Too much to say

Over the past week, events which took place left me with too much to say. I couldn't organize a single thought. North Korea, where the hell do you start? Here is a country that wants its sovereignty. Anything less, they claim is an act of war. Well in all honesty, isn't sovereignty exactly what we are giving them. Sovereignty is by definition: the authority of a state to govern itself; a self-governing state. What else are we giving them? They can now get their own money, their own trade agreements, their own power supplies, their own weapons, food. You name it, they will no longer have to be dependent on other nations charity. I see North Korea similar to a child that demands to leave his parents home, and then when he does, complains that he isn't getting his weekly allowance.
In North Korea, aka DPRK, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, the law states that every able bodied male between the ages of 18-30 must join the military.

Which means that all of those men are absent from the daily tasks needed to 'build' a nation. They are absent from the fields, absent from the schools, the hospitals, you name it, they are not contributing to it. North Korea spends more than a quarter of their gross national product on the military. Who the hell are these guys afraid of? The South would rather have peace and their biggest supporter, or ally, China....stated that in no way would they consider military action against the crazy state. So what the hell is their problem? Japan? The US? Japan doesn't have much of a military, they would just throw old model walkmans at them, and the US, well they aren't even remotely ready for us. I believe if a war were to happen with North Korea, it would be a war of missiles... and even if they are nuclear, they still don't have the power. I would be scared out of my mind if I was a Southy right now. They are the only ones who have anything to fear... well maybe China. However, one well placed nuke on China may wipe out close to 20 million.

But hey, they've got 980 million more.It's amazing how in this day and age, and I swear there is a regression happening, not only in intelligence, but also in simple basic views, how the threat of war is a symbol for peace.

On this topic, I have no choice but to give President Bush some praise on the issue. North Korea is nothing more than a terrorist. That's it. Well not North Korea as a whole, but Kim Jong il.

The threats that they are supplying, are no worse than Osama making video tapes calling on the destruction of the west. Caving in to the pressures that they are mounting, in my mind would be nothing more than a cowardice act on our part. Let China deal with them... let Japan, South Korea, India even Russia deal with their crap.

Here is a flip side... that's what I am trying to offer, some alternate views. What we spend yearly on aid to North Korea would dramtically change the infastructures of many African communities. How about we use the Korean aid money to benefit the Sudan, or Liberia for that matter. With what we spend on foreign aid to governments which publicly blast the US... how about we use that money for something good. We tried giving to North Korea, they say, we want to be a sovereign state, which to me says, take your money and shove it. Okay assholes, bye bye. We take our business elsewhere. With what we spend in Iraq in just 3 days time, we can completely rebuild some nations. Entire nations. In Liberia, and yes, I was watching a program on it.. so I'm steeped in knowledge right now. In Liberia, the poorest nation in the world. The President, or ex-President, Charles Taylor who has gone into exile, paid himself millions a year, yet more than half of his country is without power, and clean drinking water. Although most of the world has written Africa off, there is much good that can be done there. Why not take aid money and do something positive with it? Did you know that most of the clothing that americans give to good will or salvation army, doesn't end up in the US,

it goes to countries in Africa. You ever watch the news and see some african kid with a gun and splif wearing a Jordan jersey, or a gap t-shirt. Companies in the US, and I know of one in particular in NY that buys thrown out clothing by the pound and then sells them to 3rd world nations. Why is it that the new Hollywood trend is to adopt kids from some of these nations? We should stop giving to the government powers that be, they only take the money and run anyway. Take the Liberian guy... how the hell was he able to pay himself 100 million/yr in the poorest nation on earth? Government aid maybe? Politicans stand back and say, "Hey, we've done our part, we have given them over 1 billion in aid over the past 5 years." Well bravo Washington. How about giving that aid to the people. How about making sure that dictators don't use that aid to supply an army, or that Foreign Nationals don't pocket the money, leading to rebellions and civilian demise. How about working with UN peace keeping troops to supply them with the means to actually stop rebellions from rising. How about sending in troops to Sudan and stopping Darfur? It can easily be done. Who the hell is going to stop us?

The US could quickly shed the most hated country label, if we actually started doing something positive. Although there are positives about Iraq... We toppled a dictator, which was needed. We are restoring energy, schooling, and hospitals to levels higher than pre-Saddam regime. But did we do it for those reasons? Probably not. Think of how beneficial it would be for the US to have a power base in the Middle East. Most politicans, in keeping with the polls, say that we should leave Iraq? Do they really want to completely leave? I highly doubt it. What happens when we leave? The country in a short time goes back to the craziness it was before. Only now, instead of one dictating family, they have several factions all looking for the oil pie. The Kurds, the shiites, the sunnis, the bathists... you name it, they are all greedy and they all want to rule. The problem is, they don't want a piece of the pie, which could be spread around to all the impoverished areas of the country, the want the whole pie. And we all know, when you get 8 people wanting a pie that has only 5 slices... someone is going without, someone ends up missed, someone wants revenge, and that someone eventually will either be asked to leave the party, or thrown out by bouncers, or... they stand up and fight, which in the Middle East seems to be the popular route.

I went to WalMart the other day, and a little girl was screaming at her mother to buy her something. Screaming. The mother gave in. What lesson was passed to this child? For years North Korea has been screaming and we have given in. What lesson has North Korea been taught? Or any nation that takes aid from the US; That's okay to take and take and take, because we will be there to give you anything you want. It's time for that to change. But before that change takes affect, we should all start doing our clothes shopping now, and if you want that Samsung Tv set or cell phone...

Do your Christmas shopping early.

Again, back to the program I was watching on Liberia. To make a long story a little shorter... The President was taking from his people... 100 million/yr. The people got pissed, rebellions formed. Mainly from ex-military and such who seized control of diamond mines and drug trade. They started recruiting children. Some children in that country have been fighting in the military for 10 years, and they are only 17, 18 years old.

The rebellions terrorized communities, rather than taking on the government. Mainly making slaves out of the people in their area, taking their children to join the war...etc. One mention was that children make excellent soldiers, because if you supply them with drugs, you don't have to feed them much and they can fight for long periods of time without getting tired. Oh the boundless energy of youth. It's no wonder that rapper Daddy Saj, a Sierra Leone native's biggest hit was a song called 'Corruption'.


However in a country that has been plagued by rebellion, lack of power, food, medical supplies, doctors, and just the basics that we all take for granted, there was a shinning example... A group of men, had started a soccer league. Each of the men in the league had lost a leg.

With no medical attention or doctors to fix them up; most of the docs had been chased from town by the rebels, these men endured and started a soccer league...Sierra Leone amputees in a league of their own...They play crutched and one legged, hopping around having a great time. They expect nothing and ask for even less. Aren't these people the ones that we should be helping? Aren't they the ones that deserve a little attention?

I am a simple guy with no political experience, but what is right is right. There are no in betweens and there are no half measures. If you have an idea that would change the world, and the means to make it happen, don't shelter it waiting for a political advantage. John Kerry says that he would fight the fight against terrorism a better way... Well John, the fight is already here, if you have something to contribute, do it. Same goes for other politicans who rant and bitch about how they have a better way. The time is now, the fight is on... The world's in turmoil. Oh wait, shit... Presidential elections arent for a couple more years. Oops, I better keep quiet til then.

Sorry this was a little long... I had to let it fully boil before serving it up.

Good day all... There is no word of the day, just a promise.. one that you should make to yourself. Promise to not give in to the stupidity of the world around you. While you may not have helped to create it, your silence is allowing it to continue. Stand up, not necessarily for what you believe.. because many of us, believe some pretty stupid shit.... Promise to stand up for what is RIGHT!