Via India Uncut, we read Gaurav Sabnis' generally reasonable evaluation of the recent Hurriyat visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. However we disagree sharply with his following observation:
The Hurriyat fellows also ended up supporting [Pervez] Musharraf's "Kashmir Formula of the Week", which this week happens to suggest autonomy sans independence, something India would willingly love to talk about. So we also saw the Hurriyat, for the first time, even if tacitly, letting go of the 'Azaadi' concept.
India would love to talk about Kashmiri autonomy sans independence with this enlightened moderate, would it? We sure hope not.
Ultimately, no matter how it's described, this autonomy will clearly delineate an Islamic state within a secular India. As secular Indians, we fear this as a trojan horse designed to wreck whatever secularism remains after our years of saffron assault & liberal whimpering. By conceding the notion of a privileged state -- whose privilege derives from religious differences -- India risks substituting the current uncivil cold war in Kashmir with a hot civil war in the rest of India.
This civil war is what India's enemies have long predicted. It will represent a strategic defeat worse than, for example, Japan at Hiroshima. How is it then that even sensible Indians talk so casually about this horrible miscalculation being thrust on us by our mind-numbingly myopic polity?
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Dual Citizenship Implies Dual Loyalty
For the record, we stand in strong opposition to the very notion of dual citizenship, now approved by the Government of India.
Being expatriate Indians ourselves, this is an odd position for us to take; afterall, we'd greatly benefit from the provisions of dual citizenship. But, we cannot understand the logic behind India accommodating the convenience of people who thought fit to abandon their Indian passports.
When expatriates (like us) who've proudly chosen to keep their Indian citizenship, notwithstanding the hassles this choice implies, cannot even vote in Indian democracy, how is it that non-Indians (by choice) are being given dual-citizenship privileges in India? Shouldn't these non-Indians be loyal to their adopted countries of citizenship, rather than pretending to be Indians when they really are not.
Being expatriate Indians ourselves, this is an odd position for us to take; afterall, we'd greatly benefit from the provisions of dual citizenship. But, we cannot understand the logic behind India accommodating the convenience of people who thought fit to abandon their Indian passports.
When expatriates (like us) who've proudly chosen to keep their Indian citizenship, notwithstanding the hassles this choice implies, cannot even vote in Indian democracy, how is it that non-Indians (by choice) are being given dual-citizenship privileges in India? Shouldn't these non-Indians be loyal to their adopted countries of citizenship, rather than pretending to be Indians when they really are not.
Bangladesh Planning To Kill Indian Woman
Via Times of India, Indian woman sentenced to death in Bangladesh.
Whatever crime she has committed, if any at all, this woman does not deserve to be hanged. We have little faith in the investigative abilities & the justice system of Bangladesh. For an Indian to be so condemned by this awful system is unacceptable. We'll accept her guilt only if an Indian court finds her responsible for the horrible crime she's been accused of.
We hope Indians worldwide, especially the Government of India, will stand by this woman in her time of trial.
As for Bangladesh, we cannot overstate our utter contempt for its polity. Someday, a future Indian leader with moral courage will, no doubt, extract a full measure of vengeance for the Bangladeshi murder of our soldiers, and now this planned murder of an Indian woman.
Update: Vulturo has more.
Whatever crime she has committed, if any at all, this woman does not deserve to be hanged. We have little faith in the investigative abilities & the justice system of Bangladesh. For an Indian to be so condemned by this awful system is unacceptable. We'll accept her guilt only if an Indian court finds her responsible for the horrible crime she's been accused of.
We hope Indians worldwide, especially the Government of India, will stand by this woman in her time of trial.
As for Bangladesh, we cannot overstate our utter contempt for its polity. Someday, a future Indian leader with moral courage will, no doubt, extract a full measure of vengeance for the Bangladeshi murder of our soldiers, and now this planned murder of an Indian woman.
Update: Vulturo has more.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Freedom To Smoke
Amit comments on the astonishing Indian ban on smoking in cinema.
This is surely an unconstitutional breach of India's freedom of expression. Perhaps Indian filmmakers could initiate a civil disobedience campaign by having at least one character in their movies be a smoker.
