This is a Reuters photo found on a blog from Burma – Ko Htike’s Prosaic Collection – where the military dictators are once again brutally putting down a popular uprising calling for simple human rights.
Brave bloggers and their friends outside Burma are trying to keep information flowing to the outside world. Firepup Bob in HI sent me a set of great links he found in the WSJ – including Mizzima News, Irawaddy News which reminds us of the international oil companies including Chevron still doing business in Burma, and Democratic Voice of Burma.
No one knows how many – like Japanese photojournalist Nagai Kenji – are being killed by the Burmese military in response to the uprising lead by the Buddhist monks and joined by courageous citizens:
Troops approaching the monasteries backed off after seeing people from the surrounding areas armed with sticks and slingshots preparing to stop them. (snip)
“We set up an alert system of banging pots and pans when anyone saw soldiers approaching the monastery, and we prepared ourselves with any available weapons to stop these unholy people from harassing the monks,” said a Mandalay resident. However, despite the residents’ efforts, Pauk Myaing monastery was raided by government troops at around 7pm yesterday.
“They kicked the monks with their army boots and beat them up before arresting about 40 monks,” said another local resident. “If we just stood by, not even dogs would survive in Burma under these bastards’ brutality and inhumanity,” the resident continued, pledging that residents were ready to assist the monks whenever their help was needed.
In Rangoon, troops encountered resistance from local residents as they approached Sasana Alin Yaung, Sanana Wuntha and Min Nanda monasteries in Daw Pon and Tharkayta townships. At Min Nanda monastery, which backs on to Pazuntaung creek, troops tried to approach from both land and water but retreated when they saw the strength of local resistance.
“There were not only Buddhist people but also Muslims, Christians and Hindus defending the monasteries,” said a resident of Tharkayta township.
Avaaz, a global team similar to MoveOn is gathering signatures on a rush petition to the UN – over 220,000 from around the world have already signed – and will be updating with other actions. The US Burma Campaign (which is reporting at least 200 dead in the demonstrations) and the UK Campaign for Burma are also good sources of information. The UK Campaign is organizing a global day of action on October 6 and has a Facebook group with much more info including a request for calls or faxes to participant’s Embassies. The US Embassy in Burma – ask them to open their wifi networks so news can get out: Phone: 011 (95 1) 282055, Fax : 011 (95 1) 280409
Pascal Khoo Thwe – author of the astonishing From the Land of Green Ghosts, an account of life as a student leader in the 1988 revolt, wrote about the new uprising in the Independent:
The keepers of the soul of Burma – the Buddhist monks – have risen up for the nation by staging peaceful demonstrations in Rangoon and other major cities at a time when the ruling junta appears to be on top. Not long ago, no one dared to think that the thoroughly cowed people of Burma would have the courage to defy the military authority even by means of a smirk.
But it has happened again like it did in 1988 when the people of Burma showed their displeasure at the ruling power with nationwide protests and paid for it with their lives when thousands were killed as a result of the uprising. The situation in the country didn’t change, and on this occasion the success or failure of the protests will depend on how well-organised and determined the monks are.
As soon as reports came out of the UN Security Council’s decision not to take any direct action but just to urge the junta restraints against the protesters , a friend of mine phoned me from Burma to express his feeling. “We don’t want our country to become another Rwanda,” he said with a deep sigh. It seems that his fear might yet come true, as reports of violence, injuries and deaths are continuing to emerge as I write this. “I hope I am still alive by this evening,” my friend said before he put the phone down, and I could hear the determination in his voice.
May we learn courage from their example.
“The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear.” – Aung San Suu Kyi
————————-
OT but too choice for words: Turnabout is fair play.
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1?
Yeay! Hi Siun!
OT: Good cartoon my Matt Wuerker: http://editorialcartoonists.co…..cfm/42280/
Hi Siun: Your question bagged the top-three dems at the debate. It’s good to have the truth out there before God and everybody, but I have to wonder what’s wrong with those people.
