Polanski's Ghost Writer, Cheney and the End of Bin Laden

The new (2010) Roman Polanski film "Ghostwriter," has strong potential for use in the classroom. At the box office the film, unsurprisingly, did better on the foreign market than domestically. Ghost Writer is intended for adult, thinking audiences, and the film is carried along by plot and character development. So, it might be difficult for our modern ADHD audience to sit through without the normal cognitive crutches of CGI, 90% seat time fighting, f*****g, cars crashing, etc. But for those who still remember when movies were not under the shadow of video games, this is a film to watch.

The other group that will no doubt suffer through the film belongs to those who support the Global War on Terror, invasion/occupation of Iraq, torture, etc. For example, the New York times review (and they did support the invasion of Iraq) tried to divert the attention from the context of the film and focus our attention on Polanski's private life (here). Certainly, there are interesting parallels. During the making of the film Polanski was under indictment and the threat of extradition (here)as is Prime Minister Lang. Both are in exile, attempting to escape justice. But by focusing on this (art as personal confession), the NY Times attempts to take our eye off the story (art as engagement with the cosmos).

"Ghost Writer" courageously raises the issue of the fact that those in the West who sanctioned and ordered torture, such as Cheney, have not been prosecuted. The argument that Cheney and his ilk make is that torture is justified because it works. The old ticking time bomb argument.

However,the recent killing of Bin Laden clearly illustrates just how misguided Cheney & Ilk are. The facts speak for themselves:

* Bin Laden lived in his compound for 5 years, plenty of time to find him, and plenty of time for many within the Al Qaeda network to know where he was (in fact, over 100 USA military advisors in 2008 lived just minutes from Bin Laden!)
* We don't know how many hundreds of people were tortured, but not one person divulged his location
* The CIA eventually (almost a decade later) found Bin Laden by tracking a phone call (and not waterboarding or using the rack)

Of course, there is reason to be relieved that Bin Laden is gone. But we will not have closure until those who perpetrated illegal acts of torture are brought to justice.

Perhaps it is time that we dug out a DVD of "Ghost Writer"?

Mosque at Ground Zero

The way the Extreme Right has used this issue to promote both xenophobia and Islamophobia is mind numbing. Stephan Salisbury has written an excellent article Mosque Mania: Anti-Muslim Fears and the Far Right must read essay.

A second important article on the subject, entitled 'Ground Zero Mosque' Imam Was A Bush-Era Partner For Mideast Peace explores the Imam behind the mosque, Feisal Abdul Rauf.

Not that reality means anything to the extreme right, but here it is:

1. Islam and Muslims are not responsible for the terror attacks of 9/11. Instead, the handful of perpetrators claimed to be Muslims.

2. There were substantially more Muslim victims of the 9/11 attacks (20:1 ratio) than there were Muslims who did the attacks - here.

3. All of the Abrahamic Faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) have members, unfortunately, who commit acts of violence in the name of their religions; and all of the Abrahamic Faiths have members who are committed to working for peace.

Learn more about religious violence - here and terrorism here

Learn more about Peace and Love in the Qur'an - here

American Media Not Interested in Pakistan Flood Victims!!

One of the biggest natural disasters of the century is playing out as a minor story on USA media outlets. Here is a simple review:

New York Times - absent from front online page
Christian Science Monitor - focus of story is on social inequality in Pakistan
Huffington post (huffpost world) - absent (article a few days ago on terrorist connection by not doing anything)
Washington Post - absent (but article on DC storms that have snarled traffic!)
Los Angeles Times - absent (lead story on economy and cars)
Chicago Tribune - absent (big story on mosquito outbreak)
CNN - absent (but lead story on millions approved for border security & same-sex bridal magazine)
Fox News - absent (big stories on Iranian stoning of woman & possible terrorists in
refugee boat from Canada)
ABC News - absent (lead story on Bonnie & Clyde)

Folks - this is just one day after the United Nations called for the world to jump in and help Pakistan by increasing donations!

What is happening is that in our "free press society" the media is waiting for its clue as to what to do until the White House reacts. So far the White House Press Corp has released anything on the issue.

1/3 of Pakistan is underwater. Millions are homeless. Juan Cole has called it right when he stated that Pakistan is probably a "failed state" now (here), and we have several more weeks of Monsoon season to go.

James Cameron and the Gulf Oil Spill

60 days is a long time when it comes to the amount of oil that was spilling daily into the gulf.




James Cameron assembled a team, submitted a 25 page report on what to do about the Gulf Oil spill, but it was ignored. 60 days later BP and the gov arrived at the same strategy.

