The Runaway General

Veni, Vidi, Vici

 

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, four-star general, in service since 1976. A four-star general is the highest rank any army personnel can attain in the US Army. He's held a lot of positions within the army and is not someone new to this job and he definitely knows the politics that revolves around this job, especially that of not upsetting the chain of command. The question why did the general give such an interview ? Why now?

Let's take a trip down memory lane. During the Bush era, he was the Pentagon spokesperson at the time of the Iraq invasion, in 2003. On multiple occasions he supported the White House, even when they were clearly in the wrong. McChrystal backed the then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's infamous "Stuff happens" remark, even tried to cover up the accidental death of a US soldier by his own troops.

Clearly, he knew how to handle the chain of command, and play along and please them. He knew very well what was expected of him and most importantly how to execute it.

One of Obama's key electoral manifestos was to reduce and bring back US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. Hence any policy contrary to the promises he made would draw strong criticism. Thus he required some kind of miracle to sail past this hurdle.

And help sure did arrive, in the form of McChrystal's assessment report on Afghanistan in which the General states- "We are going to win" and the need for an additional 30,000-40,000 troops. It was too much of a coincidence that the report went public as well as the sanctioning of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, just what the General requested. This way everyone was happy- The White House, The General and… the people of America- If we can win, then send in more troops. The media had been managed well, just as the time when Bush alleged Iraq to possess WMDs.

The question now is why an article like this. One that mocks the government and everyone incharge. And why would a person who does not like too much public attention go ahead and give an interview with Rolling Stone (The Runaway General)? And furthermore give permission to publish it? Why?

The answer might be one of the two. One might be McChrystal knowing that the mission in Afghanistan is in on a slippery slope, victory a mirage. A recently released independent report by the Special Inspector-General for Afghanistan Reconstruction found big failings in the methods US and multinational forces have used since 2005 to assess the readiness of Afghan army and police who will be left behind. This completely contradicts the recent upbeat assessment of foreign commanders in the region.

Or it could be Washington's disapproval of McChrystal's strategies. An army with a policy of shoot first talk next might find it hard to fight with tactics that involves ensuring safety of civilians as a priority even if it means putting at risk the life of soldiers. And mind you, America does not like to apologize either (Stuff happens). They needed someone who would execute their style especially at a time when they are drawing heavy criticism from within their nation over the war and the demand to bring back their soldiers.

Despite the tragedies and miscues, McChrystal has issued some of the strictest directives to avoid civilian casualties that the U.S. military has ever encountered in a war zone. It's "insurgent math," as he calls it – for every innocent person you kill, you create 10 new enemies. He has ordered convoys to curtail their reckless driving, put restrictions on the use of air power and severely limited night raids. He regularly apologizes to Hamid Karzai when civilians are killed, and berates commanders responsible for civilian deaths. "For a while," says one U.S. official, "the most dangerous place to be in Afghanistan was in front of McChrystal after a 'civ cas' incident." The ISAF command has even discussed ways to make not killing into something you can win an award for: There's talk of creating a new medal for "courageous restraint," a buzzword that's unlikely to gain much traction in the gung-ho culture of the U.S. military.

But however strategic they may be, McChrystal's new marching orders have caused an intense backlash among his own troops. Being told to hold their fire, soldiers complain, puts them in greater danger. "Bottom line?" says a former Special Forces operator who has spent years in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I would love to kick McChrystal in the nuts. His rules of engagement put soldiers' lives in even greater danger. Every real soldier will tell you the same thing."

- excerpts from The Runaway General

If he were to resign his command in the region, it would send in wrong signals across both nationally and internationally. Therefore a more shrewd approach was required. And that's where the public-relations (PR) skills of the US government kicks in.

If an occupation can be converted to a settlement or a neighborhood or a disputed region, and if you can convince the masses that Iraq possesses WMDs then it would require no rocket science to divert the attention of the public from the real issue, case in point.

