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The Vande Mataram controversy

No Indian is under any obligation to sing the song. Additionally, all Indians are provided the fundamental right to practice their religion by the Constitution of India. Since Islam takes precedence over the modern nation state of India by nearly 1400 years, I think it would be inappropriate for any practicing Muslim to indulge in an activity that questions their established faith.

I will come back to comment on this one. But, for now I must say that all those frothing and foaming fundamentalists need to know that India didn't come in someone's dowry. Neither does the denial to sing a song question ones patriotism. Everyone has the Liberty to live their life and practice their faith the way they wish. That is at the core of every free society in the world.

If any fundamentalist has a problem with anyone refusing to sing a song, I think they do not deserve to live in India because their position fails to parallel the fundamental rights guaranteed to the citizens of our country.

By the way I do not give a crap about Vande Mataram either. But, then I do not believe in Democracy, Republic. etc. What you going to do to me for  it? Try me for treason?

And now they are telling us that the Colas are sage to drink. What will they tell us next: elephants are pink, pigs fly and moon is made of cheese-cake!

This is pitiful. When I heard the news, the thought that crossed my mind was: how many suitcases exchanged hands for the government to reverse its own statement and tell us to keep drinking "lethal colas."

I had wished Coke and Pepsi to come out clean by proving that either its colas were not lethal, or apologize. The government's rubber-stamping the issue to a closure isn't enough for me to believe either the government or the Cola companies.

Have you seen the Madhur Bhandarkar film "Corporate." This recent cola-controversy is just a real life repetition of the film's plot. So, I somehow had the intellect to guess the final outcome of the whole controversy. I am not surprised by what happened.

It has further strengthened my belief in the nefarious activities of the corporation-government coalitions. Such corporations need to be shunned by the society. They socialize the costs of their operation by obtaining monetary and non monetary subsidies like the recent acquittal from the government.

Finally, I am just wondering about the people who indulged in the demolition of Pepsi and Coca Cola billboards all around the country. Are all those people who protested the Cola giants going to half any qualms next time they grab a bottle of "ice-chilled Pepsi/Coke?"

I am unsure about what everyone else is going to do. But, I am announcing a voluntary boycott of all Coke and Pepsi products until the companies come clean of their actions. I want the truth and nothing less. I want Coke and Pepsi to tell the people about what happened, how much money they paid off to shut-up the government etc.?

More on the supposedly "evil west" and Coca Cola-Pepsi scandal in India

I have written on this topic over and over again. Each time, only difference is that my opinion is more refined that it was when I thought about it the last time over.

"West" is definitely the mother of modern civilization. Even though the Orientals have made considerable contributions to mankind and its evolution, modern thought and philosophy definitely originated in the western civilization.

The "classical liberal" school of though was one of the main contributions of the west to the rest of the world. Classical liberalism gave rise to free societies and economies. However, the fruits of the economic boom of the Industrial Revolution were reaped by the greedy mercantilists backed by European monarchies greedy for higher revenues. East India Company was one such product of "ugly mercantilism."

The unfair and unchallenged monopolies granted by the European monarchies to mercantilists like the East India company, exploited the colonies like those in North America and of course India. This however did not benefit an average European citizen who had nothing to do with the mercantilists or the Monarchies. They were victims of the times just like those living in the Colonies. The unfair and unchallenged exploitation of the resources of the colonies brewed the American Revolution, followed by our independence along with hundreds of other countries. Great Britain; the empire upon which the sun never set, was left in dark, confined to the tiny isles within a span of 50 years. Empires never last.

Some of the so called globalization is nothing but neo-mercantilism. There are some western entrepreneurs who sincerely want to improve the way we live and work. Others are having a tough time getting over the mercantilist mentality left over by their forebears. Many corporate giants still prefer to operate hand-in-hands with the governments of the countries in which they do business. Coke and Pepsi are good examples. Their operation need tremendous quantities of natural resources like water and land to setup bottling plants, along with subsidies and tax relief. Every local politician woos such mega-giants to setup their operation in their constituency because they know that the giants will be padding their pockets really well to get an unsupervised opportunity to do business the way they please.

In my article on my blog, I said that where were all the government labs for nearly 16 years. For nearly 16 years, we were sold dirty colas. And these labs didn't care. And now all of a sudden they tell us that we are drinking lethal cocktails of chemicals, fertilizers, water and corn syrup.

My thinking is that the cola giants had some behind the doors disagreement, and the government is just teaching them a lesson for being "naughty children."

The reason we pay so much for carbonated water is because we consider the utility that we derive from the product worth the money we pay for it. No one puts a gun on our head and asks us to pay 10 rupees (That's what it used to be 5 years ago, don't know what it is now) for a 300 ML bottle of sweetened carbonated water. We do it voluntarily. Those who do not consider it worth the money do not consume the products. The same logic applied to every other product we consume.

Coming back to the west. It is definitely a different world. There is no denial. Opportunities are abundant. Prosperity is in everywhere. However, it is just a mirage. For those who have read George Riesman's work (www.capitalism.net) they realize that the US government has created an impending economic crash by getting rid of the gold standard and running unprecedented deficits. The day the reality comes crashing on this country, every other country that has pegged their currency to the dollar (including Indian rupee) will have an economic meltdown.

Capitalism brought a lot of nice things to us. Mercantilism robbed us blind under the garb of capitalism. Mercantilism is not capitalism. West is responsible for both capitalism and mercantilism.

My thought is that India can be turned into a first world country in no time if we moved to strictly free markets with no connection between government and the economy. This would leave no space for mercantilism. Free markets help entrepreneurs tap rising opportunities like demand for goods and services and they make it available to us at a price "that we are willing to pay and they are willing to business with us."

EBay is the best example of free-markets. It is world-wide market that brings together buyers and sellers. It operates (so far) without government interference. the amount of business done on EBay is more than the economies of the developing world put together. It has provided livelihood hundreds of thousands. At the end of the day, no one has grudges about EBay. Those who use it are simply addicted to it.

Closing note: Try doing business on EBay just for the sake of it at least once. I can bet my fortune on the fact that you will get 100 % satisfaction from the transaction. If you are unsatisfied by the transaction, like for example you got a damaged product, or you never got the product, EBay will go to extreme lengths to resolve it. You will either get a product replacement or your money back. This is what I call "free-markets."

Next time you are at the Police Station, local electricity office, water office or Post Office; try comparing your experience there with your experience on EBay. You will get the point.

So do not fall for the propaganda against capitalism and free-markets; that "left liberal communists" throw at you. Just ask them a simple question: What was the government testing laboratory doing for 16 years that Pepsi and Coke did business in India?

Pepsi and Coke are not the representatives of Capitalism. We the people who believe in voluntary transactions for mutual satisfaction are the true representatives of Capitalism.

Why Government is the reason for our suffering

I wrote this in an Email to a Samaritan, who just like most of us really wants to help make this world a better place to live in.

For now, read the following Aesop's fable. You can draw an analogy between the human society and the frogs in a pond when you read it:

"The Frogs, unhappy that they had no established Ruler, petitioned Jupiter for a King. Realizing the Frogs were simple-minded and didn't know what was good for them, Jupiter threw down a huge log. The Frogs were terrified by the splash the log made and hid in the depths of their pond. But once they realized the huge log did nothing but sit there, they began squatting on it in contempt. After a while they felt neglected by such an inert Ruler, and asked Jupiter to send them another, so Jupiter sent them an Eel. When the Frogs discovered the Eel's easygoing nature, they asked Jupiter to send yet another. Jupiter, enraged by the Frogs' ingratitude, sent the Frogs a Heron, who gobbled up the Frogs one after another, until none were left to croak upon the pond."



We are like frogs. Every time we ask for a better and more responsive government, we get even worse.

I trust yours and others intentions to do good for our societies. It is definitely a pleasant feeling in a a world of today.

But, why have we become what we have become. Why has everyone been becoming nasty while the government has been becoming worse, the world over?

I think that as a society we have become disillusioned by the government. An average individual understands that as long as he submits to the government's authority and minds his own business and stays out of "politics" and works hard on his job an blah blah blah, he may be able to raise his family, put his children through school, who will upon maturity reapeat what their daddy did.

the governments' cold-shouldering the electorate has turned us into the cold-hearted selfish beings that we live next door to. I agree with you that we are callous beings.

But, is more government the answer to it? By now you must have realized the pattern of my argument that we have been becoming callous individuals as government has been expanding off the seams.

So, my solution is that we make a U-turn as a society. Lets go back to the good old days when neighbors cared for neighbors. When expectations were low. When family took priority over our jobs. When life was not as tough and consuming, thanks to smaller government.

But, this is not going to happen by debating people on Jatland. We have to create a widespread understanding that we need a smaller government. We want to reclaim our liberties. I run my own website: [url]www.sumitdahiya.com[/url] I am sure that you must have clicked on it once in a while, like millions of others from around the world. It is the premiere source of Libertarian propaganda for Indian issues. I would love to have competition. But, sadly there are very few who get the idea that we can best serve our own needs, and not the government.

One good point you raised was hospitals and funding. I can give you endless examples of how things have become better when given to private hands. People did not stop having telephones when the telecom sector was opened up (Its not yet fully open, but its still better than the MTNL days). Similarly people did not stop flying when the civil-aviation sector was opened for privatization. Infact more people have telephone connections, and better services. More people prefer to fly the cheap air-fares that are giving the railways a fight for their money.

Once we stop having government induce monopolies like AIMA (All India Medical Association) a membership of which is mandatory to practice medicine in India, we will have more people graduating from Medical Schools, who will fuel a growing private healthcare sector.

AIMA restricts the entry into the field of medicine and thus creating a shortage of qualified doctors, and thus keeping the costs of private healthcare high.

Similarly government highly regulates the medical insurance industry. As a result many people do not have medical insurance and have to rely on bad government-provided health care.

Finally, comes charity. A lot of very philanthropic individuals around the world give a lot to our society. Charity is the right way to fill the void that government created.

At the end of the day we are not that callous individuals. I cannot say that there wont be any poverty in a free society. Poverty cannot be predicted.

But, there will definitely be people around who won't have the heart to see people dying because of lack of healthcare and attention.

Infact charity hospitals run all over the world.

The point is that when we think about issues like healthcare, we overlook the big-majority of people who can and are willing to have a better system, and we look at the extremes like poor people without healthcare.

We cannot provide good healthcare to the unfortunate few before we provide it to the fortunate few. As a result we overlook a whole range of possible solutions.

We need to start fixing our problems like healthcare, one step at a time. When we think of poor without healthcare, we are trying to setup a skyscraper and trying to construct the 100th floor without even digging the foundation.

I am all game to work with people to solve our problems. Its not that I am totally immune to suffering. As you can see that I am taking initiative of my own.

