A Moment of Silence

Re: # 48


Farzana

As always thanks for the insight-driven feedback. I do acquiesce with thee that my interact #28 was below the belt. I’m not proud of it. I normally do rise above the fray and the mass hysteria in the infant-like playgrounds of Chowk, yet if you see all of Hamid M`s and his lackey appendage Beejay`s numerous slanderous comments, both merited a long overdue type-lashing. Though I must concede my type-lashing could have been done more gracefully. Point taken.

Now that one of them, Beejay, has comeback with an “iota” of pseudo-intellect I will counter him diplomatically of course. A certain cyber-ghost says to a certain cyber-witch that life is all about “grace”. I have realised how very infantile interactions can be on these fora and I will ONLY answer the relevant ones, as I have hitherto done so.

As for any purported allegations by cyber-war mongrels of a “hoax” a simple adage would suffice:

“For those who believe no explanation is necessary. For those who do not none will suffice”.

Re: # 46

Beejay you vacuously and predictably require me to respond to items (1)-(5) in #33. But you have not asked a single question ! Your innate contradictions are becoming quite a transparent paradox on this fora. You merely rendered lofty assertions in #33. So there is nothing to answer. The one question you ask about Kashmir has already been given coverage to in the poem itself.

Now courteously take your broom and mop elsewhere. Good janitor that you are.

Dear Naqshbandi

Heartening it is to finally witness some mature and savvy comments being made.
Naqshbandi these `defenders of freedom` feed ``misinformation`` with opaque and usurous hands. The truism that a white man`s life is kindled and considered 100 x more precious than that of the rest of the world is a menacingly aching neo-colonialist reality, an intoxication which afflicts us all- the developing world. No matter what our stripes.

The neo-con hang-over can only be undone by ``revolutions from below`` as opposed to ``revolutions from above``. In ``revolutions from below`` state apparatchiks are deemed null and void and the people render the uprising thereby legitimising ``authority`` through constant referenda.

``Westoxification`` spasms brown sahebs and chachas into ``paroxysms of mourning`` while the bleaker fields of casualties around the developing world harvest not a modicum of despair amongst Machiavelli`s children.

Naqshbandi as you acidly observe the ``ba-ba blacksheeps, uncle toms, mental slaves`` , the blah blah Blairs, the blahdy-daah Bushes shed selective crocodile tears when decorum dictates and protocol summons.

All consciousness has been eclipsed.
All Kalimah`s rebuked.
Except for ``la ilaha il America``

Though the pendulum of justice will swing over one day.

But justice is never served on a silver platter. Or fed with grapes.

Justice is never benignly granted. It must always be taken.

The question is not if.

But how and when.

This ought to be ``our`` struggle.

From cradle to grave.

From womb to tomb.

(Enter the inspector)

Inspector Clue-so (IC): (looks around suspiciously)
Chowk Censor (CC): Hey, who are you?
IC: I’m Inspector Clue-so.
CC: You mean Clouseau.
IC: No, I mean Clue-so.
CC: What happened to Clouseau?
IC: We fired him.
CC: For what?
IC: Incompetence and disruptive behavior.
CC: (flutters eye lashes in wonder) At chowk! No way! Here we only reward people for bad behavior!
IC: Well, there was one more reason.
CC: What, because he’s dead and had a lousy name?
IC: No, he spoke terrible English.
CC: Hmmmm…What can I do for you?
IC: I have an arrest warrant here.
CC: For whom?
IC: (Trying to read) It says something like “M…. Mullah”
CC: You mean “Mad Mullah”! He doesn’t live here.
IC: Not him. (Trying harder) I think it says “Machiavellian Mullah”
CC: I disclaim knowing anybody by that name.
IC: Who DOES live here, anyway?
CC: Tempo, but he’s out!
IC: But that’s impossible. He’s NEVER out!
CC: Inspector, believe me! It CAN happen! He CAN resist posting on a board!
IC: That’s a tough fly to swallow! (Becoming suddenly suspicious) He hasn’t left his earthly abode and become a ghost, or something?
CC: (Changing topic quickly and fluttering eye-lashes, moves closer) You look handsome. That’s a nice gun you got! Can we elope together to Las vegas?
IC: (Shocked) Ma’m. I DO have my professional ethics. (To self) And standards.
CC: Why do they call you Clue-so, anyway?
IC: I look at clues.
CC: So?
IC: Exactly.