Micheal Hastings brings to light a lot of difficulties faced by the General and the state of affairs in the region. It questions the real motive of the US army in the region and their long term goals. But the media decided to discuss the more sensational aspects of the article, like his remarks on Biden, and left out the sections that ought to have been discussed and debated in public.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect either. With BP pouring out millions into PR campaigns (50 million to be precise)- to improve it brand image against plummeting share prices and directing the blame at the president, the Obama administration needed space, to prove that he is still the leader of the pack. And what better way to deflect attention towards something else that would see him emerges out as the Alpha-male. By firing McChrystal the president clearly showed who's in charge.

Just as Julius César commented on his short war with Pharnaces II of Pontus- veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered), the government called the shots, the media spoke and the people followed. Rather than discuss the political aspect and the far reaching consequences of the piece, journalists and media organisations were attacking the author (Micheal Hastings), calling him unprofessional and unethical, one journalist even went so far to call him unpatriotic. Eventually the gist of the story was skipped by the media(s) all together, just another successful media campaign by the US government.

In a time when sensationalism and embedded journalism is the order of the day, media organizations will not complain or dare to, rather be partners in crime. And people say crime does not pay.

All in all, it was just another day in US politics.

Helen and Journalism

Media and the use of words

Helen Thomas, a long time White House journalist, retired on June 7 following 'controversial' remarks about Israel and Palestine. Thomas' response was to a question by Rabbi David Nesenoff about the seizure of the Gaza aid flotilla and the killing of nine activists on the ship by Israeli commandos.

The question was: "Any comments on Israel? We're arresting everyone today. Any comments..." But, before the questioner could finish, she looked straight at the camera and said: "Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine."

"Ooooh," he replied, in shock. "Any better comments on Israel?" Now it is not clear what he meant by 'better', but could either mean something more favourable to Israel or something more spicy that would stack up popularity on youtube. Whatever his intention, Thomas took the latter path.

Laughing at his response, she continued: "Remember, these people are occupied, and it's their land. It's not German, it's not Poland..."

"Where should they go?" Nesenoff asked. "They should go home ... Poland, Germany ... and America. And everywhere else."

Robert Fisk, The Independent newspaper's Middle-East correspondent, had said once "More and more today, we journalists have become prisoners of the language of power... this isn't just about clichés - this is preposterous journalism.  There is no battle between power and the media. Through language, we have become them... Yes, when it comes to history, we journalists really do let the presidents and prime ministers take us for a ride. "

Often we are told in many anlysis features to deal with Middle-East's competing narratives. He adds "There's no justice, no injustice, just a couple of people who tell different history stories." It was Goerge W. Bush's secretary of state, Colin Powell, who told U.S. diplomats in the Middle-East to refer the occupied Palestinian land as 'Disputed land' and now it is more commonly known as 'settlements'.

When the Oslo accords were signed at the White House, it was referred to as a "moment in history". This was how the term 'peace process' came into existence, and now Tony Blair, "in an obscenity of history" as Fisk put it, is referred to as the peace envoy. Mr Arafat had called it (Oslo accords) "The peace of the brave". But I don't remember any of us pointing out that "the peace of the brave" was used originally by General de Gaulle about the end of the Algerian war. The French lost the war in Algeria. We did not spot this extraordinary irony.

Coming back to to Helen Thomas' remarks. If viewed contextualy and factualy, it is not factualy incorrect or 'controversial'. It is a known fact that Israel was created on occupied Palestine with the help of Britain, the U.S. and the UN. It also a known fact that the Palestinians have been severely oppressed under the Israelis and the West have been turning a blind eye to it all these years.

Most media organizations have left out the part where she says 'these people are occupied', and directly went to 'Germany..', and gave the whole incident a different angle. The whole picture of Palestinians as the ones sufferring was completely neglected, as we often see with Israel's PR campaign.

