Ignoring the Gorillas in the Living Room

Everyone knows N. Korea and Iran's nuclear capacity/ambitions are the most dangerous threats to world peace. And everyone knows the United States has the capability to neutralize those threats in a day's time using its tactical nuclear weapons. And everyone knows this won't happen...but why not??? Communist China could easily bring N. Korea to its knees through closing the border, but does not. Why? Because after all, N. Korea is also a Communist country, albeit bizarrely backward economically. So they dither. So either we make it clear to them we are going to nuke the N. Korean military and allow the South Koreans to liberate the country, or we tell the Chinese Reds we are going to give Japan and the Republic of Taiwan nuclear weapons.

If we can't stop the crazy N. Koreans from spreading nuclear weapons around the world to every mullah and tinpot dictator who hates America, then what's the difference if Japan and Taiwan get them too? I think Communist China would cave in and agree to push the nutty regime in N. Korea to relinquish nuclear weapons pronto, rather than have their age-old enemies across the sea gain the nuclear equalizer.

As far as Iran is concerned, they are obviously hoping the dictator Putin of Russia will provide them with nuclear technology and also protect them from American attack. But if Putin is such a cretin that at his European visit with President Bush, he belligerently asked Bush why the US government fired Dan Rather and the CBS screwups, why should we trust his relationship with a fellow dictatorship in Iran? This guy is totally misinformed.

The only drawback to nuking the Iranian nuclear power plants is that it would probably turn the majority pro-American population against us, given the emotional appeal of nationalism. However, what should we do, sit on our butts waiting for the Iranian people to overthrow their obnoxious fanatical leaders, who would kill as many of them as it took to repress the revolt, or just zap their nuclear facilities once and for all? After all, these nuts make no secret of their desire to destroy Israel as soon as they have the military capability. Do you think we are not close behind on their list?

So the upshot of the deal is: Bush has to clean up the mess left behind by Clinton who wanted to be adored on the international scene rather than make tough decisions. When rogue regimes disregard international law and start spouting nuclear wings, they become dangerous outlaws to be shot on sight. It is the world's duty to destroy these outlaw regimes who starve and mutilate their own peoples, and replace them with freely elected governments responsible to their citizens. Otherwise, some day soon we will get out our maps and have to start scratching out our cities one by one as they go up in radioactive smoke.

Old trustworthy

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Originally uploaded by Sherab.

The old trusty rusty air compressor, leaking oil by appearances, ready and willing to serve until further notice.

Buddhist fireworks

Someone on the buddhist chat line posted a moderately funny joke circulating among conservative blogs recently, concerning bin Laden's rough reception in the afterlife by various dead American heroes and Presidents, and this was one buddhist's response:

"The absolute violence of the aggression imbedded in this post exploded with the precision of colour coded smart bomb of bloodymindedness that dripped with slimy hatred, rotting smelly revenge and poisonous spitefulness so as to engender this response that though positively motivated somehow feels equally infected with aversion and washed with its glorious display of karma...I had to stop to double check that this was indeed being propagated by a member of the Buddhist Organisation and practicing Buddhist....May this be of benefit."

If this sort of purple prose isn't over the top, I don't know what is. If I were the writer, I would save this sort of pulling-out-all-the-stops response to a real event, rather than a harmless joke. When the UN is closed down as the morally bankrupt organization it is and demoed, then go ahead, scream and shout like crazy if you're a liberal. But unfortunately this hysterical style of argument is the norm rather than the exception...many liberals just can't get used to the idea of being contradicted, especially in their safe havens as the universities, major media, foundations and in this case, buddhism.

Being a conservative buddhist is not an easy position -- one's fellow buddhists are all liberal and can't believe you are quite sane, and one's fellow conservatives are doubtful of non-traditional religion, which might be pagan. But I maintain buddhism is inherently politically conservative in its karmically-based attitute that where and what we are is the direct result of our own actions -- no whining allowed. It also embodies the conservative values of justice and freedom for all in its emphasis on compassionate action in the world. The willingness of American soldiers to sacrifice their lives so that foreigner peoples are freed from oppression and tyranny is the highest example of bodhisattva activity.

Non-theistic morality

Dostoyevsky declared in The Brothers Karamazov (I think) that "If there were no god, then all things are permitted." This is the usual theistic attitude toward morality. But I think there are several flaws in this rather drastic statement. First of all, it gives free rein to anyone whose belief in God has lapsed for some reason, to engage in anti-social behavior...in fact the doubter may feel compelled to "sin" since that is what is expected of him. And then the atheists would also feel they were excused from societal prohibitions.

What is wrong with social controls being based on respect for each other? This kind of respect is incorporated into buddhist beliefs and practices.
I think a case can be made that morality can be based on something other than belief in God....the buddhists have been doing it for 2,500 years. In their case, the doctrine of karma acts as an impersonal force which deters selfish behavior and promotes good deeds. Also, their belief in reincarnation means they believe every sentient being has been their mother in some previous existence, therefore compassion for all life is generated. These beliefs are reinforced by the practice of meditation, which forces one to examine one's mind and see in vivid detail how selfish one really is, and therefore inspires one to engage in less painful selfless activity.

It does seem that social morality without religious input often leads people astray. But buddhism proves religion can exist without a supreme deity.

CNN's Eason Jordon resignation

This controversy about Jordon's slandering American troops has been brewing for 2 weeks and the mainstream media has tried to ignore it until now...seems like they wanted to protect one of their own...now all they can say is he is a victim of a rightwing-led blogger witchhunt...when in fact his recent statement is only one of many anti-American slanders.
If there is any conspiracy at work here it is the liberal media desperately trying to ignore the blogosphere and impose a news blackout on the developing story. NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, and the liberal newspapers--The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, USA TODAY etc.--made a conscious decision to keep a major news story away from the American people.

This is like Rathergate all over again.

Avalon here we come

Has anyone seen this weird cyperspace Japanese/Polish film called Avalon? I caught last half or so of it tonight on TV....more interesting and less pretentious than kung-fu crazed Matrix, gives some disturbing thoughts about nature of human competition. One aspect of this game-playing culture that ties in with Castaneda for example is the tonal/nagual duality; that is, no matter how soaring one's spiritual experiences are, if one does not take practical and boring care of the physical body, then "the game" and all of one's vast and complex intellectual/mystical experiences are lost and don't mean anything, period....but that if one integrates body and mind in a perhaps heavyhanded way, then one can benefit from such experiences and be a boon to humanity, in the classic heroic pattern as outlined so well by Joseph Campbell.....

Off to a grand start

We are setting off on that grand journey called by our ancient ancestors "the blog." These ancestors lived at least 5 to 10 years ago, a millennium by modern standards. These brave souls actually wrote their thoughts down in that new medium called the Internet and lived to tell about it. Some had axes to grind, some wanted to communicate with their fellow beings, others just wanted to splash their diary across the universe, since it was now possible.

So as the saying goes, if they can do it, so can I.