And the people won!

It was with much relief that I read the following news:

US lawmakers have indefinitely postponed votes on two anti-piracy bills following a massive outcry against the proposed legislation by internet companies, such as Wikipedia, Facebook and Red Hat.

The two bills under question are the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate, and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, these acts are aimed at stopping internet users accessing non-US websites that feature pirated or counterfeit content, such as music and movies.

"We appreciate that lawmakers have listened to our community's concerns, and we stand ready to work with them on solutions to piracy and copyright infringement that will not chill free expression or threaten the economic growth and innovation the Internet provides," a Facebook spokesman told Reuters.

It would have been a nightmare if SOPA and PIPA bills were passed.

It would be the slow death of internet; specially sites like Google, wikepedia etc.

For sure, life would go on since most of us had a life before internet and Google. We may have a bit of peace too since we wouldn’t be bombarded with so much news and views. But what troubled me was the question.. what is the real intention behind such acts? This question became even more ominous when one realized that even the Indian government was trying to curb the flow of information between citizens. We had a judge asking this chilling question:

If it can be done in China why not in India?

Our constitution guarantees us the following:

Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship.

If the liberty to think and express our thoughts is curtailed then is not my nation an autocratic regime?

But the US citizens knows what freedom really means and their protest was strong enough to influence the law makers, whereas, was there any mass protest in India?

Is it because the internet is accessible only to a small percentage of Indians and hence there was not much to bother?

If this is so, then why the hue and cry?

In fact, the hue and cry was not because religious sentiments were hurt but because the government could not bear criticism, especially when another Lok Sabha election is not far away.
Who wants a government who do not want to change for the better?

Who wants a government who seeks more power to curtail the freedom of speech and thought?


The article from Firstpost.com sums up the internet policing pretty well.


I also read the speech by Justice Markandey Katju, chairman of the Press Council of India, at Jawaharlal Nehru University on November 14, 2011. It may not go well with many when he calls most of us immigrants. But is there not truth in what he says?

The Indian civilization stood for so long not only because it was an open society but because the civilization itself was strong. It was not a toddler but an adult. Different cultures found way into India and sometimes brutally but it was strong enough to embrace/accept the good in each.

He asks the following question.

Why have people been coming into India? Very few people left India, except on two occasions namely (i) in the 19th century when under British rule Indian poor peasants were sent to Fiji, Mauritius, West Indies, etc. as plantation labourers and (ii) the Diaspora for the last 30-40 years or so of highly qualified engineers, scientists, doctors, etc. Apart from this, nobody left India, everybody came into India. Why?

The reason is obvious. People migrate from uncomfortable areas to comfortable areas, obviously, because everybody wants comfort. Before the Industrial Revolution which started in Western Europe from the 18th century and then spread all over the world there were agricultural societies everywhere. Now what does agriculture require? It requires level land, fertile soil, plenty of water for irrigation, etc. All this was in abundance in the Indian sub continent.

One can read more in the website kgfindia.com. It is called the Khalidas Ghalib Foundation and  aims to To Foster National & Social transformation for a Progressive, Modern & Culturally Aware India.


Another Republic Day  has come and yet another day for the nation to take the pledge that it would unceasingly strive to maintain a Sovereign Democratic Republic India.

Wish everyone a Happy Republic Day and may our nation prosper in the right path.

The only Winners...

The list of MLA's and their details.

With wonder we can look at just the declared assets, and imagine how much more in "binami" names/accounts!

A rich state indeed and the Gods in God's Own country have indeed been very benevolent to the poor people serving leaders.

The Congress Party and the rest..

and this contains the richest of the whole lot....

The Muslim League

The Communist Party

Can Husain return?

I am no artist and if I see a modern painting I would muster all my intelligence and try to match the name of the painting with the artist’s illustration. Most of the time I fail the test. Guess one needs imagination too. Hence personally my adulation would always be for a picture that is straightforward and which can be seen by my own eyes.

I believe an artist sees the world in many different ways and his/her illustrations may or may not strike a chord with the viewers. One may also see something entirely different from what the artist set out to illustrate.