Let's find out if our censor board really has the guts to ban every single movie?
This is surely an unconstitutional breach of India's freedom of expression. Perhaps Indian filmmakers could initiate a civil disobedience campaign by having at least one character in their movies be a smoker.
Let's find out if our censor board really has the guts to ban every single movie?
The Plot Against The World
The following is only a conspiracy theory. Because we're discussing a conspiracy here, it's sinister & chilling. Because we're presenting a theory here, it's unproven -- some even argue, debunked.
Still, as far as conspiracy theories go, this one is entirely plausible.
We stumbled onto this serendipitously, via the award-winning film The Origins of AIDS. To us, the global HIV crisis is more than a health-care issue, relevant only to narrow social groups. We consider this a national security issue for great powers, especially India.
Curiously, India has a bit role in this conspiracy theory, not -- thank heavens -- as the villain, but as a disturbing participant in an epic & noble experiment, allegedly gone wrong.
The film is based on, & extends, the work of former BBC correspondent Edward Hooper, whose 1999 book The River : A Journey to the Source of HIV and AIDS shook up the global scientific establishment. The roots of his thesis lie in a 1992 Rolling Stone article by Tom Curtis where he connected the HIV virus to 1950s polio vaccinations in Belgian Congo under the supervision of a medical legend, Dr. Hilary Koprowski (we've linked his defense here). The authors date the first known HIV infection to just after the vaccinations, and locate the infection precisely where the vaccines were given.
The polio vaccine was a profound gift to millions of children who might have been afflicted otherwise. But, the scientific battles for whose vaccine should prevail and how these vaccines were produced are less than noble when the curtains are lifted.
First, Dr. Jonas Salk invented the vaccine. But, his vaccine required injections. Hilary Koprowski, among others, raced to develop oral vaccines to replace Dr. Salk's injections. In all cases, the vaccines were created in live animal tissue cultures, mainly from monkeys -- bulk of them exported from India (see link about ban of export of monkeys by Indian government).
The treatment of these monkeys in vaccine manufacture is shocking, to say the least. At least this vegetarian blogger was surprised to learn that polio vaccines are anything but vegetarian! We're glad we got the vaccine, though!!
Here's the problem. When vaccine is cultivated in animal tissue, animal viruses can contaminate the vaccines. There is indeed some evidence that monkey viruses did contaminate some vaccines -- which are now allegedly linked to cancer. The greater allegation -- one at the heart of the conspiracy theory -- is that Dr. Koprowski's team in Belgian Congo cultured the vaccine in chimpanzee tissue (this allegation has been hotly disputed), and because the chimpanzee has an SIV (simian immuno-deficiency virus), the ancestor of HIV, the theory goes the virus jumped from chimp to human.
The scientific establishment believes in a different theory, called the cut hunter theory. It holds that HIV infected humans through the hunting and handling of chimpanzees, some of which harbor a closely related virus called SIVcpz. This "natural transfer" theory holds that a "cut hunter" was infected, and then urbanization, the use of dirty needles in medical campaigns, increased geographic mobility, and other effects of modernization in Africa caused the epidemic to explode.
Imagine the consequences if the vaccine theory were to be true instead. Afterall, hunting of chimps has been going on for centuries -- and surely hunters have been cut before. Why did HIV emerge in the 1950s, not before? Apart from the profoundly tragic hysteria that might break out against polio vaccines, there is the political matter of the implication that it was the West that gave the virus to Africa. Then, there are scientific reputations at stake.
So, the scientific establishment, including the Royal Society has gone out of its way to debunk this theory. The problem is that the motives of the debunkers are suspect -- afterall, their reputations are on the line. Hence, an alleged conspiracy of silence has followed.
As we said, this is only a theory -- still unproved, and likely unprovable because the data needed for proof lies with the people most at risk from such proof. And, we obviously think that the polio vaccine was a magnificent breakthrough. BUT, there are larger issues here and, hopefully, someday, the world will learn the truth about what really happened in Belgian Congo, whose impact is now possibly being faced around the world.
Still, as far as conspiracy theories go, this one is entirely plausible.
