Saturday, September 1, 2007

Some world politics...

I don't usually talk about politics in this blog... Actually, I would prefer not to do it but I feel the need to express my opinion about an old but still current hot topic. These days I am watching a series of documentaries broadcast last winter in Spanish TV. It is called "Voces contra la globalizacion... otro mundo es posible?", what means "Voices against globalization... is another world possible?". It is a series of documentaries in which many writers, nobel prizes and economists are interviewed to give their opinion about the direction world politics are heading for.

Chapter 1 talked about globalization and Neo-liberalism and chapter 2 did it about migrations, specially from North Africa to Southern Europe. Chapter 3 was about the US international politics.

I know it is a very old topic, but not for that we should stopped talking about that. We shouldn't forget that nation is still governed by the same people who led them to an unmoral war which has destroyed a whole nation, Iraq.

First of all, I should say that in any war those who really loose are the people. People are always victims in the cross-fire of a war. But not only in the attacked country... It is obvious poor Iraqi people were at their homes, repressed under a dictatorship and still somebody else came to destroy their houses, killed their children and put a gun pointing at their necks. I feel really sorry for them. But also, it is a pity the situation for Americans. The international policy carried out for their government has unleashed a common feeling in the world: the real danger for peace in the world is the US. That automatically triggers a feeling of hatred all around the world amongst all those millions of people whose lives are in danger for the imperialistic politics of that country. Americans don't understand and many don't even know that is the feeling in many countries. Do you think an arab can welcome americans when they come from a country which can invade them at any moment under the pretext of defending freedom and democracy? As I stated before, the ones who really pay the consequences are the people. The few guys on top of oil companies are getting richer and richer at the same time a normal US citizen is being more and more hated. It is a pitty but that is how things work. Of course, many US citizens opposed and continue opposing to what their government is doing and has done in Iraq or South America for so many years and in some many occassions.

Don't you think this makes sense?? Think about Spain. In my country, the former Prime Minister decided to unconditionally support the thesis that war was necessary against Iraq. Who doesn't remember that picture with Bush, Blair and Ansar in the Azores? The funny point is, at the same time, more that 5 million people demonstrated in Madrid against the war. And the same happened in all Spanish cities and towns. The general feeling was opposed to the official governmental discourse.

What happened? Terrorists identified Spain as a target for an attack together with the UK. Some months later, 192 people were killed on a cold winter morning in Madrid. Just workers who were going to work to make a living. Many of them were arabs. However loud we yelled against war, we were the ones to pay the consequences.

I just want to remind everyone that the US are at the moment as terrorists as islamic terrorists. US threatens the stability and lives of the people in arab countries, whereas islamic terrorism is a danger for US and its allies. The world we live in has gone crazy and our leaders are the ones who are really really insane. If islamic terrorism is bad, don't forget what the US is doing abroad is also called state terrorism. Isn't Iraq illegal invasion a terrorist attack? Why not? Because it doesn't affect you? If you were comfortably at home and somebody destroys your house, what would you think? War and terrorist attacks just raise more and more hatred. Let's be sensible and show our representatives we don't agree with them. Don't let the world get crazier than it already is.

That's all.

Before leaving, have a look at this song by NOFX. It is called USA-holes and quite reflects some of the points I have covered above. It is nice to see this kind of artistic manifestation coming from the place it comes.

It's like seeing a car crash from inside the car
The driver's got his head craned back he's telling you a joke
You see the bus on collision course
You point your arm and turn your head and wait for the impact
This is the feeling we learn to live with in North America
The morning headlines always accompanied with sweat and nausea
Every week another puzzle piece gets permanently glued into place

We see the iceberg from 15 miles away
The captain orders the ship to "stay the course"
"Full speed ahead" shouts the accursed
The next thing we heard was, "Rich women and children first"
The ship is listing, the captain's placing blame on the iceberg
"That berg attacked us, I am declaring war on the Arctic"
Who could ever have predicted the greatest ship could so easily sink (duh)

Lifeboats are useless without rescue
The only ships show up for salvage
When setting sail on the St. Louis
We all knew what consequences could be
With the crew we had at the controls
There's no harborage for the USA-holes
I doubt there's a benign God to save our souls
Cuz no one else is gonna save the USA-holes

5 comments:

Jorge Sanchez Seijo said...

I agree with you about the ilegality of the war in Iraq and its awful consequences, but let's not forget who was ruling the country before and the millions of kurds who were brutally killed during his dictatorship.
About the terrorist attacks in Spain, I don't think we should look for justifications for such a savagery. Al Qaeda has attacked other countries like Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, etc. which have nothing to do with the war in Iraq. Terrorism is criminal nonsense and, by the way, we know a lot about this in Spain.
Let me finish this comment with a wise quote attributed to Lloyd George during the World War I: "War is a very serious business to leave it in hands of military"

Toni said...

