6 posts from 2008

Why do people on Vox (and other boards) completely ignore the fact that the Russia-Georgia conflict began when Georgia attacked Southern Ossetia on Thursday, killing according to some reports over 1,500 civilians (mostly Russian citizens) and a dozen Russian soldiers? I mean seriously - Russian response is not proportionate and they are certainly using this situation to their advantage, but they did NOT start this.

Oh, I know why. Because we are getting our news from CNN, Fox, etc, and other American (or Western) news sources, that are not even trying to be objective and are clearly taking sides in the conflict.

The fight is really between US and Russia. Georgians are American puppets, and were used in an American gamble. The gamble didn't go as planned, and Russia, after decades of being pushed around, actually stood up for its interests. US does it on daily basis around the world and the Western media is always hard at work ignoring these actions or trying to create numerous justifications for these actions, but god forbid some other country does anything even remotely similar - and the headlines immediately slip back into Cold War mentality - Russian bear, Hitler, remember Budapest, and other crap.

The reality is that there is no right or wrong in this conflict - all sides are assholes. Attempts of Georgian president to spin this conflict as a Russian attack against freedom sound pathetic. (Unless we equate the words "freedom and democracy" with "pro-American government of any sort and American business interests.") Of course Georgians are sure that Russia is at fault. Of course Russians think that Georgia is at fault. But it is sad that it is virtually impossible to find a single news source that is not tainted with obviously one-sided propaganda.

So what would have been a good outcome? Georgia killing 1,500 civilians and retaking the regions that voted for their independence over 15 years ago, making sure that American interests in the region are protected while Russia protests in the UN with obvious lack of results? Is that what you would call a good outcome? Victory of freedom and democracy?

The thing is that there is no good outcome. Not for ordinary people anyways. Neither for Georgians, nor for Russians, nor for Ossetians, nor for Americans. Say, Russia looses, and American backed Georgian forces establish their military superiority over the region. So what? Ordinary Americans will not benefit from this. They will just pay the bill (as they already did - who do you think paid for those weapons that killed Ossetian civilians?) Innocent civilians would still die (in this scenario it would be Ossetians and Russians). And some oil company would still profit immensely. The only difference is which oil company profits - Russian backed Gasprom, or American backed Exxon?

So we can go ahead and get scared of Russians (or Americans), demand military retaliation against Russia (or American interests), and parrot the propaganda of our choosing. But if we wish to be honest with ourselves, let's remember that it's not about freedom, human rights, east vs. west, and other crap. It's all about fighting for resources under the banner of your favorite Energy Provider. It's not the case of good guy vs. bad guy. It's all about something that used to be called "Bushmen ethics" (my apologies to the Bushmen) - I steal a goat from my neighbor - it is good; my neighbor steals a goat from me - it is bad. Sadly, we (the ordinary Bushmen) won't even get to taste the stolen goat.

I have recently come across my favorite "Onion" article ever... From 2001... No comment needed, I believe, the article speaks for itself...

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

January 17, 2001

WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."

President-elect Bush vows that "together, we can put the triumphs of the recent past behind us."

"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."

Bush swore to do "everything in [his] power" to undo the damage wrought by Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.

During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years.

"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?"

On the economic side, Bush vowed to bring back economic stagnation by implementing substantial tax cuts, which would lead to a recession, which would necessitate a tax hike, which would lead to a drop in consumer spending, which would lead to layoffs, which would deepen the recession even further.

(The rest of the article is here) 

Continuing the mainstream theme I've added 8 (!) characters from the first, second, and third Nightmares on Elm Street to the Heroes and Monsters Guide: Freddy Krueger, Roland Kincaid, Taryn White, Will Stanton, Joey Crusel, Lt.Thompson, Nancy Thompson, and of course Jesse Walsh. Enjoy, folks... This is some fine Wes Craven (and not Wes Craven) work...

Boo-hoo! I completely sold out and added characters from Batman (1989) to the Heroes and Monsters Guide: Vicki Vale, Joker, and the goddamn Batman... I feel like a dirty cinematic whore...

Batman

Joker

Vicki Vale