I am sitting in a small room in a small town and I haven’t the heart to write anything. I woke up late this morning – in truth, this afternoon – and spent some time watching a seagull simply glide in place on the wind while sitting on the bus with my head out the window having a cigarette. It’s raining here in Thunder Bay, but humid and somewhat warm, so it’s nice. It was nice to watch that seagull too; calming and a relief that such simplicities can still be viewed for what they are – the changeless comforts of nature.

The world is going to hell in a hand basket and we’ve secured a private box from which to watch. It seems to me that were a generation of greater intelligence and fortitude faced with it, the passion with which dissention and outrage is openly displayed would be far more significant. We are the bastard children of liars and charlatans and so do not render them faults, merely the basic aspects of our understanding of things. That will be our legacy – the knowledge that we inhabited a burning building, and although we knew it just and right to risk ourselves to save it, chose instead to listen to those that claimed it wasn’t on fire at all, but simply a figment of our imaginations.

Seagulls can sit in one place with their wings spread and simply float on the breeze, the world spread below for them to see. Just like us.

Recently, Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly made numerous racist remarks about a dinning experience he had at Sylvia’s restaurant in New York city. The Daily Show picked up on the story and produced these two pieces…

Professor Stephen Zunes’ piece posted yesterday at Foreign Policy In Focus entitled My Meeting with Ahmadinejad is definitely worth the read. A brief excerpt…

“This past Wednesday, I was among a group of American religious leaders and scholars who met with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York. In what was billed as an inter-faith dialogue, we frankly shared our strong opposition to certain Iranian government policies and provocative statements made by the Iranian president. At the same time, we avoided the insulting language employed by Columbia University president Lee Bollinger before a public audience two days earlier.

The Iranian president was quite unimpressive. Indeed, with his ramblings and the superficiality of his analysis, he came across as more pathetic than evil.

The more respectful posture of our group that morning led to a more open exchange of views. Before an audience largely composed of Christian clergy, he reminded us that we worship the same God, have been inspired by many of the same prophets, and share similar values of peace, justice, and reconciliation. The Iranian president impressed me as someone sincerely devout in his religious faith, yet rather superficial in his understanding and inclined to twist his faith tradition in ways to correspond with his pre-conceived ideological positions. He was rather evasive when it came to specific questions and was not terribly coherent, relying more on platitudes than analysis, and would tend to get his facts wrong. In short, he reminded me in many respects of our president.

Both Ahmadinejad and George W. Bush have used their fundamentalist interpretations of their faith traditions to place the world in a Manichean perspective of good versus evil. The certitude of their positions regardless of evidence to the contrary, their sense that they are part of a divine mission, and their largely successful manipulation of their devoutly religious constituents have put these two nations on a dangerous confrontational course.

Ahmadinejad can get away with it because he is president of a theocratic political system that allows very limited freedoms and opportunities for public debate. We have no such excuse here in the United States, however, for the strong bipartisan support for Bush’s righteous anti-Iranian crusade, most recently illustrated by a series of provocative anti-Iranian measures recently passed by an overwhelming margin of the Democratic-controlled Congress.

There are many differences between the two men, of course. Perhaps the most significant is that, unlike George W. Bush, Ahmadinejad has very little political power, particularly in the areas of military and foreign policy. So why, given Ahmadinejad’s lack of real political power, was so much made of his annual trip to the opening session of the UN General Assembly?”

To begin, from today’s Toronto Star…

“The monks of Burma are poor, and they are unarmed, but they exert a life-and-death power over the population,” says Guy Horton, a British-based human rights consultant who has spent a decade collecting evidence of the Burmese military’s atrocities.

“This goes much deeper than ideology. The government has tried to buy off the monks by building temples and other things. But by attacking the monks they are putting their afterlives in grave danger,” says Horton, who is calling on Canada to join a campaign to bring the junta leaders to justice.

Monks normally begin the day by begging for food, and people who fill their bowls earn credits for the afterlife, known as karma. When monks reject food by overturning their bowls it puts the would-be donors in danger of a terrifying spiritual future.

