And Normalcy Means Tyranny

A representative of the military government of the country formally known as Burma has informed everyone to mind their own business because things are back to normal.

Maj.-Gen. U. Nyan Win told the U.N. General Assembly in New York that Burma had been targeted by "neo-colonialist attempts" to impose political change from
outside.

"Political opportunists" has exploited protests against a fuel price hike and tried "to turn the situation into a political showdown aided and abetted by some powerful countries," he said.

After exercising utmost restraint in the face of the protests, security forces had been compelled to act to restore "normalcy."

This was achieved by the death of at least 10 peacefully demonstrating monks and the arrest of thousands more. Their crime was asking for Democracy and making the government look bad. Burma shares a very large border with the world’s largest Democracy and the world’s largest Communist state and both of them are trying to influence things to their own gain. Both are trying to secure a border point through supporting an oppressive regime. This why there has been a lot said by China while India has been mostly quiet. China wants Myanmar because it is similar to itself and sharing a border with a Democracy would be a bad thing. After all people in Communist countries have an irritating desire to defect from the people’s government.

India on the other hand is playing the waiting game. The original directive was to push for human rights and Democracy but that was given up as China’s influence grew and theirs lessen. India changed direction to a support the junta with efforts to nudge slightly. This is why they have been for the most part silent because they don’t want to create a wedge, they don’t want to break the fragile connection they have with the junta. If the pressure is ratcheted up by the UN, EU and the US expect India to step in and broker a deal. China or Russia would love to be the broker which is why they have already set themselves up as roadblocks. Both of them have burned a lot of diplomatic bridges so peace broker is not a roll that fits either very well. India on the other hand could be in position to fill that role quite readily.

Update:
Mike Baker over at Fox paints a much bleaker outcome and I wish I could disagree.

Not Evil After All

Yesterday I posted about Verizon not filling a request from pro-choice group.

Naral president Nancy Keenan said Thursday that the organization was distressed by the company's original denial of Naral's request.
''This is where you have a corporation that is censoring free speech,'' Keenan said.

Today Verizon now intends to allow it. Whether it had to do with outdated policies as company officials have said.

''We have fixed the process that led to this isolated incident,'' Verizon Wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said in a statement.

''Upon learning about this situation, senior Verizon Wireless executives immediately reviewed the decision and determined it was an incorrect interpretation of a dusty internal policy,'' Nelson said. ''That policy, developed before text messaging
protections such as spam filters adequately protected customers from unwanted messages, was designed to ward against communications such as anonymous hate messaging and adult materials sent to children.

Or if it was a cave in (I tend to believe the company line), it looks like rewarding bad behavior. If you scream, whine and accuse enough, anyone can get their way. From what I know of it (and I will admit I only know from the limited articles I have read) Naral looks to be exhibiting the mentality of a two year old.

Real Tyranny

For those who call President Bush a tyrant, this is what tyranny really looks like.

YANGON (Reuters) - At least nine people were killed in Myanmar on Thursday as soldiers and police cleared the streets of central Yangon by giving protesters 10 minutes to leave or be shot, tightening a two-day crackdown on the largest uprising in 20 years

Nobody in America involved in a peaceful demonstration, no matter what they say, have to worry about the police issuing a ultimatum like this.

Because I Want You To

Activists tend to be really focused and that is an asset when trying to achieve a goal but they tend to lose sight of other aspects of reality. They forget what is important to them is not important everyone. They tend to think everyone should bend over backwards to help them achieve their goal. Anyone that hinder their progress, become evil in their eyes.

Nancy Keenan, Naral's president, told The New York Times, which first reported the story on its Web site Wednesday night, that Verizon's decision interfered with political speech and activism.

"No company should be allowed to censor the message we want to send to people who have asked us to send it to them," Keenan said. "Regardless of people's political views, Verizon customers should decide what action to take on their phones. Why does Verizon get to make that choice for them?"

So by not fulfilling a request, Verizon is now interfering. Verizon is under no legal obligation to grant them there request, which is why it is called a request. That is why they had to ask.
Naral Pro-Choice America can respond in several ways which includes boycotting Verizon but to claim that Verizon doesn’t have right to say no is rather selfish and immature. Not everybody share the same world view and to think other wise leads to disaster.

I don’t know why Verizon said no and I really don’t care. I don’t care who they said no to, whether it is to a Christian group or a neo-Nazi group, they have a right to refuse their business.

Oh and to answer their stupid question, "Because no one is forcing anybody to buy their services". Don't like their services, go somewhere else and grow up while you are at it.

Poland's All Front Fight for Life

I have never understood why killing a convicted criminal is bad while killing an unborn child is a good choice to have. If one is to fight for life of a criminal, should they be committed to maintaining all forms of life? Well Poland seems to think so too.

Poland's refusal to go along with its fellow 26 E.U. member states has stymied the bloc's plans to mark an official "European day against the death penalty" next month. Poland's deputy justice minister, Andrzej Duda, argued at a meeting of E.U. justice and interior ministers last week that the union should instead celebrate a "right to life" day, with abortion and euthanasia on the agenda, too.

Fight for the “right to life” on fronts sounds like a reasonable stance. I have mixed feelings on the death penalty myself but when it comes to abortion I firmly believe it is wrong. At least with the death penalty, the individual has done some serious evil (unless they are truly innocent). When it comes down to it, I would be much more comfortable with both being illegal then both being legal. I would rather error on the side of life then death.

"As serious as the death penalty is, the execution of a justly convicted criminal does not approach the level of evil -- intrinsic evil -- as abortion or the direct, intended killing of any innocent person, be they in the womb or a hospital bed," Mallon argued.

Hardly Worth Mentioning part II

Captain's Quarter thinks the President is missing an opportunity.

Understandably, we need to focus more attention on Myanmar than we presently manage. However, it seems rather odd that Bush would choose that issue for his central focus rather than challenge the nations of the General Assembly to pressure Iran. After all, our own national interests count for something, and a UNGA address gives Bush the best platform to call for action against a rogue nation.

I think the President is taking another route. There is an old pet training treat call "Ignoring Bad Behavior". It only works if the subject craves attention so the isolation, the ignoring is a punishment. This method works great injunction with "Rewarding Good Behavior". The people of Myanmar are showing good behavior by demanding Democracy, they are an example to the Iraina people and Pres. Bush is holding it up for all to see.

For this to work, the full court press has to be done to help those who want freedom in Democracy. If all that is supplied is empty rhetoric like what happen after the first Gulf War then it is a waste of time.

At the conclusion of Desert Storm, Iraqi Kurds in the north and the Iraqi Shi'a in the south launched an armed revolt against the regime of Saddam Hussein. Iraqi government troops tried to crush the movement, reportedly razing mosques and other Shi'ite shrines and executing thousands.

President Bush may be taking an opportunity to be positive, to attack the flies with honey.


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Foil the Pain

Now there is a reason for the tinfoil hats.

#7 posted by Cpt. Tim , September 24, 2007 10:40 AM:
I simoultaniously applaud them for coming up with ways to handle these types of things without hurting people, and shudder thinking about how it will be misused.
This will be a great way for them to deny responsibility in breaking up peace marches. People will say that there was nothing violent or illegal about a march and the authorities can hide behind "whoops.. oh well, at least no one was hurt"

#8 posted by outlanderssc , September 24, 2007 10:42 AM:
>...unless they developed some sort of microwave shield for the person.
Or they stood BEHIND the transmitter -
I'm envisioning mylar and aluminum foil as the new fashion for protesters.

That is not to say that all peace marchers wear tinfoil hats but then again some do.