We stumbled onto this serendipitously, via the award-winning film The Origins of AIDS. To us, the global HIV crisis is more than a health-care issue, relevant only to narrow social groups. We consider this a national security issue for great powers, especially India.
Curiously, India has a bit role in this conspiracy theory, not -- thank heavens -- as the villain, but as a disturbing participant in an epic & noble experiment, allegedly gone wrong.
The film is based on, & extends, the work of former BBC correspondent Edward Hooper, whose 1999 book The River : A Journey to the Source of HIV and AIDS shook up the global scientific establishment. The roots of his thesis lie in a 1992 Rolling Stone article by Tom Curtis where he connected the HIV virus to 1950s polio vaccinations in Belgian Congo under the supervision of a medical legend, Dr. Hilary Koprowski (we've linked his defense here). The authors date the first known HIV infection to just after the vaccinations, and locate the infection precisely where the vaccines were given.
The polio vaccine was a profound gift to millions of children who might have been afflicted otherwise. But, the scientific battles for whose vaccine should prevail and how these vaccines were produced are less than noble when the curtains are lifted.
First, Dr. Jonas Salk invented the vaccine. But, his vaccine required injections. Hilary Koprowski, among others, raced to develop oral vaccines to replace Dr. Salk's injections. In all cases, the vaccines were created in live animal tissue cultures, mainly from monkeys -- bulk of them exported from India (see link about ban of export of monkeys by Indian government).
The treatment of these monkeys in vaccine manufacture is shocking, to say the least. At least this vegetarian blogger was surprised to learn that polio vaccines are anything but vegetarian! We're glad we got the vaccine, though!!
Here's the problem. When vaccine is cultivated in animal tissue, animal viruses can contaminate the vaccines. There is indeed some evidence that monkey viruses did contaminate some vaccines -- which are now allegedly linked to cancer. The greater allegation -- one at the heart of the conspiracy theory -- is that Dr. Koprowski's team in Belgian Congo cultured the vaccine in chimpanzee tissue (this allegation has been hotly disputed), and because the chimpanzee has an SIV (simian immuno-deficiency virus), the ancestor of HIV, the theory goes the virus jumped from chimp to human.
The scientific establishment believes in a different theory, called the cut hunter theory. It holds that HIV infected humans through the hunting and handling of chimpanzees, some of which harbor a closely related virus called SIVcpz. This "natural transfer" theory holds that a "cut hunter" was infected, and then urbanization, the use of dirty needles in medical campaigns, increased geographic mobility, and other effects of modernization in Africa caused the epidemic to explode.
Imagine the consequences if the vaccine theory were to be true instead. Afterall, hunting of chimps has been going on for centuries -- and surely hunters have been cut before. Why did HIV emerge in the 1950s, not before? Apart from the profoundly tragic hysteria that might break out against polio vaccines, there is the political matter of the implication that it was the West that gave the virus to Africa. Then, there are scientific reputations at stake.
So, the scientific establishment, including the Royal Society has gone out of its way to debunk this theory. The problem is that the motives of the debunkers are suspect -- afterall, their reputations are on the line. Hence, an alleged conspiracy of silence has followed.
As we said, this is only a theory -- still unproved, and likely unprovable because the data needed for proof lies with the people most at risk from such proof. And, we obviously think that the polio vaccine was a magnificent breakthrough. BUT, there are larger issues here and, hopefully, someday, the world will learn the truth about what really happened in Belgian Congo, whose impact is now possibly being faced around the world.
On History
Varnam has a terrific essay on pre-Alberuni historical writing in India. This is in response to a recent Ayaz Amir column in The Dawn, where he asks:
Is there any Indian Herodotus? Or Thucydides or Tacitus?
Varnam's response:
The answer is No. My question to him is, why does it matter? When did having a Herodotus become the standard for approval for any civilization? Do the Mayans or Sumerians or Chinese have a Herodotus ? No. Does that diminish the value of those civilizations? No. Each country does things different now and in ancient times it was no different. While Greeks have well chronicled history, early Indian history comes from coins and charters, random inscriptions, oral tradition, literary compositions and religious texts [1]. Each of these provide a version of history which can be corroborated with inputs from other sources.