Did the military junta relent and allow some internet communications from within Myanmar, or are people discovering workarounds?
Let’s go Nats.
afternoon Cassie and all …
Are folks following Burma? Have any links to more news getting out?
BigMitch @ 6
And let’s not forget who the front pager is for this post.
shrub’s sleazy attemtps to wrap himself in a true fight for democracy is rather disgusting.
What was so important that Rudy missed the last Republican debate
http://therealrudy.org/blog/14…..ce=rgemail
BigMitch @ 6
A friend of mine played on a beer-league team that called themselves the “Nads,” so that they could cheer “Go Nads.”
http://www.newsdeskspecial.co.uk/burma/
Great source of Burma news.
News is scarce. I read that the military might mutiny.. or parts of it.
Can this be verified? It could be the key to getting this atrocity to end before it gets worse.
Can we please boycott Chevron and Total/Unocal? Chevron just said announced that it does not plan to defer planned investments and expects to continue to expand its operations in Myanmar, and its partnership with the junta.. caused “serving the energy needs” of people is more important than the people being alive… We might not be able to do much about the Chinese, Russian and Indian oil companies there, but we can sure do something about the usual gang of Texas thug shrub-enablers.
ET – it looks like folks are able to get online off and on but I thought the idea of asking embassies just to open their wifi was great
Slightly OT: Here’s an archive copy of a 27 Oct 2000 frontpage item in the WSJ: A Pipeline Project In Myanmar Puts Cheney in Spotlight
Richard Cheney apparently made his fortune based solely on Halliburton’s use of slave labor to construct oil pipelines in Burma. Using his influence in gov’t, he strived to eliminate sanctions against Burma to pave the way to reap profits for his company which amply rewarded him afterward for his efforts in this direction.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..29/myanmar
— Watching soldiers firing their guns and beating die-hard protesters with clubs in the streets of Myanmar, a distraught man decried the bloodbath and pleaded for American intervention.
With the streets eerily quiet Saturday after the military’s brutal crackdown on three days of demonstrations, many protesters were losing hope and falling back on such familiar pleas for help from the outside world.
It’s a call made every time the pro-democracy movement has dared stand up against Myanmar’s 45 years of harsh military rule, only to be crushed.
Some of those challenging the regime in the most forceful demonstrations in nearly two decades still hope such help _ even in the form of U.S. bombing _ may arrive. About 300 die-hard protesters marched down a street in the Chinatown section of Myanmar’s main city, Yangon, on Saturday, waving the
siun @ 14
It is. Maybe we could call Chevron, and see if they’re willing to help the people communicate with the outside, eh?
Can they text message and stuff from cell phones? Or use those old radios that can broadcast really far?
I can’t recommend Thwee’s book enough -it not only tells the history in very personal ways it provides an amazing glimpse insde an amazing culture
alank @ 15
hmm.. so I guess if there’s evil in the world, one can count on Darth being there, on the wrong side.
they cut cell phones.
They can even cut land lines.
Communications can link the people and get the messages out. They won’t let that happen.
They isolate and intimidate the people.
It can happen here.
Thank you Siun -
@159 on two threads back I left information on some steps to take, now. According to news out of Burma the junta says they have quelled the demonstrations. Some news that gets through humanitarian organizations say people are not quelled but in fear and behind shut doors. Many are still being arrested.
The junta closed down the Internet and phones but news still gets out. It is hard to shut everything down. There are several small NGOs operating outside the country with strong networks within Burma who are getting news out.
A reputable nonviolent group is: Free Burma Rangers http://www.freeburmarangers.org
The Free Burma Ranger’s (FBR) mission is to provide hope, help and love to internally displaced people inside Burma, regardless of ethnicity or religion. Using a network of indigenous field teams, FBR reports on human rights abuses, casualties and the humanitarian needs of people who are under the oppression of the Burma Army. FBR provides medical, spiritual and educational resources for IDP communities as they struggle to survive Burmese military attacks.
