We all know Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the UK who was replaced by Gordon Brown at the helm of the UK government. He was loved by some and scorned by many, but we’d all have to agree that he played his part in our recent history. A staunch ally of the US when they invaded Iraq, he fought to bring justice to those killed in the London bombings that killed many people. Much so that he continues his work as the official envoy of the West to the Middle East as he continues to play his part in the world of politics which he has come to realize has been utterly changed by religion in one way or the other.
In his many years as the Prime Minister of the UK, he has suffered blow after blow as to why the UK got itself involved in one of recent history’s most devastating blunder, going to war after people who are motivated by religious beliefs and fundamentalism. Fundamentalism that has incorporated violence as part of their basic concepts and that without it, no victory would be possible. Many soldier’s lives were taken by such fundamentalists in Afghanistan and Iraq which the invading forces say would take a year or two to mop up. Now, five years after the initial invasion and long after the dictator Saddam has been executed as retribution for his crimes against humanity, the war rages on.

First, our sincerest condolences to the families left behind by the recent earthquake in China that has left more than 12,000 dead and the toll is expected to continue rising due to more areas that are still cut off but the strong quake. Just a quote, for I just can’t seem to notice the still crazy way the Chinese government has in terms of propaganda which it still uses as a main tool for spreading it’s word and keeping it’s hold on its people. Get a handful of photos from the State news agency and you see soldiers ready to go to battle with the search and rescue, soldiers rescuing people and soldiers marching on their way to help those buried in the quake. What about the millions of miserable people who are out there miserable without anything left to live in or eat? What about full aerial shot of the areas which are affected that may give the rest of the world a full view of the magnitude the disaster that is developing. People left to fend for themselves without regional disaster supplies and equipment to deal with such emergencies hence their leaders live in splendor of the capital city.
The government is getting praise for their swift efforts but as one of the largest economies on earth, shouldn’t people in local areas be trained to deal with such disasters. Imagine the worst hit areas, only one line of communication was left that allowed military planners and disaster experts in Beijing to know the magnitude, one government issued satellite phone and that was it. All the areas surrounding the major city center in the worst hit province has little known about their residents?
Focus more on the people and not on the rescuers and their efforts, to hell with the lavish parades as the Olympic torch makes its way through the country. Pull cash from the lavish displays and security in the torch relay and rush aid and people to the stricken areas. That should be China’s priority. In a country where the government is still trying to get used to money from the outside world, corruption still abounds. The collapsed school buildings are surely made of shabby materials and will surely be riddled with holes left by corruption in the ranks of the local officials and civil engineers who have approved the construction of such weak structures in such an earthquake prone area. When will they learn that the people come first and children are the future? Children are the worst hit with schools and other structures collapsing like matchsticks pan caking one after the other, a six story building reduced to a pile of rubble two meters thick?!! China has a lot of growing up to do in terms of people and with money pouring in from the rest of the world; the Chinese government is still pockmarked with corruption even with their displays of stiff penalties for criminals which goes to show that old tactics don’t work anymore.

The events of the cyclone in Myanmar has become one of the worst humanitarian disasters of recent times with people rotting in canals and rice paddies next to survivors who would surely die of disease unless aid comes fast. The military junta allows some aid to come in, secueing them and marking their names onto boxes as they hand them out in areas nearby the capital where there is little or no much effect from the cyclone. The suspicious eye on volunteers requesting for visas from the government as people continue to die. The UN not having any say on what to do, they say they can meddle under the rights of the many, but with many Western nations tied up in wars somewhere in the middles east and elesewhere in the world, no one is taking a firm stance. Only words and not enough actions.
Myanmar is considered to be one of the poorest nations in the world, ruled by generals and their minions of soldiers weho control the country and its riches, the people have little to go on. The disaster magnifies their aim to help the people, cantering efforts around glorifying and maintainin gtheir positions. The living standards in the country are poor compared to other developing countries that share their economic status. The country is rich in natural resources that are all taken by the military for their own self-preservation.
Food aid is gathered form depots and fresh rice taken by the military leaders, giving the rotten government stores to the survivors who say not even the dogs will eat them. The government has to open up and fast if they are to save the millions of people that are now facing horrible conditions. Control of the situation is their priority which even got to the point where all Western reporters or citizens were rounded up and detained to be expelled from the country. Soldiers commanding the population that they are not to say anything to Westerners amplify the public outcry. The country may be poor and the people much worse, but where is the human compassion from the rest of the world, why doesn’t the United Nations issue directives with respect to aid and military forces of member countries to go in and take care of a mess their own government can’t even handle? Politics is still the key and the hypocritical deafness of all to the cries of people who are suffering come second to world order. Even decorated and well respected people forms the UN are denied entry to manage the mass delivery of aid to stricken areas. Doctors without Borders has been denied visas along with many aid agencies whose people are just itching to get their hands into the thick of things to help the people of Myanmar. Why not do away with politics and just let the global community do what they can to get people back on track with their lives? You hold the key and we as a people of this earth must make out stand known, that people and lives come first!

