|
|
|
|
|
|
|
_________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________ THE IMPORTANCE of being ERNEST or ARTHUR John Bayley * " The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, nor wealth to the intelligent, Nor success to the skilful; Time and chance govern all." 9:11 Ecclesiastes * "There is a wild spirit of adventure that looks like malice." Nietzsche * What does Adelaide born David Hicks have in common with Ernest Hemmingway and Arthur Koestler? Well, the short answer to that is, more than you might imagine, for each of the three was (is in the case of Hicks) an adventurous spirit with the soul of a poet. The news media in Australia even had some blonde bimbo of an early morning news presenter read to us an alleged example of Hick's verse as an intended means of denigrating him. Well, sorry but ignoring her extremely poor delivery, I thought it was very nice. After all, when evaluating poetry, it is timely to bear in mind the inescapable fact that facility with pentameter can be developed over time, for it is merely a craft, but the real art of the poem resides in its content. Therefore dear news media, mock him all you will, but at the end of the day, the man is a poet. Secondly, all three involved themselves in the internal conflict of a foreign nation. The Spanish civil war in the case of Ernest and Arthur and the Afghani civil war in the case of David, who unlike his two literary colleagues actually took up arms in the defence of the governing party (Taliban), which a decade earlier had won the admiration of the U.S. by booting out the Russians and bringing the evil empire to its knees. So then, no one could suggest that these three men aren't kindred spirits (warrior poets), but what disparate fates awaited them purely on the basis of time and chance! The first two were pronounced heroes, while David, due to nothing more than a shift in cultural values over time, has been branded a pariah. When my generation was growing up in the sixties, it was a common notion amongst teenage boys that if all other avenues of adventure became closed off to them, there would always be the French Foreign Legion to fall back on, for the yearning for adventure was at that time considered part of being human. Well not any more apparently, for today nearly everyone is a hero and everyone else is a terrorist or racist simply on the say so of those who would see the human spirit drained from us all and replaced by the will to mediocrity. In any event, how was David Hicks supposed to have been able to foretell that the U.S. would invade Afganistan, kidnap him from within the jurisdiction of a sovereign country, and finally invent a new status (illegal combatant) permitting them to keep him at arms length from due process until hell freezes over, sorry, until the war on terror is won. The U.S. has been undergoing an interesting socio-political process of evolution for the last three centuries or more. What with its witch trials, slavery, civil war, McCarthyism, Pentecostalism and jumping paranoia, its little wonder that reason struggles to get a back seat. Well, all I can say is it's a fine thing that Ernest and Arthur didn't carry out their transgressions in the same era as Mr. Hicks or at least in the case of Koestler, the world might have been deprived of several very fine books. |
__________________________________________________
It's OK to be a Polish Fighter
----- Original Message -----
From: <chapski@earthlink.net>
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 3:44 PM
Subject: Tyminski and Safire; honesty and indoctrination; good and evil
Friends,
The two articles below portray truth and propaganda. One is by Stan
Tyminski, a successful businessman; the other, an employee of a large
monopoly. Tyminski is an extraordinary guy. Stan ran for president of
Poland, has published popular books and speaks several languages. He¹s a
magnificent and versatile honest intellectual. In this piece Tyminski
presents actual facts on Poles and today's political situation.
As for the second essay, it¹s composed by what appears to be
an'Israel-firster.' In his usual manner Safire doesn't touch on any tangible
issues pertaining to reasons for war/global hatred of Americans, etc.
Safire does lionize the president of Poland, Aleksander Kwasnieski
(Stolzman). As for the last part of his propaganda, Safire discloses that
the Polish joke has been replaced by the French joke. What he doesn¹t
elaborate on is why -after about 35,000 Pol-Jews were removed from their
jobs and left for the U.S.S.A.- that the Polish joke came from nowhere to
dominance in major media. Nor does he elicit honesty about why the French
joke his now being formulated by those retaining media authority.
I was unable to find and post any other Safire¹s war/peace propaganda due to
time factors. The column below appeared in today¹s St. Petersburg Times and
numerous other mainstream publications. It should be in your local rag.
Bottom line: By presenting two sides of the coin, lofty numbers can see the
difference between honesty and propaganda. Stan has no reason to be
dishonest. One can only wonder at the Safire agenda.
If anyone is apprehensive about the global scope of the "problem," let them
study the anti-Polish and French joke syndromes. Both joke worlds were made
by the same element. The accomplished indoctrination, in both cases,
symbolizes abhorrent evil and has been catastrophic.
The two works published below represent actual mindsets. They are typical of
a global problem and authentic documentation.
Best/bruno
________________________________________________________
Military Tourism
by Stanislaw Tyminski
The ease of the recent military victories in Afghanistan and Iraq has
astonished the world. While the losses of natives in both countries were
counted in thousands of dead, Americans, British and Poles altogether lost
just a couple of hundred soldiers. Although the cost in terms of lost troops
has been minimal it became very apparent that the Americans dedicated
practically all manpower they had to these military campaigns and were in a
highly vulnerable position if they needed to attend possible conflicts in
other parts of the world. This is how the idea of military tourism for Poles
was born.
The Washington hawks have been romancing the Commies of Poland for a long
time with the active help of the Israelis. For several hundred years Poland
was host to the largest Jewish population in the world. Many Israeli civil
and military leaders originally came from Poland. Ben Gurion, known as a
founder of Israel in 1948, Moshe Dayan, Golda Meier, Menachem Begin, Shimon
Perez, Ariel Sharon and many others all were citizens of Poland at one time.
The famous war in 1967 between the Arabs and the Jews was victorious with
help of American weaponry but mostly because of the military skills of the
commanders who were born and trained in Poland. For this reason Poland in
certain circles is highly praised for its well trained soldiers and
officers. During the conflict with Iraq the Americans forbade the Israelis
to get involved to attack or occupy Iraq. If Israelis can no go there, why
not send Poles?
So it is apparent that facing a shortage of soldiers to occupy newly
conquered countries, both Washington and Tel Aviv have been courting the
former Communists of Poland, who owe them a lot political support. After
destruction of Polish industry during a crazy jump from socialism to
capitalism without the capital, there are millions of chronically unemployed
young Poles, who are eager for adventure. Military tourism around the world.
I can not blame young Poles for wanting to be soldiers in Iraq. They will
have their teeth fixed by a military dentist, given clean clothing and food
and some pocket money for booze and will be free to roam the exotic country
of "One thousand nights". They will be transported from place to place in
the desert of Iraq aboard flying Black Hawk carpets and should they die,
their families will be compensated 25,000 American dollars. Much better
than standing doing nothing on some corner with no money for a beer.
For the Americans, British and Israelis who are busy building new oil
pipelines in Afghanistan and Iraq the cost of the Polish boys is much
cheaper than that of their own at least 6 times. So it is good business to
send thousands military tourists from Poland to Iraq. For the Polish
communist aparatchiks who still rule the country it is an opportunity to
gain a few extra brownie points and Hollywood style support during the next
election campaign. Also the more soldiers they send abroad, the fewer
problems they will have with the huge unemployment they have created in
Poland, as builders they are not. Polish boys will have the time of their
lives and might benefit some Iraqi women with blue eyed babies with blonde
hair.
It does not matter that 85% of Poles objected to Polish involvement in the
military conflict in Iraq. The Communists who rule Poland were elected with
the aid of proportional election law and this gives them the right to make
decisions at least until another election. As proportional election law is
slanted in favour of the parties, not individuals, most likely they will
stay in power forever with the assistance of their grateful friends from
Israel and USA.
Thus Poland with millions of unemployed young men has become a supplier of
military tourists who can roam the world. Today it is Iraq, tomorrow it
might be Iran, Korea or China. Any rogue country branded as Axis of Evil
will do. There is even a larger plan to train Polish pilots to fly American
fighter planes. To do so the Communist rulers have just signed up a
multi-billion dollar contract for F-16 fighters and Polish pilots, whose
fathers defended London during WWII, will be trained to fly American
missions anytime, anywhere in the world. To the Communists, loyalty was the
number one quality and who would refuse fly orders from the highly
computerized Central Command buried deep below the mountain in Colorado,
USA?
In such a way, benefitting from the proportional election law, Poland has
become a very valuable and important player on the international scene. The
value of Poland should no longer be measured in terms of productivity,
exports or GDP. In the New World Order what counts the most are the loyal
friends who can supply a large quantity of well trained pilots, military
commanders and cheap soldiers. This is now the prime export of Poland. Not
so much in dollars but in the invitations to state dinners in Washington,
rides in F-16 jet fighters and unlimited election support of American and
Israeli politicians, their diplomats and their press. Loyal Poland known for
the bravery of its people will now defend democracy everywhere!
