On one hand there is the drama and horror of resistance to oppression taking place in occupied Burma while on the other hand politicians continue to debate the war in Iraq.
Back.
Images and stories smuggled out of occupied Burma show the people facing death in non-violent protest…they show monks sitting down in front of armed soldiers and bodies on the street. Mass murder by governmental decree just hovers over this situation like a pressure system waiting to break.
And forth.
Congress struggles to unite behind one position on the Iraq war while political progress in Iraq continues to struggle to gain traction.
Back.
So we debate our nation’s military support of a democracy movement that wasn’t in Iraq. Yet fumble and seem confused about what to do when confronted with images from a democracy movement in occupied Burma that clearly is.
And forth.
Politicians speak in terms of creating a vacuum of opportunity in Iraqi for democracy to grow.
Back.
While I think of a dear friend’s mother who fled occupied Burma and certain death without a dime to her name. She learned English in less than a year, worked to put herself through school, raised two daughters and volunteered to free the land of her birth. She supported human rights causes around the world and wrote to anyone, hell everyone…and listened for voices that had gone suddenly silent…and searched for loved ones who were suddenly missing…and buried her husband in the nation she made her own because even in death he could not return to the nation that was stolen from them.
And forth.
I fear that, for the people of Burma, life has now boiled down to liberté, égalité, fraternité, ou la mort.
Back.
And the whole world is watching.
The world is watching.
And forth.
Watching to see what becomes of a democracy movement that is.
11 comments:
Damn! That was incredible.
First, you brought together the irony of these two topics in an intellectual burst of brilliance, and then you did it with a literary style that dropped my jaw. . . of course, I am a slack jawed hillbilly, so it doesn't take much.
Thanks for the/another lesson.
I don't find the time to watch the news like I used to and interestingly enough I am able to get the biggest news through your blog and this is a terrible and realist article and a view of society and their hard hearts of today!!
I log in to see your blog every morning like it's my morning news lol thanks again and always keep me posted!
The tradegy in Burma is breaking my heart. People are being killed for speaking their mind. The japanese journalist murdered in the video on my blog made me cry.
He was armed with only a video camera. The soldier shot him at basically point blank range. SIck fucks.
There seems to be a tendency to underestimate US global influence in certain conditions.
This is a good situation. The US is using the Burma situation to help foster and nurture something extremely vital, the facade of democracy.
The US enabled this situation. Because of Burma's relatively tiny economic influence globally, the US could bring pressure to bear easily to stop this in its tracks. It would take a phone call.
However, it is useful to allow the oppressive regime to stay in control and repress the democracy movement so that US (and Western elites generally) can posture in their support of the pro-democracy movement.
The fact that they, the US press, even call it a pro-democracy is part of their posturing. We must remember that the US uses all manner of pejorative terminology for pro-democracy movements when they don't serve US propaganda interests.
During the 80s we saw pro-democracy movements in El Salvador but the US didn't label them as such because it was the CIA that was sponsoring death squads to stop those movements. Here in Burma we don't have as close a hand on the situation so the mainstream press in the US is aggressive about providing rhetorical backing of the pro-democracy movement as to appear to support democracy, generally.
Everyone knows the US has a terrible record of supporting democracy and 9 times out of 10 is on the trigger side of the guns attempting to supress it.
The BBC is the go to place for news on this and other issues. Most PBS stations if not all , carry it..
Also of course democracy now with Amy Goodman.
There are corporations we can boycott to starve the military junta in Burma. (for convenience my blog has a top post , from another blogger who connects the dots, if you are curious) ... anyhow The dots are all about the money. Every aspect of our society and the global society It is the elitist oligarchical Financial systems that undermine our well being as humans on this globe.
The MSM and the Burmese Gov. are grossly undercounting and mimimize the current brutality going on as we type.
Kucinich is the only candidate that gets the whole picture. The ONLY one. (just had to get that in there) great post as per your usual shark -fu.
Hey have a good week end ABB, gal !
If Bush wants war so bad then Burma is the place for him to be.
Of course they aren't in the center of his Mideast oil plan for world dominance.
OT: Take your blood pressure medicine before reading
6 Inconvenient Truths about the US and Slavery
The problem with Burma is China. They will not take too kindly to the USA going in there and overthrowing the military government.
And if China gets upset, they can see to it that Wal-Mart stores nation wide run out of stock. Where will we buy our crap?!?!
Oh yea and what troops could we send? The ones currently stuck in Iraq?
What did the world do when China ran students over with tanks?
I am confused Burma is now Myanmar yet America is not recognizing this. Even the Wall Street Journal continues to call it this
I can't speak for the WSJ, but I do not recognize Myanmar because of the military takeover and refusal to adhere to the results of the first democratic election in 30 years held in the 1990's.
The people of Burma spoke and were met with violent oppression. I see Burma as an occupied land governed without the will of the masses and held through military power.
Thus the phrase occupied Burma.
Thanks for asking.
This is a great piece of writing. Your whole blog is extraordinary. You have important things to say and a beautiful way of saying them.
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