Do read the whole thing.
Is there any Indian Herodotus? Or Thucydides or Tacitus?
Varnam's response:
The answer is No. My question to him is, why does it matter? When did having a Herodotus become the standard for approval for any civilization? Do the Mayans or Sumerians or Chinese have a Herodotus ? No. Does that diminish the value of those civilizations? No. Each country does things different now and in ancient times it was no different. While Greeks have well chronicled history, early Indian history comes from coins and charters, random inscriptions, oral tradition, literary compositions and religious texts [1]. Each of these provide a version of history which can be corroborated with inputs from other sources.
Do read the whole thing.
China
Via New York Times, China Is Said to Consider $15 Billion Bailout of Stock Market!!!
A stock-market at 8 year lows says enough about China's economic mirage. The cracks in the system are now showing, pitting the economic expansion of the Chinese State against the political rights of the Chinese people.
Consider, via Washington Post, Armed Thugs Attack Chinese Farmers. Also see included video.
A stock-market at 8 year lows says enough about China's economic mirage. The cracks in the system are now showing, pitting the economic expansion of the Chinese State against the political rights of the Chinese people.
Consider, via Washington Post, Armed Thugs Attack Chinese Farmers. Also see included video.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Optimistic India
Via The Economist, here are results of a survey, by NOP World, of consumers in 30 countries on whether they thought their economic situation would get better over the coming year, and whether now was a good time to spend money.
India ranks 2nd, ahead of even United States & China. As an instinctive contrarian, this blogger worries that this might indicate a (short-term) bubble -- whose bursting, whenever it comes, will likely be very painful. Why? Because optimistic young Indians have been borrowing to consume conspicuously, without the benefit of collective & inherited wisdom on managing debt effectively. In the US, a similar consumption pattern works because such wisdom exists and the personal bankruptcy process is highly streamlined -- it's not clear what might happen if, in an economic downturn, millions of young Indians cannot service their ever-rising debt burdens.
We hope we are wrong, but ...
India ranks 2nd, ahead of even United States & China. As an instinctive contrarian, this blogger worries that this might indicate a (short-term) bubble -- whose bursting, whenever it comes, will likely be very painful. Why? Because optimistic young Indians have been borrowing to consume conspicuously, without the benefit of collective & inherited wisdom on managing debt effectively. In the US, a similar consumption pattern works because such wisdom exists and the personal bankruptcy process is highly streamlined -- it's not clear what might happen if, in an economic downturn, millions of young Indians cannot service their ever-rising debt burdens.
We hope we are wrong, but ...
Invite Mukhtaran Mai To The White House
The Acorn alerts us to the infuriating treatment of Mukhtaran Mai by Pervez Musharraf's tyranny -- one that claims to practice "enlightened moderation". The ostensible reason for this: the need to protect Pakistan's image.
With his very significant New York Times column, Nicholas Kristof has demolished this outrageous Pakistani "strategy". We especially endorse what he asks of President Bush:
So, Mr. Bush, how about asking Mr. Musharraf to focus on finding Osama, instead of kidnapping rape victims who speak out? And invite Ms. Mukhtaran to the Oval Office - to show that Americans stand not only with generals who seize power, but also with ordinary people of extraordinary courage.
With his very significant New York Times column, Nicholas Kristof has demolished this outrageous Pakistani "strategy". We especially endorse what he asks of President Bush:
So, Mr. Bush, how about asking Mr. Musharraf to focus on finding Osama, instead of kidnapping rape victims who speak out? And invite Ms. Mukhtaran to the Oval Office - to show that Americans stand not only with generals who seize power, but also with ordinary people of extraordinary courage.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Baby-Faced Politicians, Beware!
Researchers have concluded that voters give thumbs-down to baby-faced politicians!!
Researchers at Princeton University in New Jersey, US, carried out studies to determine the importance of candidates’ facial appearance in determining election success.
The researchers found a strong correlation between those candidates judged “competent” and election wins. Judging on competence alone, participants correctly predicted the winners in about 70% of the congressional races.
