A Few Thoughts on Accountability and Democracy

In the US, where the government is elected by the people and accountable to them, we have an outgoing president* basically shrugging his shoulders and saying "Oops" about the war and the economy. We are a civilized people, so we will watch in disbelief as he says things like, "I was unprepared for war" (the same war he started against most of the world's protests and mocked his opponents as weak-kneed and unpatriotic); about the economy, "I'm sorry it's happening, of course" (of course); about the elections, "It was a repudiation of Republicans" and "I'm sure some people voted for Barack Obama because of me." without the slightest hint of remorse or self awareness. It's almost impressive.

Stranger still is comparing our democracy with other so-called democracies.

When we were attacked in 2001, everyone had wondered if there were any warning signs that were missed. Any memos that said things like, "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the United States", that had been missed or ignored. Apparently there had been. Along, with unconnected dots and chatter. We confronted these warnings and failures appropriately. We kicked out people like Richard Clark and rewarded people like George Tenent with medals and honors.

Now in India, an 'emerging' democracy, they have government officials who supposedly got warnings of impending attacks; semi-connected dots if you will. Their incompetence in handling these warnings has outraged the public, still in shock from being attacked as they were. As a result national, state and local officials have resigned in shame--and more resignations are expected**. Apparently they missed the class where rewarding incompetence was being discussed. I mean, they may call it accountability, I call them a bunch of quitters. They could have toughed it out in their jobs, gotten recognition, written a few books about their ordeals dealing with an ungrateful and unpatriotic populace and moved on to lucrative contract jobs. But they don't know these things yet. Their budding democracy seems to foster quitters and shame. Good luck emerging with that attitude!


*There are only about 50 more days until he retires into the sunset and contemplates how great a president he was. (Also, is there an exit interview? Is there some equivalent of an HR guy with a list of questions for Bush and Cheney about their job satisfaction and feedback?)

**Seriously, why didn't we think of outsourcing the Bush administration to India? It totally could have worked.

The Emperor's New Clothes

Well, President Bush can brag about his ability to get other world leaders to listen to him--and I won't say a thing.

It seems President Musharraf has finally listened to Bush's requests and taken off his uniform. Of course, President Bush didn't tell him what to do once the uniform was off, just to take off his uniform and hold elections. Since it seems Musharraf can't do much without being instructed by Bush (and isn't that a little scary?), he may very well be walking around naked, getting ready to hold elections.

That must be awkward.

Just a Few Things Off the Top of My Head

So much has happened since my last real post, and thoughts and moments have come and gone. Rather than backtrack, I'm going to write about a whole bunch of stuff that may in no way be connected or related to each other:

• I love writing. Desperately and passionately. I realize I may be a trite and unoriginal writer (if you think so, please don't tell me because I will have to hate you for the rest of our lives), but I truly derive joy from it. I have missed writing so much, that all this time I haven't been posting here (yes, the whole month or so), I have been thinking of things that I will write as soon as I have access to a non-work computer. I'm thinking of compiling an anthology of short stories by Iranian women who have immigrated. I'm also thinking of writing a collection of stories with the help of Anonymous Prankster about some of the more entertaining personalities who have crossed our paths (if I have had to endure their company, I think I should at least have a shot at financial gain for my pain and suffering).
  
• Turd Blossom is leaving. Yay!! Of course, we will be left with the stench of said Turd for many years to come; but for now, I rejoice in the fact that the steaming heap is being removed.
  
• We saw Bourne Ultimatum and we loved it--love love love. I was excited after reading the review on Pajiba--but the movie was brilliant. Especially if you take into account that I don't like action movies. I am looking for a good opportunity to beat someone up with a book. Perhaps someone who attacks my family/friends and my lifestyle while enjoying my hospitality?
• How does one smoothly mention that one doesn't drink? Especially if a date has been set to share drinks and exchange stories with some charming people? I'm sure there are a number of dignified and intelligent ways of mentioning it, or just allowing it to be a non-issue. I personally like to blurt it out in the middle of completely unrelated conversations in hopes it will be out there, but largely unnoticed.
  