But, I seriously feel it against my principles to work on any initiative that has the slightest link to government, which I consider the root of all evils.

You rightly said that man is a social animal. Animals live in packs or individually, and often attack each other. Next time someone stops you to ask for directions, I dont think that you will pounce on the person and place a jab below the ribs. You may have never met the person in your life. But, you will try your best to get the person to his destination.

Why?

Because deep within you is the "good individual," who always asks you to do the right thing. I call that "good individual" our conscience. Even Bin Laden has a conscience. So does President Bush. The problem is that their consciences have been clouded by their pursuit of what they consider "glory and happiness."

We all are in the pursuit of "glory and happiness." The difference is in the definition. "Glory and Happiness" have a different connotation for different people.

For a middle class parent, "glory and happiness" means raising a family and putting children through school.

For an autocratic though democratically elected leader, glory and happiness means waging wars and shoving democracy and freedom down people's throats.

Our consciences have been clouded. Hardly anyone is a conscientious individual. That's why we have taken a U-turn in our lives. We are turning into animals. We are headed back towards the jungle. We take pleasure in taking jabs at each other. Others' suffering has become the fodder for our happiness.

I blame the government for it all. By laying out the rules and regulations that we know as legislation in our "civilized society," the government restricts the options and alternatives for the un-empowered.

In such an atmosphere, we are definitely not going to achieve anything by working together towards a cause that only expands the government's sphere of influence.

We have become the blacksmiths who mold into shape the iron into chains of our own bondage.

Thanks for reading,

Sumit

Five freedoms I wish to demand from my government on our 59th Independence Day

Today is India's 59th Independence Day. While the fervor and enthusiasm was unmatched among ordinary Indians, for me it was just another day of "cribbing" and "bitching" about what's wrong about India. Some think I am too pessimistic. But, I think that I just have higher standards. But, when it comes to morality, and liberty, the only standard that matters is: perfect. Anything below perfection should be unacceptable. Imagine someone saying: "Yeah! I have high morals but I sleep with my best friends wife when he is out of town." How about this one: "I am happy with the kind of liberty we enjoy in India. Look at people in Pakistan!" Ouch!

Why must we compare the standards of our morality and liberty we have with those who have none? Maybe, it is just a feel good factor. Or who knows?

Standards aside, I wish to take some time and highlight some of the freedoms that we should work towards, not as a country but as a people. Don't forget that patriotism is nothing but lionization of the state. I think if every individual in our society worked the best for himself, our society would be much better off as a whole. But, when people try to act like good Samaritans and wish to be "patriotic," things go bad. I do not want your children to join the military. Because, by doing so they are just empowering the government. I do not want your kids to be social workers. Because, by doing so they overlook and mitigate the government's blunders. Instead, I want your kids to work towards achieving the following freedoms for our society:

1. Freedom from Taxation

Imagine taxation was directly related to an individual's assessment of the Government's performance. I am sure that the government won't be able to raise enough money to water the lawns outside the Parliament. Even the most vociferous critics of the government dare not to challenge this "right of the government to extract money coercively."

Taxation must not be socialized. At the best, it should be voluntary. If anyone wishes to pay the government for it's services, go ahead do so. Other's can avoid the government's services and opt for privately provided services. I am willing to sign a bond that says: I won't call the police when I am being robbed. I won't send my kids to government schools. I will pay for using the roads, while someone takes the initiative to setup private road networks.. And finally the best one. I won't go to a government hospital even if I have steel fork stuck in my skull

2. Freedom from Public Education

I am sick and tired of people asking me to revere Gandhi. Why should I? Am I under any obligation to praise a person I do not agree with. I admit that Gandhi was a great guy. I have read his biography. But he just set the country on the wrong path. Socialism threatens "division of labor." So, for decades we were stuck with inefficient means of production; the cost of which was borne by the hardworking citizenry.

Public School education that is designed and prescribed by NCERT and related institutions indoctrinate the children to love Gandhi and Nehru, to love the government, to despise Capitalism, tells us that the Soviet Union was our best friend and blah blah blah. The worse child abuse that public education commits is that it teaches our kids bad Economics. The only course that I think must be mandatory for every kid in our schools is: Henry Hazlitt's "Economic In One Lesson." I do not care if you can perform calculus or run regressions. But, if you do not know that "free markets are the foundation of free societies, then you suck."

3. Freedom from the Space Program

Stop wasting our resources on sending our man to the moon. The Americans and the Ruskies did it nearly four decades ago. And all they got back was some dumb rocks.

4. Freedom from Doordarshan

For those who do not know, Doordarshan is the state run television agency. Make sure that you read the statutory warning at the bottom of the TV screen when watching Doordarshan programming. It clearly states: "This programming is unsuitable for those with higher IQs and others with an acute case of suicidal depression. Doordarshan is not responsible for slashed wrists, suicides and decline in IQ levels."

5. Freedom from Government

Government is the root of all evil. I seriously doubt that those suckers who run the country would ever leave us alone. But, I strongly wish that they left us alone with our "pathetic existence."

Let us live our lives on our own terms. Stop parenting us. You need to start trusting our wisdom. It really hurts to see someone who cannot successfully do anything to dictate the terms and conditions for those who successfully run their families and raise their children to be model citizens.

All legislation is evil. The cost of legislating is socialized, or in other words it is borne by the society as a whole. Legislation raises the cost of doing business and living our lives. Thus it is good for none. The first thing that government could do to make our lives better would be to stop legislating. But then, its just a dream.

Most of what I just said was partly serious and otherwise light-hearted. I sincerely care about the liberties of others. I cannot have my liberty with everyone else around me oppressed and bound in chains. When people tell me that we need laws for a civilized society, I hear the masochist inside them. No, we do not need laws. We actually need to inculcate morality among our children.

Morality is superior to legislation. Morality does a better job than legislation in helping an individual decide between "right and wrong." The best thing is morality comes free. While, the cost of legislation is socialized. Some good things in life actually are free.

The Cola-ban in India: Outrageous

I have been reading about Pepsi and Coke being banned, left and right in India. My take: If corporations screw-up at providing quality goods and services for which they get paid by the consumers, they ought to take it up the way a "10 dollar whore" does.

Pepsi and Coke's products in India have been found to contain very high contents of toxic substances that maybe harmful to health. This is totally outrageous. Corporations are expected to behave responsibly when consumers pay the price.

What I really wonder is that why is the "government" telling us about the toxic-colas after nearly 15 years of the "Shahrukh-Rani-Asihwarya-Sachin team" telling me to grab a cola next time I feel hot and thirsty. Where was the government and its expensive laboratories for all these years?

I strongly sense a covered up conspiracy. It is no secret that corporations make enormous "under-table payments" to those in power for anything from permission to do business in India to getting a permit to set up a plant. Did the cola companies fail at their obligations to make their last "'under-table payment?" No one knows!

We are fooled into believing that we live in "free economies." Governments still hold firm control over businesses. In many cases big corporations and governments work hand-in-hand to prevent small businesses to enter the market by the enactment of stupid laws and legislations that raise the cost of doing business. In other cases, corporations are granted exclusive access to tremendous resources, or are granted monopolies.

A free market has no tolerance for such "government-corporation" nexuses. Had we really been living in a free economy, Coca Cola and Pepsi's blunder won't have come to light after more than 15 years of operations. As long as the corporations keep warming the government officials' pockets, the testing laboratories mind their own business. When the pocket-warming stops, we are told that the colas are bad for human consumption. To add insult to injury, products are banned. At the end of the day, the corporations who had been warming the government officials' pockets for all these years look bad to us.

Moral of the story: Stop doing business with the government. Do business with the consumer. It is only possible in a free-market. And, if you still screw-up, the consequences will be horrible. I think that consumers should totally boycott Coke and Pepsi's products; at least until they apologize and promise to do business in a more responsible manner. I do not expect them to reveal the inside story, as it might cost them their business altogether. But, if I got the slightest insinuation that my intuitions were right, I promise that I will never buy Coke or Pepsi's products. And, I expect the same from every informed consumers.

Ever tried RC Cola? He He He! I guess it is time for a third major brand to enter the Indian market.

I am on a Break

Let me take this opportunity to apologize to my readers for not updating the website in a while.

Last Sunday I returned from a 10 day trip along the east coast. Stops included: Charleston SC, Sin City (Washington D.C), Richmond VA and Auburn AL.

This was the long due tour of the "War of Northern Aggression" (They call it Civil War in American Public Schools) that I had planned out with Gaurav. I had an awesome time; except for once when I did not have the GPS in my car and I got lost on the Interstates around Richmond. I learnt a lesson that day from an old childhood buddy of mine who had to bear the brunt of my hothead. Every cloud has a silver lining. I may have disappointed my friend, but I learnt from him that patience pays. When you are in crisis, you can either blow your head off, honk and kick. Or, you can just take it with a pinch of salt and try to get out of the predicament by maintaining a cool head.

Charleston is a southern city with a class. The carriage drives along with numerous confederate memorials and savvy stores give it a distinct identity. Cobble stoned streets are something to watch out for. No high-heels out there ladies! Gaurav and I visited Ft. Sumter before we left for Sin City.

We were in the Sin City/ Arlington area for a few hours before returning to Richmond. The city used to be the capital of the Confederacy. There, we visited the Confederate White House and the museum next to it. What shocks you about the White House is how graceless it is. You may pass by without even giving any notice to it, unlike the White House in Sin City that has become synonymous with big government, and shoving Democracy down the throats of those who hate us the most.

The best part of the trip was the Mises University in Auburn, AL. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of very interesting folks from all 6 inhabited continents. The highlight of the seminar were the lectures by my favorites: Dr. Hans Herman Hoppe, Dr. Tom DiLorenzo, Dr. Walter Block and Dr. Tom Woods. I got a few books signed by my heroes. It was my privilege to meet them in person.

Now, I am home. And I am relaxing for a week before I return to my normal schedule. I promise that I will be posting regularly from the coming weekend onwards. Here are some pictures that I wish to share with you.

Why its time to leave Kashmir (This one is part of series of articles to promote awareness about Kashmir)

July 20th, 2006

I do not support either side in an armed conflict, where each side inflicts civilian casualties.

In any conflict civilians die. More than 100,000 civilians in Kashmir did not vanish in thin air. Someone killed them. It was either the Indian Para-military forces or the insurgents. The common ground that both sides hold is when they call such casualties "collateral damage."

Let's assume that your family is part of someone's "collateral damage." How are you going to feel about it? Now you know how Kashmiris feel about it.

 In spite of the fact that the insurgents kill Kashmiris too, Kashmiris largely hold a soft corner for the insurgents because they have been mislead into believing that the insurgents are fighting for Kashmir; which truly is not the case.