What might be considered controversial could be the fact that a journalist has been asked to apologize and quit over airing an opinion that is factually right. Secondly, it seriously questions the freedom of the press- has the media turned into mouthpieces for the governments?

Breast Cancer Vaccine

No. Not There Yet. Ain't sure either.

The media seems to be going into a frenzy after a recent publication over a paper in Nature Medicine, in which US-based researchers described a series of experiments they had carried out with specially bred mice. Let's be clear here- mice. Although most media clearly pointed this out, some were complacent in showing the actual progress of the study.

The tests carried out involved introduction of a new vaccine that prompts the immune system to attack cells containing a protein called Alpha-lactalbumin (LALBA), which is found in most breast cancer cells. This protein is an important protein in milk and is found in breast tissues of lactating mothers. For their potential BC vaccine, the researchers selected LALBA as the protein to be targeted. Further tests needs to be done to confirm whether this protein is the main cause of BC. This point has been left out in most mainstream media outlets and covered in detail in the new media. Similarly most of the negative aspects of the research has been omitted from the reports which raises flags here about the impartiality and fairness of the reports.

Tests were conducted on two sets (six each) of mice: one set of mice that were normal and the second set injected with the breast cancer (BC) virus or tumor cells. The researchers first assessed the immune response that occurred when mice were vaccinated with a-lactalbumin. They found that mice did mount an immune response against this protein, and that this caused inflammation of breast tissue in lactating mice but not in non-lactating mice (a-lactalbumin is found in breast tissue that is producing milk).

They then tested the effect of the a-lactalbumin vaccine in a strain of mice that have a high risk (a 50% chance) of spontaneously developing breast tumors by the age of 205 days. Injections were given either 13 days before, or 5, 13 or 21 days after the mice were injected with the tumor cells. The researchers also found that the a-lactalbumin vaccine given either 5 or 13 days after, or 13 days before injection with breast tumor cells reduced the growth of tumors in the mice. The tumors of mice injected with a-lactalbumin vaccine had been infiltrated by 'immune' system cells. But the injection of mice with a-lactalbumin vaccine 21 days after the tumor cells injection did not reduce the growth of the tumors.

Alpha-lactalbumin is type of protein found in the breast milk of all mammals. It is a source of essential amino acids (building blocks for protein) to support baby's growth, easy to digest, helps to support healthy kidney functioning, a rich source of the essential amino acid trytophan which involves in sleep etc.

The study hasn't come towards any definite finding, as in, they haven't unearthed the root cause of the problem- what causes breast cancer? The study revolves around the fact that LALBA is found in the breast cancer tissues and hence attacking that will kill all cancer cells. Its like saying terrorists have guns, and all with guns are terrorists. The converse is not always true.

Vaccination is a preventive measure, i.e. the immunization is taken before the visibility of any real symptoms. In such a scenario women would be required to take the vaccine at a young age and this might affect their child bearing capabilities or motherhood. The current results only shows the discovery of a potential cure for an ailment- not a vaccine for breast cancer, with side effects that are yet to be discovered.

The current research is in a very premature state and any definite or concrete solution towards breast cancer is not likely in the near future, especially for trials on humans. The fact that the vaccine did cause the immune system to respond to lactating breast tissue means that (should this type of vaccination ever reach human testing) it would probably be appropriate only for women unlikely or unable to become pregnant.

Indeed, no vaccine against cancer has successfully been developed so far. Gardasil and other 'cervical cancer vaccine' has been tested and approved by the US department of Health and Human services, its side effects include epileptic fits, blood disorders, arthritis, neurological problems and seizures. Furthermore, the well-known 'cervical cancer vaccine' isn't actually a cancer vaccine in this sense – it protects against a virus, HPV, that can lead to cancer in certain women. These researchers are very much in uncharted territory.

