[Dawn] Our society seems afflicted by a combination of sadism and apathy. Do psychiatrists have a term for this condition? Power is of interest because it can be abused. (Even family and friends deride those who stumble upon power but don’t flaunt it.) And those on the receiving end are infected by apathy and tolerance for the abuse.
The argument isn’t that we are a rotten lot and should just live with it, but that we need structured institutional reform and behavioural change. Punjab police malfunctions when investigating crime and terror, when performing watch and ward duties, and when responsible for crowd control. It is an equal opportunity offender for it suffers from a training and human resource crisis like all other institutions — a state of affairs that we refuse to acknowledge or address.
Isn’t the Shahbaz Sharif model of governance in Punjab very similar to what Imran Khan is promising in Naya Pakistan: a strongman at the top and everything falling in place under him intuitively? Sharif would probably not have called the police to have the blind roughed up for kicks. But he has been Punjab’s chief executive for seven years now. The buck must stop with him in this case, just as in the case of the Model Town massacre.
Certain aspects of Imran Khan’s behaviour and policies would give even his well-wishers the jitters.
But isn’t Sharif the best performing chief minister amongst all chief ministers, according to public surveys? He too is omnipresent: wading through floodwaters; running hands-on anti-dengue campaigns; building Metros and bridges; pledging to drag the corrupt through dirt etc. Why is none of this pushing us forward? Could it be because the strongman-magically-fixing-all-ills-afflicting-us might be an ineffective model for sustainable change?
PML-N seems to have learnt nothing from the past few months of public furore. When the chips are down it promises the moon and the stars: deep introspection, self-accountability, new plans, merit-based leadership etc. As soon as it gets a bit comfortable in the saddle, it is business as usual. But can PML-N be accused of inconsistency? It approaches Imran Khan’s deadlines just as it approaches issues of governance: with an ad hoc firefighting mindset.
What PML-N seems to be missing is the larger picture, like PPP before it. PPP has been reduced to a regional party because when in power it refused to see that it was about to be routed from Punjab. Likewise, obsessed with Khan’s deadlines and winning small battles, PML-N today seems unable to see that Khan’s biggest victory is that he has succeeded in dividing the loyalty of Punjab’s institutional elites as well as middle class, previously in PML-N’s corner.
Today, the votes of khakis and khaki families are pledged to Imran Khan. The bureaucracy, dominated by Punjabis, stands divided. The in-the-money expats are committed to PTI. The professional middle class, with its disdain for uncouth politicos and fetish for strongmen, seems to have swerved toward Khan. The jury is out on the traders. But if the energy crisis stays, who knows what they’ll decide. In playing an all-or-nothing game with PTI, PML-N appears more and more a party of the past and present but not of the future, just as today’s PPP.
So is Khan’s rise the best thing for progressive change in Pakistan? At least five aspects of his behaviour and policies give even his well-wishers the jitters.
One, the flawed policy on terror. Khan recently volunteered that had he been prime minister, he wouldn’t have allowed the army into Fata. Imagine that nightmare! This has come in the midst of a successful military operation in North Waziristan that has unearthed a grand infrastructure of terror assembled there (torture chambers, suicide bomber/IED factories, terror economy etc.) and at a time when the army finally seems willing to extinguish non-state actors.
Two, his vigilantism. Khan’s argument is that since he didn’t get justice on his terms, he’ll now have to shut the country down. Can any rule of law proponent justify such course of action? There is a pattern here. In 2013, PTI had asked its vigilantes to forcibly block Nato containers in KP. That circus was eventually dispersed by court orders.
Three, Khan’s inability to distinguish between the state and government. Whether it was Khan inciting everyone to refuse paying taxes and utility bills and sending money through legal banking channels, or his Plan C of shutting Pakistan down, he seems to have no qualms holding a gun to the country’s head to negotiate with PML-N.
Four, Khan’s polarising politics. In a democracy people need to be brought together to forge consensus and get things done, not torn apart. Khan’s message of hope is wrapped in bitterness and hate, which has polarised this country. Today Pakistan is a divided house; even its rational segments at war with one another over political differences. Forget Khan’s ire for opponents and critics, is there room for dissent even within PTI?
Five, his dangerously simplistic solutions. We were told on Nov 30 that only if votes are counted honestly, educated middle classes would rule parliament. Taking big money out of politics is the most complex challenge democracies face. Legal equality doesn’t translate into social/political equality. There are 101 theories on campaign finance reform and why it doesn’t work. Khan must put forth reform plans instead of feeding tales to gullible people.
