A day for remembrance - the Holocaust

It is difficult to write about such a loaded subject, there are so many strings attached to it from my own days or days leading way back to biblical times and in particular the old testament and the Torah scrolls. Anyway, it is a day to remember the horrors of the Holocaust and how humans can turn towards other humans, subjecting them to atrocities that for a normal person is unthinkable, beyond the imaginable horizons of a human mind and even more so for the young mind confronting the issue of limitless cruelty. It came to my knowledge when I was about 10 years old by my interest in books, I read everything my parents had in the house and even books they had hidden for the "young" eyes. I am 62 years old at this writing so this is nothing new to me but every time I cross myself with Nazi extermination factories I feel the same thing as when I was 10, profound sadness. 2 days ago, I visited some documentaries on Youtube, I spent more than half a day watching things I had already seen, film clips taken by the "embedded" journalists following the US and British army to document what was left to see, arriving at one death camp after the other, there were so many. The Germans did never get time enough to cover it up, there were dead bodies in all stages of decomposition all over, there were survivors still inside the facilities some not being able to get out of their bunk beds because of their dire physical condition. I was not aware that the 70th birthday of the liberation of Auschwitz was coming up, it just landed upon me and I am grateful that it happened, I need to be refreshed now and then on history and issues on the planet earth were I live.

I do not doubt this will happen again as there will always be people seeing a rationale in the extermination of another people, but are the means important making one extermination method more despicable and cruel than another one, like gassing people, poisoning, slaughter by firearms and knifes, napalm, airborne bombs, nuclear annihilation? Is the rationale of race, ethnicity or culture important factors to consider for determining the degree of cruelty when someone annihilated somebody else? I don't think so, it is the mere act of dehumanizing another one for race, religion or ethnic belonging for the benefit of oneself that should be the measure.

Seem there are fears that humanity would let the Holocaust fall into the darkness of gloom. There are voices constantly calling out, you have to do more to avoid forgetfulness, more this very day than any other day. There is a plenitude of individuals on earth, young ones and older ones that will never forget, not only what the Germans did to what they considered not wanted humans but of all atrocities inflicted on mankind through ages of human existence.

The majority of us will never forget, but with time the memory might fade when the ones growing up in the wake of WW2 are dying out. Keeping the world remembering is one thing but keeping the information recorded in those days immaculate is another issue more important than the individual human memory.

Light will always prevail over darkness even though there will be eclipses ahead for mankind. It seem like memory, remembrance is just not enough to keep us from falling down. Just imagine yourself doing a "face-off" in a group of whites, blacks, browns, yellow and reds taking note that everyone would look as ugly without the skin on top. Or a "face-off" in a ethnic group setting, a religious group setting? Just consider the dangers when our governments record such things about ourselves like ethnic belonging, religion, color and sexual preference.

I will never forget. Would you?

USA, ISIS and Iran

Union address January 2015

One of the recent days statements from Obama addressing the congress was: ”don’t touch Iran", concerning further embargos on a nation that GW Bush not so long ago included in the "axis of evil" list of rouge nations. Sometimes I wonder how much look-ahead a super-power nation has on it's HUD. We have got a Muslim Shia rule in Iraq and even if the first one that went sour with the US favorite Maliki another of the same flavor followed suite. Iraqi Democracy or Democrazy, I don't know but with the Mahdi army led by the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr the door to Iran opened up a little bit more and then was left wide-open when the US partially left Iraq. Do I see a master's level of chess here or is it just another strategic intervene-fire-and-forget game leaving the world with another constellation, another patch-work of ambitious rogue nations and where Iran will acquire the Lion part of it all?

Iran, Israel’s "best friend" is taking control of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, with few enemies around its borders, the only would-be enemy Turkey a Muslim Sunny nation. The worst nightmare of Israel is taking shape. Iraq is already an enclave of Iran with the exception of ISIS and Al Qaeda conquered territories. With Bashar al Assad's regime and the Iran supported Hezbollah militia in Syria, Iran in Iraq, ISIS, Al Qaeda and other Sunni Muslim militias are cornered in and soon rounded up to become exterminated. Iran is already doing air-strikes over Iraq and operating in northern Syria with the aid of USA. This is what Obama is conveying when he said: "don't touch Iran" as Iran is an ally in the air and on the ground countering ISIS. The consequences, well that is for the future?

Is this for the good of the world? Having Iran controlling Iraq, Syria and Lebanon? Shortly, when the time comes, Obama's two terms are over and the matter is on the desk of another US President. But a nation that recently was addressed and classified as a rogue state then in return greeted by Ali Khamenei with "most-hated Satan", could these two nations ever come on speaking terms, with the US "protégé" Israel in between?

