Today on the way home I started to think about this as a saw a few nice houses. I thought it must be nice to have a nice house and a nice car and assumed most of the houses where family homes. Wouldn't it be nice to live "The American Dream" you know the hot wife the great job the couple of kids. But for some that isn't "The American Dream" there are various ones for some it is living in a house overlooking a beach, For some it is living in a loft apartment and bringing home a differant person each night they go out untill they find someone specail,for some it is having a country house. But what ever those big dreams are wouldn't it be great if you could fullfill your dreams. To do so for most is verry tough but there are some people who have all of that and have a great life. It takes sacrifice to obtain your dreams. But how much are we willing to sacrifice, and how Much can we? I think this is a topic to look inward on and reflect on our self.
Would we sacrifice fun and hanging out with friends for the dream? What about fathers who never see there kids because they are allways working to give them a great house and nice vacations? Would they just be better off to spend some time with the kids? At what point does the dream become more important than your moral code? Would you defraud old ladies with scams of their money, shit they arn't going to be around much longer anyways? What if it meant cheating at work or undercutting other employees to get to the top? Where does one draw the line and say it is ok do go this far, but there is only so much I can sacrifice to get to where I want to be? What about doing illegal things like stealing cars and selling drugs, would that be ok? Again you are not doing this for greed you are doing it because you your 18 year old hot girlfriend to be have sex with you everyday in exchange for nice stuff. Yeah dreams are great but what if you want to aspire so much that you break your own ethics code?
Now lets move out of the real world for a minute and into the supernatural of theoretical philosophy. What if a evil being like say a demon or something approched you and said all you had to do to be obtain your dreams was to give him a soul or give him power over someone else. Would you go out and abduct say a homeless man and keep him in a shed in the backyard or basement and as long as he was locked up you would be a sucesss? If you said yes to this what if the demon took it a step further and said for each imprisoned man or women you lock up I will give you more then you have dreamed of and your kids for example will get to fullfill there dreams, would you do it? It may sound like an odd question but people figuratively sign deals with the devil all the time. They work in a company and lay people off but give them self a raise, so they can have that dream. People go out on the street and have bums fight each other and film it so they can have money so they can try to fullfill their dreams at that time. Is money the root of all evil? Well it can be if you let the way you get your dreams be thourgh money and you only think about your dreams and don't consider others.
What about when a society holds others down so it can have its dreams? Is that ok? Who is more important the one or the whole? Generaly in communism the whole or the group of people is more important then the indivual and in America it is often the other way around. But what if a demon or maybe even a politican came to a city a state or a town or maybe even a country and said Everyone in this area will prosper and people can obtain there dreams . What if all they had to do was to make sure another area suffered? Would you Nock down there power lines? What about tainting their water? What about droping bombs on them, where would you draw the line? If anyone is still reading this you maybe saying that is crazzy no one would ever do that. But it isn't as weird as it seems. What about the blacks in Lovejoy problems that happend a few months ago. Is a lot of that racism yes. But I think another part is that Whites don't want poor ghetto people moving into there neighboorhood and making it worse. There is a save Iron Island group that I really don't know much about. The first thing I thought was why arn't they in Klan outfits they might as well be. I'm not saying it is right but most likely they are people who have dreams and even if they can't achive them all they don't want people coming into there hood and ruining there shot at those dreams. So if you where one of those people how far would you go? Would you say you arn't wanted go away, and then just try harder to keep your dreams alive? Or would you sacrifice your self for you kids dreams would you attack them and run them out? When I was a kid if you didn't live in Lovejoy you didn't go there they didn't like outsiders of anykind, whites included. What if there dream was just to be left alone, How far would they go?