So what exactly does a “competent” person look like? Writing a review accompanying the paper in Science, psychologist Leslie Zebrowitz from Brandeis University in Massachusetts describes the trait as being less “baby-faced”. A round face, large eyes, small nose, high forehead and small chin are baby-faced features, she says, whereas competency is associated with facial maturity.
“Although the study doesn’t tell us exactly what competence is, its traits include physical strength, social dominance and intellectual shrewdness, and baby-faced people are perceived as lacking in all these qualities, regardless of sex and ethnicity. We often conclude that baby-faced adults are naive, submissive and weak,” she says.
Wow! What, then, explains the electoral success of this baby-faced desi politician?!!
Researchers at Princeton University in New Jersey, US, carried out studies to determine the importance of candidates’ facial appearance in determining election success.
The researchers found a strong correlation between those candidates judged “competent” and election wins. Judging on competence alone, participants correctly predicted the winners in about 70% of the congressional races.
So what exactly does a “competent” person look like? Writing a review accompanying the paper in Science, psychologist Leslie Zebrowitz from Brandeis University in Massachusetts describes the trait as being less “baby-faced”. A round face, large eyes, small nose, high forehead and small chin are baby-faced features, she says, whereas competency is associated with facial maturity.
“Although the study doesn’t tell us exactly what competence is, its traits include physical strength, social dominance and intellectual shrewdness, and baby-faced people are perceived as lacking in all these qualities, regardless of sex and ethnicity. We often conclude that baby-faced adults are naive, submissive and weak,” she says.
Wow! What, then, explains the electoral success of this baby-faced desi politician?!!
The Peace Mountain?
We're shocked, shocked, that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism continues unabated in the shadow of the so-called Peace Mountain.
Is this not a replay of the (predictably) tragic interplay between a frog and a scorpion -- alluded to in the classic The Crying Game -- where the frog dies from scorpion bite because it misunderstands game theory [Link courtesy: Jonathan Wallace] pertaining to scorpions.
Is this not a replay of the (predictably) tragic interplay between a frog and a scorpion -- alluded to in the classic The Crying Game -- where the frog dies from scorpion bite because it misunderstands game theory [Link courtesy: Jonathan Wallace] pertaining to scorpions.
Security For Women
Varna describes an astonishing anti-rape campaign by Delhi police developed on the basis of the testimony of a group of rapists and date rapists in prison interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim.
The implication: In order to survive the Capital city a woman must have short hair, wear complicated and well fitting clothes, must not use phones or carry purses (Or look through them), never go for an early morning stroll and carry an umbrella!
Why stop at telling women how they should modify their freedoms to ensure basic security in free India? We imagine the police will next suggest people consider hiding at home all day lest they be mugged or murdered on the streets. What a disgrace?
It seems it's not just Shiv Sena thats loony on this subject; our civil society itself has gone insane. For all our superficial post-modern glitz, we remain, alas, a profoundly backward social culture.
The implication: In order to survive the Capital city a woman must have short hair, wear complicated and well fitting clothes, must not use phones or carry purses (Or look through them), never go for an early morning stroll and carry an umbrella!
Why stop at telling women how they should modify their freedoms to ensure basic security in free India? We imagine the police will next suggest people consider hiding at home all day lest they be mugged or murdered on the streets. What a disgrace?
It seems it's not just Shiv Sena thats loony on this subject; our civil society itself has gone insane. For all our superficial post-modern glitz, we remain, alas, a profoundly backward social culture.
The Next Controversy
Amit suggests that we move on from arguments over Jinnah & Bose.
How 'bout Lata Mangeshkar?! Hasn't she been to Indian music that the Ambassador has been -- for the longest time -- to Indian cars? Virtual monopoly, virtually no innovation.
How 'bout Lata Mangeshkar?! Hasn't she been to Indian music that the Ambassador has been -- for the longest time -- to Indian cars? Virtual monopoly, virtually no innovation.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Sound Strategy -- Update
In a recent post, Sound Strategy, we'd mirthfully suggested that US will likely soon unleash a sonorous daisy cutter -- complete with teeny bopper singing. This will surely drive Al Qaeda insane!!
