12/11/2009
Too bad we can’t fly some of these women in for the conference this weekend at PEA. They are literally at the front lines of the gender war. You can view a slide show here on Dilsha( front ) and her unit. Their predicament only just came into view for me, a bit of focus. There has been a great deal of killing this week between the PKK and Turkish Forces. If you read a bit you will find a great media push behind this movement. It’s quite remarkable. It’s difficult frankly to discern the truth. Some media will refer to them as guerrillas, freedom fighters. Others simply brand them terrorists. Some think that no one will suffer them much longer as the area they inhabit is important real estate.The US does not seem interested in engaging them. You don’t have to wonder given the territory that the independent woman is considered a real threat. There will be a great slaughter of women soon unless a deal is brokered, as 40% of the PKK fighters are these women. The PKK has dropped their demand for an independent state. The US maintains a huge air base in Turkey so really this little group of people will not get much attention from us. US Air base Our World Wide military presence is part of the problem. It should be a World Wide Peace Program.
There is a great deal of video to watch on the PKK .
There is a higher quality version of this footage however there was no embed code available. There were some unsavory comments on that particular You tube page.
Many filmmakers and photographers have visited the PKK and the cinematic quality of the footage is engaging. It can be hard not to feel manipulated. The women certainly are dramatic, brave and very beautiful.
We should be working to settle, negotiate and calm all conflicts. This is just one of many. I take great exception to our President speaking to the “inevitability” of War. No one is going to win. Everyone has to take step back.
I finished the House of War by James Carrol, it is very disturbing. If you are in touch at all with history you will fly through the 500 pages. I will return it today to the Library. I am donating another book,” War Made Easy” How Presidents and Pundits keep Spinning us to Death. It’s very troubling as well. You simply have to understand that the continued fueling of our war machine means no end to War, ever. They are planning for War in 2035. We simply have lost the path to Peace. It is too bad we do not have someone that can stare down a room full of brass.Lest anyone forget, the suits run the show, not the uniforms. President Kennedy during the Berlin Crisis was going over a targeting plan with a General. Nuclear targets. He asked why they were going to hit so many targets in China if the beef was with the Russians. The answer , “because it’s in the plan Mr President”.
Plan?.
merry merry
Mike