US Propaganda Leaflets

Right wing Conservatives in America, mostly those referred to as the “religious right”, have an immense distrust toward all things Islam. They see Muslims as people that are hell bent on taking out the West, and harbor an innate fear of their intentions. It’s this distrust that drives them to utter their justification for war – “We’re killing them over there so we don’t have to kill them here.” It’s that ubiquitous sign of religious prejudice and paranoia that plagues Christian Conservatives, and when confronted on that issue they heave their chests in support of their beliefs. It’s unfortunate that their cries are so loud they reverberate across the oceans, and that so many abroad seem to think that all Americans are as equally intolerant. Consequently, much of the world has an equal distrust toward American intentions.

Our nation is currently stuck in a financial hangover largely because of the recently diffused war in Iraq, and the current war in Afghanistan, sucking trillions from our coffers of tax dollars. If President Obama were to quit in Afghanistan now, the Christian Conservatives would call to have his head on a pike… again. But as soon as the President signed his first defense budget, the war in Afghanistan was his to own. The Conservatives were overjoyed with being able to pass over their bumbled military endeavor to the Democrats. They pointed their fingers like kids in the schoolyard, “It’s Obama’s war now, yup!”

One of Barack Obama’s presidential-campaign promises was to refocus our military attention on Afghanistan. During the marathon to the 2008 election, when the right wing neo-cons constantly questioned ‘Who do you trust to lead us in war?’, Senator Obama proposed his plan to draw down the troop levels in Iraq and shift the resources back to where they should’ve been all along – Afghanistan. On countless occasions, he accepted the weight of the war on his shoulders before he ever became president. So the sudden surprise that Republicans received was in fact no surprise at all. It was nothing more than another instance where their paying attention to anything beyond anti-liberalism fell short of their blind faith in all things on the right-wing.

Conservatives couldn’t bask in their glory for very long, however, for deep inside they knew what we all know – this is their war, as most wars are. It is the right wing that proposes the inflated defense budgets, normally ballooned to leaving all other domestic spending in its immense shadow. They are those who supported the war in Iraq, even after all of the lies and deceit that the Bush-Cheney administration used in starting the war were uncovered. With regard to the war in Afghanistan, well, why wouldn’t they support it? It’s another war against Muslims and their distrustful religion of Islam.

Earlier this week, the Obama Administration offered a half billion dollars to revamp the infrastructure of Pakistan and Afghanistan with hopes of “earning the trust” of their people. The thought process goes a bit like this: To relieve the chances of rogue cells plotting to wage terror on American soil, the governments of these developing, or third-world countries need to have centralized power, and with influence that stretches to all borders. The only way to do this is to have a first-world populace, and the only way to gain that status is by having a first-world infrastructure. In helping them finance their infrastructure the plan of earning the people’s trust suddenly becomes two-pronged; they are left with their necessary first-world hydroelectric dams, power grid, and hospitals, and secondly the people can see that it was funded by western nations. Once these nations have more control over their pockets of human habitation that might currently be ruled by maniacally greedy people, armed to the teeth, and who lack any sense of value for the lives of fellow humans, these centralized governments can stamp out these terrorist cells themselves. It would allow them to kill them over there so we don’t have to kill them here – A much better scenario than members of the right wing would have it.

The question that needs to be asked, however, is how possible is it for the West to gain the trust of the people in the Middle-East? Can building a couple hydroelectric dams and a few hospitals really work to change their outlook on western civilization? To have a change in mind they must first have a change in heart. Can the upgrade in their power grids erase thousands of years of bad blood? Why should we expect Muslims to trust Christians when the history of war between the two dates back as far as the time when they each realized the other’s existence? Never meaning to imply that America should be considered a Christian nation, but when our federal defense team employs hyper-Christian military forces like Blackwater, now Xe Services, LLC.,  who have been reported to use extreme religious prejudice in their motives for killing, most nations would venture to bet that ours is a Christian nation. At the very least, theocratic nations would see it that way. Opposing denominations within the Islamic religion alone have spent thousands of years perfecting their hatred for one another; the thought of a Christian from the West extending a helpful hand could surely bring about an uncomfortable pause in the moment, along with at least a short sequence of ocular nerve twitching. Is it difficult to wonder how people whose everyday lives are engrained with their religion, as opposed to the brush-over one might get from a couple hours in church on a Sunday morning, might feel a bit iffy about their historic enemy erecting buildings, and reconstructing power grids on their property? Even supplying them with all of the military goods they needed to repel a Soviet occupation did nothing to earn their trust, why would they now, especially when Christians harbor as much distrust toward them?