“It’s a very high-pressure tactic,” explains Bruce Matthews, a Burma expert and professor emeritus of comparative religion at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. “It denies the military their credits. If they die without enough, their rebirth would be at a lower order of existence.”

The junta’s generals are heavily influenced by Buddhism, says Horton. “They’re terrified of the monkhood. They’re endlessly filming themselves going to the pagodas, and half of Burmese television is about the military bringing gifts there.”

I wrote recently that, no matter the outcome in Burma because of this current wave of protests, those that have employed nonviolent non-cooperation will achieve victory no matter the outcome simply because they refused to lower themselves to the level of those that they oppose. And I believe that to be very true. In fact, were it applied in more cases, such as in Gaza for example, we would very probably see a wave of change sweep the planet simply because only so many massacres can take place of innocents peacefully resisting before what we like to call ‘the civilized world’ would be forced to recognize the sheer magnitude of such a devotion and the utter brutality of those willing to confront it with violent means.

That said, and quite unfortunately given the Burmese military infrastructure, when one examines what is occurring in Burma from a realistic standpoint the truth is that for change to occur in an expedient fashion this event would have to have a significant impact on the officer corps within the Burmese military and lead to a dissention in the ranks that would ultimately threaten the Junta itself. Given the power wielded by Burma’s monks, and their refusal to accept alms, it is not out of the question that a movement within the military might choose to act.

Were that to occur, there are several outcomes to consider:

1) The current Junta would move immediately to purge its ranks, which, depending on the strength of those attempting to mutiny, might very well lead to a civil war. Such a state could also very well lead to ethnic guerrilla groups abandoning ceasefire agreements signed with the current government, adding a further level of chaos to the situation.

2) The Junta would simply be replaced by a more reasonable one bent on placating immediate foreign concerns, but one that would still not recognize the legitimacy of Aung San Suu Kyi.

3) That a faction within the military would depose the current regime and support the institution of Aung San Suu Kyi as the nation’s leader after securing Amnesty for themselves and positions within a reformed Burmese military establishment.

In the end, for this situation to come to a head, something will have to transpire within the ranks of the military itself. Were I a betting man, I would definitely say that that is a fact that isn’t lost on Burma’s Buddhist leadership, which may very well explain their heightened involvement in anti-government protests and their unwillingness to accept alms from members of the military.

On behalf of everyone here at matthewgood.org, we want to wish our good friend Duane Storey a speedy recovery from his recent battle with pneumonia. Sorry it took so long to post this Duane, we’ve been a tad busy (but that’s still no excuse). All of our thoughts are with you, and we all wish you a speedy recovery.

While today’s New York Times is reporting that US helicopters opened fire on a group of civilians in the Baghdad neighbourhood of Abu Dshir, killing an estimated eight people, the accounts of which are, as usual, contradictory with regards to US military and local versions of events – the Times Online has run a story regarding the September 16th incident involving Blackwater Security. It seems that one of Blackwater’s guards actually yelled for restraint during the incident and reportedly trained his own weapon on his colleagues in an attempt to restrain them…

“A Blackwater guard reportedly yelled at colleagues to “stop shooting” during an afternoon of chaos in Baghdad that left 11 Iraqis dead and called into question the accountability of all Western private security firms operating in Iraq.

The US-based company, which protects the American Embassy in the capital and its staff, is at the centre of a storm concerning the September 16 drama, which has enraged the Iraqi Government and sparked a series of investigations.

The controversy involved a car bomb, a shootout at a busy roundabout and a standoff between Blackwater guards and Iraqi security forces, according to an initial embassy report that was seen by The Washington Post.

An American official familiar with the investigation said those involved in the incident claimed that at least one Blackwater guard had drawn a weapon on his colleagues and shouted at them to “stop shooting”, the newspaper reported.”