Anyway this is not about paintings. But because of my ignorance about artists and paintings I never knew that 94 year old M F Husain has been living in exile (in Dubai) for the past few years.

Did India really sent an artist away from his country of birth for his paintings?

Wikipedia gave the following:

One of the most highly rated artists in the world today, his work sells at astonishing prices and are grabbed almost instantly by international art collectors.

According to Forbes magazine, he has been called the "Picasso of India".[1]

At the age of 92 Husain was to be given the prestigious Raja Ravi Varma award by the government of Kerala.[10]

In early 2008, Husain’s Battle of Ganga and Jamuna: Mahabharata 12, a large diptych, from the Hindu epic, fetched $1.6 million, setting a world record at Christie's South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale.[3]

Unfortunately the higher in stature he grew, the bigger the controversies too. Every religious / patriotic sensibility seems to have been battered by this frail old man.

In the 1990s some of Husain's works became controversial because of their portrayal of Hindu deities in the nude or in an allegedly sexual manner.[12]. The paintings in question were created in 1970, but did not become an issue until 1996, when they were printed inVichar Mimansa, a Hindi monthly magazine, which published them in an article headlined "M.F. Husain: A Painter or Butcher".

Husain's film Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities[26] was pulled out of movie theatres a day after some Muslim organisations raised objections to one of the songs in it.[27] The All-India Ulema Council complained that the Qawwali song ‘Noor-un-Ala-Noor’ was blasphemous.

And now he wants to return to India as per this report.

Centre plans to pave way for M F Husain's early return

Is the stage set for the next political drama?

Families paid to claim YSR shock deaths

Couldn't resist posting this... it answers some questions... while it makes me hate the Congress party even more.... God help us...

but what about all those newspapers that reported the deaths in the first place...can someone sue them? it is sad to see the media acting so irresponsibly.. do we have any trustworthy media left in the country?

Families paid to claim YSR shock deaths

Families of the "victims" admitted that they were paid Rs 5,000 each by Congress leaders for funeral and other expenses. In return, they were told not to disclose how these people actually died. The Congress leaders also reportedly promised to secure the release of ex-gratia to the families once Jaganmohan became CM. Take, for instance, the death of 70-year-old Uppalaiah, a potter from the remote Lakshmipuram village of Parakala mandal. His poverty-stricken family stays in a small hut. On September 3 afternoon, a few hours after Reddy's death was confirmed, Uppalaiah died.

His son Mallaiah claimed the old man had "suddenly died" of a heart attack on the day Reddy's body was found. But, his wife Lakshamma said that Uppalaiah had been ailing for over a month and was suffering from breathlessness.

Inquiries revealed how local Congress leaders had got into the act to show the old man had died of shock following the news of Reddy's accident. A local Congressman had called up a reporter of Sakshi television channel, owned by Jaganmohan, to say that Uppalaiah had died of a heart attack after watching the news of Reddy's death on television.

Within minutes, this appeared on the scrolling on Sakshi TV. Then, other media organisations too picked up the news. The YSR shock deaths myth was slowly being built. But, it was founded on a cruel lie because Uppalaiah's desperately poor family does not own a television set.

Similar stories emerged from other areas as well. Congress leaders reportedly had little trouble in learning of these deaths because they had mostly occurred in party strongholds.

On September 4, 40-year-old B. Srihari, a registered medical practitioner, died of a heart attack in neighbouring Nagaram village. His brother Ramesh said that Srihari had participated in a rally organised by the local Congress workers in Reddy's memory. He had returned to his clinic and treated a few patients, before collapsing. "Srihari died before we could take him to hospital. We informed the local Sakshi reporter, who carried the news on the channel," Ramesh said.

He also said, "Minister for Women and Child Welfare Konda Surekha called on us and paid us Rs 5,000. She also promised all help to us once Jaganmohan took over as chief minister," Ramesh said.

At Kowkonda village, Chukka Sayamma, an 80-year-old woman died in her sleep on September 4. But her death was linked to Reddy's helicopter crash.