 I am sure that you know how the Pakistanis slaughtered and raped the Kashmiris in 1948-49 when they invaded Kashmir while the Maharaja was still trying to make up his mind whether to join India or Pakistan. The kind of fear they created among the Kashmiri population resulted in initial respect for New Delhi after we came to their rescue.

But, our government failed to tackle the Kashmir issue on time and has lost the initial goodwill among the Kashmiri people. Pakistan got a long lead to spread propaganda against India among the Kashmiri people. No one in Kashmir even talks about the atrocities of 1948-49 when we actually saved them from further disaster.

Coming to the point, an insurgent is a militant as long as he or she does not commit civilian casualties. He or she becomes a terrorist the moment they commit civilian casualties. The same standard must be applied to Para-military forces of different countries. No Para-military force must be allowed to commit civilian casualties in the name of protecting national integrity.

Unfortunately, that cannot be achieved. The covert purpose of a Para-military force is to control the territorial integrity of a nation. The goal cannot be achieved without controlling the masses that live in the "territory." And, masses cannot be controlled without inculcating fear among them. And fear cannot be reproduced without inducing civilian casualties.

 The evidence to my argument lays in any civil strife in history. Whether it was Jallianwallah Bagh, Operation Blue Star, or the most recent conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah, governments have used excessive force against the civilians in order to control them. This is the very reason why I despise Hezbollah. Look at what they are doing. They are bombing innocent Israeli civilians. Why throw missiles 50 miles into Israel when the Israeli Army is sitting right on the border; hardly a mile away? Similarly why is Israel shelling the entire country including the airport? Are the Hezbollah sitting at the Airport?

They all do it because they want to exercise control by inculcating fear among the civilians on the other side.

Finally, I think people have always looked at government as the means to bring about control and stability in our society. While the government may have been able to bring about control, stability is something that its has miserably failed at. No place in the world has been stable forever. History changes and borders are re-drawn every now and then.

Terrorism came around as a response to government. When people did not have the means to be the government, the only other means was to terrorize the people without being the government and thus subsequently establish control over them. The only reason the government fights the terrorists is, it does not want to give up control over the people. Coincidentally, every time governments have lost to the terrorists, they transferred control over the people to the terrorists. Remember what happened in the communist uprisings in Latin America. Che Guevara and his “Xerox buddies” who were once called terrorists in a given region one day became the government the other day. Look at Afghanistan. After coalition troops move out of a village, who moves in? The Taliban!

In the case of Kashmir, the situation is a figment of our blunders. Kashmir would have never happened had the government handled it tactfully. Now, with the goodwill lost and all the civilian casualties inflicted, I hardly see a way back to the "story board" where we could re-draw our strategies.

If secession is what the Kashmiri people want, let’s give it to them. At least our hands won’t be covered with innocent blood for another day. But Kashmiris must also realize theintentions of the insurgents. If they could kill when they were not in control, they will kill when they will be in control. The fact is that we cannot nanny Kashmir any longer while the bill is footed by millions of tax payers financially and in terms of human lives lost. Let Kashmiris decide what they want.

And, when I say this, I am being as neutral as anyone can be. I am not taking the side of the terrorists or the government. I am siding with the free-will of the people who must be able to decide what's in their best interest.

Indian Culture: A beacon of respect for authority, tyranny, corruption and sadism

July 17th, 2006

A few years ago when I had my first social/ideological awakening I became a communist. I though that communism was the answer to the world's problem. Communism did not fail. But, it was a victim of the west's tirade against those who had the guts to stick it up to them. I was just another misled youth who had been disillusioned by the "suicidal  communist ideology." I was made to hate the west.

Then I came to the United State for school. One question that baffled me every now and then was that if I though that the United States was actually the demon that I thought it was, why was I here in the first place. The answer to my question lay in the fact that I was a communist. Communists think one thing and do something else. They claim to be for the people, but have killed more people than one can fathom.

I had my second awakening as I tried to understand the American society. At the crux of the American way of life is liberty. Americans are probably the only people in the world who have the courage to question their government's actions. Unfortunately, there aren't many of those left in the country. But, there is still a lot of hue and cry in this country every time the government tries to step over the thin red line between liberty and tyranny.

I was gradually drawn towards Libertarianism. Its concepts and understanding of liberty prosperity, welfare and wealth of the society are the gospels of a civilized society. In a nutshell, Libertarianism literally understands the fact that all men are born free, although most of them turn out to be stupid. That is why our society today is rampant with tyrant, corrupt, sadist authoritarians. I just cannot understand how people can live their lives under tyrants like Saddam Hussein or Kim Jong Il. When all men were born free, they need to be miserably stupid to fail to chalenge authority.

Libertarianism sounds like "the solution" for India where any social drawback can trace its origin to the government. I think of how easily I got convinced about Libertarianism. I always thought that other Indians would find the concept just as appealing as I did and it would be an idea that would create a revolution which will knock down the walls of authority and establish a society devoid of "big government."

To my anguish I was wrong. I wasn't wrong about Libertarianism, but I was wrong about the compatibility of the philosophy with the Indian society. Till date I may have managed to convert some people half way to Libertarianism, but most just discount what I have to say as "Tolkien's fiction." One term I hear often is "utopia." People admit that I envison a perfect world, but hardly anyone is willing to be complicit with me in achieving it.

I always wonder what holds back people from understanding a concept so simple : "you do not need the government to baby-sit you. Government is not the nanny it claims to be. You are smart enough to make your own decisions. So, do not allow the government to encroach upon the realm of your personal life."

I remember once I said to my friend Gaurav: "Respect for authority and intelligence quotient are inversely related." In other words you must be a total bimbo if you think that you need government to push your "miserable hind" through life. You must be a thug if you think that those who do not need government's alms to make it through life, to subsidize your existence.

Most Indians question my credibility by asking me what major projected have I undertaken so far. Excuse me! I am not some "central planning authority" that undertakes projects that never materialize. I am an individual just like. All I can do is show you the direction. You still have to walk the path. There are no shortcuts in life. The hard way is usually the best way. The government's way has always led to disaster. History is my witness. Who has caused more suffering to the humankind than the government that was supposed to have protected it?

Others consider my "constant ranting" to be immature. Just because I do not want the government to hold my finger as I make my way through life, they think my ideology is too rudimentary. I think those who want a government in their lives, that dictates every breath they take are the ones who need to grow up.

People ask me about my bad experiences that tuned me away from government. How many examples should I mention. Just as I write this, some tyrant is forcing propaganda down the throats of his subjects, some government is bombing the crap out of some neighboring country, some government is planning how to invade a resource-rich territory, some government is thinking how to peak at its' people bank records and telephone call logs, and finally I am sure that some policemen in some lock up in a police station in India must be beating the smithereens out of someone they want to confess for last week's bombings in Mumbai.

Why is it that the government hasn't done to make people's lives more miserable? Yes, I despise the government. Why shouldn't I? I strongly believe that I hold the upper moral ground because I stand for liberty and for the final emancipation of mankind; from government. I do not consider "Marxist-style genocidal revolutions" as my means to bring about a change in the way we live and prosper. Libertarians differ from other contemporary ideologies in the sense that we tend to convince people to respect others liberties; while other ideologues attempt to impose their will upon unsuspecting and helpless people. If you disagree with what I have to say, I am perfectly fine with it. Let's move on with our lives. If you agree with what I have to say, welcome to the club. Lets save some lives and let liberty ring.

I declare my support for the members of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), for their right to possess opinions

July 14th, 2006

I googled for SIMI. I could not find their official website. All I could find were statements from contrary sources like "South Asia Terrorism Portal." So I had to go by SIMI's opponents as to what SIMI's objectives are. Here are the the first few lines from the statement:

"The Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), proscribed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA), is an Islamist fundamentalist organization, which advocates the ‘liberation of India’ by converting it to an Islamic land. The SIMI, an organisation of young extremist students has declared Jehad against India, the aim of which is to establish Dar-ul-Islam (land of Islam) by either forcefully converting everyone to Islam or by violence."

Then I looked up the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's website. Here is their statement of objectives:

 What I find so amazingly ironic is the fact that how certain organizations deify themselves, and how they slenderize their rival organization. The question is who does India belong to? Does it belong to the fanatically violent VHP, or does it belong to the people who actually live here?

 Why should I accept the credibility of VHP while I dismiss SIMI as a terrorist organization? If we look at history and its related statistics, we would realize that VHP and other fanaitic Hindu organizations who claim to be the saviors of the overwhelmingly majority Hindu population, have their hands as deep in blood just as any other "Islamic Terrorist Organization.

The 1991 "Babri Masjid Demolition," was the first major chapter in VHP's book of crimes against Muslim Indians. On the top of demolishing a Muslim shrine they murdered hundreds if not thousands of innocent Muslims in the riots that ensued.

Then came the 1993 Bombay riots. Again thousands of Muslims were slaughtered.

The 2000 Gujarat Riots. Hundreds to thousands of Muslims slaughtered.

Of course all loss of life also consisted of hundred or maybe thousands of ordinary Hindus slaughtered. But, my question is why should we the ordinary Indians pay the price with our lives for the opinions of some extremist organizations with political ambitions?

Extremis Hindu organizations like VHP and others have always taken the lead to drive a wedge between the Hindus and Muslims in India. Why? Why should I hate a Muslim? I think that an average Muslim has every right to feel out of place, living in India after all the propaganda that VHP and others float around against him and his community. Won't I feel out of place living in Saudi Arabia?

I think that one of the basic liberties afforded by a a "supposedly" free society like ours is the freedom to have opinions. We must not forget that India has had its Islamic glory days. We were ruled y Muslim emperors for nearly 700 years. Why shouldn't the Muslims of India look back at the glory days, just like the Hindus look back at the glory days of "Ram Rajya?"

If we do not have a problem with certain Hindus thinking that India must be a "Hindu Nation," we must have the courage to let the Muslims think their way.

The problem comes when people try to enforce their opinions. I agree that in the past there were horrendous campaigns by Muslims to convert Hindus to Islam. But that is history. Does any present day Muslim in India need to be held responsible for the actions of his ancestors?

But, if you look at the past 60 years of our Independence, there have been more violent attempts against the Muslim community in India, while there weren't any attempts to the contrary. We demolished their shrines. We slaughtered their people in un-proportional numbers every time we rioted. We hold them responsible for Pakistan. We hold them responsible for Kashmir. We constantly abuse their loyalty for our homeland. On the top of it all, we just blindly blame them for any acts of terror in India.

So far no one knows who the real culprits were for the bloodshed in Mumbai. But, everyone is already pointing their fingers at Muslims. Why? I am sure that if the government fails to come up with some real evidence, it will close the case with some "Friday night encounter."

