GLOOMY ON ALL FRONTS

Just received a letter from my doctor’s surgery saying my second set of results are back and no cause for concern, but to make an appointment within the next two weeks. Last time I had a “no cause for concern” letter was when I found out I had leukaemia! Anyway, wait now for Friday 10:50am to see what is going on with my liver, my blood Potassium, or anything else they’ve found. Nothing surprises me now – nothing will.

Afghanistan and Iraq continue to prove a thorn in the side of the USA and UK administrations, and will, in my opinion, continue do so for years to come. Both governments are pouring more troops in, with little affect. The more foreign troops move in, the stronger the resolve of the insurgents, (or whatever else you want to call them), will be. Both Bush, Blair and their followers offer sweet words of condolence to the relatives of dead soldiers, but their hollow rhetoric means nothing to families who fail to see the point of their loved ones being there in the first place. They call it a war on terrorism, but it’s a war that will never be won. The fanaticism of the enemy is such that every attack, every new solider drafted in, will only serve to inflame the situation.

The Afghani poppy crops that produce heroin for Europe addicts are providing a bumper crop this year – the way civilians are dying in Iraq suggests the troops will outnumber them soon. I think the ordinary people both in the US and UK are very much against both wars – so how come we are not seeing the protests that occurred during the Vietnam war? Why aren’t we seeing thousands of people marching? Are we indifferent? Have our lives become so geared towards our own pursuit of the good life that the deaths on both sides have become just one more statistic to be brushed aside as we search to see how the shares are doing or talk about our next luxury holiday?

The body count rises every day for both military and non-military personnel. Seems the more troops are poured in the quicker the count rises on all fronts. I guess the statistics have become just one more piece of news to most people. The financial costs? Who really knows. Statistics suggest around $510 billion for the U.S and $16 billion for the U.K. Not sure which billions these are ,(109 or 1012), but either way it’s a frightening waste of money. The military personnel are not dying in defence of the U.S.A. or U.K. – they’re not dying to protect us from terrorism – these “insurgents” have no interest in attacking us. This so-called war in Iraq and Afghanistan has lost its way and nobody is prepared to admit it. None so blind as those that wil not see; none so deaf as those will not hear.

The US Senate has voted to withdraw all troops by 2008; but Bush will veto this. How can one man, in what is supposed to be a democratic country, overrule the will of the majority? Sorry, but that is far beyond my understanding. The word democracy comes from two Greek words meaning rule by the people – seems a bit of a joke in a system where just one man rules. It can only be compared to the situation in the Roman Catholic church where one man controls the life of millions with his decisions. Maybe Bush, too, has a direct link to his God. If so, it’s a strange, warped, twisted God that guides him.

Nice to see the Iranian authorities have their priorities right. Barbers have now been warned not to give men Western-style haircuts or pluck their eyebrows, and women are being arrested for not dressing correctly. It’s also a terrible sin to wear a tie with your shirt. Women are also now obliged to wear socks too. The extremist mullahs who have a lot of power are also concerned about Ahmadinejad allowing women to attend stadiums for sports events – they’re concerned about them seeing men’s legs and, I quote, “gathering of men and women for corruption-driven actions and the committing of acts forbidden by Islam”. Nice to know the USA and UK are not the only countries with crazies in charge. Sort of comforting in a way.

Finally you’ll be pleased to know that North Korea is the least visited country in the world – 1,800 tourists last year according to statistics. And the fourth best-selling book of the 20th century is not a Harry Potter title – it’s Scouting for Boys by Lord Baden-Powell. First 3 home are the Bible, the Koran, (or Q’uran), and Mao’s Little Red Book.


See ya