Mindjyer Own Bizniss, Whitey.

Read this marvelous and disturbing article in The Guardian about Pakistan rejecting "America's War" on extremism.
Basically, the Pakistani parliament is asking that we put the brakes on this whole murderous-intent thing (a.k.a. our "War on Terror"), and that everybody calm the fuck down, set the missiles aside, and pull up a chair at the negotiating table. Pakistan is being/has been "bulldozed" (Rabbani) by the U.S. for the past 4 or 5 years and the Pakistani are, y'know, sick and tired of it.
Understandably.

Of course, the U.S. had a typically dismissive, supercilious, and hypocritical reaction.

So, check it out:

The Pakistani resolution stated that, "Dialogue must now be the highest priority, as a principal instrument of conflict management and resolution," and "the nation stands united against any incursions and invasions of the homeland, and calls upon the government to deal with it effectively."

Okay? Like, pretty similar stuff to our own constitutional and diplomatic ideals, right?
So, we agree, right?
Say to Pakistan, "Y'know, that's actually a really good idea,"...right?
Nope.

US officials said they considered it rhetoric for domestic consumption.
Fodder for the swine,
which is obviously how they look at not only the Pakistani, but at pretty much everyone else on the planet who's not rich, white (or at least high yella), and, y'know, Them.

Now, here's the funny part, according to the Guardian's endnotes
(not funnyhaha so much as funnygroaningandgnashingteeth):

Backstory

Pakistan's tribal territory, formally known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), is a legacy of the Raj, a 10,000 square mile sliver of territory that has become central to geopolitics and the homeland security of the US, Britain and Europe.

The laws of Pakistan do not extend to the tribal belt, which is run under its own punitive laws and tribal custom, a system developed by the British. Fierce customs mean that men all carry guns, and guests, including al-Qaida militants, must be protected.

Al-Qaida's leadership and thousands of Taliban escaped the US war in Afghanistan after September 11 2001 by slipping into the tribal area, which runs along the border.

Under a treaty with the tribes, the Pakistan army was not allowed to enter the Fata, but the accord broke in 2004 under US pressure calling for al-Qaida bases to be disrupted. This sparked a tribal insurrection and pushed the locals towards extremism, creating a Pakistani Taliban. Taliban militants killed hundreds of traditional leaders and now control most of the Fata, imposing a rough and ready Islamic law, though it is believed that most tribesmen remain moderate.

Yup.

Y'all better stand back if ywanna get a get a full view of that paleface ego.

Hey, Whitey?

Mind yer own bizniss and seriously:

Go The Fuck Home.

High Winds of Frustration

(this is what happens when you ask me about the weather while I'm stirring hurricane frustration in my coffee:)

A little windy, incredibly humid, off&on rainydeluge.
During the blowover, it was so fuckin humid that our hardwood floors were damp.
Didn't realize it until I walked across and saw my footprints in dewdrops.
That was odd.
Otherwise, the weather is sniffin around the skirts of Autumn, and I am jittery with anticipation.

No one's really exhaled yet, watchin Ike and Josephine do their Atlantic buildup.
We've got another month of hurricane season left, y'know.
Got friends staying at the house until they've got power.
Gotta get back to town to start workin as soon as possible, but then
the conditions at home are often pretty unearable.
Weather gets like this, and the termites start swarming,
the palmetto bugs running,
the fleas and mosquitoes laying and hatching in diabolical droves.
Got no electricity, got no air conditioning, gotta leave the doors open...y'know?
There's only so many bugs that bug spray repels.
And without electricity, there's not even a fan runnin to break the turbid air.

Coy says most of the cooks and servers are back at work,
but that the utility folks (dishwashers and the like) were largely shipped out by the state,
and thus,
must wait for the state to ship them back in.
Our friend T is in a shelter in Memphis right now
(after bashfully declining our offer to stay out the storm with us).
He lives in a shelter here, regularly,
so had to leave town without any clothes or toiletries or anything after the shelter
locked down for the storm while he was still at work.
Y'know?
This is a guy who makes obvious what debaucherous losers most 'Merican people really are;
he doesn't drink or smoke, he works hard, he's kind as can be, and truly honorable.
But, he's also poor.
Thus, his few belongings are locked away while he is off working to better his situation.
After helping Coy haul home a truckload of perishable food from the evacuating restaurant,
T is packed onto a school bus for the evacuation, with no recourse.
At the shelter, apparently, he and most other folks are being given things like sauerkraut (& nothin else) for supper.
Yes, at least there's some kinda food available, but really...
We Can Do FAR Better Than That.
He's been calling Coy every day to check in, to make sure he'll still have a job when he gets back (not understanding, I believe, that Coy would sacrifice part of his own meager salary to keep our friend employed. Easy). T was surprised when we told him Mayor Nagin had reopened New Orleans. No one bothered to tell the people in the shelters there, even as late as 10 hours after the fact, with Memphis only 6 hours away by car. All those folks sittin caged and hungry and worried, not having any idea what's happening at home, and the people with access to that information refused to share it. I know why they did it. Y'know? People in power, however great or meager that power may be, are always always freaked the fuck out by the thought of their "charges" gettin riled. Like they're mindless reptilian hydrophobes. Like they're not real people who can and will behave honorably if given the information and the opportunity.
Dirty dirty dirty. Just fuckin dirty.

So, the weather here is lovely.
Nice break from the shinythick dog days right before the storm.

Tell you what, though:
you know how fuckin frustrated I get over injustices, especially against poor folks.
You know how tear.myself.apart Angry.
I am ever more so here.
The obviousness of rich vs. poor,
of corruption on a hundred thousand levels,
of overt racism in the most intricate patterns I have ever seen,
everything everything is so unbelievably unfuckinFAIR!
Especially for those who deserve a break of Fate.

But Here,
Here I have a chance to do something about it.
It might not be much, and it might be everything.
Y'know?

So, thanks for askin after us.
It's actually really cool to know other people in the world are keepin an eye on this magical place.