Immigrants from the North

I sometimes wonder what the radical right's reaction would be if boatloads of Scandinavian blondes with very little clothing start reaching our shores on a regular basis.

Would they let the 'poor ladies' rot in detention camps or would they queue to host them in their homes? Would the country be able to afford taking care of them or would they be deemed as the ultimate national burden?

I wonder...






...Of course the Right would say that it would make no difference. I don't really believe it though. Do you?

License to Kill

Police in England have the right to shoot and kill on suspicion. If in the head of an armed officer you are a terrorist you risk to get a bullet in yours. The case of Jean Charles de Menezes is deeply disturbing. Not least because of the calm and relative business-as-usual that seems to cloud the whole case. Citizens become collateral damage in the so call war on terror.

I don't know about you but I find it very hard to believe that 8 shots were necessary to stop a suspected terrorist. Especially when reports said the he was lying on the ground at the time [source].

Bliar said he was sorry [?] but defended the brutal action.

So now the official policy is that the deaths of innocent civilians is an ok way to further 'our' cause? How is that different from extremists who use indiscriminate violence to further their own cause?

'Our cause is justified' yells the kid at the back of the class.

I'm sure that fighting terrorism is a noble cause. But I am also sure that the extremists think the same of their cause.

This sad case goes to prove that the state has the monopoly on violence. It can carry it out without repercussions. It also has the means to convince the world that it's a different type of violence. It's a necessary violence. It convinces us that it's OK to kill if you've got a license.

Terror reigns in England. People are afraid. If I was there I'd be afraid too. I'd be constantly afraid that some maniac will come and blow me away with a home made bomb. I'd be constantly afraid that I might look like a terrorist in the imagination of one of them license holders.

I take comfort in the fact that at least I know that should the latter be the case, Mr. Bliar will be deeply sorry...

The Land Of the Free

Click here.

Sunday 17th

I keep cursing myself for not making sure I had a camera with me last Sunday.

Around 100 people, ranging from environmentalists, politicians, residents and ramblers joined forces to take a short walk around the area that the government decided would be better off serving the needs of a small group of golfers.

I had never been to ix-Xaghra l-Hamra. My first impression was how huge the stretch of land was. I always knew that a golf course would use up a lot of space but being there rendered all the figures on paper superficial.

We took off. Step after step we were swallowed by a sea of garigue. The smell of saghtar flirted with my nostrils and I couldn’t help think that this might eventually become a mere slide show at the ex-Malta Experience.

We walked towards the cliffs and we waited for the sun to set. How many sunsets left till the bulldozers parade? How many sunsets left till it becomes a club members-only area? I invite all those who consider the golf course to be a good idea or a necessary evil to spend some time around the place. I invite them to learn about the rich flora and fauna of the area. I also invite them to walk up to Malta’s children and tell them that they have to sacrifice such beauty and space; that they have to sacrifice such experiences and sunsets; that they must be the lamb offering for the mighty god, the universal pimp.

Comments

Ehm ehm. Being the lazy sod that I am (nothing new there), I never bothered to go through the options of this blog properly. I wasn't aware that I could change the comments settings. Well, after a good friend (or Fre-end) of mine informed me of this well kept state secret, I browsed my ass down here and changed the settings. So there you have it. Another thing off the 'to do' list...

19 Holes

Some time ago the PM decided, in an authoritarian manner, that this country needs a golf course.

The opposition agreed.

The rhetoric started flying in all directions: "Tourism, jobs, economy, environment, scenery, bullshit, lies, bullshit and crap".

Now the site has been proposed: ix-Xaghra l-Hamra is to be turned into a golf course. If the loonies get their way that is.

I for one hope they don't. A lot of people agree. Some don't. The Times even made a 'mistake' with figures and gave the impression that this is a popular idea.

The idea that Malta's tourism or economic problems will be saved by a golf course is ridiculous and dangerous. I am against golf courses in Malta on principle. Irrespective of the site chosen. Malta cannot afford to lose such a big stretch of land. We are already living in a concrete jungle, where open space is only available if one looks up (not in St. Julians). Do we really afford to turn open spaces into exclusive zones for golf players? It's already bad that we have RTOs written wherever there is a little greenery. Land is scarce and the powers that be want to give a whole chunk of it away. A whole chunk that belongs to everybody. How long will it be ours?

What about water? Do the authorities know the amount of water needed to sustain a friggin golf course? Probably not. They only understand the champagne language. Water is scarce and the government, along with the opposition want to waste several thousand cubic meters of water so that the grass is nice and green for the few who play golf.

The pro-golf lobby goes on ad nauseum that a golf course would generate jobs, increase tourism etc yawn etc...Why would tourists come to Malta when there are bigger and better golf course all around the Mediterranean? If Malta wants to attract tourists it should get its act together and take a good look at the derelict state it is in. It should market itself in a unique manner and promote that which others lack. Malta has huge cultural and historical heritage. It should make good use of it. It should protect it and exploit it for the benefit of the whole population. Eco-tourism is also an area that the government seems to have by-passed in its blind and obsessive drive to give away land for a golf course.

This is a very serious threat. We should all act collectively to save the little open areas still available for public use. The 18 holes should not be left to materialise. The holes should be left to fill space in that thick file, labelled 'Governmental Stupid Ideas' that graces an office in Valletta. If we don't stop these holes our collective back hole would suffer an arrogant and intrusive force that would leave Malta walking in a funny way for a long way to come.

Freedom of Speech

This is what the right-wing fanatics yell when somebody like Lowell is taken to court for inciting racial hatred. That is the card they strategically play. They fill the victim role with a freedom of speech script. It is nothing but an attempt at winning sympathy and gathering support for their wicked ideas. All of a sudden they become the defenders of democracy and all its characteristics. It's not important that they do not believe in it or even believe it.

