, and nothing can enter -- no food or medical supplies can come in. The electricity has been cut off. Things are desperate."
He closed with this piercing remark: "You have seen the bodies on television, on the computer, but we see them in real life."
So true. And yet, we discuss these images, these lives as if no one had to see them in real life.
If we're going to take an interest in the slaughtering of humans in other countries, we have to take a real interest. Hanging a carrot in front of desperate people's eyes is cruel and superfluous.
If we are going to stay out of it, stay out of it. This half ass bullshit is about as useful and philanthropic as standing in front of a homeless man, waxing poetic about the ills of poverty while counting your money. Come the fuck on!

Fear, fear, fear: While many of us reflected on the meaning of Memorial Day, perhaps remembering family members or saying a silent thank you to those who felt our country was worth a fight...Mitt Romney was enjoying a heaping bowl of fear with his BBQ.
At a speech in San Diego, CA, his message was clear: "The world is not safe."
"We can follow in the footsteps of Europe and shrink our military smaller and smaller to pay for our social needs...and they of course rely on the strength of America and hope for the best. Were we to follow that kind of course, there would be no one that could stand to protect us. The other is to commit to preserve America as the strongest military in the world, second to none with no comparable power anywhere in the world. We choose that course - not so we just win wars but so we prevent wars, because a strong America is the biggest deterrent to war that has ever been invented."
Let me just attempt to wrap my head around this one...military is more important than our social needs? What is your damage?! I'd like to see him give this speech at the WTC memorial - or how about to a bunch of school kids who don't know how to read but already know to hate Muslims.
And Europe relies on us?! You've got to be fucking kidding me. Even with the teetering Eurozone, there are only 4 European countries that have worse national debt than the US...guess ole Mitt was too busy polishing his gun to study up on some fucking common sense and hard facts. Good lord.
I'm no fan of Obama, but the more I hear this jack noodle talk, the more I'd like to see him pushing pens at a dead end Pentagon job - love the military so much? Go serve 'em. They deserve it.
Meanwhile, this pro-military spending loony tune is the same guy who recently said:

"You have to have a government that doesn't get too big."

What's bigger than the biggest military in the world?...


Call or Draw:
 

We crawl here on our knees and fear

Gagged and tied

lady liberty has died

call or draw

And in this mess you

wave the flag and bless

all the ones who

rape your rights for fun

call or draw

coming round that roulette wheel

coming round that roulette wheel

kill your innocence and ignorance

you can’t use them now

build your common sense,

intelligence

they won’t show you how

give it up like

virgins in a truck

all your rights in your country’s name

call or draw

are you blind?!

freedom ain’t a right you know

and those who lead

spin these lies for bribes

call or draw

coming round that roulette wheel

coming round that roulette wheel

kill your innocence and ignorance

you can’t use them now

build your common sense,

intelligence

they won’t show you how

G(aga)8

I went to check the news as per usual on a few different sites and was amazed to see that there was little to no mention of the G8/G20 summit in Canada this weekend. However, I know that Lady Gaga is having trouble with her driver and that her and Obama are in a facebook war. Fascinating...
Not to give props to our former kingdom, but BBC was the only news site that had a front page mention of it. Considering that this summit comprises of the worlds 8 biggest economies (except for the biggest, China) and the G20 which is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors overseeing the world economy, I'd think major news organizations would give just two more shits about that than Gaga's employee problems. But I guess she looks hotter in a machine gun bra than Obama would...
As far as what is going on at the G8/G20 summit, so far it's been a lot of Big Brother condemnation of what other countries are doing wrong, a playground pow-wow between the big kids about what the little kids should be doing. For example, the North Korea/South Korea ship incident, the North Korean and Iranian arms development, and suggesting that the Gaza situation is unsustainable.
Well, having an erection for a day is also unsustainable but what does that have to do with the price of rice? Interestingly enough, this seems to me to be regurgitation of earlier arguments just with more big wigs in a different place. We are sticking our nose in other peoples business while simultaneously doing nothing about it. We shove Afghanistan and Iraq under the rug as if they're the embarrasing stepchildren and focus on the countries we haven't started wars with yet.
The G20 summit is another can of worms being that you have 19 different countries and then the EU that sit there and argue about how to unfuck the current economic situation. It reminds me a bit of when I was in Switzerland and was asking a French man and a German for directions, having no idea what they were saying or who was right...needless to say, I got lost and tried again with a happily found Brit. Unfortunately, I don't think the same strategy will work at the G8/G20 summit. Decisions need to be made and we can't afford to get lost and hope for the best.
It also doesn't do to sit and discuss who did what wrong when you're involved in two wars and have an arsenal of nuclear weapons. Leaders lead best by example. As always, talking is cheap, actions are not. Best of luck in Canada everyone.