Ironic Brilliance...

What do you do with a drunken sailor? Always a difficult one. Y'see if you put him back on board, he's liable to fall off. If you let him stay in the pub, he'll start a fight. And if you throw him out onto the streets, he'll find a way to cause enough mischief to bring the blue-meanies into the picture - and there's nothing worse for a man of the sea than being banged-up in pokey, miles from the ocean's sweet embrace.

I have always answered the above question with "Spend some time with him, telling stories of the sea." Y'see, sailors are a sentimental, dreamy bunch - a few tales of a life lived on the briney and he'll be snoozing like a baby. Guaranteed.

Recently a similar question faced the British: What do you do with a discredited Blair? They could have sent him to the upper house, the Lords, but that would have been like throwing petrol on a bonfire. They'd have grilled him alive...and that's just the Labour peers! They couldn't keep him in government - he would have been forever like a grinning ghost of times past. And it would have been too awkward when Brown decided to pull the troops out of Iraq. Even more problematic to turn him loose - God alone knows what mischief he'd cause if left to his own devices. So instead they all strapped on their irony-proof breastplates and appointed him as Special Envoy to the Middle East. I'll say that again: Special Envoy to the Middle East! Can you imagine anyone on earth with less credibility among the Arab peoples, aside from the Great Brain in Washington? Making Blair Special Envoy to the Middle East (sorry, I find it hard to stop repeating it) is a bit like asking Freddy Kruger to run a creche: in both instances credibility would be a serious issue, in the case of Blair more so.

The Shame-Proof Vest...

I was reflecting today on how nobody in politics has gravity any more. The cartoon-style drawings presented here seem to me to accurately reflect the public perception of those depicted. It seems that we no longer respect those who presume to represent us. Our expectations of the political classes have reached bargain basement levels. And they rarely disappoint. Don't get me wrong - there was always, of course, misbehaviour in politics. But in the good old days they at least resigned when caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Or down somebody's blouse. Nowadays they cling to power with mortifying desperation. Virtually nothing can penetrate the shame-proof bubble which seems to surround them. Of course, there are very few conviction politicians these days - unless you count an unshakable belief that they somehow deserve high office!

Any port in a storm...

Just spent a couple of days in port, stocking-up on supplies and having me anchor-chain fixed. Although every port has a similar feeling and texture, they are all different and each has its own little delights for the sailing man - some more salacious than others.

Nothing blue on offer at my port of choice apart from the cheese in one of the many delicatessans and cafes, for I rested-up at the ancient Irish town of Howth. Howth is a delight and, these days, a very multicultural delight. There were people from every corner of the globe, mostly fishermen - and great fun, all of them. I played cards, drank rum and told some very tall tales of the sea. Heard a few good ones too. One Spanish trawlerman told me of a night ten years ago when a huge sea-monster sank a vessel by yanking its chain. He says he witnessed this from a ship not half a mile away. I asked him if it might have been a submarine, caught in a fishing net - he swears no! I must say, I don't really believe in sea-monsters, but a life on the briney does leave one with a deep sense that anything is possible where the sea is concerned. So, who knows?

Anyway, I took a couple of pictures, so you can see how lovely a place Howth is.

Didn't catch any monsters on film - but if I do, you'll see it here first. What I hope I did capture is the spirit of adventure and excitement of being on boats - the vast expanse of clouds, the deep blue sea, the crisp sea air. When you're out there, away from everything, with just the sky and the sea for company there is a tremendous sense of calm and peace. Also, though there is a deep-rooted longing for land somewhere in the bottom of every sailor's heart, there is a palpable dread of the return journey. For the sea has a way of making life seem somehow unreal and magical - as though you are in a place out of time. And, although she can be cruel, every man and boy who makes a life at sea trusts the ocean, for we sailors make friends with her and don't like to stray too far from her lilting waters.

Photograph from the past and, perhaps, the future

I came across this photograph while looking at some military history websites. It shows the humiliating evacuation of the US embassy after the fall of Saigon. It is one of the defining images of 1975, and of America's botched overseas adventures.

Why do I get a strong feeling that we will witness something similar when the great "liberators" depart from Baghdad? No doubt, when they finally do evacuate the (ahem) free Iraq, Bush & Co will interpret the gunfire which accompanies the departure as "celebratory".