Look, I do not support any acts of violence against innocent individuals. But, the thing that I hold dearest of all is Liberty. There is no barometer that decides the level of Liberty to be allowed to certain individuals based on their faith and beliefs. But, we certainly must have the humanity and the courage to defend the liberty of others to live, prosper, and possess opinions, faiths and beliefs. Possessing sympathy for a cause is as harmless as a bugaboo. We must have the tolerance for others opinions.

I do not know much about how tolerant of people we are. But, we definitely aren't mature enough to understand the concept of Liberty. We live in a society where no individuals must be bound by a commitment to be loyal to our government. How loyal is out government towards us? Do I need to answer that one?

Mumbai Blasts: Get the heck out of Kashmir

July 13th, 2006

What are we doing in Kashmir? The moral argument for protecting the Kashmiri people has lost ground. We are not there to protect anyone. We are the occupiers. How long do you think Kashmir will remain a part of India if the troops were to pull out today? The point is that we are more concerned about the Kashmiris joining with Pakistan, than about their own safety.

Talking of protecting the Kashmiris; we have failed at that too. Nearly 100,000 Kashmiris have perished during the nearly two decade old uprising. Who is to be held accountable for that? Is it collateral damage. Look at it this way. I have four other people in my family besides me. I imagine what would have happened if I were to lose all four of them tomorrow. I really do not know if I will be able to survive the loss. Of all the possessions in my life, I am most possessive about my loved ones. Kashmiris have been paying the price of Indian occupation in the currency of the "blood of their loved ones." Every time an Indian roots for Kashmir and its occupation by Indian Para-military, does he or she really give a hoot about who really is paying the price for "Indian Imperialism?"

Of course the Kashmiris have paid a tremendous price over the last two decade or so. The others haven't been saved from the scourge of the conflict. Day before yesterday nearly 200 people; most of whom don't even vote, died in the Mumbai blasts. What was their fault? What did they have to do with Kashmir? Why do they have to be victimized for the implications of Indian government's domestic and foreign policy?

Of course, out policy-makers are the least concerned. When was the last time we heard of a politician who paid the ultimate price for his bad policy-making decisions? I can hardly count them on my fingers. But my mind runs berserk when I think of the numbers of innocents who have to pay the price of their government's bad policies. Our elected officials have immunity from the implications of their policies. They are well protected round the clock. So are their loved ones. None of their own blood-related serve in the Para-military forces (there are exceptions). It is the every day Indians including Kashmiris who have relentlessly paid the price for our government's policies. Next time we loose out loved ones, the Prime Minister will appear for a photo-op and reassert about his commitment to fight terrorism.

When will this fight against terrorism abate? Is there a deadline? Most of us hardly care because we haven't yet lost our loved ones to this conflagration. Do we really have to loose our loved ones to come to the realization that this "fight against terrorism" will never end? What really makes you think that we will put a quarter of a million troops in a disputed territory, treat the residents like slaves (I have personally witnessed it. It is disheartening to see how our troops treat the Kashmiris), bomb entire neighborhoods to smoke out couple of insurgents, overlook crimes committed by the Para-military forces against law abiding Kashmiris (Incidents of rapes of Kashmir women tumble out in the mainstream media once in a while); and still assume that the Kashmiris will willingly ally with India?

I am sure that all those "chauvinist Indians" who boast about their "patriotism," will look the other way if India were to get out of Kashmir. There is an adage in Hindi: "Khaali Chaney baajey ghaney." It means: hollowed grahams (an Indian pulse used as food) make more noise than the ones that aren't hollowed. It holds true to this situation. All those people who meld patriotism with Kashmir will do nothing when the balls in their court to prevent Kashmir from breaking away. Actions speak more than words. Ordinary Kashmiris have joined the struggle against Indian occupation. But where are these Indian chauvinists? They play thier music in far flung places like Delhi and Mumbai, where they think they are immune from any harm. The recent Mumbai blasts and others in the past have proved my point that no one is immune from the scourge of Individuals disgruntled with the policy-makers of New Delhi. Since they cannot target the policy-makers, they will readily target those who put the policy-makers in office.

I sincerely condemn the lethal targeting of innocents. But the innocence is lost when civilians hardly protest the bad policies of New Delhi. Year after year, policy makers who assume to take a tough stand against Kashmir are put in office by those on the electoral rolls. People call me names and chalenge my integrity because I dare to stand up against the occupation of Kashmir and the crimes committed against the Kashmiri people. Name-calling results when opponents fail to challenge the facts on the ground. With nearly 100,000 dead, I want this bloodshed to stop now.

The word patriotism doesn't hold the same meaning that it held when General Washington led a bunch of ragtag farm boys against the redcoats, or Gandhi led a force of pacifist individuals from all walks of life, against the crown. Patriotism used to mean the promotion of a social cause by the residents of a community against an outsider oppressive ruler. In the case of the American revolution, the colonists found the policies of the mother country unfair. When peaceful petitions to the crown led to nowhere, the Boston tea party happened. The oppression of the crown was no match for the intentions of the minds directed by liberty. The struggle against an outsider who controlled the internal of the community for his or her own personal gains,  was supposed to be called patriotic.

Now, the word patriotic has been flipped around. It is patriotic to support one's government's foreign interventions. It is supposedly "unpatriotic" to challenge the actions and policies of a government that challenges the liberties and welfare of people in a faraway land.

Why was it patriotic for us to challenge the British occupation of our country, while it is unpatriotic for the Kashmiri's to challenge the Indian occupation of their country? Why is it that an Indian soldier in uniform, whose paychecks are cut by the Indian government called a patriot, while a Kashmiri militant with no clear identification, and may or may not by paid by someone called a terrorist? Both are in the business of death. The Indian soldier kills Kashmiri civilians while the Kashmiri militant kills Indian soldiers and when gets a chance kills Indian civilians.

Sometimes, my opponents try to defend their "pro-occupation" stand by pointing out the Pakistani support for the insurgency. Let me make something very clear. It may sound philosophical, but it is true. "Evil broods evil." Nearly 60 years ago when Pakistan came into being, there was no such thing as Islamic terrorism. The only factor that the Pakistani government could use to rail its people to support its policies was its overwhelming majority of Muslim population (correct me on this one if I am wrong. Pakistan is nearly 95 percent Muslim). Over the years it motivated people to join its armed struggle against India in the name of Islam. they constantly portrayed India as the archenemy of Islam. In the name of Islam they propped up the mujahadeen to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan (of course with CIA's help). In the name of Islam they propped up the insurgency in Kashmir and in various parts of Pakistan. Now Islamic insurgency has attained such maturity that they think that Pakistan itself isn't Islamic enough. Various Islamic militants groups created by the Pakistani government have turned on their masters. Dictator/President Pervez Musharraf  is the most threatened man in Pakistan. Various insurgency movements are going on in Pakistan. The mohajirs are waging their own struggle in the southern province of Sind. The tribals in the North-West Frontier Province were always autonomous. Now they are more anti-Islamabad than they have ever been because the Government's support against the Taliban that it had created in the very first place. There are other secession movements going on in Baluchistan and other places. Other groups that are not struggling for secession, are struggling to create a "wahabbi- style Talibanized Pakistan."

The "genetically modified Pitbull" that Pakistan's government had created to bite India has come around to bite its creators. Pakistan is having a tough time maintaining its territorial integrity. Do you really think that they will be able to pile up Kashmir to their list of struggles. I am sure that if Kashmiris were not pleased by a more liberal India, they really won't be blessed by allying with a partner that keeps track of every breath they take and every move they make.

I had rather have a free Kashmir coexist along with the rest of India, because when people kiss their loved ones goodbye every morning, I want them to return home safely every evening. I do not want my fellow everyday Indians to be blown to bits on their way back home. I want India to focus its resources on liberalizing its economy. Economic development brings more gains to everyday Indian than the occupation of Kashmir.

Call me a traitor if you wish. I had rather be a "traitor" and advocate the right of an individual to secede from an oppressive central government and save some lives, than be a patriot and support an oppressive central government that uses our heard earned tax money on some foreign occupation and kills civilians in the name of "fighting terrorism."

Height of Political Correctness

July 11th, 2006

In simple words Political Correctness means delusion. Politically correct people are liars and scared of the truth. That is why they refrain from saying and accepting the truth. No! Political Correctness has nothing to do with the "N-Word." When you tell a fat woman that she is beautiful because you do not want to break her heart; you are actually being unjust to her. Your "politically correct" comments will delude her from reality. She will keep eating herself to death. And one day she will die of a cardiac arrest. Then you must try to look at yourself in the mirror. Mirror never lies. When you look at the mirror you will will see the face of a person whose lies can cause immense suffering.

By the way Gaurav, if you are reading this; when I call you a fat ass buddy, I really mean it. I want you to live longer so that we can keep doing our road trips for an extra 30 years.

I am on www.facebook.com just like most college students. Sometime ago I created a group call" I hate Hip Hop and Rap." In the group's profile picture, I put the picture of a Zulu tribal dance. Frankly, that picture said it all. The last time I was at a club, I told myself that it would be the "last time" I would ever spend my time visiting such an outrageous display of human degeneration. In simple words I could confidently state that when women enter those "dens of sins," they leave behind their modesty and humbleness; and men leave behind their chivalry and integrity.

More than the cacophonous non-melodic music, it was the culture aspect of Hip Hop and rap that turned me off. It wasn't just the audience who have been desensitized; but even the performers are constantly in the news for shooting at each other or even at their fans. Personally, I believe that their is a higher chance to be shot to death as a rapper than being shot while on duty as a NYPD officer (LAPD is an exception. Chicanos fight the Police with machine guns and bazookas).

So, I went ahead and created this special interest group. Of course! not many people joined it. Most out of political correctness; while others may sincerely love jungle music. In all there were four members on the group, including a black dude. For several months there was no serious problem. Then yesterday I received an email from the Facebook admin team saying that the picture has been removed because they deemed it "offensive."

What BS! Guess where I got the picture from? From nowhere else but the United Nations website. Damn! so now Facebook is telling me that the "mother of all Political correctness" is putting "offensive and politically incorrect pictures" on their website? Shouldn't the black dude (I will come to that later) who whined about the picture to Facebook be proud of his ancestral heritage? Gees! this gives me so much fodder to go on and on.

Look I am not a "politically incorrect" person either. I am just an honest person. I see things the way they are and tell people about them they way it ought to be. I once told Mr. Brad Edmonds (my fellow Libertarian) that vegetarian Hindus are insane for missing out on some of the best gifts of nature (consider the fact that I come from a Hindu family). All cultures have serious drawbacks. Even the "highly civilized western culture" that I have always lauded and have tried to adopt is disappearing from the west itself.

