Friday, April 26, 2013

If a tree falls in the forest ...


If a tree falls in the forest - and there’s no one there to hear it - does it make a sound?

Surely the real question is “why is there no one around?”

Where are the ramblers and the hill walkers?  
Where are the Sunday strollers?  
Where are the horse riders, taking their mounts from the soulless open field where they stand like statues to the soulful mountain forests where they can stride with majesty and grace?  
Where are the mountain bikers, risking life and limb with breakneck descents or straining on the impossible climbs of their carefully crafted trails?  
Where are the young families who bring their children to the wonderland of dear and squirrels and rabbits and foxes?  
Where are the kids who don’t just walk in the woods but actually explore the darkest jungles hunting bear and tiger and wolf? 
Where are the cowboys and the indians, the wizards and the dragon slayers, pitched in epic battle? 
Where are the fairy queens and the sleeping beauties awaiting their Prince's kiss? 
Where are the artists, the writers, the musicians, the poets who come to fill their souls with the spirit of the land and speak to their muse?  
Where are the lovers who escape the glare of the city and find the silence that allows their hearts beat loudly together?  
Where are the people who come to speak to their loved ones passed on because the pain is felt too keenly within the family walls.  "Life goes on" ... but not without a place to first grieve and then be reborn.
Is there no one around because the people entrusted with management of their country have betrayed the people and the land, for the price of a treasonous signature, sold it off to faceless, heartless, senseless corporations who erect signs telling you "YOU ARE NOW ON PRIVATE PROPERTY"

Is there no one around because the government care NOTHING about the land and less about the people?

Because Taoisigh, Ministers and Public Servants have no hesitation in RAPING their own country, ravenous greed tearing the flesh and the fat from the land, and finally sated, PROSTITUTE the carcass of the ancient home of their fathers to the highest bidding vulture.

And they take pride in the pursuit, prosecution, conviction and incarceration of man, woman and child who trespass on the private property, sold for silver, which once they called their home.

Is there no one around because our Public Policy, Public Interest and Public Service have been replaced by Corporate Policy, Private Interest and Self Service ?

If we do nothing to stand against this unholy destruction of our beautiful country our children will not be asking “if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there does it make a sound?” ……. Our children and our grandchildren will be asking us …


Daddy, what was it like to walk in a forest?”



Friday, April 12, 2013

IRELAND'S PLAYERS AMONG THE ELITE



John Bruton - Chairman of IFSC Ireland
served as Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland from 1994 to 1997. Minister for Finance (1981–1982 and 1986–1987), and Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism (1983–1986). He became leader of Fine Gael in 1990 and served as Taoiseach from 1994 until 1997,

Bruton served as the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States from 2004–2009


Brian Cowen (unemployed?...and I suspect he's been sidelined of late by the REAL payers)
- can you believe that .... no need for references for BIFFO other than alcoholic, greedy fucker


Peter Sutherland - Goldman Sachs
/ He is on the steering committee of the Bilderberg Group,[9] he is an Honorary Chairman of the Trilateral Commission (2010 -), he was Chairman of the Trilateral Commission (Europe) (2001–2010)[10] and was vice chairman of the European Round Table of Industrialists (2006–2009).[11]. He is on the steering committee of the Bilderberg Group,[9] he is an Honorary Chairman of the Trilateral Commission (2010 -), he was Chairman of the Trilateral Commission (Europe) (2001–2010)[10] and was vice chairman of the European Round Table of Industrialists (2006–2009).[11]
check out his wikipedia list of honours and titles..!!!

Patrick Honohan - governor of the Central Bank of Ireland
Before pursuing postgraduate research, Honohan took a position with the International Monetary Fund in 1971. HE WAS IN THE IMF AFTER GRADUATING COLLEGE!!!!! ... DID YOU KNOW THAT???
Economic Advisor to Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald and subsequently began working with the World Bank. Honohan then spent seven years as a Research Professor with the Economic and Social Research Institute before returning to the World Bank in 1998 as a Lead Economist and subsequently Senior Advisor on financial sector policy.

In September 2009, Honohan was appointed as the tenth governor of the Central Bank of Ireland.
Honohan was severely rebuked by senior government ministers by phone for failing to seal a Anglo Irish Bank promissory note deal in Frankfurt in February 2013. (Well if he's an IMF man who the FUCK do you think he was working FOR??)

Thursday, April 11, 2013

My Obama Prophecy

When Barack Obama was elected President of the United States for the first time amid a tsunami of pride, hope, possibility, love and yes-we-can-ism, I made a prediction about the new Man of Hope and what he was promising to the American people and offering to the international community -

"If he is still alive at the end of one month in office, then he is just another puppet of the power brokers and will deliver THEIR agenda - not HIS election manifesto"

Barack Obama's promises: Our Top 10

Article by Angie Drobnic Holan in Tampa Bay Times's Politifact.com 19 Jan 2009
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2009/jan/19/obama-promises-top-ten/

and update 2013:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/subjects/politifacts-top-promises/



Obama racks up list of broken promises 
(article by Chelsea Schilling in World Net Daily 3rd Dec 2009)

PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama’s campaign pact with the people contains IOUs that now come due

(Associated Press - Washington Post 11 Apr 2013)


“I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists
that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign...and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president.”
- Barack Obama, Speech in Des Moines, IA, November 10, 2007


“...The answer to our fiscal problems is not to continue to short-change investments in education, energy, innovation and infrastructure investments that are vital to long-term growth.  Instead, we need to end the Iraq war, eliminate waste in existing government programs, generate revenue by charging polluters for the greenhouse gases they are sending into our atmosphere — and put an end to the reckless, special interest driven corporate loopholes and tax cuts for the wealthy that have been the centerpiece of the Bush Administration’s economic policy.”
– Barack Obama, Speech in Flint, MI, June 16, 2008


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The legacy of a generation of politicians may be their own death sentences...

