Sunday, March 25, 2018

MARCHING FOR GUN CONTROL
WAKENING UP FROM THE NIGHTMARE
By Stephen Wilson

 
Some dreams you never forget. They convey a vivid and vibrant resonance which leave an
indelible mark on your mind. For instance I
recall I was walking around a school and
entered a gym hall where I heard a lot of
shooting, then coming across some cellar
full of frozen corpses of what looked like
tiny children all laid out. I could hear all kinds
of sirens and then barriers being erected around a school where the police were forbidding
people from entering the school. I could hear
all kinds of weeping, wailing and anguish. Then
I noticed the contorted face of a strange adult
just staring straight at me . I woke up from
this dream feeling shattered. I thought to myself this is not just any dream but an omen of terrible events to come . For in Scotland the belief in the second sight remains quite strong and I have had quite a few unwelcome dreams
about imminent events. I pulled myself together and sketched the face of that odd person I had seen in the dream. Then I phoned my old friend, a teacher, Wayne Rimmer ,who
also happened to be living in Moscow along
with me. I told him : "Look ,I have had a terrible
dream of someone murdering many young
children. Maybe I should warn the police
some where. " Wayne replied : "Have you not
heard the news Stephen ? " I answered :"No
have not. I don't have a T.V. or radio here!"

"Well a madman walked into a school in Scotland and shot dead a lot of school children ". I could hardly believe it. I first
presumed that the mass killings must have
happened in America and Russia! I would
never have guessed it could have happened
in my own country of all places ! I mean after
all , we have far stricter gun laws in Scotland
than America. Scotland is not America.

I later learnt that an embittered and unbalanced businessman who had been thrown out of the scout movement and
shunned by the community for being a
suspected pedophile had entered a school
in Dunblane and shot dead 16 school children
and a teacher as well as wounding many
others . After this ,a mass campaign in
Scotland succeeded in banning all access to
handguns. The figures of the shooting are
exactly the number of those callously murdered in the February 14th American
shooting in Florida : 17. It is perhaps no
accident that the families of the victims of
this former killings which took place on 13th
March 1996 sent a moving message to
the American school children fighting for
tighter gun control. They told them that they
would be with them in spirit on the 24th of
March in America . They offered strong
moral and spiritual support.

The mass demonstrations on the 24th of
March represent an unprecedented event.
Never before have we witnessed such an
enormous mass protest related to gun control.
The main speakers who were survivors of
the shooting gave moving and stirring speeches than can't fail to inspire more movement for change. Speakers stated that if politicians don't do anything to support
gun control they could : 'Vote them out' and that 'prayers and thoughts are not enough'.

One 17 year old student , Edna Chavez,
stated : "Arming teachers will not work, more
security in our schools does not work, zero
tolerance police do not work . They make us
feel like criminals . We should feel supported
and empowered in our schools ".

The granddaughter of Martin Luther King
gave a passionate speech on behalf of all
the African American women who had been
shot dead by police " . Often news reports
don't give adequate or any coverage of those
victims who are just treated as numbers of
some statistics rather than the beautiful
and lively persons they once were.

The school children and their allied adults
seem to know what they are about and how
to go about achieving their aims . Just reading
their recently published manifesto of demands
indicates a highly articulate and sophisticated
stance. The manifesto comprises demands
calling for a ban on the sale of high velocity
semi automatic weapons , an increase in
background checks as well as raising the
minimum purchase of rifles to 21. The
manifesto was originally published in Eagle
Eye. It is worth quoting some of the
manifesto. "We cannot stand idly by as the
country continues to be infected by a plague
of gun violence that seeps into the community
after community does irreparable damage to
the hearts and minds of the American people.'
The manifesto raises the question as to why
it is okay to defend the Second amendment
yet block research into the impact of gun
violence ? Doesn't this violate the First
amendment to free speech and expression?
The absurdity of the current law is expressed
by children who claim : " In a few months
from now, many of us will be turning 18. We
will not be able to drink: we will not be able
to rent a car . Most of us will not be able to
buy hand guns and yet we will be able to
purchase an Ar-15. Why is it that we will be able
to legally obtain a weapon that has the ability
to fire over 150 rounds and kill 17 people in
about 6 minutes?'
....
'We are the firsthand witnesses to the kind of
devastation that gross incompetence and
political inaction can produce.' It seems that
just as in the Hans Christen Anderson tale,
only children can see the emperor is wearing
no clothes. Until everyone else notices the
emperor has lost his senses we will never
truly wake up from recurring nightmares!