The problem is when people go overboard trying to be nice. This black dude who reported my group to Facebook left a message saying: "is this some KKK group." Yeah right! Out of the four members, the creator is a south-Asian Hindu; the other three are Hispanic, White and Black respectively. Damn!  this is the most racially diverse group on Facebook. With 75 % "diversity", this group is more racially diverse than the most racially diverse non-black college campus in the entire United States.

Besides, just because I had the courage to come out and speak of my dislikes, it automatically turned us into a "hate group." We live in bad times. When something as non-entity as a picture or an unofficial college website group can cause so much paranoia among "feeble minded" individuals, I can see  clear signs of trouble. Non-coercive highly-opinioned civilians are being considered a threat for the society, and are thus being coerced into ether giving up their opinions or punished for having a resolute character.

The point is that political correctness is the bane of the civilized world. We are all headed down the cliff if we continue lying to ourselves and to others. Thus it is the moral responsibility of every liberty loving individual to fight this evil that has been plaguing our society and institutions. Trust me, it feels good to be honest.

Next time you rent a video, don't just feel good about it; feel proud about it

July 10th, 2006

Last night I watched CNN's documentary on North Korea; titled "Undercover In the Secret State." I have watched it once on an earlier occasion. But, due to all the fuss about Korean missile launches, they played it again this weekend.'

Now, don't think that I am eluding from the main topic here. As most of you know North Korea is a "locked down" state, headed by a 4'10" ugly old man. The only form of televised entertainment allowed in North Korea is the 24 hour propaganda channel run by the Communist Party.

The human spirit to learn more about the world out there is commendable. Even the tyrants of all tyrants cannot prevent their subjects from trying to have a peak at the world that lays out there. But, with a nation starving to death while most of the world is moving towards free markets and economic prosperity, all that Kim Jong Il can do is isolate his people from the "evil influences" of the free world and tell them North Korea is a Paradise. So they need to shut up and learn to be happy with the UN food handouts they get when the breeze flows west.

Some recorded copies of South Koran TV programs float around within the North Korean analogy of the "underground railway network." North Koreans are in a state of shock when they learn about how much better the world is just a few hundred miles south. If the Government soldiers find out about the existence of such "propaganda material" in someone's possession, it could lead to a severe punishment. Penalties could range widely from being incarcerated for the rest of your life/public execution to being sent for "desensitization" training. You are simply unfit to live in the regular North Korean society if you dared to know what the world out there is really like, because now you know about the sham that "Father" Kim Jong Il has put up for his people. Thus you need to be purged till the Communist party believes that you sincerely once again believe that North Korea is a paradise and would tell the same to others you may know.

Travel in North Korea is strictly restricted. You need government permits even to travel from one town to another. If you dare to leave your village, be prepared to be whacked till the military guard on duty feels worn out. Forget about the world out there, Kim Jong Il does not want you to know what the rest of the country out there looks like.

The biggest crime against the fatherland is to try to make contact with the outside world. You are dead if you are found in possession of a cellular phone.

Te documentary began with the public execution of individuals who tried to sneak out of the country. Of course the video footages were made using hidden cameras. There are people living in that communist nation who have realized that they actually live in hell, and are determined to get the word out to the rest of the world. Their spirits are at an all time high; thanks to technology. Technology from the "free world" will help break the iron wall that isolated North Korea from the rest of the world by putting the oppressed in touch with the free.

What really amazes me is how can a 4'10" ugly old man with a bad haircut keep an entire country in his iron grip and people continuously tolerate his atrocity. Communism is a slow "desensitization" process. It slowly and steadily deteriorates an individual's self esteem and IQ. Then it hypnotizes the individual to believe that communism leads to paradise. Finally, the individual is made to rely on the mercy of a centralized authority. Basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter are incumbent upon the individuals loyalty for the centralized authority. The centralized authority takes possession of all resources of the nation in the name of "nationalization." An individual in a communist society is reduced to the status of a dog that wags its tail and salivates as his master waves around a bone.

The North Korean people have been weakened beyond belief. They won't survive a day if they show even a slight wavering a loyalty towards Kim Jong Il. Food rations donated by the rest of the world are distributed to the military and government employees. Hardly any leftovers trickle down to the people. Millions have perished due to starvation over the last decade. So what does a helpless individual so when living under such dire circumstances? He or she works for the government, and subjects himself or herself to the atrocities of the centralized authority.

I have a strong belief that that North Korea will fall as glimpses of the "free world" are spread around. Freedom will fuel the rebellion. North Korean people will have to realize that they may perish fighting the tyrant, but at least their children will live in a world devoid of communism, and appreciate the struggles of their parents.

Next time I get the red envelopes from Netflix, I will hold them to my heart and pray for the souls of those who died fighting for the freedoms that we take for granted. And by that I do not mean the "American mercenaries" fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan or any other of the 196 countries that US troops are based in. I mean the founding fathers of this great nation who "stuck it up" to the Redcoats and coined the slogan: "Give me liberty or give me death."

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/presents/index.north.korea.html

Why I do not want Pakistan to buy F-16 aircrafts from the US, or North Korea to have a missile program

As I have always said, a nation that has people living below poverty level and indulges in a "Weapons Program," has its priorities really screwed up.

That is what I would have said to the "politically correct" and "intellectually deprived" souls out there. To the "intellectually endowed" Libertarians individual, the truth is that no nation should have any "Weapons Program," what so ever.

History speaks for me. Cold war was an ostentatious waste of our societies fiscal resources. Over a period of several decades, the world went on a spending frenzy. Trillions of dollars were transmuted into steel that junks in yards across the globe. Military spending is immoral from beginning to end.

Our society's' limited resources are focused on unproductive military hardware. Most of the time that hardware in catches dust in Silos or hangars. And, even by slight misfortune those jet engines ever rev-up or those Silos are ever uncovered, it leads to shedding of innocent blood. Wars kill more civilians than those responsible for them in the first place. After tens of millions dead, Adolf Hitler fell to his own bullet. Milosevic died of a stroke while on trial. Saddam Hussein gets pleasure out of making a circus out of the courtroom, while millions watch him on CNN international.

What do you think Pakistan will ever do with those F-16s. 36 aircraft hardly even qualify to form a fleet. Its last batch of F-16s were never pressed into action. And, now they are as good as scrap. But, the 5 Billion dollars that it will spend on this appropriation, could have been injected into the country's fragile economy, thus bringing more good than harm to civilians. I am not asking the government to have spent that money on social programs. Maybe they wont have needed to tax the Pakistani citizens by 5 Billion dollars in the first place. Money saved by civilians is always better than money spent by the government.

As for North Korea, Mr. Kim Jong-Il should be ashamed of the travesty that he has brought upon his country and people. North Korea proves my point that communists are nothing  but zombies who just refuse to die and let go off evil. With most of the country starving and deprived of basic necessities of life, from where does Mr. "Shorty Nice Hair Bad Teeth" derive his conscience? Its a total shame.

I am not vindicating the United States government either. The mother of all philandering nations, the US government spends more than half of what the entire world spend on defense. With record fiscal deficits, I must say the US government is morally bankrupt enough to be borrowing and spending billions on its defense programs.

Look, the fact is that defense programs are good for  none. Those who pay for them suffer. Those who are targeted by them suffer even worse. It is what I call a perfect lose-lose situation.

If you truly believe in world peace, then hold your breath and say "no to defense spending."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060705/ap_on_re_as/nkorea_missile

I hereby issue a fatwa against the Constitution of India

Of course! I did not mean that literally. But, I strongly believe that the very constitution of our country that was supposed to protect the weak and the helpless, has become the very bane of their existence. Thus, it would be a noble act to dismiss the constitution and start from scratch by establishing a society based entirely on the principles of free-enterprise and minimal government. Of course! "no government" is the "best government." But a small government will be the right step in the direction.

Coming to the issue at hand, a few days ago I read an article in Times of India about some Hyderabad based Muslim clerics issuing fatwa against Muslim parents admitting their children to schools where "Vande Mataram" is recited during morning assemblies. If one observes the article carefully, the newspaper misleads its readers by announcing that the clerics actually issued a fatwa against "Vande Mataram" itself. Then they unscrupulously revert to reality, where in the fatwa was actually issued against parents sending their children to schools where the national song is sung. It left me wondering, what kind of impression it might have left on the readers who just did not read the article, and took the headline on its face value.

The point is that no citizen is bound by any kind of commitment of patriotism. To me, patriotism no more means loyalty for the motherland. Patriotism means loyalty for the Government that cuts the paychecks of the military. Kashmir and the eastern states are good examples. The supposed patriots in uniforms are murdering Indian citizens in broad daylight at the behest of the Government, just because these citizens refuse to abide by the constitution that they had no hand in its conception. What's the guarantee that these patriots wont turn their guns on me, if I refuse to submit myself the Constitution.

Those patriots who do not adorn uniforms, are no different. I have seen their "patriotism" boil over against the enemy, during every government induced wars. The point is that the word patriotism has lost ground entirely. It is not the fundamental duty of a citizen to be loyal to an entity or an institution that causes nothing but adversity and oppression.

Thus no individual is not bound by any moral responsibility to hold reverence for any indicator of the government which may include: the national flag, the national anthem or the national song. It is the moral responsibility of every individual to be loyal to his or own foremost needs and requirements. If your family is starving, go and fetch some food. Saluting to the national flag wont help you out of any quagmire.

Individuals and faith based groups must have the freedom to embrace and practice their lifestyles the way they feel. Further, they must have the liberty to decry government propagated customs and traditions that are in direct conflict with their faith or lifestyle.

In an earlier post on Times of India I had supported the concept Muslim courts in India. After all it would relieve the current government-run judicial system of our country that is in shambles. If two litigating parties are willing to agree to the verdict passed by a neutral party, what's the government's problem? But, the government cried foul again because the it would do anything to let us off its clutches.
 

Personally speaking, if their existed an option for me to resolve my disputes in a Muslim court, I would prefer it over a government-run court system. I had prefer a speedy justice system even at the cost of harsher penalties, rather than relying on a system where my case languishes for decades and files bite dust.

It is perfectly alright for Islamic clerics to denounce schools that may induce Muslims to undertake activities that are in direct conflict with their faith.

This reminds me of an individual I met in the Army Hospital where I was recuperating from an accident, a few years ago. He told me that his father told the Sisters at the Catholic school where he went, that he wont be reciting Christian prayers since he was a Sikh. I have heard such stories endless number of times.

So, if people do not have problems with Hindus or Sikhs refusing Biblical preaching in Catholic Schools, I think it is perfectly fine for Muslims to refuse schools that conflict with their faith.