Kerala School Kalolsavan - Youth Cultural Festival

Oppana - A Folk Dance predominant in Kerala Muslim Culture, on the eve of the Wedding (ABOVE)

A High School student in a Bharatanatyam pose (Above & Below)

Youths contest off in Bharatanatyam Classical Dance

Traffic Bloopers

So here I was waiting at Eranhipalam junction waiting for my ride back home. Having been kept waiting for a good twenty minutes, I couldn’t get myself to read anymore the magazine in my hand. And so I thought of looking around for something interesting or anything that would keep me occupied for the remainder of my wait.

The traffic was moving normally without any major hiccups, with the odd jams when a heavy vehicle (the bully) or an auto (the Brat) entered the junction. Two cops, who were present before I arrived the junction, suddenly decided to manage traffic. And it sure was a hilarious spectacle, although it might not have been for the motorists (Thats another post folks!!).

To start off, the cops din’t have a clue how to manage the traffic (I wonder if they recieved any training), with two of them the flow of traffic should have been very smooth. To control the vehicles effectively, a cop has to be visible to the motorists and for that he has to stand at a spot visible to all. But these cops were ill-positioned, not clear or easily visible to motorists. And his actions half the time was too hard to read, at one instance I thought he was imitating the film actor Mammoty.

In between all this 'theatricals', there was a minor accident between two cars. One of the cops went to attend it and I too thought of checking it out - just a scratch. Not much action here and I thought of getting back to the antics of our uniformed friends. To my suprise, the second cop ...just disappeared. And the one who attended to the accident just came back and stood under a shady spot.

Its seemed that he got too tired managing traffic for ten minutes, or maybe, he was too scared to do it all alone, can’t blame him , trucks and busses have a mind of their own.

All credits go to our dear motorists in the region for driving in a civilized manner (Not all, lets just say a majority of them) and managing by themselves efficiently. I would also like to thank the Traffic department for not interfering much with their incompetence and letting us carry on by ourselves.

Smart Legislators required, not Suppandis'

‘Experience is the best teacher of all things’, a proverb recorded in Julius Caesar’s book, Commentarii de Bello Civili (Commentaries on the Civil War), is something that our bureaucrats or rulers have not  yet understood or come across. A few years back, with the outbreak of Bird-Flu and the deaths that followed, we were supposed to have formulated a plan in case something like this sprang up again. The Swine Flu pandemic and the secret cover up of the recent Chikungunia endemic are telling pointers to the current sordid state of affairs in our health ministry. Rather than weighing out the options at hand and making sound decisions based on logic and previous experiences, our governments are used to ‘Knee-jerk’ reactions, or simply put – Act first, Think next. The Bird Flu and Chikungunya endemic, years ago, should have prompted the government to set up a model that would help tackle something enormous and deadly as the current Swine Flu (and the Chikungunya outbreak).

The decision to ban private practice of Medical College Doctors and make Medical Colleges (MC) referral centres only is another such badly planned move. No doubt doing this would help us advance in medical research and be at par with our Western counterparts as this would require time on the side of the Doctors for study on new techniques and drugs, but, was it executed properly? With most of our Public Health Centres (PHC) and Community Medical Centres (CMC) lacking proper or basic facilities, how is this decision going to help? What the government should have done is first improve the lower tiers, make sure that the PHCs and CMCs have the manpower and equipment to provide the necessary service to the people who fall outside the purview of MCs and its Doctors once the law got implemented.

This negligence was further visible when Contraceptive pills were introduced in the Indian market. The marketing campaign of the drug companies gave a wrong idea to consumers that these pills would prevent pregnancy under any circumstances and also failed to mention the side effects (which, by the way are very severe), and who can and cannot consume these pills. This was also in a way promoting the concept of casual relationships, something very common in Western countries, but against our ethos. It was the duty of the health ministry to regulate such ads and guard the general public from such false notions.

Legitimising Homosexuality, ban on NH-212, plight of farmers in drought hit states, the floods in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh—the list keeps going on and on. What we need right now is a government that is proactive, and not reactive, one that learns from past mistakes and short comings and prepares for the future. We need a government that is smart enough to know that that is their job.