• In a sudden burst of insanity, I'm thinking of cutting my hair very short again. The current bob is nice, but slightly boring-- at least when it is behaving. Left to its own nature, it's all kinds of kinky. The problem is, I have a wedding coming up and I don't want to have a questionable haircut for my good friend's special day. I have been waiting for this event since we were in college and I would prefer not to look like I was going through my annual mid-life crisis the day before the wedding. What to do, what to do?
• What am I missing when it comes to men and cars?
  
• Hug a scientist--chances are they're not only brilliant, but they are hilariously funny, loving and supportive as well.
  
• I have a brain crush on Reza Aslan and Joshua Rushing. I have a brain crush on a lot of people, but I'm reading their books right now and am quite happy.
  
• A little while ago, I read about Condi Rice going on a tour of the Middle East touting the 'aid package' that would help unite allies, etc. etc. My ears perked up just a little, until I realized that it was a MILITARY AID PACKAGE, meant to unite allies against Iran. Now, is it just me, or is it just a little crazy to arm the Saudi/Gulf and Egyptian governments--all of whom are distinctly anti-democratic human rights violators and encouragers of terrorists everywhere. I mean, of the people who attacked us on Sept. 11, none were Iranians; but quite a few were Saudis and Egyptians. Osama Bin Laden is/was a Saudi; his sidekick is Egyptian. And aside from the most recent official beneficiaries of our generosity, don't we have a pretty crappy track record of distributing arms to people in the Middle East? I mean, we did somehow manage to lose tons of money and hundreds of thousands of arms in Iraq, a country allegedly crawling with terrorists, didn't we? If we seriously worried about people from these countries attacking us, should we be giving them the money and equipment to attack us with more efficiently?

So, that's about it about the random stuff. Yay! I'm back.

Still Not Getting It

I mentioned last night that I wasn't too impressed with Michael Chertoff's (aka Skelator) gut instincts warning us of impending doom. Not because I don't believe in impending doom, mind you. I'm a pessimist by nature and cannot help but fear impending doom at any given moment. I lie awake at night dreaming up bizarre things that can go wrong.

No, I'm more concerned with Skelator's guts. This is the same man who didn't know that a city was underwater and its residents were crammed in its Superdome and Convention Center--WHILE IT WAS ON TELEVISION AND ALMOST EVERY RADIO STATION!!! Eye witnesses were looking at the buildings, telling him of the desperation and madness, and he brushed them off as liars pretty much--ON LIVE RADIO BROADCASTS. He was warned of a Katrina-like scenario, and still claimed no one could have predicted it (except for a bunch of journalists and scientists, but who listens to those nutjobs?). And notice, he's still not referencing anything concrete that has anything to do with intelligence or intelligent thought.

And I'm supposed to trust his guts? Does he have guts? And if so, where were these sensitive innards in 2005? Could he still be gutless?

Us vs. Them

It seems other countries handle their political scandals differently than we do. While we bestow Medals of Freedom to people who generally turn everything they touch to shit; brag about how well appointees are doing, even after they let cities drown while they pick out their wardrobe; and decide to commute sentences of federally convicted criminals, other countries deal with their idiots and incompetents differently.

In Japan for example, when their parliament and cabinet members say stupid things or conduct themselves less than ethically, they are shown the door and their resignations are accepted. Some even commit suicide for bringing such shame to their families. Not that I'm advocating suicide for all politicians' criminal activities--there would be too many funerals in DC and not enough people to attend them. But I really thing we should stop with the bragging and rewards--it's just unseemly.

Life in Hell

I hate the news, but like an addict I crave it constantly. It is in reading, seeing and knowing these things, that I know I am still alive. To steal a line from Trent Reznor, I read it to 'see if I still feel'. It is then that I know I must be alive, or a masochist--perhaps both.