We could do with introspection all around: a PML-N able to reimagine itself; a PTI able to realise that ends don’t justify means. To take Pakistan forward both parties need to create policy space to accommodate divergent interests without compromising on principles.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/08/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Our society seems afflicted by a combination of sadism and apathy. Do psychiatrists have a term for this condition?
I think the word you're looking for is "Islam."
You're welcome.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
12/08/2014 12:01 Comments ||
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[Ynet] Even Abbas and his people know there will be no Paleostinian state without Israel's consent. So why are European countries rushing to recognize a nonexistent state?
The lower house of the French Parliament has voted in favor of recognizing a state called Paleostine. The same resolution will undoubtedly be adopted in a few days by the upper house as well, making the decision official – yet non-binding as far as the government is concerned.
Sweden was the first European state to make the odd decision to recognize a state that doesn’t actually exist. Spain and Britannia are expected to follow in its footsteps in the near future.
With all my willingness to understand these decisions – which are anyway devoid of meaning – I just can't comprehend what pushes European countries to make a move which has absolutely no logic or benefit for that inexistent Paleostine. Don't the governments of those countries have their own problems which required immediate attention?
Take French President François Hollande, for example. The man who broke the unpopularity record in his country must have more important things to do than, as he stated in recent days, work vigorously for two years to bring about peace between Israel and the Paleostinians – and that is why it is important for La Belle France to recognize the Paleostinian state.
It's very strange that he's prepared to recognize a state which doesn’t even exist. The fact that more than 10% of La Belle France's citizens are Moslem cannot serve as an excuse either, as it is hard to know whether they will all vote for Hollande's party in the next elections.
It's also very strange that the Spanish government believes it should recognize Paleostine while fighting an all-out war against the Catalans' independence ambitions. An independent Catalonia? Heaven forbid. And what about the fact that most of the region's residents are in favor of separating from Madrid? It's easier to recognize Paleostine, a move which most Spaniards couldn’t care less about, than take care of the real domestic problems, including the shaky economic situation.
In Britannia, David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... 's government put a lot of effort and work in fighting the Scottish people's independence ambitions. It succeeded, but London knows very well that this is only a temporary victory and that the Scots will come back shortly and demand another referendum about separating from Britannia.
But alongside the effort to thwart the Scottish people's ambitions, the London parliament did not forget Paleostine. Independence for the Scots? Heaven forbid. But for Paleostine, no problem. Why Britannia has a very high percentage of Moslem residents as well.
These acts of recognition are useless. Do they mean that there is indeed a Paleostinian state? Absolutely not. They contain a PR trick, but no essence. Even Paleostinian leader the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... and his people understand very well that all the decisions and declarations will not advance their ambitions.
Without Israel's consent, there will never be a Paleostinian state. They will be able to get one only through an agreement with us. Because when it comes to this issue, the small Israel equals the huge bloc of dozens of Arab and Moslem states and their supporters wherever they are.
If they wish to fulfill their ambitions, the Paleostinians had better realize that as soon as possible.
#4
The problem here is the European tendency to empty rhetoric, as being used to buy (they hope) peace with their own Muslim minority populations. It won't work.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/08/2014 7:53 Comments ||
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#5
Is 'Palestine' Europe's Only Problem?
No, but it's symptomatic of everything that is wrong with them.
[IsraelTimes] Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... did not even attempt to suppress information on what appeared to be an attack by the Israeli Air Force Sunday on a weapons cache destined for Hezbollah.
In fact, Assad, who is currently in control of only a small portion of his country, spread word of the attack far and wide and officials provided regime-friendly media outlets with plenty of information regarding the strike, in an attempt to garner the support of the Syrian people.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/08/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
You'd almost think Assad was a Democrat judging from the headline.
The huge military increase also likely reflects Iran’s determination to hold up its end in the conventional power struggle now unfolding across the Middle East. In Iraq and Syria, Iran is organizing resistance to ISIS and bolstering pro-Tehran governments. It looks as if the real powers in Iran believe for now that their interests are best served by a combination of talking in Geneva and fighting in the region, and that, with their regional opponents divided and the U.S. hesitant, they have a chance for real successes on the ground in Syria and Iraq.