By the way, why does the word "fatwa" send everyone in a tizzy. Hold your breath. It does not mean someone would be beheaded every time it pops out of a Muslim clerics mouth. Another classic case of mainstream media's brainwashing of the masses. Times of India needs to stick to what it is good at; and by that I mean showing semi-naked pictures of hot chicks and page 3.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1629373.cms

It has been "slow news" for a while

There is nothing much to whine about for the moment.

Recently India tested a missile. My first reaction was: "does a nation with millions starving and without a roof over their heads" deserve to develop weapons?" Of course not! This s total irony. Our nation is one of many that have a leadership which needs to set its priorities straight.

The only other thing making big news even in India was the assassination of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. What an asshole. As everyone knows I have no affection for those who inflict innocent casualties. But, there was something else that I was wondering about. News reports said that the US military medics attended first aid to Zarqawi. Dude! Why did they drop two 500 pound bombs on him if they wanted to keep him alive? What an irony! I guess they should have led a procession of dancers and decorated floated to his hideout if their really intended to keep him live and kicking.

"Fanaa" a movie in India has been getting controversial. I haven't been able to watch it. But, I am still wondering if someone's self immolation attempt (anguish over the release of the Movie in Gujarat) is a reason enough to spend a buck and get older by three hours in my life?  Gujarat is upset because the Movie's lead-star Aamir Khan has locked horns with Chief Minister Narender/Adolf Hitler's brown-skinned inferior version, over the "Narmada river project issue." I fully support Medha Pathkar. She has every right o protest government's illegal dislodging of landowners for the sake of a state-project.

I just read Jack Welch's "Straight from the Gut." An excellent read. It is the story of the Greatest CEO of the last century. A person who never even went to a Business School turned around the fortunes of a mammoth corporations. Sometimes, Mr. Welch seems to demonstrate his Libertarian leanings. But, I highly doubt it. It is my belief that big corporations and bad governments go hand in hand. there is a lot of cleaning-up to be done by these creatures.

Currently I am reading about Chenghiz Khan. An admirable leader, and an astute statesman. For now all I would say is that the supposed savage from Central Asia did a lot for the cause of free-trade. In fact trade was always one of the most important things in his minds every time he went to war.

My future readings will be: The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, The Prophet by Khalil Jibran, "Democracy the God That Failed" and "The My of National Defense" by Hans Hermann Hoppe. The last two are a recommended must-reads for everyone.

I am going Kind of easy on my Netflix membership. At one point they seemed to have realized that I was their most unprofitable client. Thanks to my upcoming GRE, I am watching only three movies a week. Yesterday I saw "Training Day." Simply speaking, it is highly over-rated. I loved Casino. Robert De Niro is awesome. Sharon Stone gave me a reason for staying single. Those who have seen the movie, know what I mean. Once again, I would like to say: Gangs work better than governments.

I am keeping busy with my GRE preparation. That is the main reason I am staying offline, mostly. Do keep your emails coming in. I will be going to the Mises University in August after a "semi-tour of northern aggression." Gaurav and I will be traveling through the South all the way to Virginia. This is mainly to refresh after a back-breaking year and to re-affirm our belief about who the real aggressor was in the Civil War. The verdict has been out for long now. And the "Villain of the millennium" award goes to Abe Lincoln. What a despot! After instating the marshal law in the north, he went on an all-out war to decimate the south. How many history text books mention the "Mongol-like" havoc that the Union forces wreaked on the south even after the surrender? Homes were destroyed. Infrastructure was demolished. Fields were torched. Women were raped. Old and young, men women and children were slaughtered mercilessly for having sided with the Virtuous south that had the courage to challenge the tyranny of the government.

Rahul Mahajan Cocaine Case: The Government will hit another home-run towards its failure to dispense justice

I am sure that by now you must have heard about the Rahul Mahajan cocaine-overdose case. It left me wondering why this person is getting all the coverage and mercy, when hundreds die of some kind of drug abuse every day. Even former Prime Minister Vajpayee came out in support of the “dope head” and said that young people commit mistakes. Is Rahul Mahajan the only young person in the world who can commit a mistake and get mercy for it? Where is all the mercy for a poor pickpocket who steals to keep the family stove warm? I can give countless examples of how the privileged get away with anything from murder to mugging. Rahul Mahajan is just another face in the “yearbook of crooks and swindlers.”

As I fall through the worm hole of India’s recent history, one family name stands out: Gandhi. A good lifetime friend whose name I won’t mention here for privacy reasons; always used to tell me about the escapades of his dad and his cronies. The leader of the gang happened to be none other than Sanjay Gandhi. Sanjay/Stalin Gandhi was well known for his oppression of the masses. Even his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi feared her fiercely autocratic/authoritarian son. When PM Gandhi imposed emergency/marshal law in the late seventies, Stalin Gandhi literally ran the country. While everyone knows that he would forcibly detain men of fertile age and sterilize them against their wishes. Few know that Mr. Stalin Gandhi would abduct young women from the streets along with his cronies and rape them repeatedly, till they were nothing more than a zombie. Family members of the victims of Stalin Gandhi had nowhere to seek justice, because the institutions meant to dispense justice were all government enterprises. And the government happened to be the Gandhis themselves. Those were the dark days of modern India. Even though it is widely believed that Stalin Gandhi died in a plane crash, I really have a strong sentiment for the conspiracy theory that Indira Gandhi might have killed her own son to put a check for good on his growing authority and influence. In the past princes have killed kings and kings have killed their own brothers to get the throne. So, why won’t a mother kill her own son to stay in control?

There are further allegations that Rajiv Gandhi who became India’s PM after his mother’s assassination authorized death squads to murder Sikhs in isolated parts of the country. Rajiv Gandhi was a murderer who was responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in Punjab and the Jaffna region of Sri Lanka. He openly authorized the brutal suppression of the separatist movement in Punjab. He is also responsible for sending our “all voluntary army” to tame the Tamil separatists in Sri Lanka. We suffered heavy casualties for someone else’s war. This foreign interventionism led by Rajiv Gandhi became the reason for his decimation when Tamil separatists blew him up in a suicide bombing. So, why wouldn’t a person, (who just went after people who did nothing to him), go after a community that he held responsible for his mother’s death?

Neither Stalin Gandhi nor Rajiv Gandhi was ever put on trial for their atrocities. An even more recent and glaring example of “denial of justice to the underprivileged” for the “atrocities committed by the privileged/political leaders,” is the Jessica Lal murder case. Vikas Yadav, son of UP strongman/Member of Parliament DP Yadav, shot dead a bartender in front of hundreds of witnesses. I will call him a murderer no matter what, because the whole world knows he did it, while the courts may have thrown out the case. The culprit was out on bail in no time after being apprehended. Then the case dragged on for years. In the mean time the forensic evidence was tampered with while the key witnesses were threatened or bribed. By the time the verdict was announced, the case had already been cremated. When was the last time an elected leader was ever held guilty for his or her misdeeds?

This is why I am an antagonist who renounces a “government-run” justice system. Justice is a luxury of the privileged few who have managed to seize the reins of powers by the means of a tool that we know as democracy. It is an industry that is run and managed by our elected representatives, who have constantly used it to their own private advantage. The underprivileged shall forever be denied justice as long as the privileged have a government system.

Ironically, instead of initiating punitive actions against Rahul Mahajan, he is being bestowed the mercy of the entire media and the political elite. How can we expect justice to be executed when a former Prime Minister comes out in defense of the culprit? As always, they will find a scapegoat and sacrifice it to bail out Rahul Mahajan. The authorities are more efficient and expedient at picking scapegoats, compared to how lethargic and relaxed they are about executing justice. In this case the scapegoat happens to be Rahul’s friend Sahil who is alleged to have purchased the cocaine. The media has already started tainting Sahil as the villain. Within a day several articles about Sahil’s bad behavior have emerged over various “conventional media” websites. Rahul and Sahil bought the cocaine for a party. Both are equally guilty of the crime. Just because Sahil does not have a politically privileged background, he is being staged as a scapegoat. I feel sorry for Sahil.

More than anything else, it amazes me how our government and media work hand in hand like clockwork. When a politician or his child gets in trouble, the authorities find a scapegoat. The media backs up their story. The courts exonerate the culprit. And the culprit is bailed out.

It is sad to see that in a supposedly free and democratic society where media was supposed to have defended the electoral masses from the excesses of the elected masses, it has ended up doing exactly the opposite. Media and democracy have become the tools of the elected elites to keep the masses in their steel grips. The logic behind the concept of democracy is simple: “keep voting stupid, while the government robs you blind and denies you your very rights which were supposed to have been protected.” In the world’s largest democracy, people’s rights are not equal. There are the elected elite and then there are the underprivileged masses. Justice was never impartial. Over the decades of our democracy, justice has repeatedly been denied to the underprivileged masses. The economic gap between the rich and poor has exploded. The reason is the lack of free markets. The government grants monopolies to their cronies who reap enormous amounts of wealth. So the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.  Democracy has failed to achieve the very objective of equality of outcome or something close to it..

While most of us may not feel obliged to look deeply into the Rahul Mahajan case, it reminds me of the power and authority of our elected masters. We are the slaves of an establishment that goes on in the name of Democracy. As long as the masses do not raise their voice in unison, against the atrocities of the government, the masses will keep getting exploited. The elected elites will keep benefiting off the system, while the electoral masses will keep getting exploited. To heck with such a sham called democracy. I rather live under anarchy, where I won’t be subjected to the ruthlessness of my elected masters

Down with government! Long live anarchy! Long live free-markets.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1612288.cms

The "evil madman" behind "affirmative action" (SC/ST quotas) speaks up

Many of you must be aware of the recent protests by hard working students from various educational institutes in India against new legislations aimed to increase the reservations for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes of India.

Well! all the time I was wondering who is the evil sorcerer behind all this trouble. After all, someone has to caste the stone to break the glass. The villain of the story is none other than Dr. Udit Raj (gees! I wonder what kind of PHD this person holds.), the chairman of the All-India Confederation of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Federations. Damn! isn't that too complicated and messed up name for an organization? Why not just call it: "All-India confederation of lower-caste thugs united to rob you blind at the point of a gun." Doesn't this sound more appropriate and up to the point?

The main point here is reservation. Now, I can go ahead with the usual dry arguments against reservations. But, this time won't. Because, I love my folks back in India. And I really mean it. I really feel for the poor who live their lives, one day at a time. There have been numerous lobby groups active in India that claim to be working towards alleviating poverty and "caste -differences" in India, by means of legislations. But, haven't they been doing so for nearly six decades now? The result is that "caste system" still exists in India both on the books and in the hearts of the people.