Prior to sending troops into Afghanistan, America waged a propaganda war – After jamming radio transmissions and replacing them with those showing a pro-western sentiment, we sent in air-strikes, where military planes dropped thousands of leaflets onto the people below. The leaflets held rewards for the capture of Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders, while also characterizing the Americans as being friends to the Afghani people. It’s now safe to assume the leaflets didn’t have a vastly positive effect on gaining their trust, for it’s one thing to claim a friendship, but another to leave that new friend for the dogs still patrolling their streets, and keeping them intimidated and living in fear.

It appears that the only way to truly gain a long-lasting trust between the Muslim and Western nations is to lose the religion; yes, it’s truly that difficult. For as long as the two cling to their myths like babies to breasts one will always feel the need to enlighten the other, and if need be, by way of great force. As long as someone is being taught to believe that their god or prophet is better than the other’s they will always feel the need to defend their all-powerful omnipresence; apparently gods need the help of humans to defend themselves against the evil other.

At this point it is impossible to say whether or not the helping hand idea will work to benefit either side in the long term. The Mid-East could very easily thank the West before shooting them in the eye. The Mid-East could also thank the West before their own blows it all to smithereens for Allah’s sake. Perhaps it will have such a profound effect on Muslim nations throughout the Middle-East that they’ll open their arms to us as we’ve never experienced before. For now we can only hope to earn the trust of their people through these means, and hope it spills over to when our troops can come home for good, and they themselves can quell the calls for Jihad. Although it seems that as long as there are people willing to die for their god(s), erecting some utilities as a peace offering is futile, and leaves me with a glass half-full of distrust.

Photo Courtesy of IMEMC.ORG

It should come as no surprise that right wing Republicans are not the only crowd crying out for military action against Iran. Last month from Riyadh, it was made public when Saudi Arabian jet fighters cleared their airspace to allow the free passage of Israeli fighter planes running a mock airstrike on Iran. Though the Saudi’s later denied the clearance orders, one US diplomat claimed the Saudi military has fully agreed to keep their jets grounded once Israeli fighters have entered their airspace. “The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over – and they will look the other way,” a US military source in the region confirmed.

This act of alliance doesn’t stop with the Saudi’s, however, as other nations in the region are in line with Israel’s endeavors against Iran. Until the recent unrest sparked by aid flotillas en route to Palestinians living in Gaza, even Turkey had pretended to be unaware of Israeli jet fighters flying in their airspace. Though, the Turk’s sudden restrictions set on the Israeli Air Force may be a bit too late, as the latter have already used that permissive window of time to amass squadrons of fighter planes just north of the Turkish border in Georgia.

With the conservatives in the house and senate begging our government to attack Iran, an American “blind-eye” turned from the threat of an Israeli attack would not come as much of a shock. And any counter attack would only invite retaliation from the armadas of US ships currently occupying the Black Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf. In their folly, Republicans have publically backed the Iranian “Green” movement – the insurgence of an anti-theocracy, pro-democracy portion of the Iranian population which would be acceptable if they would simply agree to backing the movement vocally. Of course, the right wingers would rather send American troops as a show of support, as their blinders of arrogance continuously shield all common sense. Many military and diplomatic strategists have warned war-mongering conservatives like John McCain that any involvement in that movement may backfire, and may actually push many “Green” supporters back into supporting their government against western influences. It’s largely understood that a logical rebuttal against the American right-wing equates to arguing with a wall, however.