Where American foreign policy is concerned, "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

Some Thoughts...

I haven't posted in a bit -- got tired of singing the same old song, and couldn't find the heart to write about other things while the world is in such a mess and so many innocent people continue to die for the shabby cause of American "National Security". Also, I have a profound sense that the facts about what's been going on are clear to all. Even the neo-conservatives have run out of saleable lies - only the absolutely moronic could buy their line. Unfortunately there are enough morons in the world to keep the pot boiling for a little while yet. But not for long, I think. The poor of the USA have figured out that Bush & Co. have decieved them, largely because it is their children arriving home from the middle east in body-bags, or horribly maimed.

Oh, and because Iraqis still live amid chaos, and under occupation.

The tame (read: lame) mainstream US media have run out of positive stories to "spin" events in the middle east and the ordinary American can see the mess they have become mired in. Of course, Bush has no interest in any of this - he will retire soon and concentrate on his Presidential library. I wonder if he will decorate the foyer with photographs of dead Iraqi children? Bottom line - that is his legacy, whatever nonsense he tries to peddle. He can mutter and stumble through as many "freedom is on the march!" speeches as he likes, but the reality is that Americans will have to live with the terrible consequences of his actions for generations to come.

Who could blame the father of an Iraqi child, murdered by US bombs, if he vowed to take revenge? And there are thousands of such people - fathers, brothers, uncles, mothers and sisters. The US propaganda machine can talk about "foreign combatants" until they are blue in the face, but the reality is that many, many thousands of innocent Iraqis who have held the broken bodies of their dead children hate America and Americans more than they ever hated Saddam. And they really hated him.

The hatred of these people is very real and very justified, and they will continue to extract revenge on American and British soldiers until they leave Iraq. And then? Then they will pursue the enemy to its lair: the USA. The terrible truth is that most American people are kind, decent and reasonable. They are the ones who will bear the brunt of any future terrorist activity - not those who visited such violence on the people of the middle east.

The American people may be uneducated and unquestioning, but they were convinced that their elected representatives were acting in their interest. Why? Because they were told terrible and scary things, as were the people of europe - the difference is that the people of europe have a better attitude towards their politicians: they trust them about as far as they could throw them.
This is why even Blair's own party didn't really believe him, never mind the public. And again, the poor, those who join the army, died for Blair and his dodgey dossier.

The reality of all this is terrible, crushing. Yet, the world goes on.

I have been doing a lot of web-surfing lately and there is a lot of wild and wonderful stuff out there. Many people are convinced that there is a world-wide conspiracy involving ancient families and bloodlines. They might be right. Others are convinced that Bush, the Queen and others "at the top" are, in fact reptiles - alien creatures that control the world by "shape-shifting" into human form. I suppose nothing can be ruled out - but I suspect that the truth is far worse: those who have inflicted this terror on us are very human. They just don't act like it.

Truth & Lies

I have been following the ongoing struggle to convince Iran to release the 15 British Naval personnel from captivity. As I mentioned in my last entry, I pray that they are returned to their shipmates as soon as possible.

Every time this middle eastern disaster takes another bizarre turn, I find myself less and less inclined to believe what our leaders tell us. I have no idea whether the British vessel was in Iraqi or Iranian waters but I know that I am no longer willing to accept anything Blair says at face value. He has twisted the truth so many times now that his words have no value. I suspect that I am by no means alone in this. And, of course, Bush would say anything - he has so little credibility now that he is playing to his supporters only. And they will clearly swallow quite a bit.

So, how are we to discern the truth when foreign crack-pot leaders speak with as much authority as the US President and the British PM? I think we have have reached a situation where trust has become virtually impossible, where the statements of our leaders must be scrutinised as we would examine a complex legal argument. I firmly believe this to be a result of the "swing to the middle" - the move towards politicians who functionally believe in nothing, who have no ideological or moral conviction. Thus you get people like Bush in the US, Blair in the UK, and smaller fry like Bertie Ahern in Ireland - falling over himself to support American aggression despite Ireland's (supposed) neutrality. These people have no moral back-bone and little dignity - just a hugely inflated sense of their own importance. And no qualms about giving their own people a kicking to advance their own shabby interests.