The convolution surrounding this incident is bound to only increase as time passes, which is to Blackwater’s benefit. The more convoluted the investigation, the harder it will be for the truth to be revealed with regards to what actually happened that day. For some bizarre reason, eye witness accounts of the incident don’t seem to be getting the attention that they deserve, which says something about how the media views such reports compared to the statements released by US and Iraqi officials. And while numerous investigations are currently underway, politicking will no doubt influence the ‘findings’ of those investigating it. After all, were any report to be released that Blackwater was wholly in the wrong, it could lead to increased violence, and that is a factor that can’t be overlooked as it pertains to the manipulation of any final report on the matter.

Also of interest are the following:

Report: Blackwater ‘impeded’ probe into contractor deaths
U.S. general: Security contractors use ‘over-the-top’ tactics in Iraq

Despite occurrences in Iraq, the Pentagon has awarded another contract to Blackwater Security…

“A U.S.-based private security firm received a contract worth up to 92 million dollars from the Department of Defense amid hard questions about its involvement in two separate violent incidents in Iraq.

“Blackwater has been a contractor in the past with the department and could certainly be in the future,” said the U.S.’s top-ranking military officer, General Peter Pace, at an afternoon press conference here.

The future arrived just two hours later when the Pentagon released a new list of contracts – Presidential Airways, the aviation unit of parent company Blackwater, was awarded the contract to fly Department of Defense passengers and cargo between locations around central Asia.”

And the President of the United States has the audacity to condemn the Burmese government for their conduct? Jesus. Maybe they should take a page from the Bush administration’s playbook and just outsource their blood work. That way they can claim it beyond their control and shrug it off as ‘unfortunate’.

If there is one man that I’ll not listen to lecture others on human rights, it’s George Bush – nor any member of his administration. As long as the facility at Guantanamo exists, as long as black sites exist, as long as rendition exists, and until the United States is held internationally responsible for its war crimes and human rights violations with regards to The War On Terror and the war in Iraq – not a snowball’s chance in hell.

Things in Burma have worsened, which is to be expected given the Junta’s past actions and disregard for international scorn. In 1988 they were responsible for the deaths of thousands, and there is certainly no concrete proof that the number of deaths being reported by the Burmese government are accurate. In fact, the British and Australian Embassies in Burma believe that the number could be much higher.

Independent information coming out of the country is scarce, with the internet being downed in Rangoon and other locations throughout the country. It’s also being reported that the government has sent in ‘bus-loads of vigilantes’ to attack demonstrators, most likely to decrease criticisms of the Burmese military. There are also reports that a massive detention center has been set up at an old race course outside of Rangoon to house those arrested in recent days.

Background information from the BBC.
Amnesty International’s latest.

Last night’s venue in Saskatoon was a church. It was a state of the art facility with a great stage and great amenities. From what I could gather afterwards, the new facility was the project of a church that has seen a division in its congregation over the new expansion, and one that also prompted a small protest outside the show last night by individuals claiming that I was playing ‘the devil’s music’.

Above: The devil – disproving the theory that my image can be captured on film and in mirrors. Or is that only vampires?

There are a variety of ways one can take that. First, being that I wrote the material performed, that I am, in fact, the devil. Second, that I am a vessel of the devil and preformed at the church in hopes of bringing his message to the masses. Either way, it would seem that I represent the embodiment of evil and am therefore on the fast track to eternal damnation.

My use of expletives on stage last night was also something that wasn’t welcomed, though it matters little to me. If you’re going to book a show in a church and know that the artist performing is, well - me – you have to expect that sort of thing.

Interestingly, the next show being held at the venue is Tegan and Sara, which means that the heads of those that show up to protest will no doubt explode when they discover that not only is the music of the devil being performed, but that it’s being performed by gay women.

On a more positive note, last night I was party to a plan to allow a fan to propose to his girlfriend in the middle of the performance. I want to congratulate the happy couple and wish them nothing but happiness in the years ahead.

What is a single life worth? In this nation great import is placed on the price of life, even though we are guilty of conveniently overlooking those that suffer mere feet from our doors. But what of our perception of the price of life in a war zone?