I must say that I am impressed by how a nation oppressed by the west by embargos and threats has been able to survive and navigate steadfast through waters full of mines. Is this the staunch Persian nature and personality of Alexander the Great, rising anew, or is it the Anti-Christ rising as per the holy book? I see an aftermath of the Iraq and Afghanistan interventions that I a few years ago would not want to dream of, my worst nightmare for the world seem to come true. My preferred view of a peaceful world comes from a western perspective, a secular world where religious belief is up to each and every one of us and where the role of the church, a religious institution is the road-sign into the mysteries and a social connection between individuals, nothing more. No ones life should be controlled by religion or religious leaders.
#ISIS #Iran #IsraelisUnderAttack #Israel #Iraq

USA losing the position as the number one – lessons from the past of no use.

Xi Jinping

No one is that stupid, not recognizing the fall of the almighty, the protector of world peace, world economy and the world police, no matter how aggressive Obama has become lately. We don’t have to read books to understand that the world domination of the USA is over, yet one and another US “professor” is laying his neck bare, making scenarios for times to come. Black Hawk down, in Somalia was just the beginning, followed by the invasion of Afghanistan with as of today unprecedented growth and cultivation of poppy seeds then Iraq was left in ruins, with a whole nation in ashes and suffering. Did the US make a terrible error when supporting the Afghan resistance to the USSR invasion? Just take a few steps back and consider the US support of the South-Vietnamese when the French bailed out. Isn’t that pretty much how history goes when conditions in a particular hot-spot are severely misunderstood or miscalculated? How could that be? Today, using propaganda, that is the US press and the Hollywood, it seem like the whole history of US manipulation was the right thing to do, that is to favor world stability. Put some Harvard professor on that subject to show us the outcome of every single aggressive US intervention since the Second World War, or better someone from the Sorbonne University France. I tell you it’ll come and it’ll not be favorable to Hollywood, to the USA, to Sylvester Stallone, to that little shit Chuck Norris (and a lot of others even European imports like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Arnold Schwartsenegger). It will not be favorable to recent history of US leaders (presidents) either, from Jack Kennedy and brothers and ahead to our days, as of adultery (JFK) manslaughter (Chappaquiddick), deception (Nixon), adultery (Clinton), and fraud (GWB). It is pretty ugly summing it all up, a show of lack of values and a reverence of money, the dollar, nothing else. USA got to the moon ahead of everybody because of Wernher von Braun, a NSDAP and SS member – the post-war Paperclip project. That is how this world works; show the rest how formidable you and your system is, a kind of rhetoric but without values behind except controlling the others and getting fat, the behavior of a fully functioning drug addict.

Now, we have a couple of billion of individuals, nations like India and China that wants to get a leg up controlling the situation and especially their own prosperity on the planet earth. Just taking those two, there is common belief among citizens in those nations that they are the oldest, the wisest on earth thus not respecting western ideals. I wonder, how will we westerner’s deal with cultures and thinking like that. I don’t see it amongst us, what I see is planting more cheap labor opportunities on the lands of those nations, which I believe will lead to the demise of the “great” (read greedy) nations like the USA (and some other nations). There is no way to stop that, as everything we do is based on our own greed and if we don’t consume we die. The Swedish treasury lowered the interest to 0% to boost the economy (consuming) but at the same losing control over it.

The Chinese is silently everywhere already, the Indians (Hindus) everywhere since way back because of the British colonies and the relocation of those people from the 19^th century and on to modern days. What worries me the most is the Chinese engaging in anything that would make money, anywhere, that is drug trade and un-ethical mining of gold or whatever minerals asked for by the world market. The Chinese are into so much more than what people on the street in any western nation would imagine (because of incomplete or incompetent press coverage), like the Mexican handicraft (artesania) being a bargain on the streets of Mexico City now being replaced by much cheaper ones from China, yet, the Chinese are invisible, you don’t see them on the streets. When the Chinese are able to beat anything we can do, or even better beat the ones that did it for us, what will this sum to at the end? Is our salvation to prop up India as we did with China to counter the Chinese wonder?

