Naing Ko Ko has a wonderful idea. But he doesn’t go far enough. There was a time when soldiers made their own bullets and in some cases even knew enough to mix their own powder. Sure, in the absence of rounds for their AK-47, oppressors can resort to machetes, But that, at least, levels the killing field.

From Scoop Independent News:

Respected peaceful monks became corpses killed by ammunition produced in China. Rangoon’s clammy sky changed to black and gray by tear-gas grenades that also came from China. Burmese soldiers have used not only Chinese-made military equipment such as helmets, uniforms, boots, bayonets, but also munitions, including tanks, small-arms, artillery, surface to surface missiles, surface to air missiles, jet-fighters, naval-vessels, even a nuclear reactor since this military junta became an outpost of China and Russia’s ally.

No one knows exactly how much of such China-made strategic, conventional and non-conventional munitions are deployed in Burma as the military junta never ever releases authentic statistics on purchasing for its defence sector. However, the international strategy and security watchers, such as Jane’s Intelligence Review, CIA, IISS and SIPRI, observe that the junta’s army has been installing China-made ammunitions to upgrade its modern “tat-ma-daw”.

The problem with arms is always that once you have them, you want to use them.

In order to stop such a modern tragedy, the international community needs to establish multilateral and bilateral binding resolutions on arms-embargos instead of turning to ‘megaphone-diplomacy’ and issuing condemnatory statements to deaf military generals.

As long as the army generals are kept in place by the arms and munitions from more developed countries, they will never sit down for real dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and their own people. Before another mass killing footages appears on the TV screens, it is time to adopt a universal arms-embargo targeting the Burmese military generals.

Don’t ban weapons, just ban weapons crossing international borders.

Here’s a great idea for whoever wins the election in the fall: unilaterally prohibit any new contracts for delivery of military equipment from the United States.

What do you think?

I’m constantly tossing interesting websites into what I call my blogpile. Some of them find their way here in the form of regular posts, but more often than not they languish and get buried deeper in the pile. The end result is that I have to go back and do a bit of shoveling. Today’s item is Books that make you dumb.

Part of being a good citizen of the blogosphere is visiting, reading and, most importantly, taking the time to leave a comment on other’s blogs. It’s all about the conversation. In the interest of setting an example I’ve decided to link to those blog posts that have compelled me to leave a comment.

1002 Attention Hillary Clinton: Step Away From The Nomination Race

It’s been a busy week in Wally World: the Universe’s source of cheap plastic crap. On The Writing On The Wal — the blog USA Today says should be on its readers’ radar — Jonathan Rees, Robert Feinman, Peter Sayles and I continue our work dedicated to drawing back the curtain on the Bentonvile Behemoth’s corporate disinformation and other flackery.

WHAT WAS THAT COST OF LOW PRICES AGAIN…? Watch…

COMING: THE CLINIC AT WAL-MART… Wal-Mart began experimenting with leasing space to health clinic providers in late 2006 and until the 23 CheckUps clinics closed last month, had some 80 such clinics doing business under it”s big-box roof. Leasing space in over-built stores makes business sense. Keep reading…

OK, SO WHICH IS IT…? Two stories moving in the bloggosphere this morning show how people can be legitimately confused on the economy and Wal-Mart. The twisted part is that within the boundaries each writer sets, they”re not lying. But can you assume that the truth is in the middle? Keep reading…

AT THE WALLY PLEX… There are sound stages on Hollywood”s back lots smaller than Bentonvile”s behemoths, so it”s no surprise that budding video talent has been sneaking cameras in at odd hours. And now for the midnight show at the Wally Plex featuring velvetsrose. Keep reading…

BURY THEM IN PAPER… The feds aren”t the only ones who know how to bury information inside hundreds of pages of bull shit. The final Environmental Impact Report from the hired guns consultants PMC supporting the building of a Wal-Mart supercenter in Chico, California, is a case in point. Keep reading…

THIS DIDN”T TAKE VERY LONG… Watch…

A PLEASANT SHOPPING EXPERIENCE… Watch…

IN ENGLAND”S GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND… Instead of building Jerusalem on England”s green and pleasant land, the Bentonvile Behemoth wants permission to build Wal-Mart supercenters. Wal-Mart wants the end of planning rules… designed to protect town centres and avoid over-development. Keep reading…

EVEN IN MYANMAR THEY GET IT… I write a great deal about Myanmar at my principle blog Have Coffee Will Write. This afternoon I came across this quote from the last member of Burma”s royal family, disposed by the British in 1885, who lives in isolation in the old summer capital of Mandalay. Keep reading…

GROWTH INDUSTRY FOR CLOSED WAL-MARTS…? Abandoned Wal-Mart stores aren”t news. The company does it all the time as it replaces existing stores with supercenters in other locations or even communities. But how did this become an entrepreneurial opportunity? Keep reading…

DORA, 0… BUDDY CHILDRESS, 1… There are no end of strange and wonderful stories from Wal-Mart. Al Norman this morning writes about the fantastical tale of how Good Woodsman Buddy Childress endured a two-month legal battle with Wal-Mart and won.
Keep reading…

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. This week he brings you some amazing animal photography: From My Dad.

There were only 24, or so, of them. And in a city the size of Yangon, that can be barely noticeable. But when even one person stands up to be noticed; to call attention to a wrong, it has the potential to grow. One monk had to rise uo from his start walking before the 10,000 followed him. This is hopeful.

