Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Angel Sleying - Gaza

We had to expect it again. Innocents slaughtered once more. What will it take for this to stop?

Scrolling through the articles on Gaza, I found the following article at Information Clearing House by Nir Rosen, titled The Logic of Colonial Power.

As so often, the term 'terrorism' has proved a rhetorical smokescreen under cover of which the strong crush the weakBy Nir Rosen December 31, 2008 "The Guardian" -- I have spent most of the Bush administration's tenure reporting from Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Somalia and other conflicts. I have been published by most major publications. I have been interviewed by most major networks and I have even testified before the senate foreign relations committee. The Bush administration began its tenure with Palestinians being massacred and it ends with Israel committing one of its largest massacres yet in a 60-year history of occupying Palestinian land. Bush's final visit to the country he chose to occupy ended with an educated secular Shiite Iraqi throwing his shoes at him, expressing the feelings of the entire Arab world save its dictators who have imprudently attached themselves to a hated American regime.

Once again, the Israelis bomb the starving and imprisoned population of Gaza. The world watches the plight of 1.5 million Gazans live on TV and online; the western media largely justify the Israeli action. Even some Arab outlets try to equate the Palestinian resistance with the might of the Israeli military machine. And none of this is a surprise. The Israelis just concluded a round-the-world public relations campaign to gather support for their assault, even gaining the collaboration of Arab states like Egypt.

The international community is directly guilty for this latest massacre. Will it remain immune from the wrath of a desperate people? So far, there have been large demonstrations in Lebanon, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Iraq. The people of the Arab world will not forget. The Palestinians will not forget. "All that you have done to our people is registered in our notebooks," as the poet Mahmoud Darwish said.

I have often been asked by policy analysts, policy-makers and those stuck with implementing those policies for my advice on what I think America should do to promote peace or win hearts and minds in the Muslim world. It too often feels futile, because such a revolution in American policy would be required that only a true revolution in the American government could bring about the needed changes. An American journal once asked me to contribute an essay to a discussion on whether terrorism or attacks against civilians could ever be justified. My answer was that an American journal should not be asking whether attacks on civilians can ever be justified. This is a question for the weak, for the Native Americans in the past, for the Jews in Nazi Germany, for the Palestinians today, to ask themselves.

Terrorism is a normative term and not a descriptive concept. An empty word that means everything and nothing, it is used to describe what the Other does, not what we do. The powerful – whether Israel, America, Russia or China – will always describe their victims' struggle as terrorism, but the destruction of Chechnya, the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, the slow slaughter of the remaining Palestinians, the American occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan – with the tens of thousands of civilians it has killed … these will never earn the title of terrorism, though civilians were the target and terrorising them was the purpose.

Counterinsurgency, now popular again among in the Pentagon, is another way of saying the suppression of national liberation struggles. Terror and intimidation are as essential to it as is winning hearts and minds.

Normative rules are determined by power relations. Those with power determine what is legal and illegal. They besiege the weak in legal prohibitions to prevent the weak from resisting. For the weak to resist is illegal by definition. Concepts like terrorism are invented and used normatively as if a neutral court had produced them, instead of the oppressors. The danger in this excessive use of legality actually undermines legality, diminishing the credibility of international institutions such as the United Nations. It becomes apparent that the powerful, those who make the rules, insist on legality merely to preserve the power relations that serve them or to maintain their occupation and colonialism.

Attacking civilians is the last, most desperate and basic method of resistance when confronting overwhelming odds and imminent eradication. The Palestinians do not attack Israeli civilians with the expectation that they will destroy Israel. The land of Palestine is being stolen day after day; the Palestinian people is being eradicated day after day. As a result, they respond in whatever way they can to apply pressure on Israel. Colonial powers use civilians strategically, settling them to claim land and dispossess the native population, be they Indians in North America or Palestinians in what is now Israel and the Occupied Territories. When the native population sees that there is an irreversible dynamic that is taking away their land and identity with the support of an overwhelming power, then they are forced to resort to whatever methods of resistance they can.

Not long ago, 19-year-old Qassem al-Mughrabi, a Palestinian man from Jerusalem drove his car into a group of soldiers at an intersection. "The terrorist", as the Israeli newspaper Haaretz called him, was shot and killed. In two separate incidents last July, Palestinians from Jerusalem also used vehicles to attack Israelis. The attackers were not part of an organisation. Although those Palestinian men were also killed, senior Israeli officials called for their homes to be demolished. In a separate incident, Haaretz reported that a Palestinian woman blinded an Israeli soldier in one eye when she threw acid n his face. "The terrorist was arrested by security forces," the paper said. An occupied citizen attacks an occupying soldier, and she is the terrorist?
In September, Bush spoke at the United Nations. No cause could justify the deliberate taking of human life, he said. Yet the US has killed thousands of civilians in airstrikes on populated areas. When you drop bombs on populated areas knowing there will be some "collateral" civilian damage, but accepting it as worth it, then it is deliberate. When you impose sanctions, as the US did on Saddam era Iraq, that kill hundreds of thousands, and then say their deaths were worth it, as secretary of state Albright did, then you are deliberately killing people for a political goal. When you seek to "shock and awe", as president Bush did, when he bombed Iraq, you are engaging in terrorism.

Just as the traditional American cowboy film presented white Americans under siege, with Indians as the aggressors, which was the opposite of reality, so, too, have Palestinians become the aggressors and not the victims. Beginning in 1948, 750,000 Palestinians were deliberately cleansed and expelled from their homes, and hundreds of their villages were destroyed, and their land was settled by colonists, who went on to deny their very existence and wage a 60-year war against the remaining natives and the national liberation movements the Palestinians established around the world. Every day, more of Palestine is stolen, more Palestinians are killed. To call oneself an Israeli Zionist is to engage in the dispossession of entire people. It is not that, qua Palestinians, they have the right to use any means necessary, it is because they are weak. The weak have much less power than the strong, and can do much less damage. The Palestinians would not have ever bombed cafes or used home-made missiles if they had tanks and airplanes. It is only in the current context that their actions are justified, and there are obvious limits.

It is impossible to make a universal ethical claim or establish a Kantian principle justifying any act to resist colonialism or domination by overwhelming power. And there are other questions I have trouble answering. Can an Iraqi be justified in attacking the United States? After all, his country was attacked without provocation, and destroyed, with millions of refugees created, hundreds of thousands of dead. And this, after 12 years of bombings and sanctions, which killed many and destroyed the lives of many others.

I could argue that all Americans are benefiting from their country's exploits without having to pay the price, and that, in today's world, the imperial machine is not merely the military but a military-civilian network. And I could also say that Americans elected the Bush administration twice and elected representatives who did nothing to stop the war, and the American people themselves did nothing. From the perspective of an American, or an Israeli, or other powerful aggressors, if you are strong, everything you do is justifiable, and nothing the weak do is legitimate. It's merely a question of what side you choose: the side of the strong or the side of the weak.

Israel and its allies in the west and in Arab regimes such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have managed to corrupt the PLO leadership, to suborn them with the promise of power at the expense of liberty for their people, creating a first – a liberation movement that collaborated with the occupier. Israeli elections are coming up and, as usual, these elections are accompanied by war to bolster the candidates. You cannot be prime minister of Israel without enough Arab blood on your hands. An Israeli general has threatened to set Gaza back decades, just as they threatened to set Lebanon back decades in 2006. As if strangling Gaza and denying its people fuel, power or food had not set it back decades already.