Ahern is a good case-in-point. He invited Bush to visit Ireland, much to the disgust of the Irish people - and used the security forces to keep protesters far away from him. He didn't want the great man to hear a single "boo" during his visit. In the same way, Irish military and police resources were employed to guard US war-planes and soldiers at Shannon airport, during frequent stop-overs. One letter-writer to The Irish Times correctly noted the common belief that the Irish military existed to protect Irish people from foreign armies, not to protect foreign armies from Irish people! Ahern respects nothing - least of all the will of his own people. He should face a war-crimes prosecution for allowing 'planes to refuel while on the way to bomb civilians in Iraq. But he wont, will he? The war-crimes tribunal is a servant of the western political machine, and exists (seemingly) to punish those who "we" don't like.

Is this the world we want? A place where might is right, where truth is a function of the speaker's desire, rather than a reflection of fact? A world where justice is governed solely by economic considerations rather than personal freedom or liberty? Is that what we want?
Of course, many will say that it has always been thus - and perhaps they are correct. But, have you ever known a time when injustice and untruth have been so apparent and visible? Truly, only the shameless can thrive in such circumstances.

Hostages to fortune...

As a man of the sea, I was particularly sad to see the Iranian abduction of British naval personnel. Along with most decent people I hope very much that these poor souls will soon be reunited with their families and ship-mates. This is a terrible situation, particularly so, when you observe the manner in which the female sailor is being treated - by both the British and Iranian media. What sort of people would use a woman in such a way? Of course, the British are bleating about how unjust the whole thing is - forgetting the manner in which Iraqi captives were filmed by the occupation forces and their image broadcast for the world. Not to mention the American treatment of untried detainees, and rendition flights. There are no good guys here, and this sort of crisis would not arise if Britain and America stopped behaving like colonial powers and throwing their weight around. Just because they have more weapons and a militaristic culture doesn't make them right or moral.

Perhaps the most embarrassing element of the disaster in the middle east is the fact that (a-la Vietnam) the US/British invaders have signally failed to effectively take control of Iraq, and it is routine for amateur arab resistance fighters to defeat both the alleged professionalism and planning of the most advanced armies in the world.

And all the while, while Iraq descends into crisis, Bush and Blair try to tell us how well it is all going. These people are idiots - and we are all hostages to their idiocy and ineptitude.

Blair On Trial

Last night I steered me little vessel as close as I could get to England, so I could pick up a bit of their telly. My reason was to see the much plugged TV drama "The Trial of Tony Blair." It portrayed the dismal experience of post-Prime Minister Blair. Nobody wants to know him, his memoirs are recognised as the grandiose meanderings of a fantasist and he is in danger of being extradited for war crimes, as a result of his illegal actions during the invasion and occupation of Iraq. It made for compelling, if uncomfortable, viewing. I actually began to feel quite sorry for the man as his world collapsed around him. The magnificent actor, Robert Lindsey, played Blair with an unworldly pathos - his grandiosity and helplessness dragging him further and further down. In one scene a policeman makes a remark about the suffering of the Iraqi people - Blair responds "Oh, great - a politically motivated policeman." The copper answered, "No sir, just a human being."

Now, I have no intention of spoiling this excellent drama by saying any more about the plot, but it was an interesting excerise, exploring the possible (if not very likely) scenario whereby Blair is called to account for his involvement in the deaths of thousands of Iraqis. Certainly, the plot was a bit far-fetched and the characterisations a little melodramatic - but for all that it was compelling viewing.

And it addressed the barren landscape of Blair's post-PM life. This brings to mind the question of his life after Downing street. What will he do, I wonder? I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually went to live in America - at least there some people like him.

Legacy Of Lies

Poor old Tony Blair is showing the strain of his distasterous and shabby policy of supporting Bush in the effort to conquer the middle east. His famous grin seems increasingly threadbare and his face has become drawn and haggard - he is a man who has aged terribly and does not bear it well.

His efforts to be remembered for something, anything, other than the mess he has created in Iraq appear ever more desperate. For several days his tetchy response to a reporter who pressd him to condemn the disgraceful way in which Saddam's execution was managed was shown and reshown on european TV news. Meanwhile his party look forward to his departure so that they can replace him with someone less unpopular. The worst kind of abandonment for a politician is when the nay-saying voices are coming from behind him on the parliamentary benches.

