As I watched the news throughout the day and saw Israel bombing the absolute crap out of the Gaza strip, and then watched a different group of protesters demanding a different Prime Minister of Thailand leave office, I do wonder who wins out of all these battles of will and weapon. We certainly know who loses.
The body count in the Gaza strip is at somewhere near 400. I can’t keep up. I have always said that Middle East peace is a contradiction in terms, and now we see why. The latest report I saw was Israeli troops getting the tanks moving in preparation for a ground offensive, which will of course result in more civilian casualties, along with members of the terrorist group Hamas, who they are targetting. So, for the next few weeks at least, we will see blood, destruction, dead bodies and ’scenes we may find disturbing’ constantly being uttered from the mouths of news anchors.
The journalist I saw reporting on a suspected ground offensive was saying that with all the damage the Israelis have caused, Hamas has not even been slightly crippled. They still have weapons, and are firing rocket missiles into Israel. So, I ask again, who is winning?
Let me switch for a moment to Thailand, and the renewed demonstrations there. This time, it is the opposing side, the supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who are demanding the new Prime Minister step down. Let’s take a look at the stalemate here. Pro-Thaksin politicians gain power, albeit democratically, and the ‘yellow shirt’ opposition are out in force. Anti-Thaksin politicians gain power undemocratically, the ‘red shirt’ opposition want them gone. Ok, we go to an election. Pro-Thaksin supporters will win, hands down. That is fact. The yellow shirt brigade will be out in force again, destroying Thailand like they destroyed it just a month ago. This ridiculous vicious circle is going nowhere fast, and who is it hurting? Tourism, the economy, and the ordinary Thai in the street, who just wants to make a Baht. The average Thai makes about 6000 baht a month, which, at the current exchange rate is $AUD246. If that economy goes belly up, then Thailand is screwed. ASEAN nations met in Singapore to sign a trade deal this last week without waiting for Thailand.
The economic ministers of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore and Malaysia signed three separate deals covering trade in goods, investment and services.
The economic ministers felt that we should proceed” to sign the trade deals without delay before February, Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Lim Hng Kiang, told reporters on Tuesday.
“We felt we should have a meeting, sign and press on because if you postpone everything till the end of February, we lose two months.”
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/135440/thailand-left-out-as-asean-signs-trade-deals
The rest of the world will not sit around and watch the Thai people and their politicians play cat and mouse. Thailand is still a third world country. If they don’t watch themselves they will become a fourth, even a fifth world country, if that is even possible. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is an economist. Good man to have in power at this time,wouldn’t you think? He is probably the most qualified man they have had sitting in that chair since Thaksin. The smart thing to do would be to let him steer the Thai economy out of the world’s murky financial waters, then resume the silly protests. But no. Thailand doesn’t work like that.
It also seems that Israel doesn’t work like that either. How many years have Israelis and Palestinians been fighting like this? All either side have to show for it, is dead relatives by the dozen, constant unease and unrest, and a deep seated hatred on both sides. I have always advocated building a wall around that entire area and letting the Palestinians and the Israelis fight it to the death. In the end there will be one Israeli and one Palestinian left. They will have to either kill each other or shake hands and start anew. But how much would be lost by then, and how many centuries will it go on for?
I am deeply saddened, more than anything. I see the distressed,blood soaked faces of young children and the elderly, and I feel like sitting Hamas members and Israelis in front of a television and making them watch their bombs kill each other. I want them to see blood, brains, and utter heartbreak and grief. But then again, that would change a normal person. The war hardened Jew and the jihad hungry fundamentalist Arab are way beyond that.
Where will there ever be that voice that stops people in their tracks; that makes them think? Hard to hear that voice over the guns, the bombs and the screams of protest in the street.
Enjoy your day
