Causes without a rebel.

George Clooney after the premier of his recent "brave" film condemning the Ayatollah Khomeini and the inherent violence of Islam.


While there are many reasons why some places are crap and others are not, the main two reasons why, are rather harshly and starkly empirical, regards said crap piles. As P.J. O’Rourke observed, they are in the end, the lack of both decent civil governments and of good economic systems.

Not so paradoxically, the presence of these same two things are what make life in the West so very fortunate. But maybe that’s boring and is absent the required imperialist element? Ah, absence as they say makes the heart grow Fonda.

It’s not easy today, to still find genuine third world victims of imperialism and the development of infrastructure. It's actually much easier to find the wretched millions of African incompetence, corruption, oppression, superstition and murder. Many a Peoples Republic of Cannibalism began with little or nothing but dirt and a few million diamonds, endless tribal conflict and stagnation. Through their own efforts, many have managed to return to their original state of Eden and permanent despair.

Colonialism it seems, is blamed for everything and it's the excuse that lasts forever.

After their er, independence, most African states invariably, sadly and rapidly returned to nothing, as the various colonial infrastructures were allowed to decay or were destroyed. Mostly independence and freedom meant independence and freedom from accountable good governance and ever being able to be part of any global economy, because you don't have an identifiable one yourself. Those states that have anything together today, are those that most often kept their colonial, mostly British influence and institutions; such as India, who are mostly proud of theirs. Same to Singapore and Hong Kong etc. Throughout Africa and Asia, the only thing holding civil society or its remnants together, are often British styled institutions and law.

Here's a funny thing. The more messed up, dysfunctional, 'right on' and revolutionary any nationalist Marxist nutbox is, the more the Left seems to dig it and leave out any criticism. This phony fear of criticism is essentially racist. Holding killers and despots unaccountable due to their race, not intent or action. It's all ok as long as President Banana hates the West, the US, functioning economies or civil government. And if he was a fan of the old Soviets, Che the child killer Guevara, fatso Fidel and Cuba etc, well, all the better.

Of course, no Left hobbyist loves these places enough to actually live there.

Experiments in living and dying on mass are only good enough for foreigners, the working class and the poor. So it's always ok for the local black population to suffer through anything, and I do mean anything if the ideology is the one approved of by the Left. You see, it's always necessary as they don't believe in reform as they don't believe in anything permanently, especially for ordinary people.

Of the dozens of hideous regimes in Africa, the Left protested only one, because white peoplewere involved. Beyond South Africa, black on black or Arab on black violence means nothing, except as an occassional pet and passing cause. amin, Menginistu, Charles Taylor and Mugabe all elicit zero protest movement activity. No white folks see.

Aah, rebels and murderous revolutions. Fantastic. Gotta work! George Clooney wanted something done about Darfur. Wouldn’t that require action via real power and force, George? Effective action on Darfur can only mean in the end military action, however you try and avoid it. And who in the world can deliver that strength? France or Belize? Or maybe he means the Free Darfur bumper sticker route which has been so effective at freeing Tibet? Celebrities just love to spotlight themselves in the vaudeville of concerts for; meetings with; and the eventual despair and death of; the folks they claim to want to help, sans action.

George doesn’t actually mean he wants something done as such, but to talk and about te idea of doing, and how to avoid actually doing anything that is not nice or acceptable to Left Liberal sensitivities. Anything effective is always so wrong.

George: "Talkity, talkity, talkity. Can I get make up over here please?!"

While George and his friends have excellent credentials at narcissistic and pious posing, sadly, that still leaves plenty of time for the said naughty killers to kill everyone at leisure. Once celebrities get motivated on their entirely predictable line of non-thought and matching set of non-action, you know nothing effective will ever eventuate from anything they may say.

George knows a thing or two about steely courage when faced with danger and tough decisions though. He said so. And who can’t see the burdens etched so deeply on his face? Clooney stated that "...we were brave" and "took a risk" to make the anti-McCarthy expose Goodnight and Good Luck. Yes, as has been noted by Mark Steyn, I’m sure he has lived in terror and poverty ever since due to the threats of ninety year old former HUAC members.