The democratically elected Hamas government was targeted for destruction from the day it won the elections in 2006. The world told the Palestinians that they cannot have democracy, as if the goal was to radicalise them further and as if that would not have a consequence. Israel claims it is targeting Hamas's military forces. This is not true. It is targeting Palestinian police forces and killing them, including some such as the chief of police, Tawfiq Jaber, who was actually a former Fatah official who stayed on in his post after Hamas took control of Gaza. What will happen to a society with no security forces? What do the Israelis expect to happen when forces more radical than Hamas gain power?

A Zionist Israel is not a viable long-term project and Israeli settlements, land expropriation and separation barriers have long since made a two state solution impossible. There can be only one state in historic Palestine. In coming decades, Israelis will be confronted with two options. Will they peacefully transition towards an equal society, where Palestinians are given the same rights, à la post-apartheid South Africa? Or will they continue to view democracy as a threat? If so, one of the peoples will be forced to leave. Colonialism has only worked when most of the natives have been exterminated. But often, as in occupied Algeria, it is the settlers who flee. Eventually, the Palestinians will not be willing to compromise and seek one state for both people. Does the world want to further radicalise them?

Do not be deceived: the persistence of the Palestine problem is the main motive for every anti-American militant in the Arab world and beyond. But now the Bush administration has added Iraq and Afghanistan as additional grievances. America has lost its influence on the Arab masses, even if it can still apply pressure on Arab regimes. But reformists and elites in the Arab world want nothing to do with America.

A failed American administration departs, the promise of a Palestinian state a lie, as more Palestinians are murdered. A new president comes to power, but the people of the Middle East have too much bitter experience of US administrations to have any hope for change. President-elect Obama, Vice President-elect Biden and incoming secretary of state Hillary Clinton have not demonstrated that their view of the Middle East is at all different from previous administrations. As the world prepares to celebrate a new year, how long before it is once again made to feel the pain of those whose oppression it either ignores or supports?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21588.htm

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Guardian Angel at Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone, especially PHD, if he reads this. Always believe in your Guardian Angel. She is the one who loves you always.

Where we live has embedded electricity, phone and internet. The company buys the utilities at a cheaper price, and sells to us, also at a cheaper price.

The embedded supplier has gone into receivership, and the receiver has cut our internet, thankfully left the power on, and downgraded our phone lines to bare minimum.

Until the company sorts this out with the receiver, we are stuck. I am doing this at work. So to everyone, have a great Christmas, and a safe and happy New Year.

By the way, no net is driving me NUTS!!!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Angels Treasure

An emotive portrait by itself, without taking into account the memory of a child that is lost to you.

The meaning of lost doesn't necessarily mean dead. There are many ways to lose a child, death is one that I have already experienced. Drugs and alcohol are two more, but you love them always, no matter what.

I've been told to implement "tough love", a strategy for a parent to use in times of crises. I don't think I can do it, I'm not that strong.

I keep waiting for a call that says he is dead, or one that says he has had another heart attack, due to drug and alcohol abuse. Note: I said 'another'.

For months I have been unable to sleep, except on rare occasions. For months every time my head hits the pillow, I have panic attacks. Every time I shut my eyes his face appears. I don't know what to do any more. In my own way, I am as lost as he is.

I have had this pic for months, I have written about it many times and not published anything. It's to damn hard.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

NO ANGEL HALOSCAN COMMENTS

A word of warning about Haloscan. Several really: Don't use their system.

I went looking for my old comments at Haloscan and found you can't access them because they are archieved. How do you access your comments? This is where the almighty $$$$$ come in. You have to pay for an upgraded account, then magically, they become UN archieved!

Don't ask for help in their forum's, you get ridiculed, and definitely won't get any help at all.

How do you uninstall Haloscan? Next to impossible if you have used the auto install method. I went searching for help and found something that was supposed to work, went into edit html, and the bit I was suppose to clip (in 3 different places) was the 'blogger' original html. Haloscan html wasn't there.

I went searching again, and after reading half the night, came to the conclusion it was impossible. There are literally 2,020 questions asking how to UN INSTAll Haloscan.

I found the only way to do it is to install a new template, which is what I did, but all the comments have gone.

Anyone know how to get them back? HELP Yes, I did back up my blog, but have no idea about how to get my comments back.

Friday, November 14, 2008

A Special Day for Angel - Revised

It is definitely a special day for Angel.

I met my cousins for the first time. They are both gorgeous, and down to earth. We have so much in common, it's eerie!

They're AMERICAN, and have never voted for Bush, don't you just love 'em?

Anti war, anti OIL, anti Middle East meddling, anti Bush, and pro Obama. What more could a girl ask for? I'm in heaven.

I won't say more at the moment, we have another 2 days of talking to go, so a whole lot more info to come.

Just one thing. They speak funny!!! Not really, they were both surprisingly easy to understand, unlike another US rellie.


We talked and ate, talked and ate. I think we were all worn out!

It was very different for me, having someone related, apart from Mum. It was special, I guess you could say. Overwhelming, more people to love and again leave.

To my beautiful cousins:

Shlamee oo khoobee. Gatee pesgeenee t'kharro deeman'e.

http://wwwyesterdayschildrenbook.com/

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Angel the Ice Queen

There are many times in my life where I have been called the "Ice Queen.

The reason? Because I don't show emotion. I never react at the time disaster strikes, it's always behind closed doors, when everyone is tucked up, and fast asleep.

I guess the posts going back to The Bag in the Cupboard, parts 1, 2, and 3, are the one's to hi light the reason behind the name.

I can tell a story as the 'third' party looking in, although in fact I am usually one of the main characters. Most of my posts are real life experiences and looking back, I know when the pattern commenced.

I know exactly how long it will take me to react to a disaster, pinpoint to the hour that I will allow myself to cry, and know when I will have the required repercussion to the event, a panic attack or two, maybe three.

I have the ability to be involved, yet remain apart at the same time. Until that particular time comes, when I fall apart. Hence the title, "Ice Queen". Do I deserve the title? I struggle to keep everyone together in a crisis, when they are falling apart, I sacrifice a part of me to keep them together.

I have been asked to read a Eulogy. I don't think I can do it, in fact I know I cannot. Not only that, I don't want to do it. The reason? I will lose my title, and cry. People will make a fuss, I'll get comments like "that's a first", or "look, she's crying."

I want to keep my title intact. The question is, at what cost?


I might add that "Ice", the word, is much closer to my family than I would like it to be.

http://wwwyesterdayschildrenbook.com/

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Blogocracy - Farewell

Blogocracy was the first blog I made a comment on. I read and watched for weeks before I had the nerve to write something.

I met some great people there, some of whom I keep in touch with. One of my "blue" friends, Grandfanali, took his own life. I cried my heart out when I heard. We had some great conversations, funny and sad.

John McP was great with facts and figures, you could always count on orang for backup on ME topics, Elise with a level head, Often Bark has :) bad taste in music, (sorry) sometimes, although he, orang and Tim gave me lessons on great guitarists, it didn't work. There is always a nasty pasty, I won't mention names, who gave me grief. Two of them. There are so many names there, without faces, that are 'friends' of a kind. A part of my life for such a long time.

Of course, it all would have been impossible without Tim. Thankyou Tim, for giving me some great entertainment, serious discussions on topics close to my heart. I didn't stop reading, I stopped commenting on everything that was serious. There was, and still is a reason, but will keep that to myself, for the time being.

Anyway, thanks to everyone. It was my pleasure to be a part of it.

http://wwwyesterdayschildrenbook.com/

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Catching the Falling Angel

Some of us fly high and some of us fall. This is a falling time.

I had never heard of Polycystic Kidney Disease or Pernicious Aneamia, until yesterday. Today I was educated. I really didn't want to know, prefer to bury my head in the sand. It's autosomal dominant.

One phone call said it all. I was shocked, didn't believe what I was hearing, this is not happening, can't be happening.

At this time, she has refused Dialysis, and she is having an allergic reaction to the B12 injections, therefore needs blood transfusions. For the rest of whatever life she has left. There is no quick fix, actually there is no fix at all.

"Hello?" Her: " I want you to do something for me" Me: "Hmmm, does it need to be done today? Oh, you better tell me what it is first." Her: "I want you to organise an Enduring Power of Attorney" Me: "A what?" Her: "An Enduring Power of Attorney" Me: "What is it, and what's it for?"

The explanation was hard, the implications worse, the prognosis shocking. What do you say after hearing that? Of course I'll do it, no problems? She's basically telling me she's dying, and needs someone to take care of all aspects of her life. She doesn't want anyone else to do it. I am really angry with her. Go and get another opinion, do something. I don't want to do this, it's not my job, give it to someone else.
Me: .....................................................................................silence. Her: "Helloooo!! Are you listening?" (Of course I'm bloody listening, I'm dying inside, I don't know what to say) Me: "Um, OK. When do you want me to do it?" Her: "As soon as possible. Don't procrastinate, just organise it". Me: "Of course I'll do it, I'll get to it sometime this week, as soon as I can organise a day off". Her: "Allright, I'll hear from you soon. Bye".
The next day: Me: "Hi Mum" Her: "Hi Angel". Me: "How are you?" Her: "I'm well, and how are you?" (What do you mean, you're well? You're not well, you just told me yesterday that you weren't) Me: "I'm good". Her: "I forgot to tell you yesterday that Dr P said I needed to let you know that the PKD is autosomal dominent, and you need to tell your Doctor as soon as possible". Me: "And that means what, exactly?" Her: "It's hereditary, there is a 50% chance you have it, your Grandmother had them and both your Aunts, as well.". Me: "When did you find out all of this?" Her: "Oh, years ago, but I didn't take much notice, I used to call them 'polkadots on my kidneys, and they have spread to my liver and pancreas as well". Me: "When did you know it was hereditary?" Her: "Yesterday, Dr. P thought I already knew because I've had it for such a long time, before he became my Doctor. Me: OK, thanks. I'll make an appointment to see Dr. C .
I'll be in touch as soon as I've sorted somethign out".

Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Opposite of an Angel

I wasn't ready to write on the topic of Assyrians, Iraq or the Middle East, and I'm still not right. But...... if ever there was one, this is it.

It seems the Turks are at it again. Will they never let go of the Assyrians? Like a Bull Terrior with a vice like grip. I'm not saying all Assyrians are Angels, but there has to be a limit of endurance somewhere down the line.

The historical persecution of Assyrians through the centuries, especially by Kurds and Turks is very well documented. To this day, the Kurds ignore it, and the Turks deny it. There is still living proof of long gone massacres, yet they may as well not exist.

According to the UN, and it's Indigenous People of the World Council, Assyrians are the indigenous people of Iraq. Yet they are ignored, again and again, and for what purpose?

Total control. They have been trying for centuries, yet they can't quite get there. The "poor" Kurds are unable to whip the Christians into submission, so they kill them instead. Bravo.
http://wwwyesterdayschildrenbook.com/

Monday, September 29, 2008

Believe in Angels

Angels are everywhere? Oh,you poor things. I have enough trouble with just me, let alone any more Angels.

I had the pits of a weekend. I did a major stuff up at work, actually I didn't do it, but I didn't check something I should have, instead I assumed. I got my backside kicked, too.

I deserved it, but I don't like being wrong. Therein lies the problem. Like a naughty child, I answered back. Because "she, who can do no wrong" is always right. That's not me, by the way, that's one of the other employees. She is always right, even if she's wrong.

After all these years of multiple people complaining about her, being fed up with the lies coming from her mouth, she is still believed. Customers complain about her, and she gets away with it.

Why? She makes money for the company, that's why. She's loyal, and they own her, body and soul. I could give names of at least 60 people who have made a verbal complaint against her, but because of the industry I work in, will not formalise in writing. They are, I guess you could call them vunerable. They are not at a strong point in their lives. is the only way I can put it without telling you exactly what industry it is.

Apart from that, I don't want to get into any more trouble!!! I email the boss now and then, but have to make sure I use my other email address, just in case she happens accross my ramblings here.

My team lost the Grandfinal on Saturday, but they weren't humiliated. They played a good game most of the time, but why did they send Gary Ablett to the back line, instead of forward at the beginning? Never mind, there is always next year.

Next post I hope to be back to 'normal', although I am told 'normal' is a cycle on a washing machine.






Friday, September 5, 2008

Angels Eye (RAQ)

For the first time in ages I am starting to feel good, like my old self, with out the old bit.

I've read the comment sections on 2 blogs, instead of just reading the article. I haven't done that in ages, and I remember why I stopped.

Some people make the most inane remarks. I wonder if they can see their lack of sensitivity on certain topics, you know, the one's close to my heart

For instance on Last of Iraqis, the following: Iraq is not a major conflict. Is that supposed to be a joke, or is the commenter just a clutz?

I have yet to read Arab Woman Blues comment section. Who knows what one will find there.

In other news, my Mum's book has been reviewed and made front page news here, and has also been reviewed in the USA. Many thanks to my cousin, who's hard work has paid off. Mum received her first Royalty cheque today. Not much, but better than nothing.

Janice is missing again, but I have found B. I have been very neglectful of my blogging friends, and sites I usually comment on. Apologies to all. Sh*t happens in your life that you have no control over, when that happens I don't talk, or should I say don't write and/or communicate.
http://wwwyesterdayschildrenbook.com/

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Pretending Republican Angel

Hello Cousins!

The rellies are coming to visit. All the way from the USA. Two cousins I have never met, one of which I talk to via email, and the other doesn't have a computer, as far as I know. They will arive on the 18th of November.

The Democrats did it! It wasn't me, honestly. I didn't write all that insulting stuff, it was someone else.

It was one of those Democrats. Truly. No, Cranium Departus (Republican)

They are only staying a few days in the sticks. I don't know their views on the Middle East. I only know one cousin's views, but she isn't one of my visitors. One holds a similar viewpoint to me, regarding 'alternative' beliefs. I know she is a brilliant editor, and very clever with words.

Time to be nice, I think. :)
http://wwwyesterdayschildrenbook.com/

Monday, August 4, 2008

Angry Mad Angels

Have I or haven't I? Gone mad, that is .I have taken down more posts about work. Decided if I kept putting things in the public eye, I would end up ????. Somewhere I shouldn't be.

So, a different topic for a while. A particularly nasty comment about Middle Eastern Christians/Iraqi Christians on Last of Iraqis blog. In fact, I am truly offended by the attitude.

The person has been shocked by comments made by ME Christians. Apparently we don't hold Christian values. How rude and obnoxious.

What about the KKK Christian values? Home grown terrorism, right in their own back yard. Are Americans proud of that and have the KKK values rubbed off on ordinary Americans? Rape, shoot, hang and burn. Hmmm, I may have a point there, shall we turn our heads towards Iraq for a few minutes?

What about the Christian values of militant groups in Northern Ireland? They make bombs, kill, and burn. That must be different sort of terrorism, because there are no Muslims about.

What a load of BS.
Apologies to Ian.
http://wwwyesterdayschildrenbook.com/

Friday, July 25, 2008

Angels Feathers Falling Out

I think my wings are falling off, from lack of use. Something is very weird and strange. What is it? NOTHING, that's what's strange.