For regular updates people can also go to: http://www.myanmarnews.net
calling Chevron is a great idea – and UK Burma Campaign maintains a dirty list of co’s to write or boycott – check the facebook link intje post for info
Would that America possessed moral suasion.
Unfortunately, were the USA to ‘officially’ respond in any serious fashion to the mayhem in Myanmar it could well jeopardize coming attractions elsewhere.
A friend emailed me this poem. Not a flawless translation but one from the heart, posted @ http://www.kadaung.blogspot.com
Burmese Tempo
Tears and cries make you proud.
As loud as you can ever imagine.
Gun fires and the bullet shells
We don’t want our people to be spelled.
Who can save our own country life?
Run and run until you’ve exhausted
But your courage has conquered the regime
Where they are now living desperately.
This is not the bullets world
Where we trade life with the guns.
This is not the scarlet world
Where they take the steps with blood.
Saffron robes has marched into the city.
They bring courage and inspiration to the glory.
I can’t imagine how long they still have to march.
But I am certain the country is watched.
Every bullets and batons made our hearts hard.
And the world has now stood up.
How I wish my country to retain peace.
Where the people would live with dignity.
-Dancing Peacock
LS @ 11
“Sporadic demonstrations were held throughout Rangoon today, but riot police and troops appeared to be under orders to hold their fire, probably because of the presence in the city of UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, writes Edward Loxton.
One of the city’s leading monasteries, Ngwe Kyar Yar, was raided by security officers during the early hours this morning, and about 200 monks were dragged from their beds and loaded into army trucks.
Around 1,000 monks are now being held, either at Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison or at a government ministry compound. Kangaroo courts have already been in session, handing out sentences of up to six years’ imprisonment, according to Burmese sources with prison contacts.
It transpires that when troops first raided Ngwe Kyar Yar on Thursday, they plundered the monastery, seizing valuable offertory objects and cutting off the jeweled head of an ancient statue of Buddha.
Opposition sources said today they had counted at least 200 dead in the three days of clashes. Several hundred people have been injured and many are now in hiding from the authorities.”
David W. Bartoo @ 24
I don’t think it matters what noises the ‘official’ US government says or does here. US interests in Myanmar are represented by Chevron and Chevron just issued a statement reiterating its commitment to the junta :P
SanderO @ 21
Ah, but they can’t do that and have their wonderful union-busting global marketplace now, can they?
The longest they can shut down even air travel is only for a week at a time. They found that out after 9/11, when businesses started to raise holy hell with them.
Blub @ 27
Chevron said out loud that they like the junta? Isn’t Chevron Condi’s company?
Ed*ard Teller @ 17
And Chevron would do this out of the kindness of their rethug hearts why?
Studying up on Myanmar these past few days, I’ve learned that outside the major urban areas, the country is as close to erupting into all-out, open insurgency as it ever has been. It appears the only things keeping the rural insurgency from going over the top are the disunities among the interests in different states, and within the states.
The proper thing for the US to do would be to prohibit and USA owned firm or any corporation doing business in the USA and which does business in Myanmar from continuing their USA operations.
This would be a very clear message that the USA will not support any economic activity with the present government.
The USA should also establish a relief and aid fund to be distributed to the people of Burma by an NGO at the earliest possible date.
The USA should offer to provide safe haven for the present government if they step down.
shall I go on?
Blub @ 30
“eh?” in Canadian is a period at the end of a sentence.
“eh?” in ET-ese is a snark point…
SnarKassandra @ 29
Not directly, of course, but they didn’t say anything against it and reiterated their desire to work with it.. status quo, which amounts to the same thing:
AP – Chevron’s interest in the Yadana project is “a long-term commitment that helps meet the critical energy needs of millions in people in the region,” said Nicole Hodgson, corporate media adviser for Asia.
It’s folly to expect ethics or leadership from people like that
burma is a situation where outside pressure does not seem to register but gettingtheir investors like chevron total etc to leave will
Phoenix they can and will do what they have to. Bidness men may wield pens but the fascists have the big guns.