Freedom of speech is meant to be a tool for expression not a weapon to attack people. Freedom of speech is not absolute. When people are defamed on the media the law comes in to protect the victims. I have never met anybody who considers the libel laws as stifling freedom of speech. On the contrary, the libel laws are welcomed as protection against unfounded allegations and lies. Having lies about you printed and circulated goes against the fundamental human right of security of the person (Article 3 UN Declaration).

Why is racial hatred any different? It is not. Having somebody express (and potentially inciting) hate towards people of particular colour/race/creed is as threatening to the security of the person as lies. It is in fact more serious than spouting lies about one person. With racial hatred, one is shifting the focus from the particular to the general thus involving whole groups of peoples. A general verbal attack against black people is a personal attack on every black individual. The colour of the skin is a general characteristic. It is similar to a guy (or a girl...Life of Brian anyone?) spreading hate against fat people, people with glasses, people with long hair or people who own cars. How would you feel if people were given the liberty to generate hateful sentiment against you? How would you feel if you were being hated for something you are (as opposed to something you have done)? Would you want the law to protect the perpetrator or the victim?

Of course the right-wingers would dismiss the idea that somebody could incite hate crimes. As recent reports show this phenomenon is unfortunately starting to rear its ugly head in Malta. The law should therefore protect the potential victims not the perpetrators. Of course, people have every right to speak about what they want. They have all the rights to discuss the issues that they deem fit. That right, however, should not be turned into the right to trample on the rights of other people. Open discussion should be in the heart of any democratic society. Hate should not.

Terror in Europe

It was sad to hear about the news of the London blasts. The somber aura surrounding the horrific blast reminded me of Sep-11. The reactions of people I've met were similar. Shock and horror. This, in general is the reaction when terrorism rases its ugly head. Yet I always get the impression that the lives of white people are more precious than those of others. It's interesting to see the reaction and anger (verging on fanaticism) of those around you when the blow is dealt to Europe. Nevermind that for a large section of humanity death, misery, poverty and war are their real life situations. Of course their realities are mere news items for us. A snippet between the local news and the sports updates.

Iraq has been under attack for more than two years now. The scenes of death and devastation have been a daily occurrence to the Iraqis. The smell of death greats them every morning. The body count of civilians is at least 22, 500, possibly as much as 25,800. Smart bombs in dumb people's hands is a lethal cocktail. We're so accustomed to being the bullies rather than the bullied that we have no clue about the misery that comes with war and death. Only when something like this happens do we start to feel the pain and the misery. How often do we stop to think that this is a way of life for a huge chunk of the human race?

Having said that I am in no way advocating, justifying or making excuses for terrorism. I think that terrorist acts are as bad as the wars carried out by power hungry bully nations. Any form of attack that targets civilians should be condemned unconditionally irrespective of who carries it and against whom it is carried.

The Zapatistas

The Zapatistas, who emerged on the world scene on New Year's Day of 1994 have managed to repeatedly capture the imagination of many people, not least yours truly. They are a source of inspiration and a living example of the dignity that comes with active resistance (as oppossed to passive acceptance). They represent the global struggle of humanity against neo-liberalism. They do so in a humble and magical manner. Maybe the image of the Zapatistas is sometimes romanticised yet the words of hope and dignity that come out of the Mexican Southeast through the Communiques of Subcommandante Marcos are a welcome alternative to the bullshit that we're fed through the corporate media and the political puppets.

The Zapatistas have recently declared a Red Alert. They have retreated to the jungle and have now emerged with the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle. Read the text here.

Live 8

To avoid becoming a dabbler in the blog world (see Toni Sant's post here), I decided to type something.

I watched parts of Live 8 last Saturday. While I appreciate that Sir Bob and Bono have attempted to steer away from charity and try to put pressure I was somewhat disappointed about the whole deal. The more celebrities I heard speak the more cynical I became. They were all repeating the same three concepts: "Trade Justice, Aid, Drop the Debt" (in different order of course!). The more they repeated them the more irrelevant they became.

From the looks of it, few celebrities seemed to have a clue about what they were on about and some spoke in a pathetic manner. It felt refreshing to see that amidst the chorus of parrot-like repetition of 'Trade justice, Drop the Debt, blah blah", Tom Morello came on TV and actually questioned the idea that the richest countries should meet to decide the fate of the world as if by divine right. Needless to say his interview on MTV lasted about 15 seconds. Maybe others did actually question the fact that irrespective of the pressure put on the G8 there is no guarantee that they will listen. If they did I didn't see them. If they did they were few. If the structures were truly democratic, measures would be put in place to ensure that the demands made by a majority are in fact met. But what Bono and Geldof seem to happily accept is that such a decision is the G8's prerogative. In reality it is up to them to decide. But it shouldn't be. And few celebrities were questioning that.

It's true that the issue of world poverty has been put on the agenda but should the G8 decide to do fuck all about world poverty the repercussions could be serious. What I mean is this: If the G8 decide to not change a thing, the morale of the masses is likely to drop. This would pave the way for the 'If Live 8 was ineffective, everything else will be' attitude. It would inject further apathy in the population, trickling down that feeling of powerlessness against a mighty structure.

Having said this it would be great if improvements are secured through this campaign. I doubt it, but it would be great. But does anybody really think that the powerful would ever give away their power that easily? Would they put the interests of Africa's population before their corporate buddies, just like that? Would they suddenly have a change of heart (after a history of plunder and exploitation) by merely listening to Sir McCarthny and Bono sing Sgt. Pepper's? Yes it's a great song but it's not that great...

Live 8 was great as an awareness campaign. But that was about all that it was. I think it's highly naive to ever assume that a white band and an afternoon of rock 'n' roll are enough to dismantle the powerful global financial institutions and democratise the world.