As Americans even send young women to war, there is equal opportunity here
for Polish girls to practise military tourism as well. No need to wait for
the clients in boring massage parlors or walk the streets of EU. Much better
to grab the world by the balls with an Uzi gun in your hands.
The world is never a static place, we are always trained to be flexible and
to welcome change. This idea of military tourism we should welcome with open
hearts and cheer this initative that will send our young ones to become
decorated heroes and defenders of democracy in far away lands. They have an
opportunity that we were denied when the Communists kept borders closed so
we could build ships, trains and schools. We could not travel in those days
as we were busy working to meet targets of 5-year plans. Now that there are
no plans and no industry of any kind military tourism is a viable and
enticing alternative. We will anxiously wait for return of our heroes with
brass bands, waving our national flag when they return victorious and
decorated. That will be most glorious day!
_________________________________________________________
Let's reward friends of freedom
William Safire
When President Bush travels to St. Petersburg early next month, he will
again urge President Vladimir Putin to stop supplying Iran with the means to
develop nuclear weapons. Putin will insist, as usual, that his dangerous
trade is all for peaceful purposes.
Bush will seem to tolerate that. Further, he will pretend to forget the
Russian's last-ditch support in the United Nations of Saddam Hussein's
tyranny. That's what passes for diplomacy.
Underneath that public rapprochement, however, will be a clear understanding
in the White House that the United States and Russia are by no means allies.
Through our two nations have some common interests, our differences are
deepening: Russia is still a one-party oligarchy with dissent stifled by
state-run television and has shown an affinity for murderous dictators from
the Balkans to the Persian Gulf.
The atmosphere will be quite different when Bush travels on to Poland. In
Cracow or Warsaw, he will warmly shake the hand of President Aleksander
Kwasniewski, the leader who- when it came to supporting a war to erdicate a
dangerous tyranny- recently demonstrated the courage to defy the Russians on
his east and the Germans and French to his west.
During GW2, a symbolic contingent of 200 Polish troops helped secure Iraq's
southern oil fields. To show the coalition's appreciation, a couple of
thousand more Poles are being given the responsibility and honor of
stabilizing a sector of freed Iraq, with their occupation costs covered by
nations belatedly wanting to contribute support.
In a gesture that only Eastern Europeans with long memories can fully gasp,
the Polish defense minister sweetly invited his German counterpart to
contribute troops to this Polish-led European force. Officials under the
anti-Americn Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder seeth at the notion of German
soldiers saluting Polish offcers, and angrily rejected the generous Polish
offer.
This illustrates the way the Atlantic alliance, as it used to be called, is
realigning itself. On the Old Europe side, strikebound France and jobless
Germany (backed up by the full power of Belgium and Luxemborg) are
attempting to rally a group to counter what they claim to see darkly as
American hegemony. So far, their only recruit is Putin's Russia, glad to be
asked to join anything European.
Fortunately, this Franco-German attempt to dominate neighbors generated the
emergence of New Europe. Britain, Spain, Italy and other West Europeans are
unimpressed with the chimera of the United States as big bully cowboy. They
found common poltical cause with the nations of Eastern Europe, who well
remember who freed them from communist domination - and who do not like
Jacques Chirac's derogation of them as "not well brought up."
America did not cause this old-new split, through our interest in extending
freedom and stopping the spread of terror made us the object of it. Nor is
it in our interest to exacerbate the split, because a Europe that gets along
with itself is good for world trade and saves us from having to end its
wars.
Our post-GW2 policy should be to reward our friends and remind others that
actions have consequences. Those last three words are not a euphenism for
"punish our enemies"; France and Germany are democratic states, not our
enemies, and no punishment is in store- only a withholding of rewards that
fairly should go to those who joined freedom's cause.
Accordingly, the redeployment and reduction of our 120,000 troops in Europe
-in the works for a year on sensible strategic grounds- will now take place
apace. The 1st Armored Division, now in Iraq, will not return to German
bases. Other U.S. Troops and dependents will say Aufwiedersehen and learn
to speak Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian.
Polish jokes are out; French jokes are in. Polish -Americans in Democratic
strongholds of Michigan, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Illinois will beam with
pride at the new strategic importance, and financial guarentees for new
contracts, Bush directs to their land of origin.
It makes sense to strengthen nations we trust. As we reward freedom's
friends. Future leaders in Berlin, Paris and Moscow will get the message
that short-sighted political actions have long-term consequences.
©-free 2003 Adelaide Institute
