April 2, 2006

• Nationalism and the Strength to Be Nationalistic (Or “You Talk the Talk, but Can You Walk the Walk?”)

  I called my parents up the other day to announce that we’d finished our tax return, and I was surprised to find that my dad plans to go to Thailand again. I am sad that he is being asked to go there, especially knowing what I know about the situation in Thailand.

  There has always been Islamic terrorism in Southern Thailand, but lately, because of the Iraq War, the fundamentalists in many South Asian and Pacific Island countries are using it as an excuse to behead more people than usual. You know, the whole “stop bombing Iraq and we’ll stop killing more people than we were already doing before the Iraq War anyway” thing. 

  And of course, the American media plays the “useful idiot” and instead of portraying this as an ongoing thing that has been going on for decades, naturally, they try to blame the increase in violence on Bush.

  And people who only watch American news fall for it, time and time again.

  What’s ironic is that Thailand likes to boast that it has never been colonised by a European country. If things keep up the way they have been, they are likely to have their first taste of dust, but not from Europe.

  I know part of the conflict in Thailand is that Malaysians believe the southern part belongs to them.  I still say, there are better ways to figure this out than to kill people, most especially school teachers.  I mean, heck, if I were go to around killing school teachers in the United States just because I disagree with U.S. policy, I’d likely be locked in a looney bin.  But for some reason, Islamic fundamentalists going around killing civilians in Southern Thailand is acceptable because they’re “oppressed.”

  In the DSM-IV, I believe it’s called 298.8.

  What’s even more disturbing, is that somehow, they managed to distract Bangkok once again.  What does the media cover?  It’s covering protests because the Prime Minister is corrupt (excuse me again, this is coming from a country where it is commonplace to bribe a policeman out of a speeding ticket?) are being covered more than the fact that inconsequential hillbillies in Southern Thailand are dying.

  Someone from Bangkok writes about a Muslim man who destroyed a Buddhist/Hindu shrine:

  “What I’m more worried about is… this incident may end being some martyr cause and the Muslim’s down south will move their troubles into Bangkok.” http://bangkok.metblogs.com/archives/2006/03/erawan_shrine_h.phtml

  Yeah, as long as it doesn’t come to Bangkok . . . . Funny, how the death of innocent civilians in Pattani doesn’t bother you until there’s no one left there to kill.

  [I've purposely removed the list of the attacks on Southern Thailand in the last 6 months because I, too, am worried about the backlash on my fellow Muslims here in the United States who don't go around killing innocent people or destroying other people's religious artifacts. But in Thailand, the people in Bangkok are actually encouraging it by saying that this is all Bush's fault. Okay, so what if it is? Isn't it the job of the Thai government to protect its people? What in the world are the bureaucrats and academics of Bangkok doing besides quibbling over who is or is not paying their taxes? I sure am glad I don't live there.]

  I know I’ve said it in the past, but I just want to say it again.  I thank the U.S. Military men and women every day for keeping us safe so that the things my relatives are experiencing in Southern Thailand are not happening to my family here in the United States.

  • 3:44 pm
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