"The beatings will continue until morale improves" — some old pirate

My old friends say that I'm no longer my old militant self, and think that all the amerikan dollar flowing in for xplorer² (thank you USA LLC :) has mellowed me out. So today I'll dig up my old tomahawk and go hunting barbarian scalp.

This week saw the September 11 remembrance of the terrorist attack against the twin towers. A sad occasion no doubt and one that has very personal connotations: I was in manhattan on 9 September 2001, and marvelled at those twin monuments of market capitalism — I kid you not. Two days before the airplanes crashed on them I was in them! If you think I'm european, what are the chances of that? Last christmas (2006-7) when I revisited the site, it had a different air, but still was quite moving. Bad terrorists!

Such tragic loss of life is deplorable. But what followed was even more so, coming from supposedly civilized governments on top of the world. The chances of winning the war on terror, whatever this may mean, are the same as winning the war on software piracy or crime in general. There are a lot of rotten apples out there, and let's be honest, the gross inequality and injustice among the people of the world will always drive a few to extremes. You won't shut them up by attacking nations at random, in fact you'll make them even more resolute and ready to become the next martyr.

So we had the strongest nation in the world attack Iraq, using a weak UK government (who went against the will of its people) as a crony. It was a stupid idea. If you need any proof, checkout the daily news or even consider the cumulative amount of deaths, both local people and troops. And now we can't even get the troops out because things can get even worse! As for the war on terror in general, the greatest achievement is that now every time I travel by air I have to get half naked and be treated like a common criminal, "for my own safety". Thanks USA/UK!

There is this famous aphorism, dunno who said it, that goes "people that forget about history end up making the same mistakes". Even I can remember Vietnam war. How quickly have we forgotten about that other great wild goose chase! (back then it was the bad communists). All those films made about it and we somehow managed to forget what it was all about. It is as if the south park version became the most authoritative viewpoint. Military log rides in vietnam? You bet!

Bush and Blair must be hit with shoes. They've read too much Macciavelli. I find it amazing that in the 3rd millenium goverments still go about their external business under the motto there's no right and wrong, only national interests. Think if you applied the same strategy to your neighbor, how daft would that be? Let's hope that the good citizens will realize we all live in a global village now, and not be so easily swayed by their governments next time.

This just in: the next version of xplorer² will be developed in Guantanamo bay, oh no! :)

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