Comments on Meanwhile in Burma
Let us not forget that democracy and freedom are for the people ONLY if it is BY the people. Are we Americans forgetting that with less than 50% of the population getting involved?
I find it strange that both Andrew Sullivan and Jeff Gannon posted pieces on their sites criticizing the immoral gay left regarding the Folsom poster, yet are silent as their man Maliki allows gays to be murdered in Iraq.
Boycott the 2008 Olympics unless there are free and fair elections in Burma.
China has the power to stop this.
MHD is correct. So can India.
Consider phoning the local embassies of both countries or visiting them.
#2 That's because Andrew Sullivan is a fucking idiot. Gay Republicans are annoying. Not saying he's a bad person Dan, just an idiot.
If only there was oil in Burma, we could go help.
Monkey, there are large deposits of natural gas in Burma. That's why Bush announced new sanctions against them on Tuesday.
But yeah, gay Republicans harsh my mellow.
Talking about gay Repubicans, I just heard Jeff Gannon on Mike Signorile's show. Wow, he was exploding with rage, yet kept condemning "the angry gay left". It was almost comical. His voice was literally quivering with outrage as he said "I'm not angry".
Gee thanks, Dan. As if I need that worthless douchenozzle Sullivan predigesting my news for me.
how many iraqi's and afghani's have died in US-led campaigns since Burma shot 9 people?
the answer is 170+
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/27/afghanistan.fighting/index.html
when American's petition China to stop supporting Burma, it'll be ironic when the Chinese petition the US to stop slaughtering Afghani's (note: any killed civilian ends up as "insurgent" numbers... see Vietnam).
as Bush the Hero condemns China-backed Burma's military crackdown killing 9 people....
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-09-27-us-soldier-trial_N.htm
Isn't the country called Myanmar? Bush referred to it as Burma during a speech at the UN, and I thought he was just stupid. However, after reading these posts, now I'm wondering if people call it by the old name because of opposition to the regime?
while patriotic americans comdemn china and Burma-Myanmar (which name? who cares?)...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/27/iraq.blackwater/index.html
Yes, #11, everyone is calling it Burma for that very reason.
Wondering at #12:
I think your guess is pretty much right. Burma's ruling junta changed the country's name from Burma to Myanmar, and the (now former) cap. city's name from Rangoon to Yangon, some years ago. Cartographers, geography nuts (like myself), and diplomats took note, but I think most people still refer to the country as "Burma" out of respect for the Burmese people and in opposition to the junta.
I was going to throw out another of my "Bring Back Control Tower" column messages on Dan's thread but I'd feel pretty petty if I did that now.
Protests around the world in Paris, Rome, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and many other country.
Meanwhile America is obsessed with fluff.
Yeah, that says a lot.
Too bad we're pinned down in Iraq in a useless war that accomplishes nothing.
Yeah. Too bad we can't leave Iraq so we can go police some other part of the world.
In the interests of fairness how about an admission by the queer/vegan/atheist Stranger crowd that it has been Buddhist monks who've lit the fire for this protest? How about going one step farther to the admission that religion can sometimes be a force for positive change (Tutu, MLK, etc.)?
#18
yes, let's ignore Christian led wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Christian armies which ousted a stable gov't in Ethiopia, Israel occupation, the Nazi party voted in by Catholics, etc....
Hurray for religion!
i meant the stable gov't in Somalia.
Judeo-Christian nations have killed more people in history than Islamic/Buddhist/Animist nations combined....
@ 18, i'm going to SE asia in november (was going to burma as well, but that's been cancelled) and i'm very interested to see first hand the role of buddhist monks and nuns in these countries, especially cambodia and laos. from my understanding of the culture, monks are seen as the stewards of national identity and culture. monks rely on the people's generosity to survive (they make daily alms rounds among the people). in burma they often risk death, because they refuse to take alms or donations from members of the military or their families as a signal that these people aren't in line with common buddhist practices of pacifism and compassion.
I found it really interesting to learn while reading "Secret Histories: Finding George Orwell in a Burmese Teashop" by Emma Larkin that Myanmar is merely another way of saying Burma in Burmese... but it's a British-based transliteration, so the r is silent. It should be pronounced like "me-an-ma". Hearing the hard "r" just grates on my ears.
@18 you may have forgotten that every major Protestant denomination and the Catholic Church opposed the War in Iraq. Who're the Christians you're accusing of starting that war? I don't think you can blame the Israeli occupation on Christians, either, right Issur?
@21 that'll be a fascinating trip. I'd like to know what you find out. The monks have been an inspiration to me, and it has been wonderful to see how non-monks have gathered around them during their protests to protect them from police. It's a heroic story and a good testimony to liberal Christians who also fight for peace (like the visit several of us had on Monday with Murray and Cantwell staffers on Iraq).
religion can be a tool (and an effective one) to get people to do terrible things. or good things. just like other groups with leaders. in regards to large scale atrocities, don't forget mao zedung, stalin, and pol pot.
I just meant we could do a naval blockade with one of our many fleets - then get China and India to step up and force them to a peaceful solution.
But, as I said, they're pinned down in Iraq ... speaking of which, why are we worried about naval attacks from Iraq?
Catholics are stupid to ignore Burma and worry about a silly poster. But as a Jew I am proud that the Navy will spend as much as $600000 to modify a 40-year-old barracks complex that resembles a swastika from the air.
The Anti-Defamation league protects Jews from this kind of painful imagery. The U.S. government should be forced to spend money so that no Jew sees any image that is offensive.
Catholics being offended by images is idiotic because Christianity is a toxic cult. But Judaism is based on truth and Torah and any image that offends a Jew in America must be altered till no Jew could be offended by it.
@26: You're tired, and we're tired of your BS. Stay on topic.
/snark on/
And, of course, this is just another good example of why protests don't matter, so people should just sit in front of their computers and pontificate.
/snark off/
@18 You're right, religion can be a force for good too which was a little unfairly left out here. These monks actually walk the walk instead of just preaching non-violence, that deserves to be noticed.
Still Buddhism seems like more of a philosophy than a religion, which doesn't make it any less just actually seems to separate it a bit. In any case kudos to the monks.
btw, I'm an atheist.
@30 Right on.
Re: Burma or Myanmar?
Myanmar is actually a better name. The Burmese tribe is the largest ethnic group in the country, but not the only one. The ruling military junta are ass hats of the highest order, but the name change doesn't really bother most people who live there. The name Burma for the country was a British colonial construct. It is entirely likely they would have changed the name, regardless of who was running the country, once the British were gone.
#30 you conveniently leave out the fact that Bush as a Christian specifically believes that those Buddhist monks will burn in an everlasting Hell because they don't acknowledge Jesus as the only path to redemption. It is not a grey area at all for Fundamentalists.
re: Burma or Myanmar?
Despite its colonial origins, Burmese people themselves frequently say 'Burma'--and not just to show opposition to the military regime--but write 'Myanmar'. Burma/Myanmar seems roughly analogous to America/United States of America.
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