(Exit the inspector)

Re: # 52

Dearest Janitor:

``Some appear to be more interested in the poet rather than the poem.``

The interest, if any, should only be geared towards the ``poem``. Its ``content``. And nothing else.

Thanks anyways Pink Panther.

Dear Ozer:

In response to the earlier question that you asked regarding the death toll for Iraqi civilians after Saddam was toppled, I quote parts of my i-log from July 3, 2005. Hope this clarifies to you how I view this issue. Thanks.

“Yes, we know all the pitfalls of our continued stay in Baghdad and other parts of the Middle East and the rest of the world! And we know all sides of this issue and that issue, and all the issues in between and without. And we know that more civilians have been abrupt casualties in this war than would have been systematic casualties over a long haul under that dictator Saddam, and we know that people there may not have the experience of ruling by majority and by reason and by consensus and that there are many, too many in the region for whom force has always been the way – the only way! You don’t need to tell us any of that – we have heard it all before so many times that we know it by heart!

We refuse responsibility for killings of civilians that the ruthless enemy conducts day in and day out – that responsibility belongs to the ones that commit it – the killers! And we refuse guilt by association for acts individual at this prison or that in capacities individual (and we fully hold those accountable in every way as our laws allow). And we call the bluff and refuse to swallow the lines that the local media – brought up on the same ancient diet of exclusivity and of all the hate that such exclusivity entails keeps feeding its more-than-willing audiences of individuals brought up in the same manner. And we refuse to buy the lies – the lies that try to tell us that the local population tolerating the local and not-so-local bullies means that we have to tolerate abdication of our own roles and indeed duties to the causes of freedom, in this region or the world at large!”

Sincerely,
BeeJay.

Re: # 52

...with a nick lik BJ... salim the strip manager comes to mind...who is currently busy unravelling the mysteries of mevlana rum...vaise temporal`s cc is cute chowki who imho has nothing to do with censoring...but you may carry on with your operation a la pink panther while i listen to henry mancini in the background...;)

Re: # 54

beejay,

.... excellent post ....... you are absolutely right - we cannot abdicate our duties to the cause of freedom just because some natives in turbans and their fawning sympathizers in the west have chosen to parrot lies and half-truths over and over again............ the biggest culprit in this silliness is the liberal media that is always looking for a cause ......... watch it, as soon as the dead-enders have been exterminated inspite of their hue and cry, they will turn their attention to saving the spotted owl and prairie dog - a much better cause, i might add .............

#55 Khamkhwa.

Dear sir:

Aap khamkhwa pareshan ho rahe hain! I would like to re-emphasize that (in #52) the inspector only paid a visit – he did not actually make an arrest! For all we know, he may have just taken a side detour from a “fishing” trip! ;-)

Please rest assured, the Beej is a “one of a kind” entity and there aren’t many (or any) like him/her! Thanks for your encouraging words!

(The inspector thanks you, too!)

Beeay thanks for sharing your views in interact # 54

Regards.

Beejay thanks for sharing your views in interact 54.

Regards.

Re: # 56 hamidm {``... we cannot abdicate our duties to the cause of freedom ...``}

On June 6, in a closed-door session, a Senate Intelligence Committee approved a bill. If Congress and the President agree (and the President certainly will), this bill will dramatically expand the FBI`s powers under the Patriot Act to issue secret administrative subpoenas for an unprecedented range of personal records without having to go to a judge. The FBI will then write its own subpoenas, just as British customs officials in the colonies did before the American Revolution when they used general search warrants (writs of assistance) to go into homes and offices at will. Here are the most controversial provisions of the Patriot Act. Under Sections 215 and 505 of the act, law enforcement officials are given broad access to ANY type of record - sales, library, financial, medical etc. - without having to show probable cause of ANY crime. The Patriot Act also forbids the holders of this information, such as university librarians and college registrars, from disclosing that they have ever provided such records to federal officials. The ``sneak-and-peak`` provision of the Patriot Act (Section 213) allows law enforcement agencies to conduct secret searches of anyone`s home or apartment - without a warrant and without even notifying the owner.