Via Drudge, we learn today the US had already beaten us to the punch!! Consider this headline:
MAG: CHRISTINA AGUILERA MUSIC USED AS TORTURE IN GITMO
Via Drudge, we learn today the US had already beaten us to the punch!! Consider this headline:
MAG: CHRISTINA AGUILERA MUSIC USED AS TORTURE IN GITMO
Saturday, June 11, 2005
A Shameful Display
Via Michelle Malkin, here's an image of a highly shameful protest in Calcutta. This kind of behavior dishonors India, and we hope that community leaders will apologize for this really foolish conduct.
Intimidation Is Not Investigation
As a child, this blogger would spend summer breaks in rural UP. In this social cauldron where feudalism & bigotry battled modernity & tolerance, our world-view was given early shape.
These memories are scalded deep, as deep (for context) even as the horrible memory of 9/11.
Three policemen led a heavily chained prisoner into the village. An inevitable zoo of on-lookers (including this blogger) followed the cops & robber from house to house. Apparently, the prisoner was a bicycle thief and was leading the cops to the people he claimed he had sold the stolen bikes to. He'd go to a house, point out a bicycle, then there'd be protests from the owner of the bike, and then -- THE POLICE WOULD SMASH THE ROBBER'S SHINS WITH THEIR LATHIS (in our mind, we can still hear the awful crack of the lathi striking sparse flesh and sheer bone); the howling prisoner would then confess that he had just lied, and would lead the police to another house, where the same procedure would be repeated. For all we know, the guy was a poor innocent man who somehow found himself in police clutches, then confessed for fear of getting beat up, was being forced to locate bicycles he had never stolen, consequently (and ironically), was getting brutally roughed up for having made the fearful confession in the first place.
In December last year, we re-visited rural UP, where we witnessed essentially similar police tactics being plied on a poor, illiterate soul who knew very little about the ideals of law enforcement. For all the post-modern glitz of Bangalore, we still have rural UP where nothing ever changes.
We asked a friend, a police officer, if we could be arrested likewise, without reasonable cause, and beaten up for a confession. He laughed and cited IPC to inform us that, if arrested, we had the right to remain silent and had the right to an attorney. OK, we asked, then why was this right not extended to this poor fellow just beaten up? He shrugged and said, this is how things are done in UP.
Well, not just in UP, it seems, but all over India. Today, via BBC, we read about the court-ordered release of 8 Muslims accused of a bomb blast in Ghatkopar. Of the 19 arrested, not one has been convicted. Why? Because there's a lack of evidence.
Hello? Would we be wrong to see this as one more awful example of the police using intimidation as a cheap substitute for proper investigation? And while they're out there intimidating innocent people, the real terrorists are probably sipping tea somewhere and smiling. What kind of law enforcement is this?
A few weeks back, Dilip had written about a certain Iftikhar Gilani, the journalist son-in-law of the (contemptible) hardline Kashmiri separatist Syed Ali Gilani, who was hauled into prison for allegedly possessing classified information about Indian troop formations in Kashmir. Treated as a traitor, he was allegedly mistreated by the police & by fellow prisoners. Then, in a few months, all charges were dropped and he was released for lack of meaningful evidence.
Dilip used this story to make a liberal point about patriotism. We had a different take. To us, the fact that Mr. Iftikhar Gilani was investigated was entirely reasonable. His father-in-law is a leader of forces inimical to India, and his possession of military information, which while not illegal was surely suspicious, made him a reasonable object of scrutiny. Were India not investigating people like him, we'd have been very surprised.
BUT, investigation is not the same thing as intimidation. To charge a man with very serious crimes, allow him to be roughed up by pathetic criminals in prison, then let him go because the evidence is flimsy at best, is more intimidation than valid fact finding. Why is our police wasting time intimidating people instead of building solid cases that will hold up in court?
Surely, in 2005, there are means to investigate someone without using 19th century tactics typical of tyrannies.
These memories are scalded deep, as deep (for context) even as the horrible memory of 9/11.