 

Friday, March 16, 2018

International Women's Day

CHALLENGING EXPECTATIONS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
By Stephen Wilson

 
"I don't want presents on this day. I find it funny to
see so many men running around buying expensive
flowers and presents for their girlfriends. But what
women need is for men to respect them and not to
scold them at home. They should try and create a
more peaceful environment at home where both of
them feel relaxed!" stated a young economist from
Siberia called Anastasia. She was not referring to
International Women's Day which is held on the 8th
of March but Saint Valentine's Day. It seems that
many men feel under obligation to lavishly shower
their girls with presents on both occasions despite
the fact that the former is largely a Western
tradition. Yet I suspect her words apply to both
occasions suggesting different women want
something more than just presents and pretty
speeches but active respect and acknowledgement
where they are not treated as an abused object or taken for granted cleaner.

Witnessing the eve of International Women's Day
itself remains a fascinating spectacle. Men appear
to rush around two days before the event purchasing
flowers at a cheaper rate to avoid the spiked-price
rise on this date. You see men frantically hunting out
all kinds of gift shops. Given the amount of flowers
which are sold on this date you might as well rename
it : The Day Of Florists!

The original political roots of such a day remain
obscure to most young Russians. It is no longer
held to be a day of protest as in the west but often
another 'Day off'. The day was originally
commemorated to remember American and German
female strikers seeking to improve better conditions.
Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemberg, on the 8th March at the second congress of the Socialist 
International , persuaded delegates to commemorate the efforts of women protesters in
Prussia during the revolution of 1848.

Now if you read government posters hung up in
shops around Moscow you simply hear that it is
The Day of Spring, Beauty and Love. One wonders
if women are being fobbed off. The fact is that the
social status of women has tumbled alarmingly.

Even physically beating up a woman is no longer
viewed as a serious crime but a mere domestic
dispute where the police are under no obligation
to intervene even if it results in murder. A recent
horrific case arose when a woman appealed to
the police to defend her from her ex-husband who
was threatening her with death. The police woman
answered: "We will only come to you when you
are dead". Shortly afterwards, the poor woman
was murdered by her ex husband. The police
officer who answered her happened to be a
woman! The abuse of women ought to be seriously
addressed on this and many more occasions!

A recent survey indicates that the attitude of Russian
women appears to be ambivalent and don't justify
prevailing conceptions that Russian women are
very passive, submissive and complacent concerning their plight. According to one survey by the Atlantic service Rambler, as many as 27% would prefer to cancel such a celebration as they don't see much to be happy about.
However, some research by sociologists indicates
that most Russians share in carrying out domestic
chores such as doing the shopping, taking the dog
for the walk as well as giving lessons to their children. 

However, 57 % of women expect men
to fix things and 75% believe he should contribute
more to the family budget than women. Svetlana Wilson told me: "I'm not against celebrating such a day. I only object to being told that I have to celebrate this day by the government. I would prefer to celebrate out of my own choice".

A 16-year-school girl Natasha told me : "I like how
they are celebrating it in the West with meetings and
rallies where they can raise issues. But in Russia how we celebrate it in comparison seems primitive".

I once came across a Russian musician who told
me: "Unlike in the West, we don't have emancipation in Russia." I lamented, if only it were true. Dream on!

 

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Gun Control

GUN CONTROL CAN SAVE LIVES
By Stephen Wilson

 
Legend claims that Sarah Winchester, the
daughter in law of the inventor of the
Winchester rifle, was endlessly tormented
by the ghosts of all the victims of his
gun. The ghosts warned her that if they did
not build houses in which to entertain them,
she would be cursed. So she endlessly
built homes for the spirits for the next 36
years. A door built in Winchester house
has the following painted words : Road
to Nowhere. It might seem that those very
words apply to the tremendous efforts of
advocates for stricter gun controls in
America. Each time they appear to be
making progress, for example in
persuading some gun manufacturers to
add tighter safety mechanisms to guns
so only the owner can use them, or
stricter controls preventing mentally ill
people acquiring guns, those reforms
are reversed or rolled back ! Even
very modest proposals to limit gun control
are greeted by a hysterical overreaction
by the lobby of the National Rifle
Association. The government and the
N.R.A. don't seem to feel tormented
or troubled by the families never mind
victims of gun homicide. Even the latest
tragedy on 14th February where 17
students and teachers were killed does
not move them.