""The thing is, it was the right answer 60 days ago when we gave them that report," Cameron said. "That means you've got a million gallons a day, times 60 days, pouring into the gulf. [That's] 60 million gallons of oil." Read more

James Cameron "is considered an expert in the technology of deep-sea diving, having used submersibles in a succession of his films.In addition to his own submersible creations, Cameron has worked with the Russian-made Mir submarines on lease from the Russian Academy of Sciences...He has filmed at depths of as much as two miles – twice the depth of the Deepwater Horizon well." Read more

Meanwhile, we now know that oil has entered the food chain: ""It would suggest the oil has reached a position where it can start moving up the food chain instead of just hanging in the water," said Bob Thomas, a biologist at Loyola University in New Orleans. "Something likely will eat those oiled larvae ... and then that animal will be eaten by something bigger and so on...Tiny creatures might take in such low amounts of oil that they could survive, Thomas said. But those at the top of the chain, such as dolphins and tuna, could get fatal "megadoses." Read more

Learn more about the environment on earth here

Consider the environment on Pandora here

Call for Aid for Pakistan

The time has come for the US and its Western allies to jump in and aid Pakistan. The State Department has provided a list of things it has done to date - here, which seems a bit meager in comparison to the outpouring of aid to Haiti ($55 million compared to over $662 million dollars), where US relief agencies received $1.3 billion to aid Haiti - here.

For the past few years, USA drones have been dropping bombs on an area close to the flood zone. We understand it's hard to switch gears, but "winning the hearts and minds of the region" strategy should have the USA downsize its war game and up-tick its emergency aid.

What a great gesture of friendship building it would be if Americans would reach out to the people of Pakistan at this time by donating to either secular organizations such as Oxfam or Islamic Relief.

If you are in the USA, a list of agencies that are attempting to help can be found here, though we encourage people to avoid organizations with an overt Christian mission.

Our Intelligence Report

Now - the problem, of course, will be getting money onto the ground and into the right hands, as much of it will be threatened by corruption. The flooding hits the bread basket of Pakistan, endangering the country's economy. Currently hardline groups that are against the central government, and have been known to engage in militant actions, have mobilized quickly (here). There appears to be growing anger in population at the central governments slow response, which could undermine central authority and strengthen the hands of local radical-insurgent groups. As the long term economic impact hits the country of Pakistan expect radical groups to gain more local ground. Therefore, in order to forestall what could turn into a wide anti-central government movement, the world's powers need to act quickly.

Northrop Grumman "Securing the Globe with 90,000 Tons of Diplomacy"

A funny thing happens as you drive around Washington D.C., and not far from the Pentagon, you suddenly come eyeball-to-eyeball with Northrop Grumman's poster championing the intimidation that lies behind their aircraft carrier.

One of the sad facts about U.S. foreign policy is that it has become dominated by the military. The Northrop Grumman billboard tells the story well, for those who are listening and thinking about cultural artifacts. Under Bush-Cheney the State Dept weighed in at Bantam weight while the military towered in the political ring like a 500 lbs. gorilla (or should we say Godzilla). In our Macho-testosterone driven Yang dominated culture diplomacy is derided as "effeminate," something secondary and looked down upon (remember the "Americans are from Mars; Europeans are from Venus" chest pounding?). The billboard tells us that effective diplomacy comes, not through negotiation and persuasion, but through intimidation, backed up by bombs and saber rattling. This is unfortunate and has blow back consequences, which we will continue to tease out in other posts.

Now - the problem with the 90,000 tons of diplomacy is that it has been checked by China's new missile (the Dong Feng 21D). In order for the logic of Command and Control diplomacy to work, the Dong Feng 21D will have to be checked with even greater firepower, which, of course, will have to be checked by the other side.

The other, and obvious, point the billboard raises is who stands to gain in the great game of war? Who is making the money by pursuing costly tons of diplomacy rather than "suits" on the ground? BTW: Where's your money? - watch here

Learn about Corporate soldiers on Pandora and Earth.

Consider conflict on Pandora - here

Learn about Peace and Reconciliation on Earth - here

Afghanistan; Winning in the Hearts and Minds of the People

The new talk inside the Beltway is that "winning" in Afghanistan means winning the "hearts and minds of the people of Afghanistan" (sounds like Vietnam speak - hey?). Despite best efforts by the American intel community to integrate culturally appropriate behavior, the problem is that American soldiers in the field will not always follow the dictates. A recent article in Soldier of Fortune commentary informs us that American troops often race through villages at high speeds, endangering pedestrians and animals, while antagonizing village elders. Moreover, Ann Jones, embedded with U.S. troops, tells us that young soldiers visiting tribal elders engage in farting contests in front of the elders! (here) In addition, killer drones murder civilians, creating ever more insurgents and hostility. And then lets not forget those who are militant Christians and are basking in a war of civilizations and religions.

The fact is that realities on the ground cannot be controlled from Command and Control

There is a better path in Afghanistan than peace from the barrel of a gun. Let's talk