When George Clooney makes an expose say for example, on the founder, Spiritual Leader and inspiration of the Islamic Iranian Revolutions Ayatollah Khomeini, including any criticism of the Sheikheads advice sanctioning raping infants and children, let me know. Now that would be courage in Tinsel Town. Hey, regards Darfur, maybe just call in the oh so decisive crack forces of the UN, like in Rwanda, Srebrenica and ad nauseum?

"Ok guys, the raping is over, so put down your machetes. The UN is here. Come on, stop laughing. They’ve got strict orders to not use their weapons, or do anything effective that may cause offense to a mass murderer. So we better all just get jobs that don’t pay much money or return to subsitence farming. How about it?"

I wouldn’t always rely on the UN to control a heated game of backgammon.

Now what has Bono the tax shelter King done exactly to alert the world to the two actual and central causes of decay in Africa? They are once again because it’s worth saying it, the lack of non corrupt, non venal and non murderous civil governments and the presence of even worse non-economic systems.

I don’t recall any loud pronouncements on the first two points or any of the others by any media darling loudmouth. Nope. Every time I see Bono the Seer, it seems pretty much endless patronising that starts with the assumption that Africans are mostly feeble and witless victims who need ever more hand-outs, and the wisdom of rock and roll.

While unfair subsidies, tariffs, debt and so on are all valid calls, they are external and don’t answer a countries own flaws. The default solutions for many a Leftard twerp are something the West must do or not do. The development of Asian countries like Taiwan and Singapore faced all these external problems and more, and this did not stop their incredible success.

There may be something to the little difficulties that come from vast tribal populations believing entirely in black magic; superstition and the permanent low level of women. These are all major causes in the spread of AIDS, along with the chronic poverty due to corruption, lack of a real economy or the absence of civil governance.

But now it ain't really so acceptable now to criticise another culture, as all cultures are apparently equally valid. As Mark Steyn has said, if they are all equal and thus essentially the same, why bother to learn about any non-existent differences then?

Nope, they are not all equally valid, and that’s why millions of people make choices everyday to get away from some cultures and to live in others, usually Western and Capitalist free market Democracies, whether that effects one being comfortable in ones illusions or otherwise.

"Congratulations Mr Bono! And here is your medal for appearing on TV so selflessly so much, while moving your's and U2’s vast cash reserves to... is it Barbados? Right on, Bono the tax shelter specialist! Ladies and gentlemen, a warm round of applause for The Sun King!"

Maybe Bonzo donates a lot of money to his favourite causes and that’s just dandy, but Africa is not poor. It never was. And it’s not a pet for condescending celebrities and activists. Cash is not even the problem; it’s where the money goes. And that is exactly what should be understood and the basic starting point.

Does Bonox ever do any serious research on Africa or does he just take notes and rearrange platitudes? I hate to tell you this, but Africa is filled with talented, enterprising, educated, intelligent, ambitious and decent people. It has more natural resources than all of Europe combined. All they need is the level of government and the kind of economic systems we take for granted. They are capable of doing the rest. Several African states have these proven and normalised systems for running a country and are not surprisingly, doing well.

For causes with a real challenge, like Darfur, requiring hard and real decisions instead of self satisfied flatulent phrase and slogan fests, simply cast a lazy single eye somewhere over any of the dozens of outrageous gangster er, "leaders" of various Africa states of decay. Many of these lovely fiefdoms have very handy Swiss bank accounts, or even very main street ones, courtesy of domestic plunder or the miracle of Foreign Aid.

"Hey Bono, my man, where’s my G4 cheque?"

How about looking over the twenty odd, very odd, pervert, public beheading, terrorism exporting and Koran bashing theocracies of the Middle-East? Yeah, how about that? Instead of the easy road of peer reviewing your beliefs, test how bedrock they are against North Korea, the world’s foremost turnip-head run, George Orwell scripted, nuclear theme park and concentration camp cum police state.

Alternatively, for once I’d like to hear any public comment especially from a movie star or ironically an alternative musician, about the places where Muslims believe it’s ok to decapitate school girls for well, going to school, like Afghanistan, Thailand and Indonesia.