In another instance, 45-year-old Rajamouli of Kamareddypalle village died after allegedly consuming poison in his fields on September 5. His daughter Padma did not say how the death had occurred.

However, his neighbours said that Rajamouli had been drinking heavily the night before after participating in a Congress rally. He had quarrelled with his wife at night and was found dead the next morning. His name was reportedly put on the list of those who "gave up their lives" for Reddy because he had taken part in the Congress rally.

The death of 25-year-old Teegala Chiranjeevi at Peddammagadda in Hanamkonda is interesting. Local residents said he was a vagabond and mentally deranged. On September 5, he committed suicide by setting himself on fire.

Since there was no one to take care of him, local NSUI workers informed the media that the man had immolated himself demanding that Jaganmohan be made chief minister. The police, however, registered the case of suicide.

"We know that 90 per cent of these deaths are natural. But nobody would speak the truth either out of respect towards YSR or fear of reprisal from Congress leaders. The family members of these victims too do not reveal the facts because they have been promised ex gratia by the leaders," a mandal parishad member said.

Courtesy: Mail Today

And why did they die?

When I read the news that 67 people died upon hearing the death of YSR, I wondered if such an incident can ever happen in Kerala. It did pain me to note that precious lives were lost due to some reasons.

In Kerala we do have ardent supporters who will kill another for the party’s sake (and get away!) but never have I heard anyone committing suicide or of anyone who has even died of a heart attack upon hearing about the death of a political leader. (They may commit suicide if the State announced that liquor is completely banned!)

1- Is it because the state is 100% literate?

2- Is it because the caste system is thinning out and also many social norms have been thrown out? (women are more empowered)

3- Is it because the state is more developed?

4- Is it because the state does not have good political leaders worth dying for?

While the 4th is true at the moment for Kerala, the first 2 counts even more. Kerala is also a smaller state and hence the poverty level could be lower when compared to AP. And while I think that the needs of the state of Kerala are not as severe as that of AP, the state does have suicides among the farmers.

I assume that in some states when the desperate needs of its people are met even in the barest level, they tend to elevate their leader to the status of God. So much that when one saw the live telecast of the funeral on TV channels and the news that so many even died for him, one wonders how a leader who has been accused of corruption and accusation in the highest level got into the hearts of the common people.

A dangerous trend…

While traveling through Alapuzha road, Hubby has never stopped reminding about the Kanichukulangara murder case and to show the Lorry which continues to lie there as witness. Bits and pieces of the case would float through my mind and I would feel sad at the state of affairs in Kerala. And now we have one more land mark, the place where the gruesome murder of Paul Muthoot occurred. Let me forget that this case got much interest since it involved a family of high influence and let me also forget the fact that wanted goondas were travelling with the victim. The way the case is moving makes me believe that the police will be forced to twist the facts and in the end we will never know the entire truth.

It is indeed sad to see the political and other murders committed so often in our state. We have never been satisfied by the court verdicts and many murderers still run scott free. Another murder that still stands fresh in my mind is that of the teacher K.T. Jayakrishnan in front of his 6th standard students in year 1999. The accused were given death sentence by the lower courts but were left free by the Supreme Court. I remember writing a very emotional letter to the Chief Minister and I am sure that letter reached nowhere but I could do nothing else.

Yesterday I watched a retired police commissioner say how the police are not allowed to do their work freely, although the Kerala Police is one of the best in the country. He said that unless the society cooperates this scenario is not going to change.

Is it only the judiciary and the police to be blamed?

Is it only the political parties to be blamed?

Below is an excerpt from The Hindu dated Nov 30, 2004

The story of derailed probes High Court strictures

The credibility of the crime investigation and prosecution machineries in the State has been deteriorating rapidly. The developments in the last few days have eroded it further. Legal experts attribute the failure of the investigative machinery to lack of experience, incompetence and corruption. Poor prosecution mechanism, they say, is owing to the incapability of Government lawyers. They feel that political interference is compounding the problem

V.S. Achudanandan Zindabad

Don’t ask me why and when I started to respect this man but the events that unfolded the recent week has made me sad. He seems to have been ditched by all and only the welcome slogans at the Airport when VS returned from Delhi gave a bit of solace.