How can you claim to eliminate the caste system in India by keeping it alive in the books of laws? How can you achieve equality among people when you still segregate among them on the basis of caste. Only, this time it happens to be reverse segregation, where the people from the backward-castes happen to get the upper hand. And, those from upper-castes bear it all silently due to some sort of "unjustified guilt."

Such reservation further divides our society along caste lines as those who do not gain from it tend to disparage those who do. Jealousy is not just natural, but universal too. If someone tends to benefit just because of their "privileged background," it sets ground for resentment by the "underprivileged." In this case, the "privileged class" happens to be the lower castes, and the "underprivileged class" is represented by the upper castes.

To build a constructive argument, I would like to dispute Dr. Raj's statements, one at a time. Please note that I am italicizing his statements to distinguish them from my responses.

"It seems the doctors want to draw more attention. It shows the protestors' mindset. Medical students were protesting with brooms and trying to say that some (kind of) labour does not have dignity. Every labour has dignity. This is unbecoming of doctors.

If professionals like doctors behave like this it shows they are not interested in academics. The doctors' protest is illegal and against the spirit of the Constitution."

I agree that the students were trying to draw attention. When the government panders to the minority at the cost of the welfare of the entire country in general, the only alternative left for a citizen is to protest.

You sound disillusioned to think that students who scored above 90 percent in their High School exams (I wont doubt it since they are from prestigious institutions and do not seem to have benefited from any quota system) and cleared the All India Medical Entrance Exams, won't be interested in academics. I think that it is probably the other way around. Those students who do not want to work as hard and achieve success in their lives, but still somehow want to get ahead of the line, are the ones who are not interested in academics.

Further, protests may be illegal. But Protests are always moral. "Peaceful protest" is the final means by which a helpless individual humbled by the government's might, expresses his or her disapproval of the government' policies.

"On August 12, 2005 the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in the case of P A Inamdar & Others versus State of Maharashtra and others that the state can't impose its reservation policy on minority and non-minority unaided private colleges, including professional colleges and medical colleges.

We protested that we will not accept the Supreme Court judgment. Later, the 104th Constitution Amendment was brought and passed unanimously by all the political parties except two members who abstained. The OBCs were given 27 per cent reservation but at that time nobody opposed it."

All reservations are unacceptable. No one should be given any special treatment on the basis of their background in a free society.

Let a fair and competitive system filter out the worthy ones from the unworthy ones.

"First, wherever reservation is implemented in the southern states it is working well. In Mysore state in 1921, reservations were implemented. In Kolhapur state it was introduced in 1902. In Tamil Nadu reservations are up to 69 per cent but nowhere have you seen a law and order problem.

Two, in Tamil Nadu, the education standards and administration are not compromised. What these students are protesting about is the issue of merit. What is merit? They are talking about something that is achieved with the help of cramming, tutoring, support by public schools and knowledge of English.

India doesn't have to its credit in the international arena any great invention of modern times achieved by students in general categories. They get higher marks to get into big universities. But these big institutions don't think merit should also consist of patriotic feelings, hard work, honesty and a humble aptitude.

For our society these are not element of merit. Not many Dalits or OBCs have the money to fit the current merit criteria.

And just give me one answer: Why are these doctors not opposing the colleges who disregard merit and take money in form of capitation fees?

Why are they not opposed to the NRI quota?

Why are they not opposing those inferior students of private medical colleges who are rich? Is it not affecting the medical profession?

The medical students should call off their strike because it is not in the interest of the nation. The integration of society is more important than any other thing.

Reservation is the method to integrate society; it will take time but have patience."

I really do not believe that knowledge of English makes any difference. Pretty much all exams are in Hindi and English. Besides, there is an English medium school in nearly every corner of the country. Most are private and are affordable. Several are run by charity trusts. Others receive donations from good Samaritans. I have people from all walks of life send their children to English medium schools.

My father went to a two-room school a few miles from his village. He learned English after being recruited by the Army. He went on to become a commissioned officer. He worked hard to become what people knew of him. His hard work is my primary source of motivation, today.

There are countless examples of people who rose from unknown villages to become successful figures. The President is a good example. Forget about everything else. This dude made an atomic bomb and designed rockets that could circle the earth.

Stop finding excuses for the failure of the reservation system. There are so many students in colleges who benefit from the reservation system, but hardly manage to make it through the degree programs. It is because these guys lack the caliber to be in high-demanding degree programs. On the other hand there are several hardworking SC/ST students who get into prestigious programs without any reservation and do really well.

As for the NRI quotas in private colleges. It is up to the private institutions who they accept. Free markets have a price for everything. And if there are those who are willig to pay the price, I see no problem with it.

How can you say that reservation is integrating the society? Do you really think that upper caste students protesting against the reservation will bring their hearts closer to those from the lower castes.

Reservation system is splitting up our country.

"Till the reservations were given, Dalits in Indian society were totally isolated. They were living on the outskirts of villages and were humiliated. But after reservations they are sitting side by side with the upper castes.

They are now in state assemblies and Parliament only because of reservations. How are you forgetting that? Similarly, the OBCs will gain now. Although it will shrink the privileges of the Dalits for the sake of justice we the Dalits want reservations for OBCs!"

My question is: how much do elected Dalit officials like Mayawati, Sharad Yadav and others actually do for the lower castes.

They are better known for corruption and abuse of power. They fill their pockets. An average Dalit is still where he was 60 years ago. Poor and helpless.

The lucky few Dalits who managed to get out of the vicious circle hardly do anything to help their unlucky brethren.

To add insult to injury, elected Dalits unnecessarily oppress upper caste people. Upper castes are subjected to some sort of unjustified grudges that elected Dalits hold, for no apparent reason.

"For long, in many places 70 per cent to 80 per cent seats were open in the general category. The upper castes were using it. Right? Now they have been given 50 per cent of the total seats whereas the upper caste population is just 15 per cent. I think that is good enough. What more do the upper castes want?

It is a good deal that 15 per cent of India's population has 50 per cent of the seats. Do you want India's majority on the streets agitating against this 15 per cent? What do you want us to do? Do you want the majority population initiating the demand that let reservation be given on the basis of the proportion of the population of each caste?"

Ok! you seem to be in need of some basic math lessons. The general seats are open to just anyone. They are not reserved for the upper castes; unlike the reserved 50 percent that are blocked for the lower castes.

It is well known that in most cases they even fail to get enough SC/ST candidates to fill up the reserved seats. A lot of resources are going down the drain to feed your agendas.

However, I agree with you that there is no perfect methodology to come up with an appropriate figures for various quotas.

"Blame it on the mindset of the upper castes. Many Dalit medical students are suffering because during internal assessment, they become victim of biases. The Dalit student's identity is known and the supervisor knows he is poor in English and that creates a bias."

You will just go to any extent to blame just anyone for just anything.

Teachers are the most unbiased people in our society. I remember that I was not a very liked student. Because, I was not a good student. Teachers admire and adore hardworking students. They always intend to help good students with their handicaps to bring them at par with others.

However, let me warn you. If things go the way they are at the moment, it will drift apart the various sections of our community. I know so many people who are upset because someone's caste held priority over their merit. Let us stop it before it becomes too late.

"They will have to support reservation otherwise a majority of India will throw them away in the coming elections.

Even if politicians don't support reservations from their hearts electoral equations are such that they have no option.

The agitators must understand the combination of Indian society and where they stand! They should part with the pie of cake they have!"

Wow! I admire your courage to throw out such random though open threats.

I am sorry sir. I am not scared of your threats and tantrums. How dare you threaten us at the "point of a gun?" Who cares if you vote out a government that fails to pander to your selfish interests.

Track record says that politicians pander to vote banks. We had rather have no government, than have a government that panders to the interests minority while overlooking the interests of the entire country in general.

Your notion of "parting with the pie" sounds so communist. I understand that you are backed by various communist groups in the country. You seem to be running a communist front organization.

I must say that you do not represent the interests of the SC/ST community. You represent your own narrow and selfish political interests. Stop using the poor for your own advantage. Stop giving them false hopes.

For ones let equality prevail in India. Reservation system is keeping the wounds of the days of "caste-system" fresh. It hurts to see the debate linger on, 60 years post-independence. People like you just help at it.

http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/may/16inter2.htm?q=tp&file=.htm

How a failed state makes a failed public transport system even worse

We are talking about Cuba. The country run by communist strongman and Che Guevara's "other half" Fidel Castro, suffers due to a failed public transportation system?

Now, when people ask me what would happen in the absence of government provided public services like this one, I wonder if it could get any worse?

Public transportation was just one of the several promises that the communists failed at. After the 1959 takeover of Cuba, public transportation was nationalized. But, as it always happens, when goods and services are sold below cost, supply falls. Besides a shortage of buses, the quality of public transportation became as inferior as it's supply.

Thanks to the "invisible hand principle," demand leads to opportunities. A failed public transportation system led to the emergence of taxi-services in Cuba. Several unemployed car-owning enterprising Cubans filled in the void by improvising their cars to provide taxi-services in Cuba. Most of these cars are American-made from the pre-may day era. While these cars wont be running in most parts of the world considering the short lifespan of American-made cars, the "invisible hand principle," created another market of local craftsman who would forge out parts and components to run these antediluvian automatons on the road.

For several decades, Cubans have been using the taxi-services to avoid using the inferior public transport system, even though it comes at an additional cost. Utility has a value, and people just anywhere are always willing to pay for it.

However, with time these vehicles have fallen behind global emission standards. The black plumes of smoke emitted by these monster-guzzlers, are not a thing of the new century. Where are all the environmentalists who keep whining about the US government not doing enough to protect the environment. See what your comrades are doing in your "wonderland" called Cuba. This is further evidence that contrary to an authoritarian regime, free market economies provide more for the world that we live in. Nearly all major automobile manufacturers in the US adopt emission standards that are way above those mandated by the government. Constantly ,improving the quality of their goods and services is the the best way to  stay afloat in a competitive environment. Consumers always move to providers who really care. So, contrary to popular "socialist" belief, only a  capitalist system, motivated by competitive markets can come up with a viable solution for our "environmental" and "energy" woes.

Even in communist Cuba, free-enterprise somehow managed to defeat the state, at least on one front. So, what does a commie do when they lose? They flex their muscle. Since they are the ultimate "deciders," they can get rid of just anything that stands in their way with a mighty blow. Mr. Castro has decided to ban the private taxi-services that have served the Cubans for several decades. Even though the government is purchasing several Chinese-made Buses to augment the public transport system, the fact of the matter is: "every one has different schedules and logistic requirement." Assuming that a Bus can ferry 100 passengers at a time (In India it would have been five times as much. Buses don't move unless they look like a mammoth beehive.), there is a very low probability that all 100 passengers have similar schedules. There will be long waiting periods at the Bus-stops. People will have to adjust their lives according to Bus-schedules. This would lead to a decrease in efficiency and productivity of the people, which would have a direct impact on the already shattered Cuban economy. What about the hundreds or maybe thousands of taxi-drivers who would be unemployed? What about the hundreds or maybe thousands of craftsmen who would be left without work, one there wont be anymore demand for spare parts for the taxis? The answer is: disaster.