From The Associated Press:

Myanmar’s opposition party staged a street protest Monday to complain that the ruling junta’s moves toward democracy are not enough, while the country’s military ruler exhorted citizens to stick with the government’s “roadmap” leading to a 2010 election.

About two dozen members of the National League for Democracy gathered outside their headquarters in Yangon with placards calling for the junta to release political prisoners and hold a genuine dialogue toward reconciliation with its opponents.

Others are ready to join in.

The Generation 88 Students group, which was an organizer of last year’s mass pro-democracy protests, on Monday called the government’s latest plans a “declaration of war by the military regime against the people of Burma,” using the name for Myanmar preferred by the junta’s foes.

The whole name issue still perplexes me. I continue to use Myanmar only because a friend there told me that was what the people used.

Do I need to rethink that? Or is Burma the equivalent of the American slave name?

Should we start referring to the country as X?

My name is Jeff Hess and I’m a biblioholic. I own hundreds of books. Not valuable books, mostly Science Fiction paperbacks and text books, tomes rescued by the bag from library book sales. A few years ago, in the interest of not burying myself, I began reading more books from the library and taking notes. My electronic chapbook was born.

This is a passage I copied from Midrash and Literature edited by Geoffrey H. Hartman and Sanford Budick.

“Midrash and the Language of Exegesis: A Study of Vayikra Rabbah, Chapter One” by David Stern.

Today, as I go about my tasks, I’ll think about: Seven ways to leave a meeting early:

Give the I message: tell your boss, “I”m attending meetings I think I don”t need to attend. I”m losing a great deal of time in these meetings when I could be producing more significant results for you. I would feel greatly relieved if we could get this matter resolved.” p. 129-30

When the government of a country is hunting you for what it calls treasonous activities, there is a tension between fleeing the country and attempting to continue the resistance from the outside; or fighting on from within the country and risking prison and possibly death. U Pyinya Zawta has chosen the former.

From the Democratic Voice of Burma:

U Pyinya Zawta, a monk from Rangoon”s Maggin monastery and a leader of the All-Burmese Monks Alliance, arrived at the Thai-Burma border recently after more than four months in hiding.

“It also provided food and shelter for HIV/AIDS victims from across the country. It was a great loss for both the Sasana and HIV patients when the government decided to close it down.”

How would you deal with living underground for more than four months?

I’m constantly tossing interesting websites into what I call my blogpile. Some of them find their way here in the form of regular posts, but more often than not they languish and get buried deeper in the pile. The end result is that I have to go back and do a bit of shoveling. Today’s item is Star Wars, Legos and Steam Punk.

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. This week he brings you some amazing animal photography: From My Dad.

After a brief flash of optimism on the part of Thailand and a few others, the consensus on the road map to democracy proposed by the military dictators of Myanmar that would result in democratic elections two years from now is that it is just another delaying tactic. The people, inside and outside of Myanmar, aren’t buying the plan.

From The Associated Press:

Two of Myanmar’s top dissident groups, one led by Buddhist monks, on Monday denounced the military government’s plans for a constitutional referendum as an effort to perpetuate the junta’s rule.

The student group described the government’s plans as a “declaration of war by the military regime against the people of Burma,” using junta opponents’ preferred name for the country.

Clearly there cannot be any return to democracy that does not recognize the generals role in declaring the last free elections to be void. Any elections that do not include Aung San Suu Kyi and her pro-democracy party will be seen as a sham.

Did you buy the general’s plan, even for a few moments?

My name is Jeff Hess and I’m a biblioholic. I own hundreds of books. Not valuable books, mostly Science Fiction paperbacks and text books, tomes rescued by the bag from library book sales. A few years ago, in the interest of not burying myself, I began reading more books from the library and taking notes. My electronic chapbook was born.

This is a passage I copied from Midrash and Literature edited by Geoffrey H. Hartman and Sanford Budick.

“Two Introductions to Midrash” by James L. Kugel.

Today, as I go about my tasks, I’ll think about: Nine ways to improve meetings:

Limit verbosity. p. 126-8

It has been more than 123 years since a King ruled in Myanmar, yet the royal family has continued into the 21st century and it’s final living member, now 84, continues to live in isolation because the generals fear he might lead a revolt that will topple them and their oppressive regime. But Taw Paya isn’t much interested in revolution.

From the Telegraph:

Maymyo’s most interesting resident lives anonymously in a mock Tudor villa that looks more Berkhamsted than Burma. He might be the king of this country if the British had not toppled his grandfather, King Thibaw, in 1885.

“Look here,” he said. “When the British were here we were not even allowed to cross the Irrawaddy River.”

Of particular interest to me in the story was Taw Paya’s observation on the trade with China over the Burma Road built just before WW II.

“The British wanted to get access to China and flood China with their goods,” said Taw Paya. Today, the roles are reversed.

It is the Chinese, he says, “who are the rich chaps now.”

Do you suppose Taw Paya knows about Wal-Mart?

I’m constantly tossing interesting websites into what I call my blogpile. Some of them find their way here in the form of regular posts, but more often than not they languish and get buried deeper in the pile. The end result is that I have to go back and do a bit of shoveling. Today’s item is 16 Post-It Note Pranks, Sculptures and Murals.