PW…
Air travel inside or to and from Burma means little. Perhaps you don’t know that the nation of Bhutan had absolutely no contact with the outside world until a few years ago.
Blub @ 13
Presumably, Shrub’s friends are not subject to his “sanctions.” How does that work, exactly, that the US has sanctions against the regime but American companies still do business there? Perhaps an enterprising White House reporter will ask the Preznit.
Burma may become the signature issue that launches Laura Bush into politics, incidentally. Shrub has denied she’ll run for the Senate, and now she’s suddenly very engaged on Burma:
more here
SanderO @ 37
I’ve heard Bhutan is a nice place…. kind of anti-technology, but I think it has a fairly high standard of living and is something of a welfare state dressed up as a monarchy. I don’t think they’re in the business of slaughtering their own citizens. Nearby Nepal though, is consistently messy.
SanderO @ 37
Sander, I was responding to when you said “It can happen here” — meaning that the Bushistas could do a total lockdown similar to what the Myanmar junta is attempting.
It can’t happen here, because the money men that back the Bushistas simply wouldn’t stand for it. Bad for business, y’know.
The Burmese junta feel confident enough to mow down foreign journalists so we know that the toll on their own civilians is appallingly high.
More assholes with guns.
-GSD
TeddySanFran @ 38
I think this may be possible due to the wonders of multinational corporations and bankuptcy/liability-remote structures. Chevron doesn’t invest in Burma. Chevron Burma invests in Burma.
It is very important to contact the Chinese Embassy in D.C. and Chinese Consulates. Letters are important as well as phone calls. China is the country in the greatest position of power. The US has little clout here. As I stated previously, we are empty suits sitting at the table.
Asia does not like to lose face publicly. It is a powerful tool to use. However, it must be approached with respect in address or it has the opposite effect.
The last thing the junta wants are witnesses to their deeds. This is a very effective tool by the small NGOs. AP is counting on these people for their news.
The UN and US sanctions are too slow and still doesn’t target the junta. The people suffer from this. To quote one NGO founder, “This is total BS.”
Blub @ 27
I am not surprised, they have their ‘interests’
however, such ‘interests’ betray our inhumanity but little more than our profound ignorance delineates our soul as a nation.
Still, I wish that we could behave as people of conscience, as a nation, though I sincerely thank all those individuals who do care, understand and respond. My sense of shame is heavy today, not for our cowardice but in trepidation for how the children of the world shall judge our disdain of truth, our dismissal of the plight of the family of humankind. Words are nothing, action is all.
We may only redeem ourselves but miserably, signifying little but our own appalling hubris.
SanderO @ 36
SanderO, in the US, the bidnessmen ARE the fascists. They worship money and “free trade” above all. It’s all about the profit motive for them, and always has been.
We could have done this right, if we had any credibility, conscience, or principles.
Instead, we’ll let China arm the thugs-in-charge. We’ll wring our hands and tut-tut the vagaries of human rights, but China knows we haven’t the troops, the wherewithal, or the attention-span to intervene. Plus, they’ve got our money.
How far we’ve fallen.
SanderO @ 32
Well, that is going to be a hard sell. The US determined Iran to be a charter member of the Axis of Evil and their leader a “new Hitler” and that didn’t keep Halliburton out until April of THIS year.
-GSD
QuakerGirl @ 43
Yup, yup and yup.
Video shows Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai ‘being shot deliberately’
QuakerGirl @ 43
yes… China’s in a tough position here: it’s trying to keep its powder dry for the Olympics and wants to behave like a reponsible member of the international community, on the one hand. On the other, its traditional stance has been to avoid taking positions on its allies internal affairs and its scared of instability in its oil-rich neighbor, to which it wants to build more pipelines. All told, I believe that they’re pressurable.