This whole thing is just history as for years it has gone out of the hands of the first nation on earth, the world “peace-making” force, the world stabilizer, the world police, the USA. It has nothing to do with Obama, but earlier errors committed by a resource and power-hungry nation’s administration elected by the people (no - elected by corporations paying for the presidential campaigns), the USA that has been too long on good supply of dollars, Crystal Meth, Marihuana and Cocaine (sorry, I forgot Heroine), and a changing gallery of designer drugs allegedly developed in Europe, then produced and distributed by the Chines (read – not North Korea)

Hollywood made some entertaining movies though…. but life is not easy at all and in particular for anyone of us not aspiring for the driver’s seat.

There is no way pushing them back and a fruitful strategy seems to be missing, but irrespective of strategy, the US thinkers know that the point of no return is already passed. All the errors committed earlier basically trying to appear sitting with the intelligence, attempting to inflict fear opposing US policies, to control everything on the planet took the wrong direction some many times coming to the intersections of the future – because of greed, the only nation on planet earth not changing after the demise of the USSR. Not listening to anybody, abstaining from voting on Climate Change issues, lifting vetoes in the UN when the matters did not lead in the direction of US desires. How can anybody trust a nation like that – the truth is, nobody, nobody would. Someone said, to win you need to bet on all horses in the race, meaning to bet even on the devil’s horse to get what you want, the agencies views of the world, irrespective of what the people of your nation wants, without listening, without asking them.

You did take the step to re-open US oil fields in fallow, stymieing developments of green resources in Europe and on your own soils throwing us back to oil dependency, hampering promising developments especially in Europe, with an exceptionally bad timing. The reason, to lower cost of US production, to make your nationals happy as the cost of mobility is crucial on your lands. We’ll see how long this strategy lasts. But, you'll notice that few of us will be able to pay for your produce and that seem to be the catch.

The US is composed of 50 states each one different from one another, it could be having or not having capital punishment, it could be regarding green thinking with higher taxation on energy consummation or no taxes holding the freedom to roam the lands high. Sometimes I hear about this on social Medias but summing it all up, your individuality is not perceived of outside your borders, your voice is not heard of outside of the US, over here at any ROW nation the only thing we hear or see is the voice of your agencies communicated through the voice of your federation – the US government.

This article is not an anti US publication at all, I did live in the states married to an American woman, two of my children are born there, I did admire the US and I still do as my admiration boils down to the level of creativity found in your society, the unprecedented faith, morals, values you once had but sorry to say all that seem to be in decay and probably because of the ludicrous thought that you were meant by the almighty, to control it all, to own it all, to deserve it all. History proves that no people, no nation on earth will persist having such a belief. The real power is to be found within the individual, not a nation, nor a state. Some believe that that power is the power of God.

Let us stop talking about religion

Yes, exactly that, stop talking about religion when a crime is committed and remove so called ”hate crime” laws. A crime is a crime irrespective of what the (religious) target was; an individual, a business or a religious institution. As long as we continue using religious labels we will only increase divide and there will always be individuals and organizations taking advantage of it. Always exposing religion in a plethora of situations is counterproductive, religion is a private matter between an individual and “God”. “God” never asked for display of belonging or righteousness through the wearing of symbols or dressing according to the demands of a religious leader or institution. According to most religions, the core of it boils down one simple thing, creating a relation between deity and self. A religious institution apart from compassion and charity should serve this purpose only, which is helping individuals come to terms with that relation.

When we openly display symbols for our belief and grouping us together under the label of a religion we make ourselves prey for evil causes, evil people and evil leaders.

In my country Sweden it started to look like we were on the right path, splitting off church from state, removing religious procedure and one-eyed education about Christianity from education, leaving it up to the individual to decide; and it became very much so until a steady and growing stream of refugees and immigrants, mostly Muslims, starting to pour in over the nation’s borders. Sweden is supposed to be a secular state even though there still are a number of religious remains from the times were the majority of Sweden’s population would consider themselves as Christians, at the end of the school year going to church or the celebration of the Saint Lucia in December. We now have living symbols of religion on the streets and laws and courts are changing to incorporate parts of Sharia, still thinking that everyone is equal under the law. It is a grave error from politicians and law-makers letting this happen.

Secular states like Sweden are easy prey either for religious fundamentalism on one side and nationalism on the other and this is exactly what is going on over her right now. Is it bad to be afraid of change, well if we can define the bad and the good but the problem is we can’t, as no one is educated enough on the subject.

Religion should not show on the streets and not in the civil administration of a country. Is this possible to achieve?

Please get acquainted with the concepts of religion by reading something by Karen Armstrong. Doing it is a much easier way than having to read the Quran, The Bible and the Sutras of Buddha, I would trust her.
#shariah #Islamophobia #immigration #IslamicState #religionofpeace #ReligiousViolence #SecularTweets