If one looks at Kerala’s political scene, out of those politicians who have emerged as leaders, there are only two living politicians whom one can confidently say are honest and clean. One is A. K. Anthony and the other V.S. Achudanandan. Forget the rest of their character flaws that the press and most of us love to joke about but let us admit that being honest in politics and for that matter in any field has become a rarity these days. And yes one will say that politics is not the place to be honest. But then honesty and integrity has become outdated and the last place one expects to find it is in the political arena.

V.S. fought life the hard way. He lost his parents at a young age and had to discontinue his studies to earn his bread. He climbed the party rungs with his hard work and dedication. He was also tortured by the police and almost left to die. He was punished even earlier by his party since he thought beyond the party and for the common man. Yet he doggedly stood for his beliefs and continues to be a wonder at his age – 87 years! But this party seems to have lost it all. V.S. was voted to power by those who trusted him and the party that he stood for, but alas the party’s agenda had already taken a different route.

In a democratic set up does one really care for a political party if it cannot meet the expectation of those who voted it to power? If the party feels that V.S. is the cause for the party’s downfall then what fear makes them keep him in the CM’s chair? Does the party think that the Lavlin and the PDP ghosts will stop haunting the party? I am sure the camps of other political parties in Kerala are heaving a sigh of relief since their job has now become easier.

But then I am also made to believe that communism has done its job and Kerala no longer requires it. The party’s fight for the poor and against the caste system did help a section of the society while inviting irk from others. But now Kerala no longer seems to have those sections and this may be called progress if one can also forget the lost opportunities. Earlier, it was easy to find help around the house and for whatever land is now left for cultivation. But such helping hands have become a rarity in many places these days, even if one is ready to pay the exorbitant wages. Yes, the labour class is having it good. Not that one can attribute this entirely to the Communists since the exodus to the Gulf and other countries is also another reason. Communism also made us take a harder look at our religious idiosyncrasies when at times our religious fervor went beyond normalcy.

Yes, Communism in Kerala could have stood for what its leaders envisaged but alas the party doesn’t care to have lost it.

Vote for BJP!

Why am I saying that?

Did it suddenly dawn on me that BJP is better than Congress? (2 main National parties).

Frankly speaking it hasn’t. Sitting far away from the election heat and die hard voters who may influence my opinion, it was easy to watch both parties impartially. And none of them scored better until I picked up just this from Adwani.

"If NDA returns to power then we’ll force Indian citizens to bring back their wealth to India and use the money here.”

Earlier I did read email forwards on this “Swiss money” but kept wondering if it could be really true. But then the cynic in me told that every political party and their benefactors would have their share. If money can be so easily stashed away by ruling parties then BJP just did not have enough time to siphon it!

But now they have a chance to prove that they are different. If this is not just an election rhetoric and if Advani really has the nation’s interest at heart then he needs to keep no other promise. This money is more than enough to take India on the onward road to glory that it truly deserves.

And today I read this article from S Gurumurthy. His articles have always been thought provoking and at times provocative too. But then truth sometimes hurts.


Secret wealth abroad

02 Apr 2009 08:11:30 AM IST

Switzerland has been accused of giving shelter to black money and there has been a lot of inflow of such wealth from India and other countries of the world.” This is not L K Advani, on election mode, speaking last Sunday, but the Swiss ambassador to India briefing the media in Delhi last year.


The occasion was the 60th anniversary of Indo-Swiss Friendship Treaty. Admitting that Indian black money gets hoarded in his country, he added that the new law in Switzerland would, not stop it, but control it “up to a certain limit”.

Money Money Money

Wow!


"Speaker Somnath Chatterjee told parliament on Tuesday that the parliamentary secretary-general was having sleepless nights over having to store 10 million rupees ($213,000) for the past five months.