Ask yourself a question. Were you to arrive home to discover that your brother, sister, mother, father, or close friend had been killed by a drunk driver, what would your reaction be? Being that they were a part of your life, it would, quite obviously, be one of considerable dismay. Given the context, you would no doubt ask yourself why the person responsible got behind the wheel of that car intoxicated. Further, you would be overcome with anger and want to see them pay for their crime, and for robbing you of someone so dear.

Even as bystanders, we can place such an occurrence in context because we understand its nature. We’re all too aware of what happens when someone chooses to drink and drive, just as we all know that drunk driving causes a significant number of deaths across this country each year.

Now ask yourself another question. What if you arrived home to find out that your father, mother, and little sister had been gunned down in their car? Even more, that they were shot in cold blood by members of a foreign security company that possesses legal immunity?

Apply that to the example of the afore mentioned drunk driver. What if we lived in a nation in which those who were guilty of drinking and driving, and that caused the deaths of innocents, possessed legally immunity? Further, that they were handed a bottle of liquor and the keys to a new car the next day?

What would your reaction be then? Outrage? Utter astonishment?

There is no arguing that Iraq is replete with dangers and that in war zones tragic things occur. But what are we to make of murder at the hands of those that have unlimited access to both alcohol and automobiles, if you catch my drift?

Today, Geoff Morrell, a Pentagon spokesman, said that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is…

“…looking for ways to make sure we… do a better job on that front.”

And what ‘front’ is Morrell referring to? Well, the oversight of private security companies in the employ of the United States in Iraq. The very same that the Iraqi government has been complaining about for some time…

“Senior Iraqi officials repeatedly complained to U.S. officials about Blackwater USA’s alleged involvement in the deaths of numerous Iraqis, but the Americans took little action to regulate the private security firm until 11 Iraqis were shot dead last Sunday, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.

Before that episode, U.S. officials were made aware in high-level meetings and formal memorandums of Blackwater’s alleged transgressions. They included six violent incidents this year allegedly involving the North Carolina firm that left a total of 10 Iraqis dead, the officials said.

“There were no concrete results,” Lt. Gen. Hussein Kamal, the deputy interior minister who oversees the private security industry on behalf of the Iraqi government, said in an interview Saturday.

The lack of a U.S. response underscores the powerlessness of Iraqi officials to control the tens of thousands of security contractors who operate under U.S.-drafted Iraqi regulations that shield them from Iraqi laws. It also raises questions about how seriously the United States will seek to regulate Blackwater, now the subject of at least three investigations by Iraqi and U.S. authorities. Blackwater, which operates under State Department authority, protects nearly all senior U.S. politicians and civilian officials here.

U.S. Embassy officials did not respond to several requests to describe what action, if any, was taken in response to the six incidents involving Blackwater. Mirembe Nantongo, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman, said the embassy always looks into anything “outside of normal operation procedures.”

Like most drunk drivers at the scene of their crime, if they’ve survived that is, Blackwater is still claiming that they were not in the wrong. And while the Iraqi government attempted to have them expelled, the State Department worked like an ambulance chasing lawyer to ensure that they wouldn’t be. And thus far, that is exactly what’s happened, they haven’t been. In fact, despite a federal investigation in the US as to whether Blackwater has been illegally trafficking arms in Iraq, no charges have been laid against any of the individuals involved in the Nisoor Square incident.

Of course, there is a joint Iraqi-American investigation underway, and who knows, it may yet bear fruit, but that doesn’t alter the fact that someone got behind the wheel drunk and took lives, now does it? Even worse, that the problem existed before hand and nothing was done about it.

Beneath all of this technical waste of words there is someone in Baghdad that is without a loved one, that has lost, that is filled with rage and sadness and confusion. On top of all that that person has had to deal with given Iraq’s reality, to be faced with such madness within a madness makes one wonder how it can be borne?

In life we all lose. Thus, in loss must come the realization that the sufferings of others provides a universal connectivity that compels us to better cherish the sanctity of life. And that no matter the circumstances, we are, all of us, bound by the thinnest of threads to this earth. And so must do what we can to ensure that those around us remained tethered.