War is stupid

Everybody can have what they want

I'm reading about Egypt sentencing members of the Muslim Brotherhood to death.  And a stalemated ongoing civil war in Syria.  And Libyan rebels selling oil to North Korea.  And Crimeans voting to be annexed by Russia.  And Afghani interpreters for the U.S. having trouble with Visas.  And anti-homosexuality in Uganda.  And Joseph Kony being hunted, to end his evilness.  And Mexican militias taking up arms against the Knights Templar gang.

I think the Muslim Brotherhood should have their own state, their own territory.   It doesn't have to be all or nothing.   All of Egypt or mass execution.  Why not give them their own state?   To reiterate, it doesn't have to be control of the entire country of Egypt.   Politics and territories shouldn't be zero-sum.  Everybody should live under rules they approve of.  Children suffering under parental rules, for example, can eventually strike out on their own.  It just takes time.  I think we should make it easier for discontented groups to split.   Conformity sucks.  Unless of course you're a North Korean zombie, with 100% participation, 100% approval, for the only candidate (was there even a write-in option?) then all is well under the Dear Leader.   I kid.  Factionalism isn't necessarily bad.  A diversity of microstates trying out different political systems, different laws, different cultures is fine by me.  

This Syrian thing is ridiculous to me.  Can't Assad be happy governing those who assent to his rule, and permit the rest to govern themselves, without all the senseless suffering, murder, and destruction?  Isn't the country big enough to give states to each group?  America has 50 states.  Some are red, some are blue.  There could be a Republican USA and a Democrat USA, I wouldn't care.  I know about ISIS, the quest for an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria/the Levant.  Why can't there be an Islamic Rome in Syria?  (Isn't that what Saudi Arabia is already, with Mecca and Medina as the hajj pillar for all devout Muslims, regardless of sect?)  Iran is Shiite, Saudi Arabia is Sunni (there of course must be exceptions), there could be 3 leaders, 1 of each, 1 of both, no?  Anyway, I feel for all the refugees.  There's no excuse for this madness, like starvation and alawites vs. al qaeda or whatever the hell it is.  Hezbollah, Iran, and Russia vs. people who don't like Assad (was he that bad before all this shit?)  One person is not worth fighting about.   I don't suppose there's a possibility of, say, VOTING him out...  especially if he's as rotten as it seems.   At least the chemical weapons seem to be on track for removal.  Let's do that now, again, with guns and bullets (and barrel bombs).  Or are the arms merchants calling the shots? - putting the peace-loving masses in the line of fire, too rich, greedy, and powerful to be vanquished by common sense.  Let the sides have a sweaty match of healthy grudgematch boxing or something.  Idiots, everyone, I think to myself.

What's wrong with allowing the creation of a few more Libyan states, for example.  Must everybody get all roided up and militaristic and on a quest to conquer these units of territory?  these random historical vestiges of god-knows-what, made of stupid borders that mean so little, and possibly should mean even less in this globalized world we inhabit now, in modern society.   The goal is happiness, and chips*, not this perpetual obsession with US and THEM, with clans, with religions, with countries, with race, and with tribes.  I'm kind of weird though.  I don't even give a damn about sports rivalries.
*comfort, health, in peace, sustainably.
I'll grant that fighting makes some people feel happy, but certainly not everyone, not even the majority.  The aggression needs healthy outlets, like sports. Give the libyan rebels their own patch of sand.  Can't we all just get along?

okay, Crimea.  Russia is plenty big, I don't see why they need more.  Strategery, I guess. ha! :-)  Maybe it's just a matter of naked power.  Of want, not need.  Just because we can. A matter of respect for a country that can still send the entire planet into a nuclear winter.  They did both win and host the latest round of winter olympics.  Yeah, I think it's a Rodney Dangerfield thing, I can't get no respect!  Kind of like Germany after world war one flexing it's muscles, Russia lost the cold war and I guess is paranoid about being isolated, or further reduced (relatively), or impinged by a united Europe, or whatever, I don't really know...Just immature stuff, like children in a schoolyard, pushing each other around, being a bully.  Putin, ex kgb,  a crimea criminal, just like the c.i.a. (or me, for that matter).  (cry me a river -you know, I think there really IS a river in there, i looked once).  But, like I said, I don't really care who is on what land, just so long as people have their basic needs met, and are healthy and relatively happy.  I have no qualms with a peaceful takeover, especially with no shots fired.   Good for you, Putin, enjoy your base, your respect, and your popularity.  Just let the non Russian parts of Ukraine integrate with Europe, as per the wish of the majority, no?  Europe's a pretty cool place.  I bike through France almost every day at the local Y.

 I think people all over the world should be allowed to live wherever they want.  I'm not a fan of borders and immigration controls.  One world, everybody everywhere.  The only borders I like is the bookstore!  And especially if you live in Afghanistan and helped out the U.S. you deserve a visa. I actually don't know what a visa is, other than the card in my wallet.  But open the borders, for people, products, drugs, whatever.   If the whole world were open, why would we ever worry about terrorism or military aggression?    So even if you didn't help the USA, you should be allowed to live here, and you would probably like us if you did.  America is awesome! 

U gone t' Uganda?  What gays do (the male ones, anyway) is pretty disgusting, in my opinion, but that doesn't mean it should be illegal.  I mean who cares, really.  I guess Santorum does.  But No harm, no foul. Aids is harmful, though, and shitholes are pretty foul.  But if they wanna marry, why should I care.  Marriage is for families, though, usually, and you still need heterosex for that.  Kids know that.  It's not worth all the attention in the petty culture wars, though, in my opinion. 
so, moving on,

Katie, or KT, the Knights Templar, I guess are getting some pushback from ordinary folk in Mexico who are refusing to let criminals run things.  Drugs should be legalized, I think.  I honestly think I would love to try heroin, especially if it were legal, and someone were there to ensure safe practice, and healthy recovery.  It's called God's medicine.  Then again, alot of people think death is a doorway to heaven, too.  I don't want to trade in my drugfree life for oblivion, in any case.   I also read in the Economist how organized crime is leaving drugs and getting into common items like food or detergent (!).  The criminal penalty is a lot less, and the demand is higher in a tough economy like ours now.

thanks for reading all this, I kind of went on and on, didn't I?