Chinese state-controlled media has been very interesting on this one.. they provided good coverage for about the first 24 hours, then they switched to a second mode of operation — passive, aggressive resistence… where somebody in the government has told them to tone down the reporting, but to make it clear that China’s not backing the regime.. they’re now saying things like “the Burma government has claimed that it has to restored peace and order, but protests by ordinary people including children and monks continue.” To Chinese Kremlin-watchers this second mode of reporting usually signals that their apparatchiks are still on the fence. If they had decided firmly to back the regime at all costs, then they’d have imposed a news blackout or just started instructing the state media organs to outright lie.
Al Ja*zeera has a short dispatch from inside.
Link.
-GSD
AP – Watching soldiers firing their guns and beating die-hard protesters with clubs in the streets of Myanmar, a distraught man decried the bloodbath and pleaded for American intervention.
Brave people! Thanks for the links…sent them far and wide
We are witness to the death of conscience and compassion in so very many ways. The true evil of mindless exploitation has its most powerful roots here. Yes, shame the Chinese, and the Burmese thugs, but look to our ‘leadership’ in politics and business, where ‘greed is good’ and ‘devil take the hindmost’ are the gospel creeds, to witness the incarnate horror of certitude and inhumanity, joined in unholy union and wrapped in Jesus’ robes. Our nation’s notions are spendthrift and its soul threadbare.
great work, siun – thanks so much for emphasizing the US embassy’s potential to help.
Teddy, love that question about sanctions.
Hmm – any big “must-pass” bills coming up?
Great vehicle for a binding resolution sanctioning Chevron/Total (even if it doesn’t pass, it keeps Burma in the Beltway’s tiny mind).
Consumers don’t have to wait for the beltway…..
Wonder what slogan best conveys that Total/Chevron buy the guns that killed Nagai Kenji – and so many others.
ET, somewhere late night is a link to the Karen federations support for the Burma uprisiing….
and VG, thans for th elinks to the Burma rangers
(and no thanks to my flipping lower back for keeping me home rom the rally…)
America can always claim there’s nothing we can do about Burma, because we have our hands full of the horror we unleashed in Iraq. And of course the Israeli government is not in a position to offer help, on account of riding herd, with our tacit approval, on the gulag that is Gaza.
Hi everyone.
Some links to Myanmar bloggers, from Asia Times:
Ko-htike prosaic collection. (pics and text-some interference.
Burmese dayze (good, but not updated since last weekend)
Xanga
Siun, as always, you are in the vanguard, leading the charge. It is a pleasure and an honor.
How many shares of Chevron stock do you suppose Condi owns?
SanderO @ 32
That’s heresy and downright treasonous. Milton Friedman economics is the world roadmap of pirate capitalism. As GWB says in every crisis, “This work begins with keeping our economy growing. … And I encourage you all to go shopping more.”
Oklahoma kiddo @ 58
Enough to fill a shoebox or two…
Oklahoma kiddo @ 56
What would you suggest Israel could do in this since they are about as far away from Myanmar as the US with far fewer resources available to them?
I stopped counting on government officials to do anything, long ago. When attention is paid to a situation as in Burma, it is because small NGOs are at work within the country. They are the pulse and know what is happening directly. They also understand immediate solutions to stop violence. Long term is another subject for the round table but immediate action requires stealthy thinking that can be applied immediately.
For me sitting in my comfortable home, the best I can do is seek advice from them and take immediately action. Even Human Rights Watch said the US corporations carry little clout here. But China does. Regardless of their previous position of non-interference, they are now in the spotlight and I say keep the spot light on China and the junta. They are now one. If China wants to separate itself, it cannot be by a statement but by pressure on the junta. And, they can do it.
China’s history, ancestry, conscience, and desire to be world leader is on the line. This is a defining moment for them.
My heartfelt thanks
To our saving graces;
QuakerGirl, kirk, Siun
and all the rest of you.
Your souls light the hope
of possibility and your
conscience pricks the
bubble of insular conceit.
