Category Archives: Peace Corps Romania

What We’ve Forgotten

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So much is going on these days, that I find it hard just to keep track of things. As you’ve probably already noticed, I have added an “Impeach Bush” banner to the top right-hand of this site. Here’s my rationale for this: By condoning secret wiretaps on American citizens and sidestepping the FISA court, George W. Bush has violated our constitutional protections regarding unreasonable searches. As the President, he swore to uphold the Constitution. Since these actions are contrary to that oath, he must be removed. What I’m really dumbfounded about is how Clinton’s BJ ranked as a more serious threat to our nation than Bush’s current actions. As the right wing continues to melt down and crooks and liars are exposed for who they really are, I hope that this demand becomes more powerful. Even if we are unsuccessful in the actual impeachment, it is crucial that we try; someone like Bush, unlike Nixon (who, while a nut, did at least leave the country with a few good social programs,) will never resign.

Since I’m abroad, I am unable to watch the David Letterman show. I like Letterman. He’s got a wit about him that resonates with me. Well, I’m very sad I missed this live, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to view a segment of his show where he had Bill O’Reilly as a guest. O’Reilly, one of the Right’s most shrill shills, gets his ass handed to him on a silver platter by the king of late night. Enjoy the files in the following formats: (Windows Media – WMV Bittorrent – QuickTime Bittorrent) This is well worth the download – trust me!

I’d also like to announce some new sites that have been added to the Links section of this blog:

MadKane – I stumbled across this lady’s website while looking for limericks for my students. She is a talented humorist who makes political limericks and popular song parodies regarding current political events. Her site includes a blog, lyrics and a podcast.

White Rose Society – I’ve mentioned before that I enjoy listening to the Mike Malloy Show on Air America Radio. Since I’m far from the airwaves, and to listen live I’d have to get up at 6 a.m., I download the episodes from this site. Not only is the Mike Malloy show included, but you’ll find many other liberal talk radio hosts here. Superb service.

GLBT- A new category has been created for GLBT issues.

After Elton – This site discusses the portrayal of GLBT people in the mainstream media.

BlogActive – A very controversial blog, the goal of BlogActive is to illuminate anti-gay types who are found to be gay themselves. Considering that the Republican party is full of such individuals, there is always fresh content.

Uzbekistan – A new category has been created for issues relating to Uzbekistan.

Craig Murray – Mr. Murray was the UK’s former Ambassador to Uzbekistan. Known now as a whistleblower, he refused to keep quiet about the murderous regime of Islam Karimov which was being supported by the US/UK as part of the global “war on terror.” Mr. Murray has recently released some firsthand documents, called the Tashkent Memos – and will soon have a book out on the whole subject. Fascinating reading, and insightful about the dark and dirty side of this new “war.”

Eurasia Insight – This site features articles regarding civil society initiatives in the Central Asia / Caucuses region. This site is mostly sober and article based and offers a good starting point to those who wish to understand the complexities of the region.

neweurasia – This relatively new site is in the list because it purports to be student-run. Some interesting takes on current events.

Registan.net – Arguably the king of Central Asian / Uzbekistan sites, Registan.net provides extensive coverage (and linkage,) along with mostly sound commentary from a libertarian perspective.

In my American History classes, we are now up to World War II, and I’ve set aside the whole month (translation – four 50 minute periods) to study this subject. In my Culture and Civilization classes, we are discussing Iraq. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone and teach both classes the infamous Supreme Court case, Korematsu v United States (1944.) This case regards the internment of Japanese Americans from the West Coast during the war. The basic idea was that since some Japanese Americans may have retained loyalties to the Emperor of Japan, it was not safe to have such individuals living near the West Coast, where they might possibly assist the enemy. FDR approved of this, and the internment was carried out.

The majority opinion of the court agreed that this was Constitutionally valid. Here is some of what the judges had to say:

“Exclusion of those of Japanese origin was deemed necessary because of the presence of an unascertained number of disloyal members of the group… it was impossible to bring about an immediate segregation of the disloyal from the loyal… when under conditions of modern warfare our shores are threatened by hostile forces, the power to protect must be commensurate with the threatened danger.”