I attended an anti property tax meeting in Tallaght some months ago. I grew up in Tallaght and still live there. In the 80s, Tallaght was the 3rd largest conurbation (nobody uses that word anymore) in Ireland after Dublin, Belfast and Cork with a population of more than 80,000! With later growth it was subsumed into Dublin and given a city postcode.

At the meeting there were about 70 people in attendance. I had not intended to speak but looking at the audience I was struck by the profile of it. I said a few words and asked for a show of hands of those below the age of 40. There were 5 people.

The most concerned group if the country are the pensioners, the grand-parents, PEOPLE WHO WERE ALREADY AT THE END OF THEIR WORKING LIVES WHEN THE BOOM HAPPENED AND WHO STILL REMEMBER THE 70s AND 80s - power cuts, queues at petrol stations, bin strikes, bomb scares in Henry St, unemployment, the emigration of their sons and daughters.

The Celtic Tiger generation and their children have never known or have too-willingly forgotten hardship. People who left college and walked straight into company cars, cheap mortgages, two holidays, eating out more than eating in...are not equipped to understand or deal with the austerity economy.

We are very close to daily news reports of family suicides (of young and old), panic emigration and potentially violent armed protest and retribution by those, like the man who write this letter, who have nothing more to lose and seek their own justice before they leave this world.

This is the legacy of our politicians ... not just those in power like Fianna Fail who set us on this course, but Fine Gael, The Green Party, The PDs, Labour and even Sinn Fein who sat in opposition on the other side of Dail Eireann and SPECTATED while our country was sold to anyone ready to purchase a ministerial signature on some treasonous piece of legislation.

Well done Bertie, Biffo, Lowry, Enda and all in Gangster House.... you were all so concerned about your political legacies, the irony is that future generations will NEVER forget what you did.
 

Monday, April 8, 2013

Why protest? you're wasting your time...!

Recently I had a short discussion with someone on the merits of protesting against what I will call "the system".

I had just marched down O'Connell Street with a group 15 strong against the austerity measures imposed on the Irish  people by the Troika, supported by the Irish government (which is by coincidence a group of 15 people....)

My friend's argument went something like this : "...and has protesting done much good for you? it's unfortunate corporations dont give much of a fuck about statements, but surely you can bribe them with something of monetary value. corruption doesn't even begin to explain (smiley face).

"I've been to a fair share of peaceful protests/marches, but mostly i prefer to keep informed. that works the best for me" (another smiley face)

ME: "..and what will you do with all this information? If you have a better plan I'm in ..."

Friend:  "don't know if it's a better plan, but you can make your own choices. you can yell all you want, they never fucking listen. I gave up, it works out the same"(smiley face tongue out)

Me: "great plan ..... surrender"

 Friend: "whether you like it or not we're all the same. some of us march, others don't. either way - you still pay taxes, you have an ID number, you want the best for your kids by sending them to private schools for an education and earn an income which the state/government steals a percentage of.. and if you don't do any of the above, you're not a "credible" source or a citizen. shit, isnt it."

Me: "that's some future you're looking forward to......." 

Friend: "sure am. I'm going to work hard and provide for myself and the people i care for, and take well earned holidays and have a ball of a time. what do you do?" (smiley face) 

 Me: "I try to be free"

Friend: "and how do you be free? i think homeless people are as free as they come, they avoid everything, really.. security, a warm home, a family, pensions. you might wanna think twice about the freedom you want" (smiley face)

Me: "you don't understand freedom"

Friend: "clearly you do..."

I stopped there.  It seemed best to agree to disagree and anyway, I obviously wasn't going to get the last word.

So - protesting is pointless because you can't change anything and you're better off just carrying on in "the system" without questioning anything, without challenging anything, without protecting your rights, without fighting for your children, without trying to save the world or even improve your own little community.

To anyone who says "it's a waste of time - one person isn't going to achieve anything - there's no point... " let me simply provide a list of names of those "one persons" who would agree with MY point of view.

Nelson Mandela
Martin Luther King
Malcolm X
Gandhi
John Lennon
Daniel O'Connell
Padraic Pearse
James Connolly 
Jim Larkin 
John Hume
Mairead Corrigan
Lech WalesaWang Weilin
Kevin Carter
John Pilger
Aung San Suu Kyi
Constance Marckievicz
Hellen Keller
Che Guevara
Eli Wiesle
Gloria Steinem
Harvey Milk
Quentin Crisp
Terry Fox
Christina Noble
Colm O'Gorman
Seamus Sherlock
Aisling Fitzgibbon
Bradley Manning
Julian Assange

The list is not exhaustive, in fact if there's anyone you think belongs on it please feel free to comment.

What I found most surprising about my discussion is that my friend is a young person, a student, and a musician.  I especially would have expected a musician to be someone who understands what it is to be inspired.

The argument that "you can't change anything because that's the way the system works" fails instantly because it refuses to see the possibility that there might be ANOTHER SYSTEM!

To anyone who agrees with my friend's point of view, that protest is futile, I would ask one question - 


do you think Rosa Parks should have sat where she was told to?




I have no idea if I will change anything


but I know if I do nothing, nothing will change.





The Emerald Fist

The Emerald Fist