Has anyone’s day been spoiled by facts like the Iranian Thug Theocracy’s habit of hanging people like they do mildly-retarded thirteen year-old girls from cranes at public intersections, for holding hands with a boy? Perhaps there has been, but you don’t hear about it anywhere much, do you? Not effected by the Iranian Presidents promise to wipe Israel of the map? Nope. Not a sausage.

Maybe Thailand will float somebody's boat, where Muslim insurgents riff on, ‘They shoot Buddhist monks, don’t they?’ Probably no, and this is all just for starters.

What about supporting the dodgy Lebanese Government become less dodgy, by helping them with the permanent removal of thousands of Islamic militants, many of them foreigners, so that they can have a decent country and resume civil life instead of civil war? Don’t agree? Well, how many AK47 wielding thugs would you be comfortable with walking down your downtown area and past the local kindergarten? Any support for the Iraqi civil government with a Constitution, a Bill of Rights, including for women and minorities, voted in by the majority of over twelve million Iraqi voters despite terrible and awesome threats? Nope. I could hear a pinhead drop.

Where is the solidarity with the incredible free and Democratic Kurdistan? Where is the credit for the ten years of constant American fly over protection that made it possible? Where is the same concern for the wretched people of Zimbabwe as that of Apartheid era South Africa? No self reflective white people involved? There’s the almost never mentioned Congo with over three million dead in the last half decade. This is where Warlords kidnap children to be soldiers, and the other children are forced to bite to death those that dare to try and escape.

Still no takers? Where is even the knowledge of these things, common or uncommon? Not trendy?

There are no high profile mass movements against slavery, child brides, child slaves, child prostitutes and child soldiers, the deeply oppressed 150,000,000 of the Indian caste system, or interestingly not one Western rally against the reality of relentless Islamic terrorism. Corporate cigarette pushing in the third world anyone?

I see little to zero sign of mass movement support for the many, often Muslims, profoundly threatened and murdered by Islamism.

This includes feminists, both female and male politicians and democrats, journalists, musicians, filmmakers etc, etc. All these people are fighting with real courage against actual dangers for human rights and freedom in Muslim, Asian and African countries with little to no Western support.

This also now applies in Europe and other Western states with Muslim immigration, re such things as the silence and inaction on ‘honour killings’. What about recognition of the demographic collapse of birth rates that will effect being able to fund any activism or anything at all, in the end?

Anyone concerned about the fairly recent actual nuclear stand off between India and Pakistan? Not today thanks. In the West it can seem as if these things have never actually occurred. I guess for many it’s still tune in, turn off and drop out, except the tuning in has only a limited frequency band. Well, FM all.

Genital mutilation is a rich part of many cultural tapestries, at about the rate of 6000 girls a day in Muslim countries alone. What about diarrhoea and malaria at millions of deaths a year? Somehow I can’t imagine the average mass bonding and coming together of the ‘Outraged from Brunswick’ clans chanting, "What do we want! Diarrhoea! When do we want it? Now! Er, no we meant never!"

Nope, it ain’t never gonna happen, even with a US, local government or white guilt angle.

There’s as much chance of that happening as Michael Leunig doing a series of cartoons condemning the murder of Jews and criticising the oppression of Muslim women and girls in Islamic countries, or maybe I was out of town for that edition.

It’s endlessly easier and so completely risk free, making out that the infinitely decent though naive Tony Blair is some kind of war criminal. If you can believe that, you can swallow that any hateful and stupid projections about him far outweigh anything else in the world. I can’t follow this and I definitely can’t use it at least not in this dimension.

Here’s a laugh. What about a Socialist Left inspired and backed world-wide push to promote the decades old real world miracle of small, low to zero interest loans that is known as micro credit, that has achieved in reality what the left theorise on and profess to want for the poor? The dignity and freedom of economic independence for hundreds of thousands of people via being able to start and build their own business’s and create jobs for others. I must have missed all those ‘Viva Micro Credit’ placards at the last round of Socialist Alliance marches.

I missed it because they’re not really interested in these things, such as actual solutions beyond absurd blaming and demanding that somebody else pays for it. It's because the Left prefer victims.