Today's moment in hell, brought to me by the NY Times (which I have been spending too much time reading), about young refugee girls in Syria forced into prostitution to support themselves and their families. This is what has become of a nation stupidly, blindly and arrogantly attacked and crushed by war. It is these women who are paying the price, with their bodies. They will not fill the seats of universities, the nursing stations of hospitals or even the unmarked graves in their country. They will be walk the streets of neighboring countries who have let them in but cannot sustain them. They will sell their bodies for less than the price of the medicine their family needs, because that is what they have been reduced to. These girls, who have never known peace, who have never known health or fulfillment of the simplest wishes. What do they dream of? What do they think? What will they become? Will they be the living dead, knowing they can never enter respectable society? Will they die under the fists of drunks who have paid pennies for their bodies? Or will they suffer the slow, agonizing life crippled by diseases no one bothered to protect them against?

Not long ago, I used to read the blog of a young woman in Baghdad, known to many as Riverbend. She seemed intelligent and honest about what she saw around her. Some of her stories reminded me of living in Tehran during the war (although God knows, my experience was heaven in comparison). Every time I read her blog, I thought, "She could be me." She seemed to be about my age, in a different life we could have been friends--or enemies. But I found myself worrying about her when she didn't update her blog for extended periods. Recently, she and her family decided to leave Baghdad. Now I wonder where she is, and how they're getting by. Have they found peace, or is it just a new chapter in hell?

Does anyone even care? For this our men and women are dying. For this outcome, children are losing their parents, and parents are losing their children. I don't care for the tax dollars going into this war, it is the price we pay for electing this administration. I don't care for the freedoms I lose, it is the price I pay for my fear and silence. But in moments like this, I cannot understand why others must pay with their lives for such conceit.

I believe in hell--I must. How else will I be able to think of the Bushes, Cheneys and Rumsfelds of this world, knowing there will be no justice for them in this lifetime?

Random Thoughts of an Insomniac

Since I can't sleep, I thought I'd share some very random thoughts:

• If the pen (or written word) is mightier than the sword, and the DoD is limiting the use of internet access for soldiers, does that make the DoD a bunch of dead-enders who want our soldiers to fail?

• Apparently, this Administration has no shame when it comes to sending people to represent us on the world stage. Stellar 'diplomats' like John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz and Randy Tobias seem to be the best we have to offer. With the World Bank leadership left vacant by Mr. Wolfowitz, and the Administration insisting another American assume leadership, I'm a little worried Donald Rumsfeld or Paul Bremer will be asked to put their experience to good use.

• If Mexico is too close for a vacation destination, and China is too far--what would the perfect vacation spot for a city mouse be?

• I am sabotaging my own attempts at anonymity. Considering my lifelong experience of being nearly invisible, being completely anonymous on top of that was too much for me to handle. I'm sure this will come back to bite me, but like a moth to a flame, I cannot help myself.

• In case anyone thought I unfairly targeted the Muslim or Jewish faiths for having odd followers, I have two words: Jerry Fallwell. And while he is gone, it seems he is not forgotten. I'm not sure what this guy was going to do with five 'napalm' like bombs, but it seems he would never insult the loving memory of Jerry and harm anyone.

• In the span of the last week, I have watched Children of Men and V for Vendetta and enjoyed them both--despite my reputation for liking period dramas (I don't like them, I love them). Interestingly, Children imagines the collapse of democratic society pushed to chaos with fear used to control people into submission; Vendetta imagines the collapse of democratic society squeezed into a regimented and numb order, with fear used to control people into submission. The media was manipulating and lying to people in both movies. Of course, that would never happen in real life. Let's all get back to watching Bill O'Reilly and Nancy Grace.

• What is considered a good graduation gift? I have a list of graduates, and no gifts.
  

All this and a bowl of cereal, and I'm still wide awake!

