Mission to Burma

And I can't help but bow my head and cry
It took so long to finally realize
That all our hopes are based on such gross lies
...
Time and time
again the masquerade is
Shown for what it really is:
Progress, progress
it's a pleasant myth
- "Progress" Mission to Burma

Burma:

What a nasty little government they have. Their country gets slapped by Mother Nature and the world wants to help and they say 'no'. I wonder why. Perhaps because they are doing some evil things and do not want the world to see (other than China, India and Russia; they'll sponsor any kind of evil [we Americans have our issues to, I know]). Maybe it will interfere with the Opium harvest, or the ethnic cleansing. The military junta of Myanmar cares only of their own survival; preserving their debauchery and back room dealings with interested governments and slick international corporations. They care little if any for suffering. I wager to believe that they may think a little culling of their population will make it more 'manageable'.

It's amazing how far and how little the world has come at treating each other and ourselves humanely. We invade nations out of greed and fear but leave governments that torture, starve and molest their own people virtually untouched. This is not an evolution in humanity; this is not progress. No wonder half the world hates the US and the other just loves us for our money. We can't stand as an example of the decency of humanity, yet. I believe America and the west have the will, the power and the money to change the conditions of peoples suffering under tyrants. Intervention should be assessed by the needs of people, not how much petroleum in under the ground.

Today, go visit these quick links and at least be educated on the situation in Burma today, and spread the word.

• Burma - Wikipedia • Global Justice Center - Burma • State Department - Burma • Myanmar Human Rights • Human Rights Watch - Burma • Sierra Club Human Rights - Burma • US Campaign for Burma • Women's Rights In Burma • Burmese Child Soldiers • Chevron's Abuses in Burma •

“I was also made to do somersaults while the authorities stood back and watched. This was humiliating, but also painful. My head and back were injured and bloodied by this action. I was not allowed to see a doctor and received no treatment for my wounds.” - from The darkness we see: torture in Burma’s interrogation centers and prisons - while the prison guards rested between beatings.