We cannot become involved in Burma. Because we are far too busy not doing nation building in Iraq and bringing Democracy to the Middle East. We have no money and no troops. So sorry Burma.
probably a waste of time, but I guess we might as well keep their mailboxes full
comment@chevron.com, for general comments/suggestions
invest@chevron.com, if you’re a shareholder
And Quakergirl’s right.. email your local Chinese consulate and their embassy. Mention the Olympics. They’re clearing signalling they’re on the fence about this.. which means their apparatchiks have not yet decided on a response.
OT, but a real positive OT.
Wow.
Shakira donates 45 million to charity.
Now that is some good works.
I might have to buy an album just to support her.
-GSD
BTW, GSD, I learned about Asia Times from you. It’s a valuable resource-thanks for the hookup.
Blub, I wonder if any of the “terruh” stautes are so poorly drawn they could be used here.
With multiple media reports of the paramilitaries killing Burmese civilians (hence yesterday’s picture of a young boy’s brain in the gutter – beaten out of his head with iron rods), wonder how citizens (or Congresscritters…or a really pissed off USA) can “inform” on Chevron’s links to terruh.
Obviously Bush’s Abu du Jour won’t let anything substantive happen through “Justice”, but the public messaging can help establish Chevron = Terrorist funds.
Bastards.
Blub @ 42
dakine01 @ 61
Well… they certainly can’t lend a hand to speak up morally against oppression. Say in the UN for example.
Kirk,
Problem is, I’m not aware that anybody has ever accused Myanmar of being a state sponsor of terrorism in any sense the US would be concerned about. In shrubcospeak, terrorizing your own citizens isn’t terror. Heck, when they do it, it’s considered good governance.
GSD @ 47
Oh, yes.
Remember how the GOP/Media got their panties in a wad over Clinton’s pardoning Marc Rich, who’d done some oil-related dealings with Iran shortly after the Shah was toppled in the late 1970s?
They utterly ignored the fact that Dick Cheney’s Halliburton was operating in Iran in direct defiance of a 1995 Executive Order by President Clinton.
United Nations’ special envoy Ibrahim Gambari flew into a crisis-stricken Burma today on an emergency mission to persuade the country’s ageing junta of generals, who have ruled for 45 years, to settle the country’s political crisis without any more bloodshed.
Blub @ 65
Yay!
(#$%&*@ low back. and the %^@#$ Teva’s that make it hurt.
And most of all – @#*&$% me for being dumb enough to forget and wear the %$%#*! Teva’s again….)
Kirk has a good point…could the junta be designated a terrorist organization? Could Congress do so, and thus bypass Chevron’s allies in the Admin…could Chevron itself face any possible culpability?
Hmmm….maybe Burmese relatives in the States could bring an action, or even an NGO operating on their behalf?
Not too long ago a University student was grabbed by police, tasered, arrested and sent to jail.
Why?
A three part question asked to John Kerry, who made it clear that he wanted to answer it… was answering it.
Blub @ 70
Hah! Silly me – you’re absolutely right.
I’m so mired in that whole Enlightenment thing – forgot the Rethugs pine for the Dark Ages.
RonD @ 74
I’m not comfortable with this line of argument. I don’t want the definition of ‘error extended any more than this admin already has.. heck, if it gets any broader, librul bloggers and protestors at shrub speeches are going to be considered ‘errorists. Trust me. You want shrubco to use a very very narrow definition of ‘errorism.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 72
And they all have children and grandchildren ready to follow in their footsteps. Like Bush following Bush and Clinton following Clinton. I hate to say it but unless they are overthrown they will stay in power. At least we have the vote to overthrow a dictator, even if he cheats to win the election. We have a chance, the Burmese people don’t. They vote with their blood.
RonD @ 74
That is possible, theoretically, but I would not count on much from this ‘possible’ Congress, dry powder is all the rage.
‘Standing’ would be the issue for the other possible player you mention. Now, if only there were a World Court, oops, sorry the USA dosen’t want any quasi-’world-government’ to check our ‘freedoms.’
OT and meanwhile from lalaland… muahahaha!:
“ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Two days after hinting he wanted to try for the White House, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich decided he would not run for president, his spokesman said Saturday.
