The illegitimate government of Myanmar has long been allied with the Communist Chinese to its north in economic and cultural matters, and for 20 years a ceasefire along the border has been in place. Recent overtures from President Barack Hussein Obama to the generals has upset that applecart.
The border dispute between two close allies, China and Burma, has now been compounded by concerns over the junta”s future relations with the United States.
The past few weeks have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity between the two states, with Beijing even issuing some unusually forthright criticism of its South-east Asian neighbour.
Unrest on their common border led to a mass exodus of more than 30,000 Chinese refugees in late August, and fears of a renewed civil war in the area have alarmed Beijing. Its officials are also now worried by the Burmese military regime”s interest in developing closer ties with the U.S., which has strong sanctions Continue Reading »
Kamkwamba also appeared on the Diane Rehm show this morning. There were two questions from listeners that caught my attention.
First, a caller wanted to know if Kamkwamba had a particular faith that had allowed him to preserver. His response was that he believed in himself and in science. Bryan Mealer, the co-author of Kamkwamba’s book had to add that the family was Presbyterian.
Second, a caller asked about how the library where Kamkwamba found the science book with the windmill on the cover had come to be and how she, and others, might donate books to help create other libraries across Africa. I was in the car at the time and didn’t quite get the name of the organization that Mealer suggested she donate books to, and for some reason, my media player isn’t grabbing the audio file of the show so I can’t go back and listen, but it was in the last 10 or 15 minutes of the show if a reader can listen and let me know the organization’s name, it would be greatly appreciated.
I could never bring myself to forward all the email jokes, cartoons and other Internet comedy that land in my inbox. But then I started posting the ones my dad sends me. Judging from my comments and emails, my dad has become one of my greatest blogging assets. So for your morning blog chuckle I present: From My Dad.
(Note: The following actually came from reader Mary Jo. JH)
If a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
“I”m alphabetizing these sixty challenges and not grouping them together by topic to emphasize the fact that they interconnect and interpenetrate. p. 90-6
U Win Tin is not happy with the election planned for next year. The 80-year-old who co-founded the National Leaque For Democracy with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and spent 19 years in prison for political crimes against the generals does not want to lend any legitimacy to the real criminals who stole the election in 1990.
[Win Tin] is a vocal opponent of taking part in national elections set for next year. The vote, along with the implementation of a new constitution, would introduce a shared civilian and military government after four and a half decades of military rule.
But while the constitution, passed in a disputed referendum held amid the widespread devastation of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, allows elected representation, it accords special powers to the military in what the junta calls “disciplined democracy.” Many critics call it a sham.
“The election can mean nothing as long as it activates the 2008 constitution, which is very undemocratic,” Mr. Win Tin said in a recent interview.
How easy, it seems to me, it is to be on the right side in Myanmar. I can’t begin to concieve of anyone making a case for tolerating the generals. Continue Reading »
Is it any wonder Republicans have become the party of the bat-shit crazy? During the presidency of Ronald Reagan we had an astrologer influencing national and international policy and now we discover that during President George W. Bush’s tenure aides were concerned about sorcery.
At least the administration of President Richard Nixon was based on an, albeit twisted, reality.
Here are arguments against Issue 3 – the monopoly casino measure on the ballot – as stated by its major opponent group Truth Pac.
It says the obvious; that the measure is tilted toward wealthy casino owners and it doesn”t even require the owners to actually build.
It also warns against “hidden taxes” on the rest of us as cities have to upgrade roads and bridges and provide other infrastructure requirements.
It”s not all take, there”s a lot of give and give.
Also, the casinos can stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, really a way of taking business away from established small businesses, especially restaurants, which may have a hard time competing on hours and the ability of casinos – interested in the gambling dollar – charging less for meals and drinks.
While it is true that officers in the military of the United States do not swear to obey the orders of the President of the United States, what nutters like John Perry forget is a little matter of Article 94 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice — Mutiny and Sedition — which states that:
(a) Any person subject to this chapter who–
(1) with intent to usurp or override lawful military authority, refuses, in concert with any other person, to obey orders or otherwise do his duty or creates any violence or disturbance is guilty of mutiny;
(2) with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority, creates, in concert with any other person, revolt, violence, or disturbance against that authority is guilty of sedition;
(3) fails to do his utmost to prevent and suppress a mutiny or sedition being committed in his presence, or fails to take all reasonable means to inform his superior commissioned officer or commanding officer of a mutiny or sedition which he knows or has reason to believe is taking place, is guilty of a failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition.
