Informed yet still ignorant

While the world of peace and conflict has many avenues, the past two years have showed that an equal concern circles around greed– money.

Neither a bullet nor a dollar can harm you, alone or in tandem.  Both have to be passed through the hands of a person.  In reality the person is the focus for the creation of destruction.  In the past two years we have seen more destruction caused by the financial system than most current wars combined.  Just as the world was sent into a whirlwind of chaos during the 1929 stock market crash caused by greed in the RUSA, the current financial storm is a sibling born of the same mother.

The EU is dealing with a major crisis that in any normal situation would have been laid at the feet of the one that caused it.  The RUSA is responsible for the financial crisis and the world has let them off again.  What is worse is that the crime is still taking place and the criminals are running free.  All this tells me is that if you are going to commit a crime make it the largest crime the world has ever witnessed.

The sub-prime mortgage scandal hit Iceland so hard that it defaulted on loans.  Greece was next and the house of cards began to fall.  Oddly enough though the criminals were hardly even questioned about the massive ponzi scheme. Someday the world will watch a movie about how the RUSA stole more than a trillion dollars.  I am sure if you dig deep enough you will find other blogs that research this area.  My area is more bullets than money.  Although the two are often mates. 

I do know that the mainstream news sources are about the worst places to get such information.  It is a tight race for who sells out quicker, the media or the audience.  One lesson I have recently recalled is that you never try to change one persons mind, it is easier to change a million.  You see people are easily lead when in groups.  Alone they are free of mind, persuasion and influence.  How else could you explain why the world allowed the RUSA to steal such a large sum of money at the same time they illegally invade Iraq?

We let them off for an illegal invasion of Iraq, countless human rights violations/assassinations and we are letting them of on the largest fraud in history.  This is the largest news story of the decade and most of us are too busy staring at phones and ipods to see what is going on around them.

I wrote in an earlier posting about the courage of the Russian people to see their own death and face it.  They changed twenty years ago.  I wish the world had half that courage to see what is going on and face it.

Occupy whatever space you want, revolt however you choose but for the love of all that is peaceful, please do not tell me you care and then plug in an ipod, scan your text messages, watch whatever reality series is popular and sip energy drinks.  I have been tired of such bullshit before cellphones were popular.  What is worse is that the pile of shit has only grown.

The world has been bending these past few years under the weight of financial chaos and the war on terror.  Both of these have been started by the same country.  There will be a point where the world breaks and everything falls apart or it will spring back, throwing everything into the air.  Either way we are in for some really interesting times.

The world needs to change.  We have lived with the status quo and it is beginning to fall apart.  I do not know what the next few years will bring.  I do know that if we venture with the same ideology as we have these past 60 years it will be turbulent to say the least.  However, with enough courage and resolve we can make serious improvements to how the world operates.  We need to decentralize the power of the United Nations Security Council, International Monetary Fund, World Bank and impose a global system of minimum economic wage.

For now, there are just enough good things to keep the world in hopes.  Despite the image there are occurrences such as the Jasmine Revolution and the Occupy movements.  More so, there are the personal moments of love which are the best and the strongest.  Those personal moments are worth all the shit we slog through.  Someday you hope that after all the effort something or someone will make it all worth it.  At least I hope that day will come. 

Transitional chaos in Libya

The people of Libya have completed another phase of revolution.  The violent overthrow of the past government is complete.  Now the new government is in the dire situation of producing results demanded by the people.  The first demand is to bring law, security and predictable government more quickly.

In the pursuit of those demands the new government of Libya has asked the international community to release the financial sanctions put upon Libya.  What is surprising is that the financial sanctions are still enforce while the weapons sanctions have been lifted.  Think about that piece of idiocy for a moment.  A country that is well stocked with weapons to the point where stock piles are found daily is allowed to bring in more weapons.  Yet the money to run government, police, hospitals, schools, transit and a host of other infrastructure is still on hold.  Who makes the decision to lift the sanctions – UN Security Council.

It is even more absurd when you hear the list of priorities for the return to peace.  Number one is the locating and documenting existing weapons in Libya.  Second is the reintegration of the 75 000 fighters into society.  Third priority is to quell the rise in gang violence.   

There were enough more guns and ammunition to oust the last leader yet they need more to secure the peace?   In addition, you will not have any money to pay the police, military, doctors, teachers or government agencies to run these operations.  To be fair, there are funds made available.  It is just frustrating to see that weapon sanctions get lifted before financial sanctions. 

As the Libyan government deals with the transition, the public needs to be engaged as well.  The people need an outlet to express their experiences.  There needs to be a reintegration program on a mass scale that the entire society can go through.  In the past these have been called Truth and Reconciliation Commissions.  No matter what the name is, such programs are needed. 

The biggest test is going to be the elections, which are supposed to take place next June.  Already people are becoming agitated with the slow progress of transition.  This is to be expected as a violent revolution is a very highly intense atmosphere and peace is not.  People want change now and that is impossible.  What needs to be done is to engage with the people.  There needs to be mass discussions on the vision of Libya.

These discussions will allow the people to vent off the anger of what appears to be slow progress.  Having a person in place for the people to scream at, take that energy and produce positive feedback.  This is the realm of community development.  It may be the smallest of items that will bring the anger to a level that is acceptable.  Perhaps the local market has been destroyed or the schools or mosque or even a popular community area.  Whichever it is, a discussion with the community will provide answers. 

One thing they certainly do not need is more weapons.

Peaceful leadership

On the surface of peaceful leadership there are a few indicators that should be adhered to.  One such indicator is the will of the people to die in large numbers for change in leadership.  On a more peaceful level, the will of the people to protest in very large numbers for weeks is also an indicator that leaders need to take great awareness of.

We have to ask why the leaders strive to rewrite constitutions and understand the answer provided in as peaceful a way possible.  However, it is true that such efforts to retain power can be power grabs and nothing more.  The person doing the grabbing is blinded by their own self-importance.  On occasion that power grab is solidified when opposition becomes violent.  The violence only strengthens the case for stability in government leadership to remain in power.

Of all the peaceful protests that have resulted in a change of government, peaceful demonstrations have been the greatest weapon.  No leader can violently put down a peaceful demonstration and come out looking as though they did the right thing.  The element of citizen restraint to remain peaceful can be difficult.  Even more so when government incites the violence itself by planting forces in the crowds just to start the violence.

Peace is a difficult route.  Yet when you take examples from the most uncomplicated situations peace seems so easy.  Carolyn Handschin-Moser wrote in an article titled Dignity: Cornerstone of the Culture of Peace a perfect example.

Two women were out with their children one day.  Somehow the two boys started throwing rocks at each other in anger.  What would you think if both parents advised their kids to throw bigger rocks to solve the problem?  Shock and awe was the term used by some.  As simple as that example is, that is the exact manner in which most countries act.

With the above example, the world is witnessing some major political changes.  North Korea shares the top of that list with Russia.  How will the people and the government deal with the coming months?  In other places such as Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Yemen the transformation continues as well.

Right now in the DRC, the political leaders should begin their campaign for succession.  The current leaders should start to educate and prepare for the next election.  The preparation could involve open debates, strengthening the independent arms of government such as the electoral commission and depoliticize the court/law system and education system.  If the people are not educated and prepared we will see similar events during the next election as we witness now.

I know how simple my ideas seem to be.  However I have experienced the brutal difficulty in applying these simple ideas.  Peace, it takes a courageous heart to stand up and practice when faces with the largest rocks.