[Spokesman] Rick Tyler said Gingrich realized he couldn’t run a political action committee — his American Solutions group — and form an exploratory committee to run for president as well.”
…..in other words, he plans to snipe from the sidelines
Oklahoma kiddo @ 64
I believe that China is our 2nd largest holder of US Treasury Securities. I don’t think that they’ll loan us money to undermine Burma. A conflict of interest about Human Rights is not in China’s best interest.
http://www.ustreas.gov/tic/mfh.txt
“Myanmar has close relations with neighboring India and China with several Indian and Chinese companies operating in the country….The country imports most of its weapons from Russia, Ukraine, China and India.[61] Myanmar is building a research nuclear reactor near May Myo (Pyin Oo Lwin) with help from Russia….Foreign investment comes primarily from China, Singapore, South Korea, India, and Thailand. “
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar
Blub @ 77
What would you prefer to call it? This does look like ‘terror’ to me but if you’ve a better term …
I understand what you are saying but truth IS truth. Yes?
New Thread.
Fear of retaliation. The Burmese community in the states need the rest of us to use our voices and influence. They are protesting and had a demonstration yesterday in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco.
The terrible danger is their family members will be arrested and tortured. This will extend to any associates they have back in Burma. That has a lot to do with why the Burmese people here keep silent.
The same is true of Indonesia. The Indonesians here were silent and would never criticize Soeharto because their family members would be rounded up and tortured and jailed for years.
The freedom of a Burmese here in America is very limited. So we, the totally free, need to be their voice.
Just because our language has been hyjacked by the thugs does not mean truth and even nuance are dead or even severly disabled. Words can kill and end dialogue, but I shall not wield them in such a fashion and refuse to be limited in my choice of words just because others have twisted them almost beyond recognition.
Firms Seek Access to Myanmar Oil Fields from the AP tells it all. It’s about oil. Another law professor just sent me the AP article.
and China has long been working to secure an energy path from its southeast:
and Chevron and Unocal?
Is Chevron embarrassed by doing business with the Devil? Not at all. They claim that “worse” companies would just take their place, and besides, they are helping poor people with their oil project in Burma:
The attitude of a Thai energy company official is typical:
Or what the government does . . . .
Some great photos of the protest. The monks look so young
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01415.html
Check out all the photos
Besides it’s supply of arms to military junta, China holds a lot of power over the leaders. China has no real interest in seeing any form of real democracy taking root, because it fears that the monks in Tibet would get ideas.
If China does do more to persuade the junta to abandon the crackdown on peaceful protests, a boycott of the Beijing Olympics should be called for. They need to know that human right violations is not acceptable.
China is also part of the problem in Darfur as well.
Listening to Mark Isham’s Tibet album whilst scanning this blog. Set’s the mood for the story at hand.
Blub, I respect your discomfort about the definition extension.
I hope I don’t sound flippant when I report back the extension has already occured, at least so far as protesters and silent, standing dissent is concerned.
In terms of common usage, the term is so debased that when I confronted a group of “activist” Reclaiming pagans I’ve known for some time on the fact that a teacher/hubby couple at a “Free Activist” pagan camp had:
stolen a check (and funds) from a low-income camper, “diverted” $1000 from the bare bones camp, forged signatures – and then defrauded all and sundry about it..
I was called – yep – a “terrorist”.
On a more practical level, the new AETA (Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act) defines me as committing an act of “terra” if I protest at some company that has the most tenuous connection wth animals – and someone in the company simply says they were scared.
So that’s a power corporate America won’t use?
Well – since the megacorps fund the talking shop (ALEC) that wrote AETA and stuffed it in front of our fearful Congress – I’m wrong again.
AETA was written by ALEC precisely in order to give corporate America the power to define terrorism.
Blub – I hope my lengthy answer doesn’t seem like a dispute with you (none is intended) or your very valid concern.
I’m setting forth the above info to illustrate my belief that the “terruh” word is already used by the Bushies/megacorps in any way they wish.