Many cynics claim that attending a mass
protest demonstration on March 24th in
Washington in favor of stricter controls
won't make a difference. It is all in vain.
Those young school students will lose
their idealism as they succumb to the
mass pressures to be realistic. In any
case, since those mass killings are largely
caused by mental illness there is not
much you can do ! If those killers could
not get guns they would use knives !

A proposal by Trump actually advocates
arming the teachers. When my Russian
colleagues and students heard this
proposal they were shocked! An
English teacher Oksana Chebotareva
told me: "That is crazy ! It won't work.
It would not work in Russia as we have
some unbalanced teachers who might
just do something crazy ".

American teacher and journalist Jim
Vail posted on Facebook: "Would you like to be a
black teacher holding a handgun when
the cops turn up?" In the aftermath of
the latest mass shooting we have not
heard much about 'the shoot to kill policy
used by American cops against innocent
black drivers.

Some of the arguments by the pro gun
lobby are absurd . Children simply asking
for stricter control of guns are being called
dupes of socialists who want to grab
everyone's right to arms. But there are
no such concrete proposals.

Would stricter controls make any difference?
It certainly would if we put it in proper
perspective. Of the approximately 35,000
Americans that die each year from gun
homicide only a fraction are the result of
mass shootings. Careful research further
indicates that people who suffer from mental
illness are more likely to be the victims
rather than the perpetrators of violence. As
many as 2/3 of gun deaths are due to
suicide while the remaining 1/3 is due to
homicide and accidents. Contrary to the
statements by some politicians, mental
illness is not the main cause of deaths.
For instance, take the case of Chicago ,
when in 2017 a teacher at the Waldorf
school was caught in some cross fire
between gang members. She just
happened to be in the wrong place at
the wrong time when a gang member shot
her by accident. What is no accident is
the fact that a lot of this gang warfare
happens in the poorest parts of the city
where the social services have been
cut back in the name of austerity.
 
A recent research project by the Rand
corporation seems to lend support to
the view that the advocates of improved
gun controls are not naive or irrational
but have a very valid point. The research
vindicates the claim that measures to
control firearms could in deed, save lives.
The research , based on a 2 year review
of past studies and the guesses of experts,
suggested the following possible impact of
certain measures.

For instance, passing an assault weapons
ban might prevent 170 mass shooting
deaths a year.

Furthermore, experts who condone gun
control calculate that passing a universal
background check law could prevent 1,100
gun homicides each year.

Raising the age limit for purchasing firearms
could prevent 1600 homicides and suicides.
This report appears to be available on the
Internet. If I were a gun control advocate I'd
quickly download this report and bring it to
any meeting or rally.

Campaigning can make a distinct difference!
Not long ago Glasgow was the murder
capital of Europe as many people were
killed in gang disputes using knives. A lot of
people thought stricter control of knives
would not make any difference. Yet when
the police decided to adopt a more novel
approach where they tried to offer potential
gangsters a better path by addressing
wider social and economic problems the
number of deaths fell drastically. In fact,
not a single person was stabbed to death
by a knife in Glasgow last year. Yet people
previously said it was impossible. They
should now eat their hats!

 

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Book Review Dunkirk

BOOK REVIEW
DUNKIRK BY JOSHUA LEVINE
 
William Collins, 2017 London
 

The huge black and white photo of an
officer dawning a military uniform
dominated my grandmother's room.
Who was he ? The photo remained an
inexplicable conundrum. It seemed sad.
It was in keeping with this ancient grey
granite town Dunfermline which had
known better days as the former capital
of Scotland where the palace now
stood in ruins and a plaque at a tower
reminded tourists of how ;
'The King sits in Dunfermline town,
Drinking his blood red wine. '

I asked my grandmother "who was
the man in the photo ? " only to be
told he was Uncle Alan and shown some
old mementos . My mother told me
not to keeping asking questions as
it upset my grandmother. He had met
a premature death.

It was my Uncle Jim who broke this
long tense silence. He told me :
"Your uncle was sent as part of the
British Expeditionary Force to fight
the Germans and he and his chums
got stuck in Dunkirk. They were asked
to guard the retreat to the beach by an
officer. After placing a machine gun
at the top of a road they looked back
only to discover the rest of the soldiers
and their officer had fled. So they also
did not wait around and ran away. They
ended up on the beaches of Dunkirk
being bombed by Stuka dive bombers.
When one plane dived to drop a bomb
they ducked for cover. When your
Uncle rose he called to his friends but
they did not get up! They were all dead.
Well, your Uncle jumped into the sea to
a ship in the far distance and swam to
it. When he got there he was exhausted
but taken aboard. He was taken back to
England."