Three policemen led a heavily chained prisoner into the village. An inevitable zoo of on-lookers (including this blogger) followed the cops & robber from house to house. Apparently, the prisoner was a bicycle thief and was leading the cops to the people he claimed he had sold the stolen bikes to. He'd go to a house, point out a bicycle, then there'd be protests from the owner of the bike, and then -- THE POLICE WOULD SMASH THE ROBBER'S SHINS WITH THEIR LATHIS (in our mind, we can still hear the awful crack of the lathi striking sparse flesh and sheer bone); the howling prisoner would then confess that he had just lied, and would lead the police to another house, where the same procedure would be repeated. For all we know, the guy was a poor innocent man who somehow found himself in police clutches, then confessed for fear of getting beat up, was being forced to locate bicycles he had never stolen, consequently (and ironically), was getting brutally roughed up for having made the fearful confession in the first place.
In December last year, we re-visited rural UP, where we witnessed essentially similar police tactics being plied on a poor, illiterate soul who knew very little about the ideals of law enforcement. For all the post-modern glitz of Bangalore, we still have rural UP where nothing ever changes.
We asked a friend, a police officer, if we could be arrested likewise, without reasonable cause, and beaten up for a confession. He laughed and cited IPC to inform us that, if arrested, we had the right to remain silent and had the right to an attorney. OK, we asked, then why was this right not extended to this poor fellow just beaten up? He shrugged and said, this is how things are done in UP.
Well, not just in UP, it seems, but all over India. Today, via BBC, we read about the court-ordered release of 8 Muslims accused of a bomb blast in Ghatkopar. Of the 19 arrested, not one has been convicted. Why? Because there's a lack of evidence.
Hello? Would we be wrong to see this as one more awful example of the police using intimidation as a cheap substitute for proper investigation? And while they're out there intimidating innocent people, the real terrorists are probably sipping tea somewhere and smiling. What kind of law enforcement is this?
A few weeks back, Dilip had written about a certain Iftikhar Gilani, the journalist son-in-law of the (contemptible) hardline Kashmiri separatist Syed Ali Gilani, who was hauled into prison for allegedly possessing classified information about Indian troop formations in Kashmir. Treated as a traitor, he was allegedly mistreated by the police & by fellow prisoners. Then, in a few months, all charges were dropped and he was released for lack of meaningful evidence.
Dilip used this story to make a liberal point about patriotism. We had a different take. To us, the fact that Mr. Iftikhar Gilani was investigated was entirely reasonable. His father-in-law is a leader of forces inimical to India, and his possession of military information, which while not illegal was surely suspicious, made him a reasonable object of scrutiny. Were India not investigating people like him, we'd have been very surprised.
BUT, investigation is not the same thing as intimidation. To charge a man with very serious crimes, allow him to be roughed up by pathetic criminals in prison, then let him go because the evidence is flimsy at best, is more intimidation than valid fact finding. Why is our police wasting time intimidating people instead of building solid cases that will hold up in court?
Surely, in 2005, there are means to investigate someone without using 19th century tactics typical of tyrannies.
Global Warming
Via Opinion Journal, Why Global Warming Should Rank At The Bottom Of World Priorities.
Money quote:
Adopting the Kyoto Protocol to curb carbon dioxide emissions, for instance, might reduce warming to 6.1 degrees centigrade by the year 2300, compared with an anticipated 7.3 degree warming if nothing is done. This "achievement"--a world that is on average 1.2 degrees cooler than it otherwise would be in 300 years--comes with a price tag of about $94 trillion (in 1990 dollars).
"The benefits [of tackling climate change] are far into the future and the substantial costs are up front and immediate," notes Nobel Prize-winning economist Douglass North. "Given the uncertainties associated with both the projections and the consequences, climate change cannot compete with the other urgent issues we confront."
Money quote:
Adopting the Kyoto Protocol to curb carbon dioxide emissions, for instance, might reduce warming to 6.1 degrees centigrade by the year 2300, compared with an anticipated 7.3 degree warming if nothing is done. This "achievement"--a world that is on average 1.2 degrees cooler than it otherwise would be in 300 years--comes with a price tag of about $94 trillion (in 1990 dollars).
