Sophisticated mass media has been saturating our minds with the
news of civil wars, arms trade associated with drugs that in
just five years have killed more than 35,000 people in Mexico,
climatic changes in various countries, asphyxiating heat waves,
mountains of ice melting at the poles, torrential rains,
shortages and growing prices for foods. We really need some
consolation and this has just reached us via that life-saving
angel of our species, the United Nations Security Council and
its colossal invention: good conduct certificates.
Of course we already know, through the Europa Press Agency,
that the number of persons who died as a result of the
earthquake and the tsunami were 6,539, and 10,259 were missing,
“according to the latest toll”.
Although we still do not know “the exact whereabouts of
thousands of people”, the governor of a prefecture has suggested
that the survivors ought to move to another part of Japan.
“Damaged airports, ports and highways are being gradually
repaired”, a Japanese news agency states.
The British agency Reuters was less optimistic when it stated
that “a ‘Chernobyl solution’ could be the last resort” but
authorities say that “it is still too soon to talk about
long-range measures and that first we have to try to cool the
plant’s six reactors and the fuel-storage pools.”
Professor Murray Jennex at San Diego State University in
California said: “They (reactors) are kind of like a coffee
maker. If you leave it on the heat, they boil dry and then they
crack, …”
“Putting concrete on that wouldn’t help keep your coffee maker
safe. But eventually, yes, you could build a concrete shield and
be done with it.”
Another dispatch from the European agency stated:
“We launched a ‘race against the clock’ to cool down the
reactors, declared General Director of the International Atomic
Energy Agency Yukiya Amano.”
“‘We are dealing with a very serious accident’, said Amano after
meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, in reference to
the Fukushima nuclear plant.”
Without a doubt, the world had been jolted by the unexpected
accident in Japan, that moved even the foundations of the
planet’s energy development; 442 nuclear plants were
functioning, great need for repairs; the Chernobyl accident in
1986 had paralyzed construction programmes of new facilities
which were about to resume and be extended.
Wouldn’t our concerns over NATO’s war actions in northern Africa
to occupy the rich Libyan fields of light oil and ensure the
enormous energy resources in the Middle East after the
revolutionary eruption in Arab nations be exaggerated?
Serious threats of a new economic crisis were upsetting
economists.
Bad news on the political front keeps on coming.
AFP states that thousands of Shiite demonstrators were shouting
anti-government slogans near Manama after Friday prayers, even
though Bahraini authorities have prohibited crowds from
gathering.
“Repression […] this week caused at least eight deaths: four
demonstrators and four police.”
“‘We are ready to sacrifice our blood and our souls for
Bahrain’, shouted the demonstrators.”
“Bahraini authorities decreed the exclusion state this week […]
within this small kingdom where the US has a base for its Fifth
Fleet.”
AFP, March18, 2011
“More than 30 died and around a hundred were injured on Friday
after demonstrators were shot at as they demanded the
resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh in Sanah,
according to a new toll reported by medical sources.”
“‘Most of those injured were hit by bullets to the head, neck
and chest area’, a doctor told AFP.”
This is a close United States ally that also has the support of
Saudi forces.
AP, March 18, 2011
“King Abdullah (of Saudi Arabia) spoke after Muslim prayers on
Friday. He thanked residents and security forces for being ‘the
hands’ of national stability.”
“Islamabad, March 18, (AFP) – thousands demonstrated on Friday
in the streets of several Pakistani cities to protest against
the American unmanned plane attack that killed 35 people this
week and the liberation of a CIA employee who was being held for
murder.” He had been set free after two million dollars had been
paid to the relatives of the two men he killed in a Lahore
street.
Why do we have the Security Council, the veto, the anti-veto,
the majority, the minority, abstention, speeches, demagoguery
and the solemn declarations of Ban Ki-moon?
Above all, why do we have NATO, its 5.5 million soldiers
(according to highly qualified specialists) and its 19,845
tanks, 57,938 armoured vehicles, 6,492 fighter jets, 2,482
helicopters, 19 aircraft carriers, 156 submarines, 303 surface
vessels, 5,728 nuclear missiles, tens of thousands of atomic
bombs with the destructive power equivalent to hundreds of
thousand times the capacity of those dropped over Hiroshima and
Nagasaki?
There is more than enough of such stupid power, it wouldn’t be
used, nor can it be used; we would need dozens of planet such as
Earth. Its only purpose is to demonstrate the waste and the
chaos generated by capitalism.
We can dedicate our time to other things, less sinister and more
ludicrous.
For example, the DPA agency informs us:
“Port-au-Prince, March 18, 2011. The arrival of Jean-Bertrand
Aristide in Port-au-Prince this Friday cannot have taken anyone
by surprise.”
“January 19: From South Africa, Aristide published an ‘open
letter’ where he says he is ‘ready’ to return to Haiti’ at any
time to ‘contribute as a simple citizen in the field of
education’...”
“January 20: The American State Department is opposed to the
return of Aristide before at least the end of the electoral
process...”.
The State Department has gotten mixed up even in this: it was
the US that gave birth to Papa Doc, and it had overthrown and
expelled President Aristide to Africa 7 years ago.
A Notimex dispatch, dated in Panama today, March 18th, informed
that WikiLeaks revealed the entry of US warships to Panama:
“The covenant was signed on April 15, 2009 so that military
vessels could enter Panamanian waters between May 3rd and the
end of Torrijos’ term on June 30th this year, when the president
was succeeded by the right-wing Ricardo Martinelli.
“‘Until now, the Panamanian government has always refused to do
this requirement arguing that operations with the United States
Army were a sensitive matter for Panamanians’…”
Another interesting tale about the trickery of US foreign policy
is told today by AP:
“Chile and the United States signed a nuclear energy treaty on
Friday, despite the fears of the spread of radiation in Japan”.
“The fear arises after a devastating earthquake and subsequent
tidal wave severely affected the nuclear reactors in a plant on
the north-eastern coast of Japan”.
“The treaty was signed on Friday morning by US Ambassador
Alejandro Wolff and Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Alfredo
Moreno.”
“…White House officials were not able to confirm the highly
awaited signing which one supposes would be a notable event
during the visit to Chile on Monday of President Barack Obama.”
But no matter, appearances can always be life-saving and public
opinion can be manipulated by appearances; White House officials
emphasized “that the treaty focuses on training nuclear
engineers and not on the construction of reactors.”
Since Japanese nuclear technology is basically Yankee, their
technicians surely would acquire more experience studying what
happened in that beleaguered country whose population was victim
of a cruel and unscrupulous predecessor of the current president
of the United States.
Who are Obama, NATO and Ban Ki-moon going to fool with good
conduct certificates?
Fidel Castro Ruz
March 18, 2011
8:54 p.m.