Much more could be added, but this is the ``surveillance state`` in full flight. The genuine Police State follows as a matter of course once the surveillance state is fully established. It is a constant of history that whenever a nation has engaged in external wars, internal repression has ALWAYS followed. In fact, the progression has worked both ways, internal repression followed by external war or external war followed by internal repression. The INTERNAL repression ALWAYS occurs.

Here is the real political reason as to why all this is happening. A June 13 USA Today poll showed that almost six in 10 Americans (59 percent) want a full or partial pullout of US troops from Iraq. In a New York Times/CBS News poll, President Bush`s approval rating dropped to 42 percent while 59 percent disapproved of his handling of Iraq. President Bush is losing on his own internal front.

On June 23, the US Supreme Court said that the US Constitution does NOT prohibit local governments from seizing private property for other private uses - so long as it is developed for the ``public benefit``. Under this ruling, an American`s private property can be taken by political means to be given to some other American! The 5-4 ruling clears the way for the condemnation of some private homes for a new office and retail complex. It gives other cities and towns more leeway to buy and raze homes, churches and other properties that yield little tax revenue. That`s the reason behind the ruling, increased tax revenues for American cities and towns collected by bureaucrats who can condemn somebody`s private property and then give it to somebody else who can afford to pay these bureaucrats more taxes. There will soon be a form of political ``escalator`` inside the US where if you can pay the higher taxes, you keep your ``property``. If you can`t, your ``property`` will be taken from you and given to someone who can.

Between them, this latest expansion of the Patriot Act and the Supreme Court ruling target dead centre what is going wrong inside the US. Political power, at all levels, Federal, State and local, is running amok. This is STATISM in its full flower. The sum of agencies of all levels of government have gained complete power over the Lives, Liberties and Estates of the general public who live their lives in civil society. Politically, this is in fact a blatant claim by government that all citizens ARE its property!

If there is no safe and secure private property and there is no privacy then sooner or later is there going to be any freedom or liberty?

...SR

Dear Ozer:

The janitor has stepped out for a while. (You see, he needed to get replenishment for his supplies. He ran out, because he has been using them indiscriminately for purposes they were not intended for (primarily for throwing them at perceived opponents of the moment, left, right, up, down, and all over – the tale consists of broken bones and damaged egos of the small and the big alike – leaving a trail of terrible devastation)). I am taking advantage of this break to sneak in a few words from the “Benevolent” part!

It is obvious that we (the Janitor and I) have been harsher than necessary with your work, primarily at the behest of the janitor. At this point, I would like to focus more on your work –your poem and its style than your perceived (intrinsic or projected) external characteristics – strictly from a reader’s point of view

(1) The lines of your poem are extremely unbalanced. You seem to have put them down exactly as they came to your head, and done very little or no work at massaging/streamlining them and at trying to make them more balanced and LOOKING better. (If you were a woman (or perhaps among a SMALL minority of men), you will realize the importance of the latter.) As a reader, I like to see lines that do not end at points too far from each other – the reason is strictly related to better ergonomics – the economy of neck movement.

(2) The italicized fluff up front is too long and drawn out. Most readers would, like I did, simply skip over it.

(3) The poem needs to have less circuitous references, and a better choice of words to make it flow better. For example, right in the beginning, you stumble with “clogged with wax”. Since the reader at this point (in view of (2)) has NO idea of what you are going to be talking about, it immediately conjures up an image of your ears clogged with wax and even YOU would agree that it’s not a pleasant introduction to the poet or poem.

(4) Like some others have pointed out, long winding descriptions of a large number of “atrocity” cases from around the world tend to distract from the message that you may be attempting to communicate. If I were in your shoes (not that I’d want to be – being in the line of fire is not a very pleasant prospect, even for the thick-skinned individuals like me), I’d have chosen no more than three illustrations – perhaps Africa being one. If the objective is to reach out to the reader, you should stay away from controversial topics, especially contemporary ones. Your purpose should be to maximize the impact of what you are trying to communicate, pick only certain aspects of each scene, and make the scene “hit” the reader by using the fewest of words. (Repeat after me – too much detail is a bad thing! It assumes that the reader has NO imagination.)

(5) In general, you seem to not have put in enough time just reading and revising your own poem. Like all things in life, success involves 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. Your “inspiration” part may be sort of okay, but the other part seems to be sorely lacking!

(6) I earlier commented (in a different tone) about not putting enough “heart” into it and about physical paradoxes (e.g., frozen refrigerators).

