The needle

Moments of so called quietness. Calm before the storm?

Or maybe news reports, news flashes, newspaper articles, web reports, radio bulletins, and news headlines haven’t been that catchy recently. Anyway....

The Afghan election just seems to be sliding deeper and deeper into confusion and misty depths of credibility loss. Still no final result and thus still no announcement on who is the next elected president. Outgoing president Karzai said that he feels the process is still smooth and hasn’t lost any integrity. He has to be on another planet or on serious medication, because nearly daily there are official reports of official complaints of election fraud. The whole process seems seriously undermined and losing credibility day by day, drip by drip. Of course Karzai has to say that as he sees himself as the winner of these elections and thus as the next president. A ruler with seriously damaged credibility. A president in a sand castle that is being blown to pieces by the mountain winds. And the bearded Taliban are just watching from the hilltops.

It’s a tough one for the international force that is there to keep the peace and to strengthen the democratic process and institutions. But that process now is like a leaking ship. Democracy in post-Taliban Afghanistan got a serious knock on the head. Confusion reigns. Credibility adrift. Respect dwindling. International support under pressure. Population losing hope and faith in democracy. Detached. What a dilemma for the international forces. Should they stay or should they go? Their dream of a solid democratic society is under attack from within. Fraud. Corruption. Legitimisation. Doubts. Fears. But going means likely the return of the Taliban. Which is pretty bad news for Afghanistan (especially for its female citizens) as well as for the region – especially rocky Pakistan with its own Taliban issues up in its northern region and the border mountains with Afghanistan. And when Pakistan gets more nervous and instable, neighbouring India gets edgier too. It’s the regional domino effect.

From disillusioned Afghan voters to angry European milk farmers. All happening at the same time on this little planet called Earth.

Spotted a photo of Belgian milk producers disposing of thousands of milk onto empty fields. What a waste! They say that producing milk is not worth it anymore because the milk price is too low. What a damn waste! I think German milk farmers did the same thing some days later. Angry copy cats. Why not distributing all that milk for free on markets around the country. Or free to schools. Or free to homeless shelters. Just wasting it away like they have done is an insult to the poor and the hungry on this globe.

Farmers seem always angry and complaining and agitated and in a foul mood. Maybe they drink not enough milk. Or maybe they don’t enjoy the joy of a good piece of cheese.

Human behaviour is a joke. Sour milk.

From one liquid to another. Venezuela has made a deal with China for some oil exploration in the Latin American nation. Washington must be getting nervous again. Last week or so Russia and Venezuela signed a missile deal. Now China comes drilling for oil in the US backyard. That Chavez guy is pushing the button. Of course no complaints because if you are hated by some you look for help and friendship somewhere else. It’s the way the cookie crumbles. China better watch out president Chavez doesn’t nationalise the oil fields once China did all the labour. But maybe Chavez behaves better within the circle of red star allies. The Sarah Palin brigade must be steaming. Steaming of hate. Lock and loaded. That creeping red monster is still alive. They thought uncle Reagan killed the commie dragon when the Soviet empire collapsed. But as the 21st Century gets rolling Russia is slowly back on the map, China’s might is growing faster than the muscles of a body builder on steroids, and Chavez is spreading the evil commie word in America’s garden. And on top of that the US voted for a black, Democrat president who wants to close Guantanamo, maybe talk to evil Iran, and put health reform before Congress. I think the reborn-Christian churches in the US have just gained thousands of new members. Living in fear of a black man in the White House and the creeping, advancing commies. The world must be coming to an end! God must have mercy for these poor American right wingers. Soon Bush Jr will hit the bottle again and Cheney will relocate to Argentina where he will start a colony with former Nazi offsprings. The world will never be the same again. Amen.

Oh, and on top of that the lethal injection for an inmate on death row in Ohio failed. The executioner could not find a vein! There are really no guarantees anymore.

I think the vein-less death row show has now turned into a legal battle. Should he die or should he live. The guy’s head must be spinning. I thought those executioners had some creativity. The needle doesn’t work, let’s move on to the next option. Bullet in the head. The death row machinery cannot be stopped because of a vein issue. Get real.

What a world out there. Afghanistan is a mess. Milk is being wasted in the north while people are starving in the south. Chavez is reaching out to the reds in China and Russia, while the Republicans are increasingly turning to prayers for some urgent answers. And the criminal didn’t die as per plan and his life is now a tussle between courts. The new world in all its glory. May we all have mercy. And some alcohol and Prozac too please. Urgency requested.

Oh and let’s not forget this story from India. A gambler in the east of this vast nation ‘lost’ his teenage daughter as he lost a poker game. I mean, he put his daughter as a price in a poker game. Collateral. How nuts is that? He had lost all his money, kept playing and came up with this ‘bright’ idea to put his own daughter forward as a price. It’s beyond reality. And the winner of the card game just happily ‘collects’ the daughter as his winning price and walks away with her. The cops are now looking for the girl. They should arrest the father and exchange him with the vein-less death row inmate in Ohio.

Human behaviour needs a very urgent reality check. Are we advancing the human race or is it two steps forward and three steps back?

Throw out. Had The Dents’ “Time for biting“ cd in my car this week. Boston tunes from 2006. Straightforward, uncompromised punkrock with female vocals. A kind of Ramones / Lunachicks / L7 combination. Good for driving.

C-Ya

collateral - 2nd half of September 2009