Schools have been getting a bad rap, the recent shootings of students who fail to realize that there is more to life than success. Schools should be the place where futures are made, not destroyed and lives cut short. Students plotting to kill other students, drugs and all the other news we get to hear is not good at all for us and the so-called future of the human race. Our children should be allowed to use the bible as away of looking back at history and seeing the modern adaptations for themselves. The virtues and examples written may have been set in the time of the Romans and sometimes even older but the ideals stay the same, even in today’s computer driven world. “The Bible was Made for Man, Not Man for the Bible”, one of my high school professors once said, and I took that to heart. Truly man was around way before the bible was compiled and read as one solid literary piece. Man was given by the Supreme Being a brain with which to think and see everything around him as a situational scenario. How one acts, is purely based on his beliefs and ideals that he manifests from memories he has compiled through the life that has passed through and the teachings of those around him. If the Bible was supposed to be the supreme Manual for everyday life, why would we need big brains for? So, I do agree that the bible should be brought into our schools, they might make an impact or they might not, but being able to entice some to partake in the virtues and stories of old would be a wonderful endeavor that they might just accept it as the truth.

Some say it’s a romanticized version of life in the time of the Romans some say its the depiction of a man’s life as he was made man by the Father to walk against men to show them the ills of their ways. Many refute the validity of the documents and events that are contained within the pages of the document whom many consider to be the best guides to life as we know it.
All religions have their own god’s and supreme beings and with those beings come teachings that are written on paper by scholars and writers who were there to document their lives, to pass on their works down to the next generation. Many say that the events documented on the bible are highly fictional; some say they are historic accounts. Well, they are both, part romanticized views of daily life back then and part historical documentation of how the Romans interacted with everyone else. Scholars have even accepted the fact that the Bible was the blueprint of the Declaration of Independence, the basis for everything that makes America, All-American. From the 1760’s to 1805, all documents had direct relation to the scriptures within the bible along with the famous American Constitution. The Bible is relevant in today’s world as it was during the days when the Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. The term Christian has been twisted turned and stepped on but one thing’s sure, we’re all brothers in Christ and nobody can take that away from us.

Economics has forced the Bible out of schools for they are just another cost for the state to shoulder and they need to trim their budgets. Little do they know that they may be taking away something that has been in place since time immemorial that has managed to keep people thinking of the ways and life of the true Christians. Many sad incidents involving kids and youth have been constantly on the news; Recent school/University shootings, the involvement of kids in drugs and crime; all these because society has managed to produce a whole generation that knows no virtue of brotherhood to all mankind, replacing it with race and color (or drug preference) as the ultimate survival tool. The Bible is the ultimate survival guide for it embodies the knowledge of generations of people from the time the earliest civilizations were budding till they fell. The Bible should remain in the shelves and classrooms of schools for it may encourage people to read it and see the true vision and knowledge that is locked within.
It has long been accepted that the world has in a way or another evolved around some form of blueprint that has persisted through millennia of human existence. The Bible, the book is recognized by many a religions as the ultimate guidebook to life which might explain why the American Declaration of Independence was rooted deeply in the virtues and verses of the bible. The bible is a document that has been passed down from generation to generation and has suffered all types of attacks from all sides, left and right.

The hypocrisy indeed does continue as the Olympic torch continues to wind its way through the planned route it was to take till the opening of the Beijing games. Protesters held at bay by throngs of Police and even banned from some countries. Where is the freedom of expression and the true vision of the games in this type of display? It is only for show with no actual virtue of the Olympics being upheld. China has suffered blow after blow in what they hope would be their breaking out as one of the world’s best countries to visit. Their crackdown on Tibetan Protesters, their extravagant spending whilst their people suffer from food shortages, no wonder even the athletes themselves are expressing non-participation. The games is supposed to bring about change and unity among man whatever color or flag they may belong to yet they oppose the move for freedom by their own people. The areas around the main venues in Beijing are swarming with police and military units ready to pounce at any form of activist behavior. The move of the government to make the torch-re-lighting ceremony a private one with only the authorized reporters and invited guests (mostly high officials of the Communist Party and Government) shows the mistrust they have in the people.
Their crackdown on computer hackers, who were convicted not of crimes towards other men but of crimes of larceny towards the motherland whom they hid profits from. Where is their sense of freedom they are showcasing in their billion dollar venues that have taxed the Chinese people leaving most of them without food and access to basic necessities? They even plan to control the weather on the opening day to prevent Beijing’s much criticized polluted air from marring the games. These are the socialist ways China must learn to part with if they are to partake in the move to become a global leader in all aspects of business. Their crackdown on the illegal toy factories that have caused much dismay in the rest of the world has done little to end the criticism they are being subject to. Much has to be opened as the games near and they are more than doors. Their entry into the global scene as an economic power means more than just plain ability to produce but the willingness to follow the norm of behavior the rest of us take for granted!

