A Very Troubled World

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 39) August 6, 2014

Writing “Whispering in the Wind” has been a rewarding experience for me personally and for those that have offered feedback to the column; a good number have encouraged me to continue the column and continue offering “informed” opinion.  That’s not to say I have not been criticized for offering opinions that are counter to other points of view.  A year or so ago I was labelled a “racist” for criticizing some aboriginal chiefs and their excesses.  More recently I was labelled a “communist” by a good friend for not watching the “right” newscasts.  While there is some merit to any criticism, I defend myself by saying:  it is very difficult to sort out fact from fiction in today’s media frenzy – where scripted propaganda rules much of the media reports in daily newscasts.  For me I rely on “informed” opinions and take a good deal of the daily news reports with a grain of salt.

Two international news stories have overtaken a number of other major international news stories that haven’t been resolved and the reporting are laced with propaganda:

The Eastern Ukraine

The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 three weeks ago in the eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew, is rife with charges and counter charges as to responsibility and accountability – it has become a propaganda war where experts in the west have concluded that Russian supplied weaponry to Russian operatives in the eastern Ukraine and it was they who shot down MH17.  In Moscow the story is different, it is claimed that Ukrainian operatives shot down what was thought to be a Putin plane flying over the eastern Ukraine – I can’t believe anybody in the west is buying the Russian version, but it is apparently going over well in Russia.  The big question: will responsibility ever be assigned through any international justice system and will those held responsible ever be held accountable? Not likely, so the civil war in the eastern Ukraine will continue with no resolution in sight.

Gaza Strip

The propaganda war in the Gaza Strip region (including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula) has been going on for over 50 years and there is no end in sight.  The latest incursion into the Gaza Strip has apparently been provoked by Israel’s wish to stop rocket attacks from the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip – the Hamas dominated government is considered a terrorist organization by a number of western nations, including Canada – many feel Israel is justified in protecting and defending its territories – other nations in the region feel that Israel is not justified in its dominance in the region and do not recognize Israel as a nation state.  No resolution is in sight, but Egypt has brokered a 72 hour cease-fire – there is still no resolution in sight and the battles and bloodshed continue.  Prime Minister Harper has taken a particularly hard line against the Hamas government and fully and totally supports the Israel government stance which is a major change in foreign policy for Canada – Canada for decades has been a peace broker and up until now has tried to work behind the scenes to broker peace and resolution – oh how things have changed..