After all, they’re so passive, voiceless and anonymous and can be a very handy abstraction on which to project any political bildge water tract. Oh no, they can’t have any capitalism. Heaven forbid. We who benefit completely from it in the West know what’s best for the developing world. Hand outs from donor countries. Then we can go to rock concerts and complain.

That’s maybe why Western activist’s can stop over 300 dams in the developing and third worlds. That’s a lot of electricity for light, hospitals, cooking, factories, refrigeration, building and transport. When was the last time a Yaqui Indian came here and told us how to live and die? Hey, it’s ok to doom millions to respiratory disease by having to cook on smoking dung in an unventilated hut. It fits nicely in with the activist paradigm of ‘maintaining traditions’. It’s a shame they don’t see locals staying alive and healthy as a tradition.

It’s really always more about the protesters own reflection in the end, the nature of moral vanity and the emptiness of frivolous talk without any risky and accountable real world action. How much more free is Tibet after about half a century of the Lefts theories and non-methods? A lot less than was hoped for I’d say, but curiously better in many ways than the Feudal Nepocracy of the Lamas.

Go for everybody. Go after everyone impartially and equally. The Russians apparently supplied around 57% of Saddams weapons, the French 13%, the Chinese 12%, the British and the USA less tham 1%. Could be something worth looking into, who knows?

For a rather random, backdated US example, the CIA for decades of incompetence and support for the methods of such creeps as the Nazi assisted Pinochet etc. Henry Kissinger for most everything he was ever involved in. George Tenet and Rummy for general incompetence. Include for Rumbo’s quotes and Georges book. Maybe Rums chummy soiree's with Saddam saying it's ok about Iran or whatever.

"Hey Saddam, have you left the stove on? I smell gas!"

Or Bush senior for letting Saddam keep his gunships in '91 and telling the people to rise up and then leaving them literally hanging. Or Noam Chomsky for denying Pol Pot's crimes in his usual lying way and publishing it.

Slap the smiling eunuch Jimmy Carter for, ‘complete abrogation of his Presidential responsibilities that the world is still paying for dearly’. I’d vote against 'the Jimmy' for any of Carter the Farter’s statements ever, and for his brother.

There's dozens of celebs, actors, Jimmy Carter's, media, musicians and Hollywood spouters to hold accountable for their past and present lack of quality control, surplus of astoundingly neurotic hypocrisy and freelance treason. Sean Penn, Oliver Stone, Harry Belafonte, Noam Chomsky, Rosie O'Donnell, Michael Leunig, Jane Fonda, Michael Moore etc, etc and pass the bucket.

Definitely you’ve got to hand it to the Clintons for being so charmingly themselves. They are the world’s most high profile case of dual clinical narcissism. Clinton really was blowhard, but not in words. And etc, etc, etc. How did so many get so much so very and horribly wrong?

In Australia, maybe reference Gough Whitlam for Indonesia’s charming cover of ‘Holiday in East Timor’, and for ‘The Great Man' sans balls and no action on the Balibo Five. His famous patrician arrogance was curiously not employed even a little, regards five murdered journalists.

Please give Ambassador Woollcott a gong for his long-term incompetence, stupidity wilful naiveté, greasy hair and bad tailoring. Add Jim Cairns for being a blockhead and the dandruff on said blockhead.

Then there are the closed little cliques and markets in many things and the same few people having endless media exposure for their mediocre drivelling just because they are a drone politician, forgettable celebrity, average actor, rudimentary musician, just rich or an alleged expert, stale unchallenged journalist or academic bore.

Perhaps groove on how justice is available to everyone with the cash and dig the corruption of education by ideology etc, etc. I could drone on forever. Just be a little more specific, clear and consistent if possible. You don’t need to add untruths or subtract credit if you have a case.

The world is filled with plenty of real bullies, torturers, rapists and mass killers. Plenty of material, and all without parroting Socialist Alliance old-speak. Lonely Planet of the Left and the now deeply flawed and ideologically compromised Amnesty International, should put out some kind of guide, showing the best bars and where the bodies are hidden.

And whatever happened to real rebels anyway? Today, 'rebellion' fantasy's are strictly a mass activity.