Everything is flowing smoothly, see what I mean? Think I like it, and could get used to it very easily.

The job seems to be working out, the car is great, I have the whole weekend off, and I am not homesick. I have even got used to not seeing Diesel.

See what I mean? NORMAL, well nearly. Janice has gone missing, along with B, and I hope they are OK.

I have got hooked on a game, which is not like me at all. It is mesmerising, and all I do all night is shoot balls. It is Absolutist Bubbles. I haven't blogged, nor opened my email for a couple of weeks.

Maybe it is me who has gone missing? Probably. I have tried not to play, but I have to, it's like a drug. Not that I take drugs, well only prescription one's.

I danced in front of an audience for the first time in 4 years, it was impromptu, but fun. I have lost a little of the 'flow' with the movement. Something that was a little different for me, I didn't have a glass of gin and half a tranquiler beforehand. That was probably because it wasn't planned, and I didn't agonise over it prior to. Anyway, the best thing was everyone had a little fun, and we all need fun in our lives now and then.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Friday, July 11, 2008

Angel's Bellydancing.

Personally, I like the Toad. She (I am assuming is it a she), looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders and is not smiling! I wonder why?

Maybe she is doing a belly roll, it's hard to smile while you are concentrating on belly rolls, especially one's that are timed to the drum, eg: a sharp drop from the diaphragm to the pelvic bone.

On the other hand I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I haven't danced in weeks, not since this mess started, but I am now in the mood, and it feels fantastic.

It feels good to be back to normal, or as normal as I can get it. G is suffering from cabin fever though. It's funny that his starts as mine lifts. That's possibly because I have been here 4 weeks longer than him.

I still don't know what to do with the house, G wants to sell. I am not sure about that, and want to wait a much longer period. House prices are down, and mortgage rates rising. I think we owe too much to make a sale worthwhile.





Anyway, I'm off to dance practice. Yea!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Angel Sitting Pretty

As my regular readers will have noticed, some of my posts have disappeared. If you are wondering why, think back to those posts and you will understand the reasoning behind "WHY".

Everything has been turned around, except for one point which will be clarified tomorrow. Signed documents have been faxed. Hence, sitting pretty.

I bought a new car, pick it up on Wednesday. Not the preferred colour, but the deal was too good too miss. It goes like the clappers, and with me living on site, it will take 2 years to get to the first service!

I never thought I would buy one of these, but I was hooked after 5 minutes of driving. Don't like the colour of the body (black), but it's better than red. Nor do I like the red and black leather seats, which I will hide with seat covers. I do like the nice sleek lines and the sunroof.

What is it? It's Korean, made by the 5th largest vehicle manufacturer in the world.

Guess!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Angel Disconnected

Disconnected, that's me. For a few days at least. We make the big move tomorrow. Well G does, really. I have to work.

Interesting scenario, a man packing! What will he leave out?

Knickers, I bet. Makeup, hair brush, toothpaste, toilet rolls, I can see myself travelling back and forth every day for a week.


Never mind, I love him any which way.

Anyway, I definitely will be back, just not sure when.

And what happened at today's meting? You'll have to wait and find out!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Angel Spies

I spy with my little eye, something starting with ......
Really, I don't know, but I will think of something!

I got the following quote from one of the Information Clearing House Newsletters. It seemed appropriate.

"The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them": George Orwell

This is so obvious, it nearly slaps you in the face. I'm referring, of course to that bunch of people who refuse to see the US Admin. for what it is. A bully.

The following, an email I received from a family member. I couldn't believe what I was reading, the Democrats get the blame.

The economy is cyclical and has nothing to do with Bush. Oil prices have been high all over the world and the democrats, who are living the life of Riley, haven't allowed us to drill for our own resources which we have and want us to hound everyone else in the world for their resources. It is ludicrous. This is a planet that we live on that has it's own evolution. Resources are diminished and then there are none left. By not allowing us to drill for our own resources, while we are working on other methods of energy, has now put us in a situation that we are at the beck and call of the middle east. People here are complaining as well about energy prices but do you think the congress and the governors will reduce the high taxes they have added to the fuel costs. Nearly 40% of our per gallon gas cost is taxes for the government who is just pissing away money on ridiculous pork barrel spending. Actually are largest oil importer for the US is Canada and then Mexico...not the middle east.The economy will turn around this year for everyone.

When I went to ****** last year, I was surprised how negative the news is about the US. Much of the news was biased and inaccurate. Everyone loves to hate the big guy. We do more for poor countries than any other country. For example when the tsunami happened a few years ago, there was much comment in the international news about the US not giving money. Here it is different. The people give the money as well as the government. It is our culture. The amount of money donated between the people and the government was statistically higher in percentage than any other country in the world. Some here say we should just stopped loaning and giving money away and let us here what the complaint is then.

I don't believe in protectionism but I do get tired of hearing how bad we are. The world hears about Hollywood which is a fraction of a percent of what the rest of the country is like.

So, I went looking for Tsunami money, and this is what I found at http://www.virtual/ library.com

Donations in absolute terms, showing that Norwegians donated the most per head of population ($13.20) followed by the Swedes ($12.04), the Dutch ($9.16) the Australians ($5.23) and so on, down to the Americans with a donation of $1.08 per head, and the French, whose per head donation amounted to 80 US cents. The Observer table places Saudi Arabs in the middle of the pack, at No. 6 with a donation of $4 per head, but still outranking Canadians, Austrians, Brits, Greeks, Americans and French in their generosity.

Well, I guess that is one myth busted, and the following is another. http://gravmag.com/oil/html who have some great statistics about US oil. Funny, isn't it? The US SELL 10,000 barrels of oil a day. Who would have thought it?

Now for the Democrats, I have no idea about US politics, but I'm pretty sure that the Republicans have been in power these last 8 years. I'm also sure that the American public voted Bush in twice. And it's the Democrats fault? Hmmmm.

I'll leave you with that thought. It's not Bush's fault, nor the Republicans, it's the big bad Democrats, Just got to love that logic.

Apologies to family member! We all have an opinion.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Angel of Sorrow

As the time draws closer for me to leave, I am in turmoil. On the outside I have a 'stiff upper lip', on the inside I am devastated.

What will I take with me, what will I leave behind?

I have a great idea! Can I leave myself behind? I am thinking about this quite seriously.

Meanwhile, I think I have found Diesel a good home. The people 2 doors up had two Saints that died of old age, and are buried in their back yard. I approached them a couple of days ago, and they have been taking Diesel for 'visits', to see if he gets on well with their dog. So far, so good.

The cat is taken care of. My next door neighbour has offered to adopt her, which is great. I didn't even have to ask, she approached me.

I have bought furniture for the new place, bed, dining, TV, recliners, fridge. It cost a small fortune, but what the heck, I have a credit card. I did however, look for bargains, and I found them. There is a lot on offer at the moment, as traders are feeling the credit squeeze.

Meanwhile, my co worker has decided she is going to take a long weekend, included in that are my 2 days off, which I have to cover. How am I supposed to move and work at the same time?

I have discovered lots of little things. EG: She will work a public holiday, to get a day in lieu. Monday is her allocated day off, which is a public holiday, so therefore, she is working. I did a bit of spying on our competitors, on my day off. She came along as well, and we met at the site. She said she had to go early, as she had an appointment, but what didn't she say? That it was my client. So, SHE got $1000 commission, and I missed out. This is the second time.

I was also told to watch out with what I say in front of her, as she has been employed there for so long, and she sabotages her co-workers. She does this my being intentionally rude, deliberately misinterpreting an innocent remark, and telling tales about their misdemeanours, until they have had enough, and leave. She then complains that she has to do it all by herself, and wonders why no one likes her.

The staff that she considers are in the "lesser" dept. ( I can't tell you what or where),absolutely hate her. None of those people have said a word directly to me, but they say it to their Manager, who in turn tells me to watch out, and we never had this conversation.

Well, I am learning my lesson. She has made the odd remark now and then, which I have been suspicious about. I don't trust her, and it is making me nervous about the whole moving thing. I mean, there are now two jobs at stake now. If I stand up to her re my clients, what is her position on G going to be? Actually, I don't have to ask that question, I already know the answer.

I am just about ready to put my tail between my legs, turn around and hi-tail it out of there.

Now I remember why I have usually chosen a male dominated workplace. What a BITCH!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Up Side Down Angel

This Angel is up side down. Not just the picture, that's me, upside down, back to front, in side out, and sideways. My world has reached a fork in the road, and is about to change big time.

Bye bye house with no neighbours, my stunning unbroken view of the mountains, my peace and quiet, and my privacy.

My beautiful Diesel, and the cat we inherited when we bought the house, both have to go.

Why? G has a new job. He has to live on site, no animals. So, weigh it all up on the scales, my husband or Diesel and the house? Husband, of course.

I have decided to keep two houses going for a while, just in case I hate it, or I have to get away, or............for whatever reason. I don't want to sell it, or rent it out, it's my piece of heaven, my retreat and half of my world.

It's thrown me. I have to support G in is career move. Really I don't have a choice, he has supported me through all my life choices and changes. It's about time he had some good stuff developing, especially after everything that has happened to him this year.

He handed in his resignation at work yesterday afternoon. The wheels of a Government department have been put into motion, no turning back now.

So, I have been feeling pretty awful since last night, unsettled, and today I'm freaking out. I thought I'd be fine, but I'm not. I don't want to move my furniture either, that would put the seal of finality in place. I have no idea what to do.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Bush Talking with the Lord.

NO ANGELS HERE. PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY
I have been trying to link a video from owned.com, called Some George Bush Moments. It keeps coming up as Blacklisted.

If you manage to find the clip, it's well worth while. It's more like Bush Bloopers. In the first bit he's trying to deliver the State of the Union address, and he can't remember what it's called, and says "Call it whatever you want".
This one is reasonably close to the one on owned.com:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh4s6i4-7dg
Here's another to go on with:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ux3DKxxFoM

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Persian Angels & Wankers

There are a certain set of gents that love to dribble, from the mouth (and nether regions) about naked Middle Eastern women.

Quite possibly about any women, but they do point out in particular, mostly Iranian women

Apparently it is OK to associate the lack of Chador, and Petroleum Jelly, for use in a particular ritual.

The "ritual" seems to suit them down to the ground. I gues they could be called, and aptly so, wankers in the real sense of the word.

For a crew with a large 'central' blogroll, who repeatedly stress the importance of themselves and their site, 1400 hits a week (apparently) , it is definitely not professionalism that comes to the forefront of this particular article called Hot Persian Babes. http://jarrarsupariver.blogspot.com/

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Angels De'ja' vu

I am liking the new job, sort of.
It's very different, which is good.
I am always busy, also good.
There is no where to smoke, which I am used to.
There are no seats outside, again used to.
There are no tea breaks, v. bad.
There is no lunchtime, again v. bad.
The person I am working with has been with the company for 14 years.
I was told by "A" manager not to trust C.
C has been the cause of several good people leaving the company.
C has run to the boss for every little nuance.
The staff had not been fired.
They had all left because of the attitude of C
She was like this (fingers crossed) with the big boss.
The "A "Manager told me this conversation didn't happen.
And, if it did, "A" would deny it.
C lives on site.
C has no life outside work.
The big boss does not like smokers.
C knows I smoke.
My hours are 8.30 to 5.30
I actually work 8.15 to 6.30


Have I been here before?

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Split Personality Angel


The good me is good, I mean really good. I work hard and don't play hard. Hell, I don't even have time to play! I am cool and calm, with not a hair out of place. I meet and greet, the epitome of graciousness. Mrs. Perfect, that's me.

The bad me only comes out now and again, and everyone knows about it. They all breathe a sigh of relief when she has gone.

Remember, I am female. I hord all the little slights, the odd comment here and there, you know the ones. They cut you to pieces on the inside, but you don't let them see it on the outside.Those little twists and turns of life that I sort of stockpile ,saving them until one special day comes along, that forces me to morph.

Into the second me, maybe I should say, the secret me. It was one of those days yesterday.

The funeral, flights out, kids out of their own environment and routine, a house full of people you are related to, but really hardly know, new job,............all that sort of stuff, caused me to morph.

Why is it that after a death, the closest to the deceased need to fight? Why argue over the smallest things? He had told them exactly who was to get what, and they still fight tooth and nail over it. She did this, he said that.
Well, they don't love me any more. I told them exactly what I thought of them, their bad behaviour, and disrespect, especially toward the deceased's Mum, whom they pretty much ignored.
I doubt they will be returning any time soon. Thank Goddess for that. I don't even like them.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Lazy Angel's

Maybe there is someone who could benefit from reading this blog. You know who you are, read from start to finish. Then you may have a clue, but see your Therapist first.
First day, and I am absolutely stuffed, my head is filled with cotton wool, and I can't remember a thing.

Text message just after lunch "he just died". We knew this was coming, Cancer again. Funeral on Friday. I hate funerals. I decided not to go, and gave the excuse of 'new job'. Sorry family, I just can't do another one so soon.

I have told G, that when I die I don't want a funeral at all. Nope, not me. He can get me cremated somewhere on the sly, and scatter my ashes on top of my favourite mountain at Walhalla. http://www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.asp?Page_Id=1075&h=1
Anyway:
Second day is a little better, I have remembered a few things, but need to keep notes. Lots of them! Monday 12/5 will be my first day by myself! Goddess help me! She doesn't answer me though, so that means my approval rating goes up, right? Well, in this case, maybe not. http://arabwomanblues.blogspot.com/2008/05/bloggercom-and-google.html
Day Three, meeting with the Culture & Quality Manager and Operations Manager, and things are looking better. It's going to be the same as the last job though, from 8am to 5pm really means 8am to 8pm. But, and a big one at that, I do get 2 days off, back to back. What a delight!
I am going to try and find someone who can come and do 2 or 3 hours of housework per week for me. That will take a load off, and give me time to spend with the family, and maybe enjoy a few hours of 'nothingness'.
I feel great for the first time in ages, and about time too! I hope my mind is in the right place, and I can be 'immoderate' now and again.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Don't Ban the Blogger

The Blogger Buzz at the moment seems to indicate that if Google doesn't like what you say, you are either stopped from publishing, as with An Arab Woman Blues, or are not included in Google News Index, ditto Uruknet. This is censorship and completely unfair.

There is, of course a tab to enable you to flag a blog as inappropriate, but really it's quite simple. If you don't like the content:

GIVE IT A MISS, DON'T READ IT. SIMPLE.

Personally I love the Middle Eastern writers, blogs, and news sites. It gives a different perspective on our predominantly Americanized news. Ergo we get views from both sides of the fence.

I don't leave many comments, but I enjoy reading the comment sections. I am not a fan of comment moderation, even though some may be tedious or out right rude. You get to know the commenters, and if you don't like what they say, skip it. Simple.

I have taken a tip from peacepalestine, and a commenter, earthheal, by using BlogBackupOnline, link available on right side of screen.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Christianity and the Angel of Death


Iraqi's are sick of the fighting and the killing. There should be a mandatory mass evacuation of Iraqi's to the US, who would welcome them with open arms. Yeah, right! What a joke, except it's not in the least funny. You know Bush and Co., lied 530 times about WMD? It's fact.
Christians these days do not associate themselves with being the cause of death and destruction. That is strange, given our history of invasion and colonisation. Here is a little example of Christian Terrorism, how very apt for this to turn up, via Layla, at this time.
http://uruknet.info/?p=m37419&s1=h1

It was us, was it not, that invaded the "Holy Land" first? What do I hear to that? No comment. We have a long history of invasion, destruction, and death. We cannot see it. That was back then, right? Yes, but it is still happening now. No, I'm not talking about Iraq, amazing!

We are often reminded by the media and the USA, of the age old feud's in the Middle East, between Sunni and Shia, Palestinians and Jews, Turks and Kurds, the list goes on and on. "They are killing each other" Unfortunately, that is partly true.

Do we ever associate the rivalry with current day events in the West? The answer is no, of course. Now, a reminder. The Hell's Angels and the Gypsy Jokers, as an example, are tribes that are warring. The rival gangs we hear about in Western cities, are tribe's of a sort. These people are raised as Christians, or at the very least, in the so called "civilized" West. These "civilized" people are killing each other with guns, knives, and whatever else they can lay their hands on.

If one of them is killed, there is a revenge killing, or a savage brutal beating. What would you call this? Gang warfare. In tribal terms, or even soldiers terms, it would be "looking out for your family", or "watching your mates back".

An Americanism, "we blood, bro, you kill my blood, we kill your blood". This is all out war, yet no-one can see it. Why? Because it is part of everyday life. There are none so blind as those who cannot see. What we refuse to see, is that this IS tribal, it IS war.

Did I hear you say they don't blow each other up? Really? Dare I mention Northern Ireland? Or are they all Muslims too?

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Finished Business


Yes! I finished a day early. Four days to clean my wardrobe out, dump the uniform, kick back and relax.


Well, maybe not relax too much, there is still the gardening and I need to pick up Dino Droppings, and clean the Dino while I'm at it.

The Dino (Diesel) now weighs 82 kilo's, and is all grown up. I haven't clipped under his paws for 6 weeks, it's been pouring and the white is now black, and he has that wet dog smell.

I'll have to find some recent pics of Diesel. He really is massive. I was lying on the floor the other day, when G let him inside. He had the cheek to sit on top of me, and I could'nt move! He thought I was playing.

I always have a towel for him inside, but I was trapped. He doesn't lick you, but he did have shoelaces at that point.

I love Diesel, but there are times when he pushes the boundaries. This was one of them.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Guess Who?

Men and their muscles. Show off's, every last one.

I have been tracking this clip for over a year. I still have a giggle now and then because, after all this time they are still doing the guessing game thing. Guess what? I know exactly who this is!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

The New Me

It has finally hit home. I no longer have a job. After resigning in February, I am finally leaving on May 2nd.

I don't know if I actually want another job, I think I just freaked out about having nothing to do except gardening. I did the mandatory soul searching thing, "will I be happy just staying at home?" etc. and still couldn't make up my mind, so I sent off 5 applications with CV attached via email last Wednesday evening.

Anyway, I have had 3 calls and scheduled 3 interviews. An offer was put on the table which I accepted, because I liked the environment, product, and employers. Plus my retainer and commission rocks! I also get to work a 5 day week, which will be great.

I signed a contract and confidentiality documents today, and start on Tuesday 6th May. Now I am getting really nervous. I have to wear a suit, and 'elegant' (uncomfortable) shoes (no Ian, not clear heels), and have public speaking engagements.

What have I got myself into this time? Public speaking? Me? Time will tell.

Monday, April 21, 2008

The Day a Town Stood Still

Thursday was a very emotional day. The ashes of the Birthday Boy were placed in the coffin with his Mum. At peace, finally. Because of the suicide, he was unable to be laid to rest in consecrated ground, so they sneaked him in. Bravo to the family!

Every person in their community was at the funeral. The school closed it's doors, as did the shops while the funeral was conducted. I guess it goes to show how much respect the locals had for their District Nurse.

Rest in Peace.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Death of P

G was home on Friday, naturally upset. The sight of his sister struggling for life was hard for him . He spent time with her each day, as did his siblings. He told me she would not let go of his hand, and her low wisper was hard to hear.

She has clung to life for the last 12 months, enduring the unendurable. Chemo every Tuesday, Blood transfusions every Wednesday. A lesser person would have given in, she wanted so much to live. I know I would have given in. She did not believe in Euthenasia.

I hope her husband and kids are somehow able to cope, for the dead know nothing, It is not the dead that grieve, but the living left behind.

The Funeral is on Thursday, picked especially by her kids. The 17/4 is the birthday of a brother, who committed suicide a few years ago.

Trish died on Saturday 12/4 about 5 pm. I think, in the end it was a blessing for all concerned
.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Patricia.

G. is interstate tonight. He has gone to say goodbye to his sister. She has cancer, and her major organs are shutting down. All chemo has been stopped. There is no hope left.

The Dr.'s are keeping her pumped full of morphine to make her as comfortable as possible. She is slipping in and out of consciousness, but has her faculties.

She is skin and bones, the tumor in her peritoneal cavity is pregnant like in it's enormity, and is blocking her bowel and her kidneys. Her body is toxic, and when they lay her down, she vomits, so they have her strapped into a chair.

She is surrounded by her 6 children, Parents, and 9 of her 10 siblings, also her husband, a Doctor, who can do absolutely nothing.

It's just a matter of hours now.


Au' Revoir Trish.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Eight Steps to a Sex Worker

1. The Husband
2. Government Department
3. Disability Sector
4. New Supervisor

5. Sector Manager
6. Regional Manager
7. Client of All of the Above
8. Sex Worker

Link the Eight Steps to SEX with the following words.
Instrucions for linking;
1 : Works for
2: Works for
3 : In
4: Has a
5: With a
6: And
7: Who have
8: Who needs a
SEX WORKER

The Husband: Would rather face the sack.
The New Supervisor: Couldn't deal with it and passed it on to the husband.
The Sector Manager: Says he has no choice, must do. Fired.
The Regional Manager: Rescinds all the above. Wrong, wrong and wrong.
The Sector Manager: Apologises for causing severe emotional stress.
The New Supervisor: Is a a moron.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

CARS

Grand Prix press release for Lotus and Angelo Lazaris promised a lot but didn't deliver on the day, McLaren took it all the way.

Meanwhile, Alfa has and upcoming new release, the Mi.To. It is a cross between a mini and an Alfa 147, somewhat cheaper than their normally high price, and is relying on the youth market to top up it's falling sales figures.

If you are dreaming about an Alfa, try not to. You will be spending a lot of time on the side of the road, although your Alfa dealer will lend you a car while yours is being fixed. It is not uncommom for you to have a loan car for 3 months.

Available here is 1.9 Tdi, 1.4 TP, also a new 184kw for it's GTA. That's pretty funny when you consider a Kia Carnival has 184kw of power.

Yesterday I had a special treat, and drove a Lamborghini Gallardo. Absolutely amazing torque. A great shame there wasn't a track near, so I could floor it. Very smooth gearing, but still drove like a sports car. A slightly bumpy ride on our roads.

Also, in the last of week 1 have been able to give an Impreza WRX a nice workout. I have decided the car is more myth than legend, and very over rated. The suspension is too hard, and gives a rough ride. Nice power, but lacking in other areas. I was able to blow the clutch by the third burnout. Bye bye Impreza!

They have a totally new model coming soon, new shape, new everything. Hopefully that will pick up the slack in the backward body styling, suspension and clutch.

Toyota's new V8 Cruiser Tray, released some months back, has a waiting list of round 5 or 6 months. Happens every time a new model is released, but this is definitely worth waiting for. I don't think there is another 4x4 that stacks up to it.

I often see stickers on Patrol's that say "Pajero" Recovery Vehicle, which is quite funny. I think a Cruiser recovers everything!

Considering everything that has happened in the last week or so, cars made for a good topic. They can't talk.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Resurrected by Demons in Disguise



This thing has got way out of control. Please don't point the finger at Layla, we were all conned.
I was absolutely horrified when I saw Redacted. (I could not believe people could do those things), I dissolved completely.
I had no idea the video clip was not real footage. When I found out it was a movie with actors, I grabbed the lifeline.
Soul in Torment posted "Angel may be going through a "grief rejection crisis". Soul in Torment is correct.
What I didn't know, at the time of posting, was that the movie portrayed real life attrocities committed in Iraq, in a very clear and concise manner.
Who ever originally sent that video clip out. did so to divide and conquer, to make us look like idiots. Just so they would be able to say "Layla Anwar has to resort to movies to make Iraq look terrible".
Well "whoever" you are, it backfired. Now we all know the real truth of "reality" based TV".

Tuesday, March 25, 2008


BANG BANG






















Monday, March 24, 2008

Winter Soldiers Sound Off

Hi, Lookers,

You should have a good look at this http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8421 .

Some of your servicemen have integrity, all be it after the fact.

An Iraqi was once selling soda out of a motorcycle to soldiers in a waiting convoy,” says Moon. “In the side-car was his seven-to-eight-year-old child. When the man refused to go away, the MP on patrol put him to the ground with a gun to his head and started stripping his vehicle and searching it.

They then took the child, picked it up into the air, and threw it full force onto the ground. I didn’t see the child get up.”An Iraqi was once selling soda out of a motorcycle to soldiers in a waiting convoy,” says Moon. “In the side-car was his seven-to-eight-year-old child.

When the man refused to go away, the MP on patrol put him to the ground with a gun to his head and started stripping his vehicle and searching it. They then took the child, picked it up into the air, and threw it full force onto the ground. I didn’t see the child get up.”

This is one of heaps. I listened to the broadcast of Winter Soldier. It was awful. How can I be pro USA? Absolutely impossible.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Forgery

Well, look what I have come accross, an article written by former UN weapons inspector, Hans Blix. I would like to think BushCo is honest enough to admit their mistakes. As a leader, Bush says, "you can never admit to a mistake". Bush has also stated, “I’m driven with a mission from God. …God would tell me, ‘George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq…’ And I did.”

Maybe God will see fit to talk to each and every one of us, in this direct manner, or is he only pro American?

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19582.htm

Quoted directly from Hans's article named: A War of Utter Folly.

By then, Unmovic inspectors had carried out some 700 inspections at 500 sites without finding prohibited weapons. The contract that George Bush held up before Congress to show that Iraq was purchasing uranium oxide was proved to be a forgery. The allied powers were on thin ice, but they preferred to replace question marks with exclamation marks.

They could not succeed in eliminating WMDs because they did not exist. Nor could they succeed in the declared aim to eliminate al-Qaida operators, because they were not in Iraq. They came later, attracted by the occupants. A third declared aim was to bring democracy to Iraq, hopefully becoming an example for the region. Let us hope for the future; but five years of occupation has clearly brought more anarchy than democracy.

The following is clearly the most terrifying of all ,in Hans Blix's statement:

In the 2004 presidential election campaign, Bush ridiculed any idea that the US would need to ask for a "permission slip" before taking military action against a "growing threat". True, the 2003 Iraq invasion is not the only case in which armed force has been used in disregard of the charter. However, from the most powerful member of the UN it is a dangerous signal. If preventive war is accepted for one, it is accepted for all.

That is probably the most frightening thing of all. They need no permission, they are accountable to no-one, they ignore the United Nations, and they don't hold to the Geneva Convention.

The worst forms of tyranny, or certainly the most successful ones, are not those we rail against but those that so insinuate themselves into the imagery of our consciousness, and the fabric of our lives, as not to be perceived as tyranny: Michael Parenti .

Friday, March 21, 2008

WAR

In some respects, the thing is a very transparent dialectic: war for peace; killing to protect life; destruction of freedoms to safeguard freedom; glorying in killing as a means to prevent killing; turning those who are killed into the enemy; naming the enemy as apt for killing; naming an innominate enemy as a threat while threatening and killing to create more enemies to manifest the sense of threat. And so it goes.

Legion Thu 20 Mar 08 (05:03pm) Blogocracy.

Still Peacocks

After yesterdays post, I thought I may have been slightly harsh on those concerned, after all they are flesh and blood.

Unfortunately, this flesh and blood being takes things personally, and I decided I was no "Hitler's Angel".

The response to the youtube US Marine dog shooting video I posted yesterday, was so very immature and thoughtless.

The response was:

"If you're an animal lover,shouldn't you be disparaging PETA Angel? After all,they do try to help animals".

A simple "that was awful" or "he shouldn't have done that" would have sufficed, just to show a spark of humanity in this insane world.

That's what I mean about arrogance, the inability to take any criticism what so ever on behalf of their military.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Puffed Up Peacocks

I have been visiting some American blogs lately. It has been an interesting experience, with an awfully rude awakening for me. My US cousins, who all have differing opinions on Iraq, tell me that a lot of Americans are ashamed of what their administration has done to Iraq. They also tell me some, including a couple of them, have exactly the opposite opinion.

I am usually a moderate blogger, don't make too much noise, and keep a low profile. I read a lot, but usually don't comment. But, in this instance, I will tell you exactly what I think.

The particular blogger I am referring to seems like a nice guy.
http://iraqimojo.blogspot.com/.
I don't always agree with him, which is fair enough, it's his blog, and he has the right to say anything he wants. He is quite humble, which makes me appreciate his opinions all the more.

On the other hand, some (not all) of his commenters are the most arrogant, self opinionated, pompous puffed up little Peacocks I have come accross in blogger land.

They cannot stand criticism of the USA in Iraq, in any shape or form, and that is where arrogance comes into opinions. The arrogance does not do any favours for their cause, in fact it detracts from the validity of their statements.

A particular blogger also accused me of airing a Fake Video of Dog Abuse. That is being investigated, according to Pentagon News. Well, just for him this one is definitely not fake. There is also another little snippet at the bottom.




Low and behold, it's not just animals. At least the other soliders in the above video had the temerity to express their disgust at the shooter. In this one, they cheer when they kill a wounded Iraqi on the ground.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yLLibNYhog&feature=related.

Soldiers in war are disgusting, which ever side they are on.
FOR THE RECORD
I WANT IT KNOWN
THAT I DO NO SUPPORT
SECTARIAN MILITIA
I DO NOT SUPPORT AL QAEDA
I DO NOT SUPPORT SUICIDE BOMBERS
I DO NOT SUPPORT MURDER IN ANY FORM
NOT FROM IRAQI'S
AND NOT FROM AMERICANS
IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR YOU?


Wednesday, March 19, 2008

More Torture Stories Leaking Out

I found this article, while roaming today. I was disturbed to see America is still up to these dirty tricks. After the world was made aware of David Hicks, the US was condemned for not only using 'soft torture', but avoiding her own Bill of Rights by using another country to implement the methods. I believe Cuba is one of several.