The origin of the money has not been identified."


Now that the government has decided not to trace the origin of this money for obvious reasons, I wish it would be distributed to the poor.

Back in business

Sadly we are back into business in the shortest time.

I thought the issue with the “dog’ would die within the mallu world, but no, even the national mainstream newspapers seem to have forgotten the horrible days the country just left behind. I am not providing any links to the news papers since none has been fair. Keralites are not new to their CM and their own colloquial language. In my opinion the ‘dog’ word is the mildest word that the mallu uses in his day-to-day dealings. But like me there are many who respect the CM even for his quirks. Everyone accepts the Father’s feelings too and if the media is to be believed, he had no issues with the CM during the telephone talks. The same media and citizens who shouted foul when Major Unnikrishnan was identified as a Malayalee, in the same tone whined when there was no ministerial representation, except for the political secretary from the Kerala ministry.

We tolerated the electronic media during those dark moments with utmost patience although it was not easy at times, but I believe it is time the media stopped short and did a self study. We lost brave men and there is nothing the country can give their family in return except gratitude. Nothing will suffice since only those who have lost their loved ones can understand the feelings. But for the sake of their utmost sacrifice for the country, this not the time to lose focus on the main issue. This is not the time to aid the parties to take political mileage and knowing well our politicians, it is up to the citizens and the media to get them into running the nation. Sadly we need them all at this moment to govern the country and not to fill the roads with “protestors” for insignificant issues.

For once, India is not alone in her pursuit of terrorism. Pakistan, though reluctantly is ready to cooperate. War is not the answer for any issue and we have all learnt our lessons. We do not want history to give us a repeat. Even in the battle of Kurukshetra in Mahabharata, diplomacy was given a chance until the end even when there were mighty warriors ready to give up their lives. We need every resources and the help of the citizens to root out the menace the nation is facing. If the media is to be believed there were more terrorists and they might be still in the country aided by our own worthless citizens. These terrorists did not work alone and cannot work alone in the future. There needs to be meaningful discussions in the main stream media on this issue. So far I have seen none.

Elections round the corner..

Election is round the corner for the two of the largest democracy in the world....

The words of Condoleezza Rice after the great deal (as they say) was signed may have thrilled a few Indians.

"The world's largest democracy and the world's oldest democracy joined together by our shared values and increasingly by many shared interests now stand as equals closer together than ever before,"

But then in what ways are we equal?

Do the Indian citizens have any idea who they will be voting to power in India?

Looking at the main parties and their leaders, can anyone say if they will ever be put up as candidates?

As for me, being an NRI, I have no voting powers, hence I am not forced to select any party or its leaders. And looking at the current scenario, it will be a tough choice too.

So, I think it is better if the impending divorce is settled.

Let the Congress (who will get a chance to gain its lost credibility) be backed by the communists who will keep on shouting ‘foul’. I think this balance would be fine. An unbridled Congress is a danger to the country and it needs the Communists (whatever their motives be) to shout ‘foul’ so that at least the citizens are kept abreast of the happenings.

They say that the Harward/Oxford educated intellectuals would have taken our country to a worse spot if they had not been bridled. For now, at least the Indian economy can rise up from a better position, thanks to the measures that were put in place. We never gave into mass privatisation and our banks are still accountable.

It could be BJP too, if only their motives were true. Their actions show only ‘RED’. I respected Vajpayee and would have loved to see him in power if his health would have permitted him. And as for ‘Hinduvata’, I have tried understanding this concept, but the action does not replicate what is being advocated. I see the same intolerance that is seen in the Muslim/Christian fanatics.

The show continues....

Sadly most debates on the Nuclear Deal always ended the same way; those who opposed it were branded either a leftist or a BJP. And for those of us who were neither, started doubting if we really had joined the communists or the BJP! (I am not saying that the Communists or the BJP are any worse than the Congress)

Yesterday’s revelation did not come as a surprise since throughout the entire drama, even the Congress at one did admit that it was a commercial deal and not a deal which will miraculously do away with our current energy crisis. As for a commercial deal, anyone with common sense can decipher that it would be the US who would benefit more than the Indians. And as for the Indians, we all know where the wealth is going.