The Washington Institute for Near Policy (WINEP), a think-tank closely tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) issued a letter this year in which Bush’s former national security adviser Stephen Hadley and Israeli Brigadier General Michael Herzog wrote, “By the first quarter of 2011, we will know whether [Iranian] sanctions are proving effective… The administration should begin to plan now for a course of action should sanctions be deemed ineffective by the first or second quarter of next year. The military option must be kept on the table both as a means of strengthening diplomacy and as a worst-case scenario.” Of course, only arrogance could ever play into the notion that military might strengthens diplomacy, considering a multitude of historic examples proves the opposite – Attack a country and watch all of the people who normally root on the underdog come out to join their resistance. In fact, America is notorious for defending the defenseless, why would we expect other countries to act differently? But it doesn’t stop the likes of William Kristol in his “Weekly Standard” where last month he argued, “Unfortunately, President Obama waffled while innocent Iranians were killed by their own government.” – Again, a half-witted bag of testosterone blinded by pride and arrogance but wielding a giant pen. Fortunately for all of us, Obama is the one keeping Israel’s itch scratched – or at least salved. We do not need more enemies which we’ll surely create by instigating another invasion, nor do we have the resources to afford it. Not to mention – the people are already building their own resistance, and instead of disrupting that by flexing muscles in their faces, why not let them fight their own battles, and earn their own democracy, their own peace?

Diagram courtesy of Solar Impulse

With 12,000 solar-cells attached to wings the size of a standard jet, and with a body as light as a car, the Swiss made HB-SIA solar plane has finally left the runway for it’s 24 hour flight to test its ability to fly in darkness.

Being the first of two vehicles of the Solar Impulse Project, led by pilot Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, who gained fame for making the first trans-global flight in a hot air balloon in 1999, the HB-SIA has already accomplished a full day flight back in early April. “For seven years now, the whole team has been passionately working to achieve this first decisive step of the project,” Borschberg said before taking off on the flight. He’ll bring the experimental plane on a climb to 27,900 feet before starting a slow descent, flying the plane with the stored solar energy until Thursday morning’s sunrise. 

“If this mission is successful, it will be the longest and highest flight ever made by a solar plane,” the SIP team said, eyeing the future HB-SIB – a larger version of the current prototype with upgraded avionics and a pressurized cabin. The HB-SIB will be used to make the first solar-powered manned-Trans-Atlantic flight in 2012, and with a Trans-Global flight pre-scheduled for 2013. 

Though for now, they’ll settle for the excitement of a successful nighttime flight, as it will prove the practical benefits of solar power in the aviation industry, as well as acting as the “poster child” for the use of solar power in many other industries.

Atop the oil slicked surface of the Gulf waters, hired shrimp boats drag fireproof boom. Running parallel to one another, they “sweep” the surface of its oil, seaweed, and any other marine life which might get corralled before setting it all on fire. They’re called “Burn Boxes”, and from them the black plumes rising to the clouds can be seen from many miles away.

 Amidst the confusion of cleanup and rescue teams currently operating in the Gulf of Mexico, one such group has been shoved out of the way by BP, and now must sit idly by and watch helplessly as their dependents burn alive. 

Captain Mike Ellis, a charter boat operator in the Gulf, was hired to help rescue sea turtles. That includes the Kemps Ridley turtles, which because of their status as “critically endangered” are currently protected behind a law wielding criminal charges and a $50,000 price tag on anyone capturing or killing one.

Hired for a three week stint Ellis had to prematurely shut down his operations as BP stopped giving him access to search through the mucky contents of the burn boxes before setting them aflame. “Once the turtles are in there, they can’t get out,” Ellis said.

Blair Witherington, a research scientist from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, who is also a part of the sea turtle rescue effort told reporters, “It reflects the conventional wisdom of oil spills: If they just keep the oil out at sea, the harm will be minimal. And I disagree with that completely.”

Clinging to one of their main food sources – strips of Sargassum seaweed that in many instances stretch for miles, in which normally hide a variety of crustaceans, worms, and small fish – the turtles are only finding the sea-plants saturated in oil. “Most of the Gulf of Mexico is a desert. Nothing out there to live on. It’s all concentrated in these oases,” Witherington said. “…It’s the base of the food chain. And these areas we’re seeing here by comparison are quite dead.” He later added, “As far as I can tell, that whole fauna is just completely wiped out.”

It can hardly be expected for the heads of BP to care about anything other than the business they’ve built primarily on the theft of Iran’s natural resources in the early 1900’s – the theft which has brought upon so much anti-western sentiment that runs rampant throughout most of the middle-east even today. And how justifiable is slowing the cleanup process further for sea turtles when entire eco-systems are still endangered; still watching over the slicks ominously creeping straight toward them? To us who care about empowering the powerless it is very justifiable, as it’s only another instance of the same carelessness that brought this mess upon us in the first place.