Despite US Efforts at Concealment, More Torture Stories Leaking Out.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8358
(Sorry, my links aren't working)

While I realise that there are other countries out there that use similar methods, or worse, the US has set such high moral standards on other issues, you really don't think it is possible for them to do these things. They are 'better' than that. The question is, are they?

I also found the history of CIA Soft Torture, which makes for fascinating reading, but ugly dreams. http://www.slate.com/id/2130301

The Birth of Soft TortureCIA interrogation techniques—a history.By Rebecca LemovUpdated Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005, at 5:07 PM ET


In 1949, Cardinal Jószef Mindszenty appeared before the world's cameras to mumble his confession to treasonous crimes against the Hungarian church and state. For resisting communism, the World War II hero had been subjected for 39 days to sleep deprivation and humiliation, alternating with long hours of interrogation, by Russian-trained Hungarian police. His staged confession riveted the Central Intelligence Agency, which theorized in a security memorandum that Soviet-trained experts were controlling Mindszenty by "some unknown force." If the Communists had interrogation weapons that were evidently more subtle and effective than brute physical torture, the CIA decided, then it needed such weapons, too.
Months later, the agency began a program to explore "avenues to the control of human behavior," as John Marks discusses in his book The Search for the Manchurian Candidate. During the next decade and a half, CIA experts honed the use of "chemical and biological materials capable of producing human behavioral and physiological changes" according to a retrospective CIA catalog written in 1963. And thus soft torture in the United States was born.

In short order, CIA experts attempted to induce Mindszenty-like effects. An interrogation team consisting of a psychiatrist, a lie-detector expert, and a hypnotist went to work using combinations of the depressant Sodium Amytal and certain stimulants. Tests on four suspected double agents in Tokyo in July 1950 and on 25 North Korean prisoners of war three months later yielded more noteworthy results. (Relevant CIA documents do not specify exactly what, but reports later claimed that the special interrogation teams could hold a subject in a "controlled state" for a long period.) Meanwhile, the CIA opened the door to pre-emptive psychosurgery: In a doctor's office in Washington, D.C., one unfortunate man, his name deleted from documents, was lobotomized against his will during an interrogation. By the mid-to-late 1950s, experiments using "black techniques," as the agency called them, moved to prisons, hospitals, and other field-testing sites with funding and encouragement from the CIA's Science and Technology Directorate*.
One of the most extreme 1950s experiments that the CIA sponsored was conducted at a McGill University hospital, where the world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Ewen Cameron had been pioneering a technique he called "psychic driving." Dr. Cameron was widely considered the most able psychiatrist in Canada—his honors included the presidency of the World Psychiatric Association—and his patients were referred to him from all over. A disaffected housewife, a rebellious youth, a struggling starlet, and the wife of a Canadian member of Parliament were a few of the more than 100 patients who became uninformed, nonconsenting experimental subjects. Many were diagnosed as schizophrenic (a diagnosis since contested in many of the cases).
Cameron's goal was to wipe out the stable "self," eliminating deep-seated psychological problems in order to rebuild it. He grandiosely hoped to transform human existence by opening a new gateway to the understanding of consciousness. The CIA wanted to know what his experiments suggested about interrogating people with the help of sensory deprivation, environmental manipulation, and psychic disorientation.
Cameron's technique was to expose a patient to tape-recorded messages or sounds that were played back or repeated for long periods. The goal was a condition Cameron dubbed "penetration": The patient experienced an escalating state of distress that often caused him or her to reveal long-buried past experiences or disturbing events. At that point, the doctor would offer "healing" suggestions. Frequently, his patients didn't want to listen and would attack their analyst or try to leave the room. In the 1956 American Journal of Psychiatry, Cameron explained that he broke down their resistance by continually repeating his message using "pillow and ceiling microphones" and different voices; by imposing periods of prolonged sleep; and by giving patients drugs like Sodium Amytal, Desoxyn, and LSD-25, which "disorganized" thought patterns.
To further disorganize his patients, Cameron isolated them in a sensory deprivation chamber. In a dark room, a patient would sit in silence with his eyes covered with goggles, prevented "from touching his body—thus interfering with his self image." Finally "attempts were made to cut down on his expressive output"—he was restrained or bandaged so he could not scream. Cameron combined these tactics with extended periods of forced listening to taped messages for up to 20 hours per day, for 10 or 15 days at a stretch.
In 1958 and 1959, Cameron went further. With new CIA money behind him, he tried to completely "depattern" 53 patients by combining psychic driving with electroshock therapy and a long-term, drug-induced coma. At the most intensive stage of the treatment, many subjects were no longer able to perform even basic functions. They needed training to eat, use the toilet, or speak. Once the doctor allowed the drugs to wear off and ceased shock treatments, patients slowly relearned how to take care of themselves—and their pretreatment symptoms were said to have disappeared.
So had much of their personalities. Patients emerged from Cameron's ward walking differently, talking differently, acting differently. Wives were more docile, daughters less inclined to histrionics, sons better-behaved. Most had no memory of their treatment or of their previous lives. Sometimes, they forgot they had children. At first, they were grateful to their doctor for his help. Several Cameron patients, however, later said they had severe recurrences of their pretreatment problems and traumatic memories of the treatment itself and together sued the doctor as well as the U.S. and Canadian governments. Their case was quietly settled out of court.
By the late 1950s and early 1960s, CIA experts thought they understood the techniques necessary for "breaking" a person. Under a strict regime of behavioral conditioning, "the possibility of resistance over a very long period may be vanishingly small," several researchers concluded in an analysis used in the CIA's 1963 manual Counterintelligence Interrogation. At the agency, pressure increased to field-test coercive interrogation tools. The task, as CIA second-in-command Richard Helms urged, was to test the agency's techniques on "normal" people. At times, this imperative made the agency reckless. As part of the now notorious MK-ULTRA program—"one of the seamiest episodes in American intelligence," according to journalist Seymour Hersh—the CIA set up a safe house in San Francisco where its agents could observe the effects of various drug combinations on human behavior. They were in search of a "truth serum" and thought LSD might be it. Prostitutes were hired to bring unwitting johns back to the house, where the women slipped acid and other strong psychoactive substances into the men's drinks. From behind a one-way mirror, investigators watched, notebooks and martinis in hand. Sometimes the men took the drugs and managed to carry on. Sometimes they babbled or cried. An internal CIA review condemned these high jinks in 1963, but Congress didn't investigate them until 1977, after a post-Watergate crisis of confidence in the agency.
At least officially, the CIA ended its behavioral science program in the mid-1960s, before scientists and operatives achieved total control over a subject. "All experiments beyond a certain point always failed," an operative veteran of the program said, "because the subject jerked himself back for some reason or the subject got amnesiac or catatonic." In other words, you could create a vegetable or a zombie, but not a robot who would obey you against his will. Still, the CIA had gained reliable information about how to derange and disorient a person who was reluctant to cooperate. An enemy could quickly be made into a confused and desperate human being.
Since 9/11, as government documents and news reports have made clear, the CIA's experimental approach to coercive interrogation has been revived. Last week, as the Washington Post revealed the existence of secret CIA-run prisons—"black sites"—in Eastern Europe, Vice President Dick Cheney continued to campaign to ensure that the agency will not be prevented from using "cruel, inhumane, and degrading" methods to elicit intelligence from detainees. The operatives of the 1940s would approve.
Correction, Nov. 18, 2005: The article originally referred to the CIA's Technology and Science Directorate. The correct title is the Science and Technology Directorate.
Being touched by an Angel is not always a good thing

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