But then the Congress managed by hooks or crook to stay in power irrespective of the fact that there were more pressing issues at home. But if this said letter had been revealed earlier or if our PM was not so naïve (I don’t want to call him a liar as yet), the Congress Party would have been taught a much needed lesson.

The answers were considered so sensitive, particularly because the debate over the agreement in India could have toppled the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the State Department requested they remain secret even though they were not classified,” according to the Washington Post which quoted a spokesman for Berman as saying he had made the answers public because the US Congress must have “relevant information”.

Year 2012

Why in the world am I stuck with year 2012?

It all started when I accidently switched channels (infringing on the exclusive rights of dear Hubby) and landed on the History Channel. I found that I was in the midst of a documentary on Year 2012 (December 21st to be precise), the Mayan Calender, I Ching, The book of Revelation etc etc. and was stuck.

For some, this year predicts the end of civilization and for others the occurrence of some extraordinary events that will change the lives of the entire human civilization.

Here's what is known: The ancient Mayan long-count calendar — a calendar that spans more than 5,000 years — comes to an end on Dec. 21, 2012. This coincides with a galactic alignment in which the sun will align with the center of the Milky Way galaxy, an event that occurs once every 26,000 years, which could have potentially catastrophic consequences. The galactic alignment has the potential to create a shift in the Earth's poles, which would cause disastrous environmental events.

http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/4642.asp

On googling I realized that this Year 2012 concept was not something new and that it has been going on since many years.

They say curiosity kills the cat and it has killed a lot of my time!

I stumbled upon many other unknown realities of life and realized that ignorance is certainly bliss.

Are we for instance aware that a group of scientists are planning (or have they already done it?) to block the sun?

Political inaction on global warming has become so dire that nations must now consider extreme technical solutions - such as blocking out the sun - to address catastrophic temperature rises, scientists from around the world warn today.

For further reading ..



Coming back to Year 2012, I would like to believe in one of the concept, that there will be a great spiritual awakening over time and its culmination will be in Year 2012.

I guess it is easy to be spiritual these days with so many catastrophes already happening and waiting to happen all around the world.

But then being spiritual doesn’t mean going the VHP or the Jihadi or the fanatic Christian way. (ah.. now I come out clean since this is what is really bothering me these days…)

When will we raise our voice against pseudo-secularism which looks at only the vote banks and not the Human Beings?

As for Orissa, it is shameful to note that the Central Government will do nothing to stop the violence.

Does any means justify the end? Like for instance pairing with crooks to get the nuclear deal (still in confusion) through...

As for the communists, they are busy flaunting their wealth by the recent opening of a water theme park in Kerala. Even if they use rain water, is the fee of Rs. 300 affordable to the working class family?

The never ending tragedy...

Who says we are a democratically elected country, when Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday admitted that she would have liked to have her son Rahul Gandhi enter the Union Council of Ministers. But he opted out, preferring to concentrate on party work. And he and some other newly inducted ministers have no other qualification other than being born to influential politicians.

Oh yet another sacrifice from the Nehru family to be eulogised. But don’t we all know that this is only the beginning. Soon we will hear the name of Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate and come elections the Congress by default will have none other than him to offer to the voting idiots (not me since I have no voting rights LOL!)

Poll-Tricks

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." This is what Jesus told Pharisees and Herodia (who were sent to trap him) when he was asked about paying taxes to Ceaser. What an apt response and how crystal clear was the reply!

You might wonder why I am writing this here. It is about the recent media hype on late Mathai Chacko. Pinarayi’s violent reaction on the Bishop’s statement looked pathetic. Can Pinarayi ever decide who loses or gain faith in their own religion? Has he taken over the minds of his communist flock? Is he God to read the minds of his cronies? If Mr. Chacko did have faith can Pinarayi do anything to change it. Why was Pinarayi so shocked and agitated?

On the other side why did the Bishop drag poor Mathai Chacko to the center of this controversy? If Mathai lost his faith who is to blame for this? The religious institutions cannot wash their hands and stand by claiming to have no part to play. If it was in response to the statement from the Communist Leaders, then it was totally un-called for.

Religion is something personal and it is between you and the Almighty. And the Almighty sees only your heart, he is not bothered with the flags that you wave down on this earth. Even if one takes the last rites or not, it is after all your own heart that communicates with the Almighty. As Nikesh of India Vision commented, it is not the job of a Bishop to reply in the same coin to the politicians. Their job is only to look after the spiritual health of their sheep and if you have done right, they will for sure choose the right path. And if you want to bring them back to your fold, please choose the right means.

But then.. it is again dirty politics.. and sadly even the Church seems to love all the attention. Or are they diverting the attention from other glaring truths? Maybe the Sister Abhaya Case?

Credibility

Has he has lost it?

Power corrupts and we are seeing it. Until this time, he never reached the office of the CM and finally when he got it, he seems to have lost his integrity. It is time he resigned like Anthony. When Anthony could not keep up his clean image, he resigned. Maybe it was weakness from his part but then it was better than to lose the trust a multitude of people placed upon on you.

V.S. sent 3 of his best men to Munnar with great speeches but now the same team has been replaced with more efficient members. Why?
The Public Works is in great need of a Minister, yet the CM does not want to take a decision. He prefers to wait for the tainted Joseph to return.

Is it time to measure the land of our CM too?

Mallu Land

I was planning to blog this for a while and that is when I read Maddy's article...

If one looks at the current political dramas one cant help praying that the whole Secretariat building along with its entire occupancy (when it is in full session) disappears! Poof! How great it would be.
We see MLA’s fasting with no visible signs of fatigue on them. The opposition brings a new allegation and the ruling party is quick to come up with counter allegation and then it dies sooner than the media or the poor subjects can even think! Aren’t they all enacting a drama? I am sure behind our backs both the opposition and the ruling parties find ways to cover each other’s back.

This brings to my mind a recent comedy skit on one of the Malayalam Channel Since this is the season of talent contests, our political leaders, namely, Anthony, Chandy, Karunakaran and VS were invited for a contest. The winner will be provided a fully paid trip abroad for 3 months in addition to 10 million or so cash and the same is sponsored by the viewers. And after the usual drama, the judges declare all four as the winner since their performance were equally good. After the price money was declared, the contestants ask the Judges, how this can be afforded since all of them needed to be paid equally. And the judges reply “they are ready to pay even more just to get you guys out of this State” - good riddance to bad rubbish!

It has come to this stage and I wont be surprised if we see the people taking law into their own hands like how it happened in Jhakarnd and Bihar.

Swami Vivekananda, you are right and we at GOC will continue to uphold your verdict

Bin Laden

I keep wondering if Mr. Bush and Laden have secret moments over the communication system.

Hey Bin.. time for another tape man.. my polls are yet again going down and they want our boys to get out of Iraq. Why don’t you give those shivering brains a scare in your usual style and please don’t forget to mention September 11.
No problems Bushy boy.. as along as you don’t let your boys come anywhere near my bunker.

Sept 11 – 2001. And today it is more than 5 years and the world’s largest and most sophisticated military power is not able to capture their number one enemy. Even when they have considerable power over the countries like Afganistan and Pakistan, Bin Laden seems to keep shifting his hiding place every day. My puny brain is not able to digest these facts. Help me God!

The nuclear deal… can someone switch on the lights please….

The nuclear deal between Indian and US has come to a stand still since the Left and BJP are crying foul. Now it was Mr. Vajpayee ( I respect this man a lot) during the time of the BJP rule who started the discussion on this deal. The Left, as we all know were always opposed to anything that has an American tag and would prefer goodies coming from their like minded friends in China or Russia. But we very well know that Russia refused nuclear fuel on some petty reasons and China is now very happy that this deal is not going through.

There are many, both in India and America who are not happy with this deal. The Americans still don’t trust India and feels that India may use the technology and fuel for its military purpose.

