No apologies for Choenan

President Lee Myung Bak of South Korea is not demanding an apology from the North for the resumption of nuclear disarmament talks. Is this an appeasement, a back tracking, a concession or what? The South has accused the North for killing its sailors. The North must not take this accusation lightly. It must take the case to the UN to demand a thorough investigation for the murdering of South Korean soldiers. It must clear its name or the world and silly South Koreans will think that the North is guilty. Push for an investigation now, and if found innocent, demand an apology from the South, especially from Lee Myung Bak. This is the least that the North Koreans should do, after being falsely accused of murder. If they are not careful, this will be used as an excuse like WMD to invade the North. See that justice is done, to the dead soldiers of the South Korean Navy. The families of the dead soldiers must equally demand for an impartial investigation to the killling. An independent investigation board approved by the families and the North Koreans should be set up under a neutral body under the UN supervision. The South Koreans and Americans involved in the last investigation should be excluded from this independent board of investigators. The South Koreans need to know the truth for the killing of their own people. The North Koreans need to clear its name from being accused as murderers. Do not let this matter rests as it is now. The killers must be dugged out from wherever they are hiding.

Boulders versus pearls

It is quite amusing reading Ravi Velloor’s article in the ST today. The world’s number one gangster went on a world tour to rope in the gangsters to contain the rise of China. On the other hand China was kept busy building ports and signing up commercial contracts with countries around the world. For that, China was described as a rogue and the gangsters anything but rogues. So who are the real rogues, someone trying to do business or someone signing military alliances? But the description of boulders to block pearls is most appropriate, rough and tough gangsters, in the form of boulders, blocking the way of business men doing their business. And India is the most willing of all the boulders to gang up with the evil Empire. It has its own strategic interests and wild ambition to be a world power other than the number one power in the Indian Ocean. Japan and South Korea could be taken for granted as they are mere semi colonies of the Empire. Ravi was also optimistic that Russia and Myanmar would fall in line to be proxies of the evil Empire. Would these two countries be so foolish to become the tools of the evil Empire and got dragged into a hostile conflict to serve the Empire? He should count another willing gangster in Vietnam to join the gang. Indonesia has wisely stayed clear of big power rivalry and choosing its own path of independence and neutrality. It is comfortable being the big brother of Asean. Only foolish rogue nations would gang up to threaten other countries in a pack. Birds of the same feather flock together. PS. Logging in from a laptop seems ok.

We cannot discriminate against foreigners

There is this very interesting article by a Christine Chan in the ST forum today, titled ‘We don’t have the right’. We don’t have the right to do what? She said we don’t have the right to ban foreign workers from the casinos nor can the govt imposed levies for them to enter the casinos like Singaporeans. Doing such things ‘would result in unfair discrimination against foreign workers’. But it is ‘fair and justifiable application of the law’ to impose entrance fees levied against Singaporeans and PRs. KNN, I am now scratching my head sore and the few strands of hair left could be no more. Imposing entrance levies against Singaporeans is fair and against foreign workers is discrimination? Really ah! Where does this Christine Chan coming from? I hope her view is a personal one. Using her logic, I think we cannot ban foreigners from chewing gums. It will be discriminatory too. What else we can’t impose on foreigners? Oh foreigners can smoke anywhere, can litter or break any law right? If in our country we can have laws applied on our citizens and the same laws cannot be applied to foreigners, now what kind of logic is that?

Caught off guard again?

There were no crimes in my ward, or at least until yesterday. The men in blue launched a big operation and netting about 50 gangsters. Now the ministry is talking about studying, reviewing and revamping the criminal laws against teens and gangsters. At least something good comes out from the recent spate of gangsterism. Everyone suddenly found that they have work to do. But it would be better if they were more proactive and nipped the problem in the bud before it exploded in the face. Maybe the word 'proactive' has long been thrown into the longkangs. So, arresting 50 or 60 gangsters is enough? No more gangsters in the street? Low crime doesn't mean no crimes. A little crime is unavoidable and can be lived with? Is there a need to fester out all the vermins once and for all? What about the bigger animals? Just like the loan sharks, we are seeing only the little dogs and cats being caught. The big ones are so elusive and impossible to be caught. Cutting the lallangs without pulling out the roots will only see it grow again.

The unlikely reaction to QE2

Much as the Americans may want to think that the whole world is made up of ignorant fools, and they can keep on printing money on worthless pieces of paper for as much as they like, the Quantitative Easing2 is triggering a reaction from around the world that could lead to a backlash of unimaginable proportion. While MNCs took a whole year to earn a couple of billions, the Fed just printed $600 b for its own use. No need to work or sweat. Step aside hedge funds, loan sharks, pirates, robbers, con men, and bankers. The Fed can make more money and easier than all of you combined. The world is looking at this QE2 in shock and awe. Even Germany, a hardcore ally of the US could not believe it and had come out openly to criticize this move. Unwittingly, the QE2 has aligned the forces of the world against the US, an unpredictable reaction. They are all going to lock out American dollars from their economies, maybe abandoning it. And the consequences of such a world reaction can be deadly for the US. The banana currency is ripening and will soon become thrash. The nightmare is just beginning for the Americans and their evil Empire. Will it disintegrate?