I now grasped my Grandmother's
reticence. Of course, I had heard a lot
about Dunkirk but not in concrete detail.
So I was pleasantly surprised to come
across a well written, readable and
intriguing book :' Dunkirk ', by Joshua
Levine. It was fascinating! I could hardly
put it down. It took me just two days to
read it. The reason it is captivating is that
the book attempts to see Dunkirk not
through the eyes of a scholar or one
authoritative source but the soldiers,
sailors and airmen who were there. The
book also boasts of an exclusive
interview with the Film Director Chris
Nolan who made a recent film about it.
 
For anyone unfamiliar about Dunkirk the
basic narrative was that the Germans
launched an offensive, on 10th May 1940
through the Lowlands and into France
against the combined forced of the
French and British. The French
presumed that their Maginot line was
impregnable and that they would
easily repel any attack. However, the
Germans launched operation Sickle
Stroke where they poured 1 million
soldiers and 1500 tanks through the
Ardennes forest at break net speed.
They side stepped the Maginot line
splitting the allied forces in two even
surrounding them. The British decided
to evacuate their army and successfully
rescued 340,000 British and French
troops from the 26th of May to the 4th
of June 1940. However, the losses were
still staggering . Nine allied destroyers
and 200 civilian vessels were destroyed.
Many soldiers were taken prisoner, lost
and equipment abandoned.
 
Levine attempts to put the whole war in
context and covers the historical
background to the war. I learnt a lot of
new facts about this event. The author
argues that everyone has their own
narrative of Dunkirk and we should not
be too judgmental. Levine records
soldiers cracking up, taking off their
clothes to commit suicide by running
into the sea and some soldiers digging
themselves into sand dunes to escape
the reality of war. One of the most
amusing incidents is how some soldiers
were seen sailing aboard a door with
bottles of wine to refresh themselves.
When the rescue plan Operation
Dynamo was conceived, the High
Command estimated they would be
lucky enough it they could save 40,000
soldiers. In fact, they ended up saving
almost ten times that number.

Levine explains why. He tells of how
soldiers and sailors improvised piers,
soldiers repelled German attackers and
the Royal Air Force did a lot to keep
the German planes from attacking
those on the beach. The rescue
operation was helped by so many
civilians in small vessels as well as
destroyers.

What emerges from reading the book is
the chaos, confusion and panic of the
retreat from the Germans. There was also
a lot of paranoia which led to an innocent
British airman who had bailed out being
shot as suspected German spy and so
many others. Levine mentions how the
resentment against the R.A.F. was not
justified as they were fighting against
German planes far from Dunkirk to stop
them taking off . The soldiers on the
ground could not see how their action
was imperceptibly saving lives. One
poor airman who was stuck on the
beach was not allowed to board a ship
because of this anger. He spent the rest
of the war as a prisoner of the Germans.

Levine who worked as a history
consultant on Nolan's film Dunkirk
writes: 'One of the things that stuck
Nilo Otero as he worked on the film was
how semi religious Dunkirk was as an
experience for the British people. 'It
was the first time anything went right
in this fucking war', he says. 'It literally
was a miracle . An actual miracle. And
I think the British people took it as a
sign that this could go right.'

Bemused British soldiers returning to
Britain who expected to be scolded by
the public found instead they were
welcomed home as heroes and given
free food, drinks and compliments by
complete strangers. Churchill
reinterpreted Dunkirk not as a defeat
but a moral and spiritual victory! The
army had survived to fight another day .
Levine quotes a survivor George Wagner
state: "We wanted to survive as a
country. It was about comradeship and
everyone together helping".
 

 

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Politics

Letter from Our Reader!


The students will get involved in a movement to pass a few laws about guns. They will support bourgeois politicians whose job it is to rope them into the system. There will be no real changes, so they will get demoralized. Meanwhile, they will not really study why this is happening, the real history of the US, etc. They will not see that the problem is the system itself. The system will thus be safe and secure.
Then some of the students will, "reluctantly," run for office themselves, or support some reformist politicians who promise to "help" them. They will get their supporters to waste all of their energies in getting them elected. Again, the system wins.

If a few of the students or politicians win, they will get sucked into the "realistic" game, of what can be "won" by being "realistic" and making "compromises." Which is exactly nothing. Then they will have to win re-election, so even more compromises and accepting money from the same sources as other bourgeois politicians ("lesser evil"). In the end, they will be bourgeois politicians supporting the system like all the others. And another opportunity to expose and fight the system will have been lost and wasted.

And the system wins again.

Ad nauseum.