Recently in the Mountain Justice Campaign – the struggle to prevent Big Coal from levelling Appalachia (and much of the water supply for the Mid-Atlantic metro areas) by filling valeys with mountains in order to roast the world with coal – a State judge threw out charges against James Johnston, a long-time Earth First! activist.
The local yokel cops and the Big Coal-owned DA charged Johsnton with “terra” for protest – the local judge tossed out the charges and the state statute, observig it was so poorly written that his whole family would be defied as tderrorits simply for being citizens.
My chief goal regarding the “terra” term and Chevron is to hurt any support for Burma (as VG points out, direct appeals to China will have far more juice).
My meta-goal for slapping “terra” on to any megacorp where it fits is to accelerate the degradation of the term., As our opponents already can define anyone as a terrorist, robbing the term of face validity seems to me to be countermeasure to the “definiton creep” which has already occured.
PS: Oh yeah – and I’ll be educating some Reclaiming pagans about what happens when you hide predators: you get lumped in with them.
“Terrorist” my ass.
The main thing that the powers that be are afraid of is the power of the people via economic boycott. It worked for the American Revolution- the Boston Tea Party was all about a boycott of British goods, like tea! Boycott China, all products from China and the Olympics. Boycott all the companies that support the Olympics. Stop supporting murders like Chevron and all the US companies who support China’s evil (Google, Yahoo, Murdoch, Microsoft, et al.)
Ed*ard Teller @ 31
It’s too bad we don’t have any A-Team kind of thing. Groups that would help out the monks and the people of Burma. I guess you could say Blackwater, but with a heart and fighting for good.
I feel for the Burmese citizens, I really really do. I have a particular fond spot also for Buddhist monks and Buddhists in general, even as an atheist, but what they are going through (in large measure beyond their control) is evidence of the weakness of the absolutist Gandhi non-violent protest method. It doesn’t work well against a foe that has NO compunction against actually just mowing down protesters. This is the reason that non-violent protest would NEVER have worked in Nazi Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, or Stalinist Russia. It DOES work well with more humane governments like the Brits vs the Indians (and Gandhi himself). Even the Brit imperialist government wasn’t so bad, so violent, so depraved that they would happily and without hesitation simply mow hoards of peaceful, unarmed people down with glee.
The Nazis would have. Stalin’s dudes would have. The question is, would the neofascist Christianist crazies of the GOP with the aid of Blackwater thugs be more Brit-like, or more Hitler/Mussolini/Stalin/Torquemada-like? We shall see soon enough. I rather think that if there is an “incident” it will end up REALLY blowing up in the GOP’s (and Blackwater’s) face and they will die out under massive legal and public pressure. I HOPE that would be the case.
If I’m wrong, then ya’ll are welcome to do the Gandhi thing for a while. Give it a go. I’ll hang somewhat, observe, actually take part now and then, but I’ll not be willing to totally toss out the NON-Gandhi tactics against tyranny. I’m too military for that. Now, it wont come to that, but if it does…I’ll not tolerate ANY form of brownshirts, ANY form of de-facto tyranny and fascism here and will do whatever it takes to defeat it.
The problem is hierarchical thinking. Why do soldiers attack monks whose interests are similar to theirs? Instead they protect a junta who exploits them? We have the same problem with Bush who will bomb Iran if he so desires, all of it done by people who follow his orders without question.
Can we persuade our police and military to be on our side if we protest should martial law be declared? I doubt it.
In my rush to get home from work yesterday, I forgot to bookmark a site that gives a breakdown of just who the men are who comprise the military junta in Burma.
I am almost positive it was from the Guardian’s website, but I’m not sure, but it was quite revealing, quite informative, and sadly, quite apropos of what is happening not just in our nation, but in every nation infected by Bush appointees.
India has great ties with Maung Aye the General in command of the military in Burma, we should be calling the Indian Embassy to ask them to use their relationship with the General to get him to release the monks and in the process consider stepping down.