¿En qué mundo vives? La guerra de Irak (¿o era Afganistán?) ya ha dejado de estar de moda, tan solo por el hecho de contener la palabra guerra puede sacársele un poco de jugo... pero nada más.
Se trata de una lucha entre dos Estados Unidos, uno actual y otro que todavía se encuentra en el medievo, cada uno enfrentándose con las armas de que dispone. Uno dice -en el 'universo' se hace lo que digo yo- y el otro le responde -jódete y suplica mi crudo-.
No puedo opinar demasiado acerca del tema, pues como el resto de los mortales desconozco todo lo que realmente se cuece en las altas esferas, en la de ambos lados (o conjunta).
Tan solo decir que estoy de acuerdo con Jorgess en cuanto a lo de las justificaciones. Por el hecho de que nos 'tocaran' a nosotros no debemos odiar "más" a los que nos metieron, excepto para los familiares de las víctimas, ellos tienen derecho a todo (menos a devolver la misma moneda). Pues nosotros ya éramos un objetivo secundario por ser los okupas de Al-Ándalus.
Los políticos buscaban un crecimiento económico que la población no hubiera rechazado (o ha, si es que lo ha habido)aun conociendo el orígen. De hecho, pregunta al aire: "¿En qué año ocurrió el atentado en Madrid?", ¿sabe la gente responder sin consultar?, yo al menos no. (Decir 11-M no vale, que eso ya llevó mucho marketing).
En la tele ya tan solo sale el número de militares estadounidenses fallecidos, no es noticia un coche bomba con 500 fallecidos. Y a estas alturas nadie se va a compadec de los US.

Animo a no utilizar la palabra 'terrorismo', pues como muchas otras palabras de las que balbucean los políticos o pregonan por televisión creo que ya no posee ya definición ni significado. Tan sólo es una palabra -afilada, eso sí- con la que dirigirsea las masas.

Mis disculpas por no utilizar el inglés, y por extenderme demasiado. Como dijo el Chavo del 8: "¡Fue sin querer queriendo1".

Alvaro said...

Creo que se me ha malentendido un poco ;-) En ningun momento busco una justificacion a los atentados o a la guerra o a nada. Lo unico que queria hacer patente con el ejemplo de Madrid es el hecho de que al final, los unicos que pagan las consecuencias son la gente normal, el pueblo. Jorge, tampoco digo que en Iraq estaban bien. De hecho, lo primero que dije es que si no estaban ya jodidos por todo lo que una dictadura acarrea con todo su significado, van ahora los "fundamentalistas del petroleo" y les acaban de joder...

Y por supuesto, Toni, no hay que odiar a los que atacan! Ese era el tema de mi post! Pongamos un poco de sentido comun en esta locura. Ya esta bien de muertos del mismo bando... que es el unico que no puede ganar nada y tiene todo que perder: la gente...

Lo que habria que hacer es progresivamente acabar con los ejercitos de todo tipo e impedir que los dirigentes nos usen a su antojo y voluntad (dirigentes=politicos+CEOs de grandes multinacionales)... pero eso desgraciadamente es utopico y no factible a corto plazo

Toni said...

Me disculpo si me liao hablando, con tanta tralla que he querido meter me he explicao mal. Además, después de escribir he reordenao a lo copy paste y suena to un poco raro y demasiao guay.
Con lo de odiar "más" a los que nos metieron me refería al gobierno español de aquellos tiempos que nos metió en la guerra. Odiar hay que odiarlos, otra cosa es odiarlos más debido al 11-M (eso es lo que quiría disir, ahí mi toque grasioso de poner "más").
Hombre, la gente no existe. Está en su casa en el sofá viendo la tele, y los que no tienen tele ni sofá, no son ni gente. :P

Espero no haber empañao un poco tu post, que nació de una canción, y te hizo soñar en un mundo mejor.

(Aunque con lo del ejército pienso que te excedes... a no ser que decidamos prescindir de la humanidad. Pues no lo vamos a dejar todo en manos de la policía local, habiendo armas mortales caratequiles en los despachos de los amsterdames)

XD

Alvaro said...

;-) No problemo!

El blog esta pa echar unas risas y expresar nuestra opinion! Asi que nada puede empanyarlo entre amigos XD

La verdad es que preocuparse por la gente... si el 80% lo unico q quiere es estar en su casa viendo el salsa rosa... juas...

Lo del ejercito seria algo natural si la gente fuese utopicamente buena... cosa que solo puede ocurrir en los suenyos... que es lo unico q queda libre y gratis... eso no nos lo pueden quitar! ;-)