Greek and Armenian Priests slug it out in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, what’s gotte into these guys? There seems to be an in-born psychological factor that tells people who belong to religious groups that the other side is always the enemy and that they should never be allowed to interrupt each other’s activities or even partake in them as a matter of fact. The site is hailed by all Christians as one of the holiest of the holiest sites in the world, where Jesus is said to have been crucifiedyet they seem to forget the significance of the place. This is the state of religions today who once sprung from the same roots as they were in their early days. They worship the same saints and religious icons yet they opt to forego the solemnity of their activity to get a chance to be first in line for a visit. There seems to be no end to the battle between all sides when it comes to religion. Us troops fight Islamic fundamentalists, most of the Western world targeting the Islamic state of Iran, Jews against the Muslims of GAZA and as in this case, Christians after Christians when will it end?
The depth of hate in religion may have become too deep for them to forego differences and just show respect for the places they may be in. Where is their respect for common man who they are fighting against, where is the sense of one earth one man? These people would rather brawl on the streets than worship their faith for these types of incidents do show the ugly side of man, plain and simplehatred.
Last year during preparations for the same festival, they got at each other with brooms and stones which could be a good time to remind them that this is the preferred method of persecution of outcasts in the Roman times when Christians were so persecuted they were treated as criminals. Treat each others as criminals and you are like Mary Magdalene and the Romans with Jesus saying, “He who has not sinned throws the first stone!” Brand each other as criminals and both end up as plain thugs after each other and not for your beliefs. With these types of events, unity on this earth may be too far off and too much to promote. Imagine, Christians after fellow Christians who should have been united as one in the blood of Christ!!!!

Bummers galore for all the candidates, from equipment failures that sent Senator McCain not getting his speech on queue to Hillary’s delaying the releasing the financial statements of the family and now Barack’s calling of jobless Americans as “bitter” which he cites their primary reason for owning guns and turning to religion. They just keep rolling in and they will surely be the talk of many years to come in the political arena. The latest bummer by Obama has him saying that Americans (Pennsylvanians) turn to religion and guns due to bitterness that was not something you would want to say if you’d want to become president. The miss-spoken words were acknowledged by the charismatic speaker as being wrongly said and that he could have done better and many political analysts say it’s a campaign killer that might be enough to give Hillary the edge.
An attack on the right of Americans to bear arms and to practice religion is an attack on the Constitution of the United States therefore the country itself. The USA has been and is founded on the basic principles embodied on that piece of parchment from which all American laws are based. Attacking the fundamental body of ideals not only upsets those who were criticized but America as the Country. Owning guns can be simply for sporting reasons and religion may be the way people tend to find answers to problems no other material matter can solve. There are many reasons Americans are going through the economic crunch and turning his sights on religion and gun ownership may not be the best way to promote your political platform.
The philosophy of attacking the weaknesses of an opponent is hardwired in all of us and it is responsible for bringing out the best and worst in all of us. Let us just hope that whoever wins the race would have the political strategy to bring the faltering US economy that is very much in dire straights.

The troubles for Asia’s rising economy that has just begun entering the era of globalization and opening door’s China doesn’t seem to stop. Rumors of grave economic problems due to lavish expenditures in preparation for the Olympics this August 2008, the threat of boycotts from athletes and even the countries they represent and the problems associated with the current world food crisis that is being brought in by severe droughts and economic woes are not helping to boost their credibility as a capable Olympic Host. The preparations have been rushed so much that the fate of the people hangs in the balance. China, one of the world’s largest countries and the most populous one has been known to have local food shortages of their own in the past and dwindling supplies of rice are not doing the people any good. Civil liberties are strictly controlled like the internet and other forms of mass communication which are constantly patrolled and taken off the net or air if a hint of anti-government sentiment is sniffed. The recent crackdown on monks who cry for independence which they strictly controlled in terms of media reporting banning them form the hot-spots only letting them in after worldwide public outcry.
The problem of China as a liberated country that has outgrown its communist roots is far from over in fact it’s just beginning. The venues of the games have strict police control to suppress citizens from voicing out their opinions. Ceremonies have strict attendance for press and officials only due to threats of demonstrations. True the games gave millions new jobs but maybe for all the wrong reasons. The people suffer yet they construct lavish structures further draining the country’s lacking finances. China may be forced to open up more to allow more freedom and expression of views if they are to make the Olympics a successful one. The boycott movement is aimed to raise awareness of the hypocrisy that is manifested in their hosting the games which should be a sign of freedom and friendship among nations. Some nations have already voiced concern that their athletes are moving to boycott the games, not attending or representing their countries to signify their defiance to condone the atrocities that are still going on right outside the Olympic venue’s grounds.