Iran may be much less worried about the failure of the nuclear talks than is the White House. Iran knows that the last thing President Obama wants to do is to get into a war with Tehran, and so it feels confident that it can stave off the prospect of an American attack even if the nuclear talks break down. But because the White House badly wants the talks to go on, the Iranians can spin out the negotiating process pretty much at will.
#3
As per TOPIX, facing regional threats from both ISIS + Iran, the GCC is repor being forced to cooper + unite agz the common foes.
The danger is real that in order to stop the growing influence of [SSSHHHH ... CCCCC OWG Co-Superpower] Iran, the Saudi-led GCC may hire out the ISIS to deter + fight the same - THIS SCENARIO COULD POTEN LEAD TO A DE FACTO US-IRAN WAR, as Iran will NOT easily give up its newfound authority as a Co-Superpower, nor will it allow the GCC + ISIS to abuse or kill local Shias.
I’ve written many times over the last decade about Adnan Shukrijumah, the FBI Most Wanted terror plotter and jihad pilot. Refresher: On the anniversary of 9/11 this year, I asked:
#1
Maybe because distrust has been earned through untrustowrthy bigoted behavior by Obama, and Obama's history of abandonment of the fruits of hard fought military victories (Fallujah, surge) for temporary domestic political advantage.
#2
And that's what makes this worse than the RIFs under Carter and under Bill Clinton. Carter was incompetent, Clinton was indifferent, Obama is actively hostile.
Elitists who have been members of Obama’s inner circle like Jonathan Gruber and Kathleen Sebelius say we are economically illiterate. To the limited extent they are right, they ought to be grateful. The more people know about economics, the less likely they are to tolerate our liberal twit ruling class. For example, anyone who wants a job and doesn’t have one will be mad as a wasp to learn this:
Aliens illegally holding jobs in the United States outnumber all unemployed people who are not in management, professional or related occupations as well as all unemployed who are 25 and older and who do not have a college degree, according to an estimate of “unauthorized workers” published by the Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration and employment data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The BLS only counts as “unemployed” people who have actively looked for a job in the past four weeks.
#1
Proof that the less you know, the more likely you are to be (D).
I couldn't remember her name (Cynthia McKinney), so I Googled "Crazy Georgia Congresswoman" and her name was at the top of the list.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/08/2014 7:49 Comments ||
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#2
That doesn't mean adults with no college degree would take those jobs if illegals didn't have them. With current job pay and benefits it would often mean a net decrease in 'effective' pay to do so, and they'd have to work too. Even without a college degree they're educated enough to calculate that.
#3
The whole Immigration mess is about providing dependable serfs for the Managerial Class, once we get all those pesky 'rights' out of the way.
I'm looking for the return of indentured servitude in the near future, or more so than it is on H1B permit.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/08/2014 8:08 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Elitists who have been members of Obama’s inner circle like Jonathan Gruber and Kathleen Sebelius say we are economically illiterate.
These people running things are not exactly paragons of economic savvy and competence.
#5
Democrats get all twitterpatted when you point out illegals are their new slaves class now that the black community costs them too much money and refuses to work.
#6
The Democrats need to replenish their voter pool now that whites are slowly losing their party allegiance. (for example see Landrieu, Mary) Immigrants from Central/South America fit the bill nicely for a new dependent class. This will work in the short term, but expect conflict due to built-in brown/black animosity.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
David Cameron
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
The huge military increase also likely reflects Iran’s determination to hold up its end in the conventional power struggle now unfolding across the Middle East. In Iraq and Syria, Iran is organizing resistance to ISIS and bolstering pro-Tehran governments. It looks as if the real powers in Iran believe for now that their interests are best served by a combination of talking in Geneva and fighting in the region, and that, with their regional opponents divided and the U.S. hesitant, they have a chance for real successes on the ground in Syria and Iraq.
I’ve written many times over the last decade about Adnan Shukrijumah, the FBI Most Wanted terror plotter and jihad pilot. Refresher: On the anniversary of 9/11 this year, I asked:.jpg)
Elitists who have been members of Obama’s inner circle like Jonathan Gruber and Kathleen Sebelius say we are economically illiterate. To the limited extent they are right, they ought to be grateful. The more people know about economics, the less likely they are to tolerate our liberal twit ruling class. For example, anyone who wants a job and doesn’t have one will be mad as a wasp to learn this:
