Thomas Friedman is a big deal. He's the guy all the top guns in the Canadian punditocracy have to read to make sure they're onside with the latest slant on US Exceptionalism.
Friedman's insights trickle up here to the boonies a little late. The column that appeared in my "New York Times International Weekly" today actually showed up in the NYT five days ago, but better late than never.
Thomas is keen to have us know that he's hound-dogging his way around the continent on his NYT expense account, having dinner parties with various government and international experts, "trying to understand the refugee crisis that is fracturing the EU, much of which originates in Italy."
We'll call this the first Tommywhopper of the piece. The refugee crisis primarily originates in countries where the US and the gang of toadying me-too nations have been busying themselves spreading freedom and democracy. Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan...
It doesn't take Thomas long to come up with Tommywhopper 2; there was nothing wrong with the illegal destruction of Libya other than the small detail that the destroyers failed to hang around and "build a new order."
Really?
Friedman does notice that on his current frolic through Italy, "unassimilated migrants are now visible in the streets, squares, and train stations." Is this the result of America having destroyed their countries?
Gosh no! It's because we haven't provided the migrants with "legal pathways for immigration," nor have we, the always-virtuous West, come up with "a strategy to improve effective and accountable governance in Africa."
As if that should be our job. Hey, we're trying to get past that colonialism thing, aren't we?
We'll call that Tommywhopper 3. All EU countries have legal pathways for immigration. Having legal pathways for immigration is a condition of EU membership. What those legal pathways never anticipated was the over-whelming flood of refugees created by US foreign policiy.
That's America's responsibility, not Italy's. Or Hungary's or Spain's or Germany's or Sweden's. There is not the slightest whiff anywhere in these 800 words 'o wisdom from the American Establishment's number one pundit, that remotely hints that America bears any responsibility whatsoever for the refugee crisis.
The latter half of Friedman's rant is, predictably, all about Putin and his bumboy in the White House, although Steve Bannon makes an extended cameo. If those guys get their way, "who will write the new rules for the 21st century?"
Well Thomas, I guess that remains to be seen.
Folks who love peace and democracy just hope it won't be the same people who wrote the rules for the the last century... you know, the century that brought us Hiroshima, Korea, Vietnam, Timor, Suharto, Pinochet, the Shah, Rios Montt...
And so much more!
Showing posts with label EU refugee crisis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EU refugee crisis. Show all posts
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Monday, August 1, 2016
What are the top news stories in America as Erdogan seizes 90 nuclear warheads at Incirlik?
I've done my morning review of the mainstream news. The two stories vying for top headline news status are, in no particular order;
- Is Donald Trump insensitive? Has he finally gone too far in hurting the feelings of the Khan family?
- Is Hillary dishonest? Were her Sunday media interviews an exercise in creative bullshitting?
Yes, those are the stories the American public must grapple with today.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the wily Erdogan has for all practical purposes had a lock on some unknown number of US nukes since July 15. Oddly enough, a number of fighter aircraft involved in the short-lived coup attempt on that date flew in and out of Incirlik that night.
Coincidence?
And let's not forget that Erdogan, and Erdogan alone, decides how many Syrian refugees will walk to the EU this year.
Seems to me that should be a way bigger story than Trump's insensitivity or Clinton's dishonesty.
- Is Donald Trump insensitive? Has he finally gone too far in hurting the feelings of the Khan family?
- Is Hillary dishonest? Were her Sunday media interviews an exercise in creative bullshitting?
Yes, those are the stories the American public must grapple with today.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the wily Erdogan has for all practical purposes had a lock on some unknown number of US nukes since July 15. Oddly enough, a number of fighter aircraft involved in the short-lived coup attempt on that date flew in and out of Incirlik that night.
Coincidence?
And let's not forget that Erdogan, and Erdogan alone, decides how many Syrian refugees will walk to the EU this year.
Seems to me that should be a way bigger story than Trump's insensitivity or Clinton's dishonesty.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
A million migrants explained in three words
They've had it.
They've had it with the meddling of the Nations of Virtue, the EU-US crusader-clique who find it virtuous to drone and bomb and shock and awe them to death year after year.
They've had it.
They've had enough.