So, why do communist leaders who claim their positions in the name of serving the people, end up adding to the miseries of people already suffering due to their authority and autocracy? The basic concept behind communism is "accumulation" of "unchecked power." Under communism, a few despots assume "unlimited authority" in the name of protecting the weak. Anything or anyone who stands in their path is dealt with excessive force. In this case, Fidel Castro was loosing control over the public transport system. If people can claim autonomy in one aspect, they may claim autonomy in other aspects of their life too? Autonomy leads to fall of communism. It is the sole objective of a communist to check such sources of autonomy, in order to keep the masses in their "iron grip." Communists are heartless beings. They continue their accumulation of power even though it may come at a huge cost in terms of "human life and welfare."

The point is, why do people let this happen to them? Humans are survivors with priorities. they bear all suffering and keep other menial and material things high up in their list of priorities. Freedom is the seed that sprouts into the tree of life. Without freedom, there is no life. When subjected to someone else's wills and desires, life is subordinated to what we know as slavery. All slavery is unjustified. But, human have a limit to their tolerance. Slavery does not last for ever. Whether we talk about the Jews of Egypt, the Negroes of the United States, humans have been known to break from the bonds of slavery, when it becomes top much to be borne.

My prediction is that Communism will fall after Fidel Castro. even though Castro has named his successor (Not a surprise. Even a dead commie wont let go of their authority.), Cuab will fall. Castro has terrorized several generations of Cubans for nearly half a century. The fear is for Castro, and not for his regime. Once Castro is gone, communism would go the dodo's way.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/05/14/cuba.cars.reut/index.html

I called in to a NPR radio show to talk to Deepa Mehta

I had just woken up. My, alarm clock is set to the NPR station. As, I brushed my teeth, I heard Deepa Mehta talk about her new film "Water." I just could not resist the temptation to call in.

Miss Mehta has made this film based on some 1938 incidents. I do not how true the story is, but definitely she seems to be making a point here. Just like in the past, she has pandered for the "fag/gay" forces, this time she is pandering to the "feminazi forces." She want to highlight the plight of widows in a "Hindu" society. Ok, she made her point. But, I totally disagree with her. Being raised by a widow, I really do not feel that things are as bad for the widows as they used to be.

So, I called in and said the following. "I was raised by a widow. We lost our dad when I was one. I understand that Miss Mehta's film is based on a historical context. But, she needs to admit that things have changed a lot." To this she started talking about the changing economic situation in India. I just wish that she spoke more about what I said. Everyone knows that the 1800-DELL calls are directed to India. Now tell us if you feel that widows are in as shameful condition as they used to be 50 years ago?

Hunters noose deadly alligator in South Florida

Kudos! This is exactly what you need to do with animals. Noose them and tear them apart and put the "fear of god" in their minds.

The alligator killed an "innocent" human being, the other day. Animals are emboldened by the fear that humans possess for them. On the top of that the "hippie environmentalists," make it difficult for the "civilized people" to tame these animals.

Animals survive on just anything. They do not distinguish between humans and beasts. They will feed on your child if they were hungry. That is why I advocate the abolition of all government regulation of hunting. Lets kill 'em all while having some fun. Who needs alligators, lions, tigers and other deadly beasts that feed on humans, anyway? Would you keep an alligator in your bedroom? If you are sane-minded, most probably your answer to my questions would be in the negative.

Government regulations make it difficult to get rid of "life-threatening" species. While their numbers grow, they become bigger threats to human civilization? Uplifting of all such regulations would bring about a balance in the eco-system. Man would get rid of these species in large numbers, and make his home turf safer?

Next time I hear a god damn hippie yap about saving the endangered specie, I am going to feed her to an alligator, head-first. Yea! all "greenie psychopaths" are sissies, irrespective of their gender.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/13/gator.found/index.html

So is it immigration or "reconquista" (damn it! Microsoft Word does not recognize "reconquista" as a word. Maybe they will when "reconquista" reaches Redmond)

I was resisting myself from commenting on this one; since this site is purely dedicated to issues related to India only. But, this one is personal to me. I am a student in America. And, I feel bad when anyone puts down this country or its people, when they strive for their security just like any other nation-society in the world.

No one gives a damn when other countries have a restrictive immigration policy. Just the other day someone told me about foreigners languishing in Mexican jails, after they were taken into custody by the Mexican authorities when they tried to sneak into America through Mexico. It is as if Mexico has retained the monopoly rights to the long border t shares with the United States. It allows no one else but Mexicans to sneak into America. And, I never hear anyone criticize how Mexico treats its own immigrants.

I saw this video on the internet. It was made my an independent journalist in California. The gentleman's name is Charles Kirby. And I wish CNNs Anderson Cooper heard me say that you do not need to stand in the path of hurricanes to get attention. All you need to do is speak the truth.

For the past few weeks, there has been a firestorm of Protests by mostly illegal and or legal Hispanics. Most of the protests were centered around major urban centers like Southern California, Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis etc. But, there was a lot that major broadcast TV crews were missing. An average Joe who relies on CNN/MSNBC/Fox for his news is made to think that these are America-loving, innocent, poor hard working illegal immigrants who are in America for a better future. What more could one expect, when this is the script that the President of the country reads on prime time TV? But, the truth is brought out by a handful of independent journalists. And, you cannot handle the truth.

The following video is that of a protest at Baldwin Park, CA. Coincidentally, it coincides with the commemoration of taxpayer-funded Judy Baca monument. I thought I was immune to trash talk. And, even I felt like putting my hands over my years and closing my eyes at what I heard and saw. The protestors, all Hispanics in this particular instance, go all the way out to claim that America is made of "stolen lands." And, the white people need to go back to Europe. Come on! give me a break. After living on this land for several generations, and making this nation the best place to live in the world, where prosperity, security and liberty are as abundant as its natural resources, some people sneak into this country and claim it to be theirs and ask the people who put in their blood and sweat to make America what it is to go back to where their ancestors came from. This is invasion.

America is a great country and Americans are awesome people. In spite of the fact that this country is seeing an unprecedented wave of immigration,  Americans accept them with open hearts and minds. American do more charity than the rest of the world put together. America is the only place in the world where people not just have the liberty to disagree with the government, but be open about it. And, in return these great individuals are asked by some invaders to go to Europe. I feel funny as I write this. He He He! Where would the Americans live in Europe even if they were supposed to go back. Europe itself has been taken over by "Ahmeds and Muhammeds," who riot every now and then to ask the governments for more welfare money.

The sad part of the video is the one where you could see how the protestors bring out their true communist colors. You can see people distributing communist propaganda and others wearing the "Che" shirts. I do not have a problem with someone possessing a certain ideology. If you pray the devil you will go to hell. None of my business, as long as you mind your own business. But, these people don't just want to expel Americans out of America, but also install a communist regime on this land. Now, do not sit back and relax, The cold war is not over. If this is what the situation is like 15 years after the cold war was supposedly over, then it is really scary.

http://www.kirkbytv.com/index2.htm

Militants kill 32 innocent Kashmiris in cold blood

Once again, I have no tolerance for loss of innocent life.

In this struggle between the state and those who do not wish to be controlled by the state, the price is paid by innocents. What was the religion of those who perished, is not a relevant question. Innocent blood knows no theology. Every "sane minded life-loving" individual must decry such merciless actions.

As I said in another blog, I think it is time for the Indian government to get the heck out of Kashmir. Over the nearly two decade old rebellion against the government by the Kashmiri people, there is no official count of civilian casualties. But, some counts approximate the figure to be around 100,000. I am not yet taking into account those who were injured or crippled for life. This is horrific and terrifying. A few years ago, when I hurt myself badly in an accident, I found no words to express my family's agony. Here, we are talking about the families of a 100,000 dead. The Indian occupation of Kashmir has caused unprecedented agony to millions of Kashmiris, who have been struggling against the Indian government for the right to self determination.

What happened in 1947 is irrelevant. What is relevant is the wish of the Kashmiri people. Neither India nor Pakistan have any right to determine the destiny of the Kashmiri people. If we justify our struggle against the British, and look proudly upon the "sacrifices" of our "freedom fighters," then how could we look down upon the people who just do not want to share the same identity with us. Just because we are the "nation state" does not give us the higher moral ground over those who do not wish to be part of our "nation state." I think "liberty" and "anarchy" are the the birth right of every individual. As an individual, we have the liberty to live our lives on our own terms. And for the sake of liberty, we the individual have the right to struggle against the "nation state" that encroaches upon our liberty.

When the "state" has to apply military pressure to keep its territories from falling apart, it is a sign of failure. Just like the state goes to great lengths to encroach upon our liberties and expand its powers, we the individual go great lengths to keep minding our own business and keep giving in to the state's coercion. Rebellion occurs only when state sponsored tyranny becomes unbearable. Rebellion is the individual's way of telling the government that they cannot take it anymore. Military force is the state's way of telling the individual that they do not have a way around it, and have to keep giving in to its aggression.

The fact is that political boundaries have always evolved. The word map from 100 years ago is not the same as today's map. And, I can vouch my silver dollar on my prediction that the world's map 100 years from now is going to be totally different from the one for today. India is a very diverse society. Non-homogenous societies have a track record of falling apart. People recognize the differences. While the majority exploits its number, the minority always takes the worst of it. My point is evident from the fact that in India rebellion is falling out of "minority" pockets from deep corners of the countries. In the north, the Kashmiri Muslims do not want to be family with a "Hindu India." In the east, the oriental looking tribes to not want to be part of a "non-oriental" India. Not long ago, the Sikhs in the province of Punjab wanted to break away from an aggressive "Hindu India." The rebellion was violently crushed by the Indian government. In the south people are not really happy by the way the people from the north claim "racial superiority." How long will an India like this survive in its entirety?"

The fact is that India will fall apart someday. The country resembles an empire consisting of distant provinces and diverse populations, governed by a central government. I wish that we let it happen without any further loss of innocent life. Instead of policing these people round the clock, we could live as distinct societies in peace and blessed with harmony. We could travel and appreciate each others territories, and indulge in free-trade, thus enhancing each others prosperity. I wish this could happen before we loose the last opportunity for peace.

I intentionally picked up a Pakistani news article to show that even they wish to look at the situation from our point of view.

http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=142450

BJP Politician Pramod Mahajan is dead

I do not know much about this guy except that he was more of a "cheerleader" for India's own "crazy political party." How can you have a democ