Why Fight?

This is part of a paper I wrote on terrorism and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). Just some ideas on how to make things better. It probably doesn't mean much and I don't know how realistic it is, but I think it's good to think about this kind of stuff once in a while.

To end all terrorist activity would mean to end resistance and revolt, which is an impossibility. Until we live in Huxley’s “Brave New World”, not everyone will agree or conform to the status quo. Terrorism, or at least many of its characteristics, has been around as long as people have thought differently. Reducing the violence and unnecessary bloodshed, as with the ELF, is certainly possible. One step in the right direction would be for our governments to stop interfering with the lives of people they have no right to influence. The notion that white, Christian Europe is the best in physiology and religion, and that its values need to be spread at all cost, has led to much resentment. Colonization, the killing and using of native peoples around the world, and the present-day political meddling that exists can all be cited as sources for hatred towards Europe and the United States. In fact, white, Christian Europe may well be the largest terrorist organization there is, with a history going back centuries. When we let people run their countries and live their lives however they choose – including religion and political system – we will decrease much of the world’s terrorism.

Furthermore, the global political community will have to promote listening to all people and groups, as well as get rid of all the routine and red tape that hinders action. But all the work cannot be left to the government; the people need to become better-informed and better-involved in the political community, looking beyond their own front lawns to matters that affect the billions of others across the globe. From one perspective, terrorist organizations are pushed towards violence by a global community who will only pay attention if bombs go off. If terrorist groups weren’t immediately criminalized and were instead first heard, some violence and death could be prevented. I believe it unrealistically optimistic to think that all violence, revolt, clashes in ideology, and all the other issues associated with terrorism will ever cease to exist. I do consider improvement quite realistic, however, through such means as listening and not forcing our lifestyles and values onto others. It seems odd that such simple concepts are so difficult to follow, and that they are not at the top of our priorities. Many factors have led to the disconnected lifestyle much of the Western world is now living. We are often disconnected from our local community, our global community, and the natural world. Though we often look to others for change and for the solutions to our problems, we must not forget that change requires a strong foundation. When each person is more attentive, involved, and empathetic, much of our violence – the wildfire of the human condition – will seem to us silly and barbaric.

Something I'm Working On

Here's a song I made up on guitar. It still needs some work, hope you like it.

Corruption in Congo

I've been reading a book about the Congo for a class, called In The Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz. The former leader of the Congo, Mobutu, is an interesting man to study. He came from a small tribe, not considered one of the better or more advanced of the many tribes that exist in Congo. Regardless, his excellent people skills carried him to the top. Most who met him were impressed with his charisma and intelligence, and there was no reason to think that eventually putting the country in his hands would not be beneficial. He started a leader of the people , but unfortunately ended a leader of thieves.

He wanted the Congo's colonizer and oppressor, the tiny European nation of Belgium, to end their destructive leeching and allow the third largest African nation to begin its own path. It's odd to think of how a nation that's 6200 km away and close to 77 times smaller than the Democratic Republic of Congo, (information from CIA World Factbook), can assert such crippling dominance. Mobutu wanted a Congo that ran itself. Even after Belgium had officially withdrawn, they along with other foreign nations, still ran much of the country's economy and controlled most of it's wealth. So Mobutu decided to basically kick out all foreign business (he was known not to be very savvy nor very interested in economics). You know when someone kicks you in the back of your knee and you just drop, that's basically what Mobutu did to the Congolese economy.

Practically no foreign investment came in after that point. Why would companies risk putting their money in a country with such high risk and instability? There was an abundance of natural resources, there still is, but it's useless without the money and manpower needed to get it. From this point on, or from earlier perhaps, things quickly went downhill. Mobutu stole more and more money from the country, coming up with clever ways to hide it. He ended up with 8 billion dollars in Swiss bank accounts. He was not the only government official to steal, of course, it was regular and expected soon enough. He did set the standard and did lead by example, however wrong that example may have been.

The country suffered, and he prospered. So how does a charismatic and intelligent man who wishes to bring his nation out of the slums end up a thief who pushes it further down? It seems a long process, but it shows itself over and over again in history. Perhaps the systems we live in, capitalism, inevitably brings out greed and hinders philanthropy in us. Lord Acton apparently got it right when he said, "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

40 Centuries of Armenian History

Here's a link to a great site on Armenian History:

http://www.armenianhistory.info/

Jon Stewart on Crossfire

Jon Stewart calls out the media on their games, calling the show a "theatre." Nice.

A New Blog!

Hey guys!
Here's the start of my new blog! I'll try to post often, put up links for cool products and videos, and anything else I think you might like.
Thanks for visiting!