Journal Entries
Mysticism and Fascism. Eternal Bedfellows
Posted Jan 11, 2007
Most mysticism denies the possibility of progress through human action. Astrology for instance claims to be able to predict an inevitable future. If it's inevitable, there's no point in trying to change make people's lives any better. And so progress is impossible. Which is the core agenda of fascism, which seeks instead to take society backwards to a mythical past.
Much mysticism has a cyclical world-view, in which things happen over and over again. As in the favourite reactionary slogan 'There's nothing new under the sun.' Which is used to belittle all achievements which might make people's lives better and to reinforce the idea that man is a base animal who only responds to cruelty and force.
This cyclical universe was most famously depicted in the Swastika, of course.
There are always far more classified adverts for mystics in right-wing publications than in left-wing ones (if any). And many more column inches devoted to this kind of mumbo jumbo.
And before anyone tries to put a fag paper between religion and Mysticim',ask The Endtimers if the future is predetermined or in the hands of mankind. They are Christian, Jewish and Muslim, after all.
http://www.prophecyupdate.com/End_time_signs.htm
The political power lies in the fact that there has to be a secret code or lore to the understanding of the cycle and predicting its stages.
This secret is naturally too dangerous for anyone but a semi-devine sect to have access to. They, in turn must be protected and nurtured and feared as befits their elite status. The the member of the sect who succeeds in monopolising the lore becomes the natural leader, in constant touch with the very workings of time and space. The Divine Leader, repository of all justice and wisdom is created. All others are inferior by definition, but those nearest are less inferior.
And so a rigid, exclusive hierarchy is encouraged, relying on inequality and fear to maintain itself.
Discuss this Journal entry [2]
Latest reply: Jan 11, 2007
Africa's Future.
Posted Jan 7, 2007
With modern communications technology arriving in even some of the remotest African communities for the first time, the future for Africa is surely brighter than for some time.
The arrival of internet access via the UN clockwork laptop could even show the way for a new kind of economic system, suited to Africa's hostile geography and climate. One use might be to allow farmers to bipass the normal outlets for their harvests and sell (or exchange) directly on the international markets.
It would also seem reasonable to expect that when different regions of the same post-colonial African state are in regular trade and dialogue, that the traditional version of tribalism will change, and that hostility between tribes will become more difficult.
The traditional power structures may also be subverted by the increased role of women. And with access to free online education of the highest quality, such as the M.I.T. project, the goal of a dynamic Africa, unburdened by debt, geography or history must be a big step nearer.
In short, the implications for Africa are enormous, as the Newsnight report on the effects of mobile telephones will show. But with the first UN laptops arriving in communities from July, the western world can expect to be dealing with a very different Africa in the future.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Jan 7, 2007
Saddam Execution Mystery - Question 2
Posted Jan 3, 2007
It's now generally agreed that this was an unmitigated disaster, one of many, and does have the clumsy thumbprints of the Washington PR department all over it.
Does anyone know whether the State Department or any other White House arm offered any PR advice to the puppet regime? You'd think it would be a top priority for them, seeing as American troops are likely to die as at the hands of a Sunni minority made even more paranoid by the vision of the Sadr militias running the country, as seen in the execution footage.
If they did not offer any advice, why not? And if they did, why was it not taken?
The potential answers to these questions are very interesting.
If advice was not given, then America is either too stupid to call itself a superpower and should not even be put in charge of a lawnmower, let alone a cruise missile - OR - America is quite happy for war to continue indefinitely. War is good for business, no matter how many US troops are brought home secretly under flags.
If advice was given but rejected, America is being ignored by Iraq - The Puppet Bites Back - but in the form of the Shia doctrine America has been at war with since the fall of the Shah.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Jan 3, 2007
Saddam Execution Mystery
Posted Jan 2, 2007
This
http://tinyurl.com/y2hj7m
seems the likeliest image for iconisation.
Note the almost beatific expression. It is the face of a martyr by Raphael. And vindicates extreme Sunni opinion, that the Shia dominated government is intent on their destruction. It also visualises the morality for any self-martyrdom required in the cause of their self-defence, as they see it. Along with the lynch-mob tone of the video itself, this image is as deadly as any Patriot missile - together they will kill at least as many people. The shouts of SADR! are the cherry on the cake. The inescapable message to the Sunni minority of the mobile phone footage is "Look Out, We're Coming To Get You".
The single line messsage of the still shot is 'If They DO Get You, You Can Die Like A Man.'
It seems now that the Iraqi government were aware of the potential for disaster but was unable to control its own security service.
In Washington, it is unlikely that some of the finest diplomatic minds on the planet didn't also understand the same danger, and not propose some serious PR advice to this immature and vulnerable dependant ally. It is almost inconcievable that Washington would not point out the risk of inflaming the Sunni militias by the handling of Saddam's execution.
Unless the US doesn't actually care whether Iraq is in a state of constant civil war, that is. Then Washington's apparent indifference makes some sort of sense. But why they should want that is anyone's guess.
Unless it is the case that a quarrelsome partnership is easier to bargain with than a sole trader. In this case for oil.
Not forgetting the need to alienate Baghdad from Tehran for as long as possible.
Not forgetting the regular contracts which keep the Malls open and the burgers sizzlin'.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Jan 2, 2007
Killer Dogs
Posted Jan 2, 2007
Dogs are nature's genetic meccano set, they are one of the most malleable and flexible species associated with human civilisation. As a collection of genes, they can be organised to perform a vast range of specialist tasks.
Some breeds of dog have been bred to attack human beings, either on command, or merely on sight. A dog like this has been designed with as much care and attention as a Colt 45, and those characteristics cannot be simply wished away by calling it Poopsie and making it wear a collar. To expose a family to such a breed is as foolhardy as leaving a loaded shotgun leaning against the TV. It was designed as a weapon to defend property, and it is not capable of knowing which is the genuine threat and which the sleepy toddler blundering around in the darkness.
The dog is no more to blame than the shotgun. But why do we need shotguns or killer dogs in the first place?
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Jan 2, 2007
Little Richardjohn
Researcher U1244517
Write an Entry
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."