Embassy Suites

I'm sure some of you read the internets and have developed ideas about things like the war and the conditions in Iraq. You may hear that people in Iraq are angry that nothing is being built and that they don't have water or electricity. This is obviously a plot by the liberal media types that want us to lose the war and the Iraqis who have no appreciation for our construction efforts. To those who say we don't have anything to show for our construction efforts, I say, "Psha!". We have accomplished our mission--again. And almost on time and on budget.

The $592 million embassy occupies a chunk of prime real estate two-thirds the size of Washington's National Mall, with desk space for about 1,000 people behind high, blast-resistant walls. The compound is a symbol both of how much the United States has invested in Iraq and how the circumstances of its involvement are changing.

Just goes to show that the liberal media are defeatocrats, and that Iraqis have no sense of gratitude for our rebuilding efforts. Ingrates!

An Excellent Judge of Character

Remember Disney's Aladdin? A street beggar finds a magic lamp, that has the genie that grants him wishes that will help him win the girl (and eventually the kingdom, but mostly the girl). Well, when Aladdin (aka Prince Ali) bursts into the Sultan's palace, the Sultan giddily reassures his worried Dark Prince of a minister, Jaffar, that he is 'an excellent judge of character'.

I thought of that line as I was reading about Randall Tobias, the Bush Administration's deputy for HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa. Apparently Mr. Tobias, who promotes the ABC approach to HIV/AIDS prevention for others had to resign when ABC News found he had procured the services of an escort agency. Mr. Tobias told ABC News that 'he contacted the escort service "to have gals come over to the condo to give me a massage" and that there had been "no sex" involved' (are there no spas in the District?). Of course, all of this comes to light a few days after President Bush expressed confidence in Mr. Tobias and praised his efforts. Mr. Tobias, whose character the President admires, controlled the distribution of funds for prevention of a disease in Africa, preaching abstinence and the Administration's version of morality, while he himself engaged in assorted activities with prostitutes. I'm not sure how he intended to promote a lifestyle he couldn't adhere to himself to people half way across the world; I wouldn't want to call him a hypocrite. I do think however, there's something unacceptable about wagging your finger at people from a society with crippling disadvantages and possibly withholding life saving funds from them, if they don't listen to your stated philosophy of how they should live, regardless of how you are living yourself.

I know the President thinks he's an excellent judge of character. He repeated claims that he has talked to someone/looked into their eyes and found them to be worthy of his trust/goodwill/praise. In case you're a little rusty, allow me to remind you of his judgment of some of the folks he deals with in no particular order:

• Dick Cheney (oh my God, the Dark Prince!), who accidentally shot his friend in the face and was somehow the victim when all was said and done
• Vladamir Putin, whose soul the President looked into and found 'trustworthy'
• Paul Bremer, who among other things, managed to lose $9B which is logistically hard to misplace and was honored for his accomplishments
• Donald Rumsfeld (the other Dark Prince) who claimed 'stuff happens' when questioned about the death and destruction in Iraq
• Michael 'Heck of a Job' Brown who was looking for a pressed shirt to wear for his interview while New Orleans was drowning
• Michael Chertoff, who had to be told thousands were stranded in the Superdome and Convention Center by a NPR reporter during a live broadcast, angrily denied it, and later admitted he wasn't aware of events on the ground in a city that everyone in America was watching drown on television
• Paul Wolfowitz , who launched a campaign of anti-corruption in Third World countries (denying World Bank assistance unless they addressed corruption issues) while he secured a tax free salary from various government funded sources for his special 'lady friend'...

I could go on, but I'll get back to Mr. Tobias and the President's excellent judgment. I don't care what a middle aged and balding man did with prostitutes, and pray to God I don't have to hear the details everywhere I go. I do care who fills this position next, someone who realizes that abstinence is not a realistic approach to disease prevention, not because it's a bad idea per se, but because it has been proven repeated to not work. In short, I hope who ever takes over for Mr. Tobias keeps his personal life personal , and comes up with a better solution than his predecessor.

Oh, and I hope Mr. Bush stops praising people, it is a sure sign they're really screwing up on the job.