A strong dissent was also penned:

“That this forced exclusion was the result in good measure of this erroneous assumption of racial guilt rather than bona fide military necessity is evidenced by the Commanding General’s Final Report on the evacuation.. In it, he refers to all individuals of Japanese descents as “subversive,” as belonging to “an enemy race,” and as constituting, “over 112,000 potential enemies… at large today.” … No reliable evidence is cited to show that such individuals were generally disloyal.. to infer that examples of individual disloyalty prove group disloyalty and justify discriminatory action against the entire group is to deny that under our system of law individual guilt is the sole basis for deprivation of rights… [this is to] open the door to discriminatory actions against other minority groups in the passions of tomorrow.

Amazing, isn’t it? This was 1944. But if we were to substitute a few words, how easily does this translate into today’s “passions….” ? I think as a nation we suffer from historical amnesia. Maybe it’s because the idea of America is progress… out with the old and in with the new. We are so constantly moving away from where we have come, that the actions of the past seem almost irrelevant. Having been in Europe now for half a year, it is clear that the burden of the past, though spoken or implied, weighs heavily on all that is done. Bush often states that our “war on terror” began on 9/11. The absurdity of this statement is tremendous. 9/11 was not the beginning, it was, instead, a culmination. The world did not suddenly change after 9/11, rather American’s woke up to the fact that there is a larger reality beyond the borders of our cities and towns.

I lived for half a year in the country of Uzbekistan. Baring any radical changes, Uzbekistan is headed toward a bloody future. I’ve seen how repression twists people – kills them in a way. And I’m starting to understand why people who come from such situations may be willing to strap some explosives to their chest and give it the good college try. Our support of tyrants, given in the name of fighting terror, but in reality as a desperate measure to ensure that our liquid lifeline keeps flowing, makes us not only weak but also hypocritical. And with Bush in power, the level of these offences has reached a new high (or shall I say low,) and the rest of the world is not so stupid to get upset over the “war on Christmas.”

As Bush himself is fond of saying, these are difficult times. Let us respond to the challenge in the best way we can, first, by cleaning house. Only when those types of individuals who are currently in power are gone can we possibly hope to undo the damage already done, and then, perhaps, try to shape a world that is truly more free and just.

Away…

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I recently returned from a visit with my first gazda. These were the people I stayed with when I first arrived in Romania – which was, as many of you may recall, a very rough time. Although there were many factors in my decision to stay here, they were certainly one of them. Since Christmas is a big deal here, I figured it would be a good time to go back and see the family. Below are two pictures from our little reunion:

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I write as Josh, over at the other end of the room, is packing up his bags for the big trip. As of tonight, if all goes well, we’ll be on a train to Vienna. Yes folks, Western Europe, Skiing, and what will certainly be a damn good time. I’ll have lots of stories when I return.

Have a happy new year everyone!

Winter Begins

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First day of the last week before vacation – complete. After this week, I can say goodbye to school until the 9th of January! For those of you who don’t know, I will be taking a ski-trip over New Years’ with Josh and Johannes. The plan is for Josh to come visit here in Romania, and then the two of us will hop a train to Austria where we will be met by Johannes. After a few days in Vienna/Graz, off to Tyrol for some great skiing. I am so very excited, especially because when I agreed to Uzbekistan, I kinda ruled out skiing for those entire two years. So yes, winter is here and as I speak it is snowing gently – covering up all the icy spots on the pavement…. My apartment is looking good, as I recently purchaced some candles. School seems to be going better as well. I’ve come up with some interesting longer term projects for many of my classes, and due to popular demand, will be starting an English club when I return. Below is a picture I took while visiting another PCV’s site:

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They Hate Us For Our Freedoms

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So I have a little time between my morning and afternoon classes yesterday. I decide to go grab a bite at the “Greek” gyro place that’s off a little side street of the main square. The food’s great, I finish up, and begin to head back to school. Then I see this car. Let me back up a little bit at this point. Here in Romania, license places are in the following format: [Two Letters – indicating region of country] [A bunch of numbers – random] [Three Letters – can be chosen by owner.] As you might imagine, car owners try to be cute with these last three letters, and I’ve taken to spotting interesting ones. For instance, I’ve seen XXX, BLO (on a Hummer) FAT, and other such things. So, back to this car.