"The benefits [of tackling climate change] are far into the future and the substantial costs are up front and immediate," notes Nobel Prize-winning economist Douglass North. "Given the uncertainties associated with both the projections and the consequences, climate change cannot compete with the other urgent issues we confront."
Friday, June 10, 2005
Sound Strategy
In March, BBC reported on Indian tax collectors using noisy drums to force payments from tax evaders.
Now, via Drudge Report, we read that Israelis are planning to up the ante in the innovative use of sound. They plan on using a device that emits penetrating bursts of sound that leaves targets reeling with dizziness and nausea on Jewish settlers in Gaza who resist the up-coming evacuation.
At this rate, very soon Americans will unleash a sonorous daisy cutter -- complete with teeny bopper singing. This will surely drive Al Qaeda insane!!
Now, via Drudge Report, we read that Israelis are planning to up the ante in the innovative use of sound. They plan on using a device that emits penetrating bursts of sound that leaves targets reeling with dizziness and nausea on Jewish settlers in Gaza who resist the up-coming evacuation.
At this rate, very soon Americans will unleash a sonorous daisy cutter -- complete with teeny bopper singing. This will surely drive Al Qaeda insane!!
The Global Shake-Up
In National Review Online, influential American historian Victor David Hanson writes about the emergence of Asia (& the regression of Europe).
Choice quote:
But the real question is how both China and India, nuclear and arming, will translate their newfound economic clout and cash into a geopolitical role. If internal politics and protocols are any barometer of foreign policy, it should be an interesting show. We mostly welcome the new India — nuclear, law-abiding, and English-speaking — onto the world stage. It deserves a permanent seat on the Security Council and a close alliance with the United States.
China, however, is a very different story — a soon-to-be grasping Soviet Union-like superpower without any pretense of Marxist egalitarianism. Despite massive cash reserves and ongoing trade surpluses, it violates almost every international commercial protocol from copyright law to patents. It won’t discuss Tibet, and it uses staged domestic unrest to send warnings to Taiwan and Japan that their regional options will increasingly be limited by Beijing.
Is it just us, or are we suddenly seeing a proliferation of pro-India (& China-wary) rhetoric from right-leaning American intellectuals, policy makers, & journalists? Is this somehow orchestrated as prelude to the up-coming US visit of Manmohan Singh? Not that we are complaining!!
Choice quote:
But the real question is how both China and India, nuclear and arming, will translate their newfound economic clout and cash into a geopolitical role. If internal politics and protocols are any barometer of foreign policy, it should be an interesting show. We mostly welcome the new India — nuclear, law-abiding, and English-speaking — onto the world stage. It deserves a permanent seat on the Security Council and a close alliance with the United States.
China, however, is a very different story — a soon-to-be grasping Soviet Union-like superpower without any pretense of Marxist egalitarianism. Despite massive cash reserves and ongoing trade surpluses, it violates almost every international commercial protocol from copyright law to patents. It won’t discuss Tibet, and it uses staged domestic unrest to send warnings to Taiwan and Japan that their regional options will increasingly be limited by Beijing.
Is it just us, or are we suddenly seeing a proliferation of pro-India (& China-wary) rhetoric from right-leaning American intellectuals, policy makers, & journalists? Is this somehow orchestrated as prelude to the up-coming US visit of Manmohan Singh? Not that we are complaining!!
Kyunki ORS Is A Good Thing
Recently, Yazad Jal mocked the patronizing attitude of India's mutiple K-Serials on cable.
Christian Science Monitor takes a more constructive view. Per Scott Baldauf:
While "Kyunki" is usually a standard soap opera of family squabbles and female aspirations, the show is among a growing number that use their influence as an occasional platform to educate viewers, most of them middle-class women and housewives, about a variety of social causes, from treating diarrhea to the rights of women and the importance of donating to tsunami victims.
Christian Science Monitor takes a more constructive view. Per Scott Baldauf:
While "Kyunki" is usually a standard soap opera of family squabbles and female aspirations, the show is among a growing number that use their influence as an occasional platform to educate viewers, most of them middle-class women and housewives, about a variety of social causes, from treating diarrhea to the rights of women and the importance of donating to tsunami victims.
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