They are reversing the flow of the hippie trail of a couple of generations ago. Hey, if those rich white seekers could walk to Hyderabad from Amsterdam and Hamburg 45 years ago, maybe we can walk there now?
And they are.
They've had it with the meddling of the Nations of Virtue, the EU-US crusader-clique who find it virtuous to drone and bomb and shock and awe them to death year after year.
They've had it.
They've had enough.
They are reversing the flow of the hippie trail of a couple of generations ago. Hey, if those rich white seekers could walk to Hyderabad from Amsterdam and Hamburg 45 years ago, maybe we can walk there now?
And they are.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
A dark tide sweeps towards Europe
Sensationalistic headlines the length and breadth of the EU are proclaiming that Europe is under threat. Yes, a dark (skinned) tide is washing ashore, and if that news isn't bad enough, it seems most of that tide is comprised of MUSLIMS!!!
Judging by the tone of much of this alarmist reporting, we're just a few years away from seeing the demise of the European way of life, whatever that means.
Lets get a grip.
The EU is a vast expanse of space with a population of 500 millions. If ten thousand undocumented souls were to successfully wade ashore every single week of 2015, by the end of the year you'd have seen an increase of .01 in the population.
That doesn't seem to justify the panicky headlines.
Nevertheless, the leaders of those EU Nations of Virtue have a plan; send those migrants back where they came from!
Which brings up an interesting conundrum. The leading sources of this dark tide are Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, and various nations in sub-Saharan Africa - every one of them a country that the Nations of Virtue have fucked up, either through the colonialism of a by-gone era or the neo-colonialism and endless war-mongering of today.
Even the most rudimentary concept of justice would demand that the very nations who protest that they are being overrun should take the initiative in righting the wrongs they've inflicted on Africa and the Middle East.
Instead, they talk about "solving" the problem by building refugee camps in Niger and Sudan.
Sheer stupidity!
These migrants should be welcomed with open arms. First of all, imagine the sheer determination and resourcefulness required to find your way from Somalia or Ghana onto European soil. Those folks got big-time get-up-and-go!
Compare that to the initiative and ambition demonstrated by large swathes of your youth population in the so-called blighted areas of the Continent. They've got about enough get-up-and-go to find a bottle of liquor, and then they're done for the day.
Secondly, with a couple of notable exceptions, the EU nations are failing to reproduce their own populations. Europeans are a dying breed... they need these migrants!
The think tank here at Falling Downs says throw the gates wide open! In fifty years Europe will indeed have a darker hue... but the food will be tastier and the music will be more interesting.
Sounds like a good thing!
Judging by the tone of much of this alarmist reporting, we're just a few years away from seeing the demise of the European way of life, whatever that means.
Lets get a grip.
The EU is a vast expanse of space with a population of 500 millions. If ten thousand undocumented souls were to successfully wade ashore every single week of 2015, by the end of the year you'd have seen an increase of .01 in the population.
That doesn't seem to justify the panicky headlines.
Nevertheless, the leaders of those EU Nations of Virtue have a plan; send those migrants back where they came from!
Which brings up an interesting conundrum. The leading sources of this dark tide are Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, and various nations in sub-Saharan Africa - every one of them a country that the Nations of Virtue have fucked up, either through the colonialism of a by-gone era or the neo-colonialism and endless war-mongering of today.
Even the most rudimentary concept of justice would demand that the very nations who protest that they are being overrun should take the initiative in righting the wrongs they've inflicted on Africa and the Middle East.
Instead, they talk about "solving" the problem by building refugee camps in Niger and Sudan.
Sheer stupidity!
These migrants should be welcomed with open arms. First of all, imagine the sheer determination and resourcefulness required to find your way from Somalia or Ghana onto European soil. Those folks got big-time get-up-and-go!
Compare that to the initiative and ambition demonstrated by large swathes of your youth population in the so-called blighted areas of the Continent. They've got about enough get-up-and-go to find a bottle of liquor, and then they're done for the day.
Secondly, with a couple of notable exceptions, the EU nations are failing to reproduce their own populations. Europeans are a dying breed... they need these migrants!
The think tank here at Falling Downs says throw the gates wide open! In fifty years Europe will indeed have a darker hue... but the food will be tastier and the music will be more interesting.
Sounds like a good thing!
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