I notice that its letters are: HAL. Now, being the geek I am, I think HAL from 2001. But, upon closer inspection of the car, I notice a bumper sticker (something almost unheard of here,) which reads Halliburton. Of course at this point my blood begins to boil. And once I notice that there is a man sitting in the driver’s seat looking over some papers, I wonder what, if anything, I should do. My first impulse is to tap on the window, and say something along the lines of, “So what the fuck are you pillaging from this lovely town?” I decide against that. Instead I just take a look at the guy – nondescript – and continue to my class. In hindsight, I think that I really ought to have said something (if not that.)

So this has all got me wondering and thinking big picture thoughts. I was concerned about two things. 1) So what IS Halliburton doing in Romania? and 2) Isn’t it interesting that our paths (this company and a Peace Corps volunteer) are crossing? So, to answer the first question, I turned to my new and wonderful friend the internet! I found an interesting article HERE, called “The Politics of Oil: The privatization of Romania’s oil industry has enriched the well-connected—and corrupt.” This report is by a group called, “The Center for Public Integrity,” which seems legit. If you want a peep into the grossly corrupt business/govt. culture here, and the ambitions of NATO/Halliburton/the like to get a piece of the privatization pie, read this article. What I can get from it is that Halliburton has some important role in the privatization of Romania’s oil industry – the specifics, of course, are not so clear. So now I’m really kicking myself for not saying anything… imagine the possibilities! My point number 2, about our paths crossing, is also troubling.

Let’s back up and look at my Peace Corps experience so far. First I’m sent to Uzbekistan, a country which until recently has been sponsored by the US. The post-9/11 alliance forged between the two countries, sold in the name of “fighting the global war on terror,” emboldened a brutal dictator and encouraged torturous treatment of suspected militants. Human rights abuses became more gross, and the quality of life continued to decline in that former Soviet republic. Of course, the real issue here is oil interests, and the premise seems to have been that with Uzbekistan, the US would have a strong base from which to pursue its oil-hungry regional campaigns. Unfortunately with a failed popular protest, Washington was forced to condemn the regime (to save some face,) and thereby lost the favor of Karimov. Currently, Uzbekistan is just another Muslim country in the “Loss” category of the neo-con agenda.

After this, I find myself in Romania… of all places. And recently, the news from here is eerily similar. Secret torture camps in the former land of Vlad the Impaler? Maybe. Future NATO bases, surely. PCRO sent out a message stating that, “In an effort to ensure that Peace Corps and the US Military maintain completely separate identities in Romania, PCRO is considering various Volunteer placement options once US military bases are established here. One of the options under consideration is to discontinue placing PCVs in locations where there will be US military facilities.” Sigh! Did you know that in Uzbekistan I was just about 45 minutes away from K2, the Karshi-Khanabad military base? And now, bases in Romania? Is there no escape from our Military empire? And with this Halliburton crap, the same goes for the neo-con business oligarchy? Simply, this is all starting to stink.

I’m now able to listen to my favorite liberal talk show host, Mike Malloy (link.) If you are a liberal/progressive who is fed up with the amount of crap that passes for our foreign policy these days, I recommend you give this guy a listen. I loved him from the beginning when I first heard him refer to the Bush family as “The Bush Crime Family.” I feel so upset about all of this, so I’ve decided to let it all go in terms of my classes. Today with a very good group of 12th graders, we talked about 9/11, oil, Iraq, and all those great and fun and happy topics. Although I’ve griped about my work here previously, I was quite impressed with the kids’ responses and what seemed to be some genuine interest and opinions regarding this issue. Isn’t it just grand that your tax dollars are going to Halliburton AND me at the same time in pretty much the same place?

But I’m worried, because of the “missionary principle.” The principle goes as such: the missionaries who come to Romania try to weasel into the schools under the guise of offering “free English lessons.” So, they do that, and then, casually, begin talking about Jesus. Then they say, “hey, if you’re interested, why not come down for a discussion at McDonalds after school?” These missionary organizations have the funds to offer such bribes, thereby recruiting kids into the program. And it doesn’t end with McDonalds – that’s just the beginning of the perks. Now as a Peace Corps volunteer, I have no such funds to lavish on students in such a manner. And although these missionary types are not allowed at the schools I work at (good ones,) I can see the less selective schools jumping at the opportunity for a free English teacher.