India would want to develop a nuclear weapon, specially since its neighbour Pakistan has not stopped going in this direction but the world should keep in mind that India has always been a responsible country with a vibrant democracy.

But now that the deal has come to a stand still and if the Left and BJP has any reasons for their stance, can they please explain the pros and cons? Of course there has to be a “give and take” attitude in every deal, but can we know what we are giving up. Can someone explain this is plain English. And if the Left wants to oppose, can they give an alternative to India’s need for energy? Ok, there is Iran, but how viable is this when the pipe lines are going through Pakistan?

It is not that I do not trust Mr.Manmohan Singh, but please throw some light.

Iraq

Don’t know why I keep ending up with subjects so unpopular, especially since I should be blogging to fame. I guess I cannot stop myself, something compels me to write, even though I know that world wide web is teeming with similar reports, mostly first hand.

Yesterday the toll in Iraq was above 200. It was not 1 nor 2 nor 10 but more than 200 innocent civilians were killed.

The world finished Saddam since he seemed to be the threat to the peace in Iraq but did he leave any clones? Or who is so adamant that peace should never prevail in Iraq. I am sure the Iraqis would love to lead a normal life, drilling the oil and using the money to send their kids to schools, have some decent food and so many other things which we are taking for granted.

I googled Iraq for news and I find news from year 1941.. and it all started with oil.

WAR IN IRAQ ENDS; Vital Oil Fields of Mosul Are Under Control of...
$4.95 - New York Times - Jun 2, 1941
LONDON, June 1 -- Hostilities ceased throughout IRAQ today as Emir Abdul Illah, ... a brief outline of the TERMS of the settlement of the Iraqi-British WAR ...
All 6 related - Related web pages


No 'Smoking Guns' So Far, UN Is Told; Blix Says Iraq Failed...
Pay-Per-View - Washington Post - ProQuest Archiver - Jan 10, 2003
still, the Bush administration seized on Blix's criticism of Iraq, ... "there Is still No evidence that Iraq has fundamentally changed its approach from one ...
How lack of a 'smoking gun' complicates... - Christian Science Monitor
All 149 related - Related web pages


FOXNews.com - Bush: US Will Not Abandon Iraq - Politics | Republican...
FOX News - Dec 1, 2005
Leaving Iraq "would vindicate The beheadings and suicide bombings and mass ... terrorists in Iraq share The same ideology as those responsible for The ...
Bush Presents Plan to Win Iraq War - Washington Post
Bush hails 'real progress' in Iraq - Guardian Unlimited
Newsweek - Financial Times - All 238 related - Related web pages


What caught my eyes was this in the news “Bush presents Plan to Win Iraq War”

Republicans, meanwhile, were supportive, saying Bush had pointed the way to victory. "The president clearly and concisely laid out a plan for success in Iraq," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).
In his remarks, Bush continued to equate the war in Iraq with the nation's larger battle against terrorism. He acknowledged that those fighting the United States are largely Iraqi, but added that the most lethal among them are foreign fighters bent on targeting Americans everywhere.
"This is an enemy without conscience, and they cannot be appeased. If we were not fighting and destroying this enemy in Iraq, they would not be idle," he said. "They would be plotting and killing Americans across the world and within our own borders."

Now Bush talks about winning the war.. for whom? Is it for the Americans or the Iraqis? I am sure the Iraqis would care a damn about the Americans if they are let alone to manage their affairs. Maybe they will choose another Saddam but if that is what they want let them. At least few lives will be lost. And now instead of oil the Iraqis (the men who are still left behind after the daily killings) are forced to sell their women:

Sex for survival
By: Afif Sarhan in Badhdad

When Rana Jalil, 38, lost her husband in an explosion in Baghdad last year, she could never have imagined becoming a prostitute in order to feed her:

click to read further


Has the whole world lost its conscience? Or are they waiting for a nuclear bomb to finish what is remaining? I guess that would have been better than this daily killings, at least for some of us our conscience would not be tugging us.