Hold up Little Girl

Busy busy busy. Saturday I went shopping with Nikk and Ledi, where we determined that naming someone Nicholas should be a capital offence. It's too easy a name to stuff around with. We walked a lot and took advantage of Hungry Jacks, where I programmed the resteraunts next three hours of listening. Of course, we started in the city and ended up at Port Adelaide.

Adelaide is one of the cheapest places to live, aparently. Our cost of living is lower then the national average in other words. I'm glad- I rather like my city. I'm very muh the sort of person who stays in one place her whole life, although I'd like to go to other places somewhere in there.

Yesterday Zoe and I went down to to the Walk Against War protests. We walked, we listened to the speaches, and then we nearly missed the bus home. With some chanting and a lot of aplause in there as well, of course. Most people who know me would probably find this a little strange, as my interest in politics sits somewhere around base level. But I don't think it's right to be young at the time of war and not go into one of these ideological protests.

I know that sometimes a war is unavoidable, and believe me, I don't believe in apeasement. And America perhaps should go to war with them according to their national code of behavior, although looking at George Bush I can understand if many of them don't want to. What I think I'd really like to do is sit down with Mr. Howard and get him to tell me exactl why we're helping America. Or England- it may be we're following England. It's ANZUS. It reminds me of an old political comic on the ANZUS treaty. "What does that leave us with?" "anus." "Exactly". Well, I was ammused. Maybe I'd scan it in to show you, but it's in storage somewhere.

My mother is a contract worker in nursing homes. Like a substitute nurse. She would walk in to the home, and the inmates would ask the nurses if they were at war yet. They were terrified - They'd lived through the Vietnam war, the Gulf war... I'm sure a fair few of them had seen WWII. My own grandparents were children when that war was on. I guess a part of the reason I went was because of that. I don't agree with punishing a people for their leaders either.
I guess the problem is it all seems such a mess. If Suddam has been such a problem for 12 years, why wasn't something done years ago? And why are they focusing on him with North Korea threatening Nuclear? The whole middle eastern area is a sore spot with us of the English speaking world, because of the Oil. Every country tries to gain an advantage there in the hopes of maintaining their streams, allows one faction to overthrow the other so that they can put ther own person in power. Some countries get that just because they're of strategic importance to the larget countries around them. It's where their power lies. Maybe this war is all about oil- I believe that more then any of this high moral crap. When countries make moral judgements about other countries, it gets scary. Besides, there are other leaders who deserve targeting for being bastards - Sudam's name is just the one we know. Oil: They have it, we want it... Or America wants it, and we want America to protect us. Unfortunantly, our isolation isn't a very good defence. Sudam has, in all probability, bought whatever weapons the US is convinced it has with the money from it. Obviously not the ones America supplied him with in the 80's. Which is why I can understand America wanting to bomb the place around a bit- They helped create the problem, they can clean it up. Doesn't mean I aprove of it, believe me. And then what will happen? We will war in the name of god and exacly how much will change? Here, probably very little. There, a hell of a lot. But you can't impose a regeme change on a country either - "You can't free slaves, they have to free themselves." But that's revolution, and you know how well your average revolution turns out -_-. Either that, or it becomes terrorism (Freedom-fighting), and they rarely turn out as well. They're mostly ideological motions with no secure grounds for government. Not one that works for their country anyway. Yes, I am a big believer in the reidiculousness of the societies we have created. Democrasy doesn't work, it's just better then most of the other types of government. A dictatorship is all well and good, provided the dictator is good at running a country and keeping it's people satisfied, or at least out of trouble. More often then not, however, they ain't. In fact, quite a bit more often then not. And communism doesn't work because people can't stop being people, even if it destroys them.

I've wandered from the point, haven't I? There will be war, and I will hate every second of it. I've told the PM what I think by adding my feet to the march, but as the democratically elected prome minister, the ball is in his court. I just hope he plans to retire AFTER this whole mess is over, not during. The man waiting in the wings is even worse. And no, I wasn't old enough to vote in the last election. But I would have voted for Kim in any case. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if he had won. This can't be an easy time to be a leader.

I guess it's inevitable now, and there's no point in thinking about it. 'If my fat is to die, I must simply laugh' and all that. It's not my fate that I think about, it's the cycle of things. A dead family leaves a man with nothing but revenge. I wonder if Osama and Saddam have actually discussed being in league? I mean- Nothing says 'Let's get america to beat the crap out of us' then signing up with the man they want dead more then anything else. But if they honnestly think they're gooing to go to war, I see no reason why they wouldn't.

I do wonder if I've done the right thing. I doubt I could stop the war from occuring, but these protests can't be good for our troops. If you can't stop the killing, save your own I guess. Country loyalty is a strange thing, ain't it? So's Collateral Damage, but can hate that term silently without inflicting it upon you, dear reader.

Something must be done- But is this the only something there is? Or os it a case of 'My cat is a dog'. One of my fathers old stories to explain government. "My cat has whiskers, four legs and a tail. My dog also has whiskers, four legs and a tail. Therefore, my cat is a dog." Something has to be done about this. Well, here is something. Let's do it- It doesnt' matter wether it solves the problem or not, at least we're doing something. And watch out for muslims under your bed.

I'd like to apologise to muslims in advance.

Next blog- Washi's irrational sence of fear!

"You mean were going to war over an island that's only of strategic importance if we go to war?"
~Paraquoted from 'Jingo'. Good book. Read Pratchett.
- posted by Washi @ 12:58 pm