(b) A person who is found guilty of attempted mutiny, mutiny, sedition, or failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.
Any military coup in the United States would first be mutiny (a)(1) since the President is the Commander In Chief and second sedition (a)(2) since it would require the removal of Congress and the judiciary, the lawful civil authority. That Perry and other nutters miss this point doesn’t surprise me. It’s not the kind of information you’d think about unless you’d actually served your country.
I could never bring myself to forward all the email jokes, cartoons and other Internet comedy that land in my inbox. But then I started posting the ones my dad sends me. Judging from my comments and emails, my dad has become one of my greatest blogging assets. So for your morning blog chuckle I present: From My Dad.
1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.
2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.
3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS: SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.
4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.
5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU’LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.
6. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE – WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN’T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN’T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.
7. IF YOU CAN’T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU ‘VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.
On Monday, Kurt M. Campbell, assistant secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, spoke to reporters regarding the Obama administration’s position on Myanmar (referred to by the State Department as Burma). I see this as yet another example of our refreshing grown-up attitude toward foreign policy.
In terms of the background, the Administration launched a review of Burma policy seven months ago, recognizing that the conditions in Burma were deplorable and that neither isolation nor engagement, when implemented alone, had succeeded in improving those conditions. Throughout this review, the Administration consulted closely with Congress, the international community, and a wide range of stakeholders inside Burma, including the National League of Democracy.
For the first time in memory, the Burmese leadership has shown an interest in engaging with the United States, and we intend to explore that interest. In addition, concerns have emerged in recent days about Burma and North Korea”s relationship that require greater focus and dialogue.
What are the strategic goals and interests of this approach? We have reaffirmed our fundamental goals in Burma. We support a unified, peaceful, prosperous, and democratic Burma that respects the human rights of its citizens. To that end, we will continue to push for the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, an end to conflicts with ethnic minorities and gross human rights violations, and initiation of a credible internal political dialogue with the democratic opposition and ethnic minority leaders on elements of reconciliation and reform. Continue Reading »
Did anyone else notice the difference in tone, style and content between two Plain Dealer columnists on Sunday speaking about the dilemma of the Ohio state budget?
I did.
Larkin zeroed in on Gov. Ted Strickland for the financial mess – $1 billion shortfall – in Columbus using strikingly different language than long-time State House watcher Tom Suddes.
Larkin rapped Strickland with such wording as “breathtaking ineptitude” and depending on legal advice from the firm of “Barnum & Bailey” and describing Strickland”s attempt to balance the budget with slots as “pathetic performance,” something I might join with him.
Descriptive language but hardly even-handed. Particularly when you consider Larkin was the PD editorial boss during the truly pathetic Taft years. Continue Reading »
The real writer is one who really writes. Talent is an invention like phlogiston after the fact of fire. Work is its own cure. You have to like it better than being loved. —Marge Piercy, For the young who want to in The Moon Is Always Female
* * * *
At day’s first light, have in readiness, against disinclination to leave your bed, the thought that “I am rising for the work of man.” Must I grumble at setting out to do what I was born for and for the sake of which I have been brought into the world? Is this the purpose of my creation, to lie here under my blankets and keep myself warm? “Ah, but it is a great deal more pleasant!” Was it for pleasure, then, that you were born and not for work? —Marcus Aurelius
Let me respectfully remind you, life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken-- Awaken! This night your days will be diminished by one. Take heed. Do not squander your life. —Zen Evening Gatha
Take an ax to the prison wall. Escape. Walk out like someone suddenly born into color. Do it now. —Rumi, Quietness
The illegitimate government of Myanmar has long been allied with the Communist Chinese to its north in economic and cultural matters, and for 20 years a ceasefire along the border has been in place. Recent overtures from President Barack Hussein Obama to the generals has upset that applecart.
I could never bring myself to forward all the email jokes, cartoons and other Internet comedy that land in my inbox. But then I started posting the ones my dad sends me. Judging from my comments and emails, my dad has become one of my greatest blogging assets. So for your morning blog chuckle I present: 