I hope the above helps. I wish you good luck. Assuming you are indeed the individual who wrote the earlier article under the same author name, I think this one is an improvement in the sense that it’s less inward-looking! Most readers like that.

I am closing now, since I hear the janitor coming back.

Sincerely,
BeeJay.

``Independence Day``

By Ozer

Common Lets Celebrate it is
``Independence Day- Halleyloooyaaaah``

Michael Moore inevitably seeps through the pores of a vacuous moral skin, whilst oil-rich ``rentier banana republics`` and the petro-dollars such as those of the House of Saud rain through the corridoors of Capitol Hill.

The drums beat. The bells toll. The eagles fly
In a vapid sky.

Are the Gulf kingdoms rich in oil poor in morality
ever finger-pointed for HR violations ?
US foreign policy satire is a Holocaust to justice.

Capitol Hill has played the life-buoy to regular repressive regimes
including the
bearded brigade Mujahideens,
civil liberties are a farce on the breath of our conscience

Let us wag the dog. Prepare American apple crumble pie.
While the tears in Rwanda dry...

The White House`s marriage of convenience with Fidel Castro to oppose a United Nations agreement on torture is an illustriuos fire-starter for Independence Day. Is it not ?
Are the chop sticks ready? Let the barbeque begin...
Have enough people been grilled in Iraq ? In Colombia ?
Who won the World Series ? And the NBA ?
Ayyyymen

The current Convention Against Torture, signed by Papa George Bush Senior, requires governments to punish torturers but does little in terms of preventative measures. Hence Abu Ghraib.

Abu what ? Ghraib eh yo what yo say ? common for now Lets Celebrate for it is our sacred
``Independence Day- Halleyloooyaaaah``

Let us mow the lawn. Wear the cap. Strike with a baseball bat
All these minority hood-rats....

Bush ends up in bed with the Sheikhs, makes irreedemable handshakes and nods,
Shakes, rattles and rolls
Walking into an obliterating sunset....

The White House has no aching desire to let international inspectors visit and interview ``enemy combatants`` detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and in military brigs.
Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore come party with us

For it is Independence Day Halleylooooooyahhhh ?
Bring on Katie Holmes as well Tom would you ?
Good Scientologist that you are....
For this is a War of the Worlds...

Start filming.

Justice Department officials do not allow international inspections of state prisons since they would breath oxygen for prisoners` privacy rights.

Other ``selective stirrings`` and sound bites of conscience are bohemian rhapsody.
Today let us hymn and sing the National Anthem
The stars and the stripes

Let the Texan cowboy dance in his boots
While Robert John and Charlie shoot
The Iraqi toots.....

Let us peer at one specific shamble: US opposition to the International Criminal Court on the grounds that the court would conduct politically motivated prosecutions of Americans--even though the ICC statute requires that all cases involving Americans be referred to the U.S. for investigation and any resulting prosecution. The ICC can take the case back only if it later finds that the U.S. proceeding was a sham, designed to obstruct rather than to achieve justice.

Such a finding--by judges chosen mainly hand-plucked by Uncle Sam`s ``democratic brethren`` is exceedingly unlikely. Yet its mere possibility is enough to send shivers down Texan spines for the administration to oppose an ICC that may offer the only hope for justice in many cases of crimes against humanity !!

Not only has the president withdrawn the U.S. signature from the ICC treaty, but he has signed a bill that authorizes him to use military force against the ICC. Hats off to the red-neck buffalos at the Pentagon.

US diplomats hold UN peacekeeping missions hostage (enter Nicole Kidman) to their demand that U.S. soldiers be immune from the ICC, and they pressure individual nations to sign agreements promising not to turn over U.S. soldiers to the ICC.
Now a legal birdie whispereth to my ear that this in itself is stretching the Vienna and Geneva Conventions towards

A leviathon of lunacy.

But for now
Bring on the Turkey, sweetcorn, coleslaw and hamburgers
For it is Independence Day Halleylooooooyahhhh
Oh what is that noise ?

It is a Jaguar screeching its way on the motorway of immorality: (please take note of this ``Husna Angelique`` for it relates to your interact #9) When Indonesian courts recently rendered ``not guilty`` verdicts against the first six military personnel tried for the 1999 atrocities in East Timor, despite strong evidence of guilt, the State Department said it was ``slightly disappointed`` but ``hoped`` that future trials will bring a sunnier forecast.