But behind all the one-liners and false smiles, I am beginning to detect a note of sadness in him. Perhaps this is to do with guilt, or shame maybe. Or, of course, it could be my imagination. But he has begun to look uncomfortable. I wonder whether the facade has become more difficult for him as Iraq has become an ever greater disaster. "Brains" in Washington is clearly untroubled by such things - but Blair certainly has more humanity and intelligence than Bush.

Could we be witnessing the beginning of a change in Tony Blair? If he is as moral as he likes to pretend, then he must think about what he has done from a moral perspective. It is difficult to imagine such thoughts resulting in anything other than guilt and shame.

Hearing Voices...

I was forced to reacquaint myself with dry land yesterday, so that me old radio could get the once-over from a repair man. It hasn't been itself since I accidentally poured some coffee on it a month or two ago. Glad to say, she's righter than rain now, having had a small surgery and a bit of TLC.

While all of this was happening, I took a jaunt into the city (no names, no pack-drill) to see what was what. To my delight, I ran into an old friend - a lady from the US, who I last spoke to three years ago. We went for a jar and a bite to eat and talked about old times for a bit. Eventually (inevitably) the conversation got around to current affairs and, more precisely, the occupation of Iraq. Although I am usually quite fast to criticise the chump with his oily finger on the button, I was a little more reserved than usual - seeing as how my pal is an American an' all. So when I mentioned Bush, I did so in a questioning way rather than with my usual barrage of invective. Her response was interesting - and it is something I have noticed before in my American friends. Quiet embarrassment. She, sort of, shook her head grimly and expressed her utter bewilderment at the situation her country has gotten itself into.

Like most outside observers, she says that she was worried about Bush from the outset, and she said that even people she knows who initially liked him are now appalled by his ridiculous antics. What stunned her (and, I must say, this is something I hear a lot) was that he won the second term so convincingly. She finds it hard to believe that millions of her fellow citizens looked at what he had done during the first four years, said "we need some more of this" and voted for him.

It has often seemed to me that most Americans were stunned by the 9/11 atrocity - it had never occurred to them that they were so hated. Likewise, Bush's re-election was a shock - it had never occurred to them that he was so liked.

She also noted that although the war is very unpopular, not so many folk are out protesting against it (although, of course, some brave souls do). What might this mean, I wonder? Could it be that Americans have given-up on social activism? Or have they, on some level, adopted a 'patriotic' stance, where it might be viewed as unseemly for them to protest while "the boys and girls in uniform" are at risk? I really don't know.

What I do know for sure - and meeting my friend reaffirmed this - is that there are millions of Americans who oppose Bush and his shabby crusade. How or whether that will translate into anything which might give hope to those under occupation remains to be seen. But it is clear that this anti-war sentiment is in no way a cohesive force, in the way that "the movement" was in the Vietnam era. Only time will tell, I suppose - but the voices of the American dissenters can be heard if you listen, though sometimes you have to ask.

The Villagers Storm The Castle...

Once in a while, when I'm not far off land, I yoke me old portable TV up to the generator and give the airwaves a spin, to see what's to be had for a night's entertainment. Tonight I gave this a try and managed to tune-in to a station showing Boris Karloff's Frankenstien. To celebrate such a rare and wonderful find I broke open the good biscuits and allowed meself two of the decent cigars I keep safe in the bottom of me old map box, in a little metal tin with a drawing of a panther on it. I added a generous jug of rum to the mix and snuggled in close to the stove. What a great film it is! And how timely, in these terrible moments, to remember the nature of monsters. Y'see monsters sometimes arrive fully formed, ready for awfulness from their first breath. But more usually they are made. Created. Sure, the raw materials have to be there - an inclination, a potential. But it requires circumstance, or experience or a deliberate effort - sometimes a mix of these - to truly create a monster. And when, in the film, the villagers arrive at the castle with flaming torches, full of fury, I often find myself feeling sorry for the monster, the creation. I reason that he is what he was made. The real monster is the one who made him, the one who gave him life.

As I said, a timely lesson on the nature of monsters.

Now it seems like time for me to stub out the last of this stogie and get me head on the pillow, for the clouds look stormy and the seas are choppy. I'll get me sleep while I can.