And this is my dilemma with these Halliburton folks as well. Since there is no middle class in Romania, you either have or have not. Since my students are among the best in the country, they do not lack the potential to join the former group. What I fear, though, is that the dirty ways (both of this country’s past, and our country’s present,) will be that great McDonalds coupon to a better life; if the alternative is having not, I wonder what they’d be willing to let go so as to not get passed by. Have faith, yet!

I’ll be gone for a week at a conference with the other volunteers in my group, and I’ll report back after then.

Till then,

What’s the Plan, Man?

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1: New Videos! Some videos from Uzbekistan have been posted in the photo gallery! They are in the section, “Videos,” in the category, “Peace Corps Uzbekistan.” Enjoy and please contact me if you have any difficulty viewing them.

2: I have just returned from the movie “Flightplan,” staring Jodie Foster. Although most of the movies that come through town here are the standard Hollywood crap, this one was in fact quite brilliant. However, my friend with whom I saw the movie thought that the bit with the Arab passengers was un-necessary. Basically, Foster’s character accused, without any evidence, two Arab passengers on the plane of having kidnapped her daughter. Why, she asked, do films have to constantly touch upon this subject. Surely, she thought, such representations would only inflame existing tensions. But with this I disagreed entirely. The fact that this happened in the film made it all the more believable. Like it or not, these prejudices exist (and are not totally without basis,) and to deny their existence would be disingenuous. Now this is not an accusation of my friend here, but I honestly think her reaction signifies something larger.

The fact is that the whole world is facing this tremendous problem and we, Americans, the people who have historically been problem solvers, are at a loss. Whether we have no plan or the wrong plan is of little consequence if in the end, we remain no closer to our goal than when we started. I have been reading up on Uzbekistan now that I have internet in my apartment, and it is truly terrifying the extent to which global politics and the battle over terrorism reach. So we can not just put our heads in the sand, and we can’t be complacent with the lame belief that the journalists are re-growing their spine; once it’s gone it won’t come back – (oh but maybe it could but Jesus says no you foolish whitecoats!) The fact that in the movie “Flightplan,” an American citizen reacted with undue negativity to an Arab on an airplane is completely believable. Now in the case of the film, all ended well, and apologies, perhaps in not so many words, were exchanged. And although this was but a small element of a truly interesting plot, it acknowledged the tension with which we currently live.

Here in Romania, people are blatantly racist, and engage in about any “-ism” you can imagine. As “the American,” I am supposed to act as a counterexample to such behavior. It is something I try to do, but one which I find more and more difficult by the day. There is no doubt in my mind that as a Nation, we have been committing some unbearable atrocities in these past weeks, months and years. And no, although when I hear JFK’s words I sometimes want to cry, I’m not so naive to believe that our past has been all cupcakes and apple pie. This world is not a kind place and sometimes one must be tough. I believe that good leaders make decisions in times of need and must have the courage to be bold amidst the opposition of those to scared to make any decision at all. However, such decisions must be for concrete, achievable and noble ends. If I were to proclaim that I would kill every Romanian who talks to me and I don’t understand, I would certainly be without a single friend here, likely without any support in my crusade, and probably dead myself. If my policy is so brash that it will lead to my own annihilation before I can even hope to see my desired result, then surely it is just suicide along with taking others down with me – or – err – terrorism.

So how can I say, with any credibility, that America is good, and terrorism and terrorists are evil? Must terrorism involve bombs and airplanes, or does it manifest itself in more sinister, easily forgiven ways? How can I say that Americans are justly global leaders when the news is of ordinary people beaning each other at Wal*Marts over toys imported from China? We have, sadly, become a nation of fools, led by a man who is no less criminal than those who ought, indeed, to be brought to justice. Unfortunately, unlike in “Flightplan,” its not always the case that the plane lands safely, the good guys escape, and the bad guys are blown to pieces. The way we have it now, everybody dies. It is a odd zero sum game whereby everyone looses – a synnecrosis of the most tragic sort.

How tragic, then, my American History class will soon become! The voices for right, laden with an unmistakable urgency, must be heard. But sometimes I wonder, deeply, how it is that the majority of us, well at least 50.7% supposedly, chose not to hear them. We must now, or soon, perhaps, we won’t even have the choice.