Furthermore, when victims recently sued ExxonMobil for murders and disappearances allegedly committed by Indonesian troops guarding the company`s oil wells and pipelines (exit Kidman enter JR Ewing) the State Department asked the federal judge to dismiss the suit, arguing that it could prejudice U.S. relations with Indonesia. Bleeding paradox or what ?

Let the reader of Chowk decide.

The scant regard for human rights is evident to the blind. No amount of wool can cover our retinas. Since 9/11 1,000+ foreigners have been detained in secret, some for months on end not privy to legal counsel and sheepishly deported after closed hearings for minor immigration offenses.

When a federal judge ruled that their immigration hearings must generally be public, the Justice Department got the Supreme Court to stay the order. When another federal judge ruled that their names, at least, must be made public, the government got that order, too, stayed pending appeal.

Since today is the 4th of July, all hail to Will Smith and ``Independence Day`` 2 U.S. citizens themselves --Jose Padilla and Yasser Esam Hamdi--were held incommunicado in military brigs in the U.S., without access to judicial recourse. Under the convenient label of ``unlawful combatants.`` So, too, are hundreds of foreign citizens at Guantanamo.

But lets celebrate Independence Day !! Halleluyahhhhhhhh

Global moral credibility is undercut.
Due process is short-curcuited.
Legal hearings, if any, are considered VIP events.
The ``collateral damage`` body count is countless.
Enter Arnie Schwarzeneggar.

Lights.

Camera.

INACTION.

But today, on ``independence day`` the stars and the stripes do not fly their flag half-mast

Instead they herald a full-fledged

``flag of treacherous convenience``

No ``moment of silece`` today thank you

For it is Independence Day

#62 Ozer

Dear Ozer:

(The janitor isn’t back yet.)

I am amused to read your latest outburst – in the form of a half-hearted attempt at another poem – given up half way as you switched to prose, in #62. I think you are doing a disservice to your cause (if any) of your 9/11 poem by distracting attention from it – incidentally, which is exactly what you admonished others for doing.

1) Everybody knows that when one celebrates the independence day of a country, one celebrates a people, their history, and heritage – independent of any specific current administration policies of any one particular president, or another. The Independence Day of ANY country is sacred to its citizens who owe their allegiance to it. Therefore, making fun of a country on such an auspicious day can be considered a highly foolish act.

2) From the tone of your post, your hidden (repressed?) bias (jealousy?) toward U.S. is amply evident. If you let your passions rule you, your ability to create – whether as an artist, a photographer, a poet, a singer, a musician, a dancer, a whatever (perhaps even an event organizer), will suffer tremendously! The audience/readership will lose its respect for your objectivity on issues.

3) The current attempt suffers from all the deficiencies of the original, which should have been expected in view of its rushed nature. Therefore, another piece of advice for you is – always TAKE YOUR TIME!

I am sorry that you feel in bad mood because of the U.S. Independence Day. I forgot that the independence was wrested from the British, which might make this occasion less than pleasant for the British – although I have never heard of any such thing happening – from all accounts, the British are supposedly highly reserved with their emotions.

I hope that you feel better soon.

Sincerely,
BeeJay.

Re: # 60

SR,

... stop being a dramatic alarmist !....... when they requisition my house and convert my garage into a stable for cavalry horses and take away my library card, then i will start worrying about it ............

......... in the meanwhile, i don`t mind giving up a few individual liberties to protect the homeland - after all, in case you haven`t heard, we are at war with a horrible enemy who does not play by any rule book except the one that was handed down by a rather vengeful god ......... every time i pass through the immigration counter at the airport, and lately it has been quite frequently, the poor inspector takes one look at the pakistani visa and starts asking the mandatory questions :``when did you last take training in an al-daeda camp``, `` ``do you know osama``, ``do you know mullah omar``, ``do you know urstruly and echoboom``, ``are you wearing a suicide belt``, `` when did you last take a shower``, ``can you fly a plane``, ``do you hate tall buildings``, `` have you blown up anyting lately``....... and so on ................ but i really don`t mind it, because at the end of it all they do smile and say ``welcome back home`` ............................ i would begin to worry if they didn`t ask those questions and let in somone who hates our way of life and wants to destroy what he does not understand and cannot build ............