The Quotable Queer

President Bush has decided to sell F-16 fighter jets, along with other military equipment, to not only Pakistan but also India. This scores a big economic win for his friends at Lockheed Martin. It also increases the instability through further militarization of an already unstable region.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice feels that this change in foreign policy to open the door for arms sell to both countries will help build US relations with them at the same time. (Source: BBC World News) I gather she feels giving armaments to two adjacent countries with a longstanding bitterness and dislike for one another is a good way to conduct foreign policy.

Both countries have nuclear weapons. Both countries have a military stake in disputed territory between each other. Both countries have been on the brink of a full-scale nuclear war many times. Adding more weapons to the picture only adds instability.

Also, Pakistan is one assasination away from a drastic change in policy by coup d’etat. There have been at least three such attempts in recent history. Further attempts are inevitable. (Source: Jang Group Online) With the political vacuum resulting from a successful coup attempt, it is anyone’s guess as to what the priorities and allegiances of new leadership would be.

Some of the reasons given for opening the sell of these F-16s and other arms to Pakistan have been related to its assistance in the war on terror prior to and after the invasion of Afganistan. The Pakistani role was to help catch Osama bin Laden and to my knowledge he is still missing, still making statements to the world, still trying to attack within the United States. I guess this is how we reward failure by selling weapons.

This is a foolhardy move by the Bush administration and an obvious pay off to Lockheed Martin for financial support of Republican campaigns. This just adds more incentives to those wishing to take control of the Pakistani government. The only outcome that is inevitable out of this change in foreign policy is an increase in tensions in this unstable region, an increase in destructive potential of two nuclear powers and more available arms that can change hands with a successful assasination attempt. These are dangerous moves that will have dangerous consequences. We shouldn’t expect any policy decisions that are different and sensible anytime soon from this administration.

And you can Quote me on that. The Quotable Queer

Here is an alternative view on the fight for gay marriage in the United States.
Daily Kos :: Gay Marriage Backer Changes Mind on 30th Anniversary

I’d like to see any other minority group just sit on their hands and wait for the right time to gain their civil rights. The point is that there is no right time; there never will be. There will always be something going on elsewhere in the world and in the country that is deemed by some people to be more important than the fight for equal rights and equal treatment under the law.

The fight for civil rights is never a straight line. We should not expect it to be one. However, we should not just place civil rights on the backburner to other important issues of our time. The civil rights of any minority group should be just as important than the life of any single person or any single cause. To silence the fight in the face of criticism is only to allow injustice and bigotry to continue breathing right before our eyes.

And you can Quote me on that. The Quotable Queer

Sometimes it’s as if I don’t even exist
-Anonymous

During a discussion with a friend who was feeling ignored by those around him, the strengths of living life with the self at the center and all other aspects in the periphery became amazingly apparent. This may on the surface appear selfish and self-centered, but with further examination this way of living can be quite beneficial to not only the individual but also all the experiences and individuals in his/her life.

Focusing on treatment by outsiders in public as well as in private can become an enormous distraction. These distractions can lead one away from what makes living life so vital. All that truly matters are the feelings about the self, life and one’s personal path.

For instance, upon looking at the life of a civil rights activist, it becomes glaringly obvious that the views of other people certainly cloud the very public work that the life of an activist entails at times. Civil rights activists especially have enormous weight placed on their shoulders as some of their actions and words can be used against themselves as well as their families and friends. If every move, every word has to be carefully selected in order to not inflame the opposition, then no true activism can be attained.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered for his fight for civil rights. However, despite the loss of his own life, his message and his vision have taken on a life of their own. If he had been overly concerned about how the public viewed him, he would never have been the effective communicator and activist that he was. What a different world this would be without the path in life that King pursued. It cannot be said that King was in anyway selfish. He was just focused on his path, and so many people’s lives were improved because of that inner focus.

It is much easier to be yourself and to lead your life without need for all the extraneous input that other people can give you. Become the center of your universe, of your existence; the rest will just be in the periphery. Focus on your path and amazing things will erupt from out of your life.

And you can Quote me on that. The Quotable Queer