I know the tittle isn't the best. But maybe it is still ok, The reason being is that I think most people will sacrifice but they will only do so much for there dreams and everyone has there limits. There becomes a point for everyone where the sacrifice becomes to much and it wins over dreams. So of the lucky people don't have to sacrifice to much to get there dreams. I'm not saying that it is easy for them at all, I still belive that they work hard. I just wish I could have posted this when there where 25 guests and 3 bots on the site. One last thing I will add is there are some poeple who like to sacrifice and the sacrifice is what makes them feal good and that is what they like. They love the fact that they work a 12 hour day and do things that help others sometimes that can be a great fealing. If anyone made it to the end don't be affraid to sacrifice a few more minutes and let your thoughts out as a comment.
Metalpeter's Journal
My Podcast Link
08/24/2006 20:57 #28454
Dreams Vs. SacrificeCategory: philosophy
08/23/2006 20:17 #28453
sri lanka temil tigers questionCategory: news
I will admit maybe I havn't done enough reserch yet and I need to do more on this subject, but I thought some of you who keep up on the world news might be able to share a little bit of info with me. I read an article that to me wasn't fact based enoungh. It was about the guy who got arrested in Amherst and how everyone was shocked that he supported The Sri Lankian Terrosits (sorry for the shitting spelling guys and gals) Known as the Temal Tigers. But what I didn't like is that the writer refered to them as terrorist but didn't explain why, they are terrorists. All I have found out is that they do Sucicide Bombings and have attacked Budhists. But Why do they do that and what is there problem with the government? I'm not saying they have a just cause. But I would like to hear the entire story of why they do what they do. I did find there sight through a web search. I couldn't read much of it part of it was grayed out and there was a question about does anyone know why in the US you can't access their site. I will admit I wasn't to comfortable checking out there site, I really don't want the FBI showing up at my home or work asking why I was there. I admit I have to do more research and maybe watch the news more to find out if they are truely fighiting for freedom as I'm sure they think they are.
metalpeter - 08/24/06 18:45
First of all I would like to thank you both for the imformation. I admit I'm not sure how a feal about all of it, but at least I now know a lot more about it and i can understand the situation and why the us Considers them terrorists. I hope that things can stay peacefull overthere.
First of all I would like to thank you both for the imformation. I admit I'm not sure how a feal about all of it, but at least I now know a lot more about it and i can understand the situation and why the us Considers them terrorists. I hope that things can stay peacefull overthere.
ajay - 08/24/06 13:33
All of this is from having lived in South Asia.
Sri Lanka and India are geographically very close; maybe 20-30 miles at some places. Sri Lanka has 2 major ethnic groups: the Sinhala and the Tamils. Some of the Tamils migrated from southern India in the last couple of 100 years. Some were brought over by the Brits to work in tea plantations.
Anyways, after Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) became independent from Britain, the majority (Sinhala) slowly instituted laws that made Sinhalese the official language, etc. Slowly the Tamils started feeling alienated. It didn't help that the Indians, at a local level in the southern part of the country, supported the Tamils.
Now going back to the late 70s and early 80s, the Tamils started agitating for more rights, and maybe even their own homeland ("Tamil Eelam"). At that time there were people in all parts of the spectrum: those like the LTTE who wanted total freedom; and then others who just wanted more say in their own affairs.
As it so happens, both sides first got rid of the moderates; after all, the presence of moderates is threatening to both sides in any debate, because the moderates represent an alternative that people would eventually find palatable. The LTTE and the Sri Lankan government knocked off the moderates and soon you were left with the two radicals on both sides.
The Tamils of that region have been a trading and seafaring group for 1000s of years. They are very resourceful, and the LTTE has used this to smuggle arms and build up their own little 'army' in northern Sri Lanka.
These guys were doing suicide bombings before anyone else had heard of the term. They're very radical and very resourceful. Their "operations" are planned out months and years in advance. It is sad that such enterprising people have chosen a path of violence.
Just as with any such violent situation, you won't see peace until both sides agree to a peace. One side can't subjugate the other; bloodletting has gone on for 20+ years and still there's no end to it.
The US was forced to call them a "terrorist group" after it became painfully obvious that they were doing exactly what the radical islamists are doing in the mid-east and europe. As long as the LTTE was blowing up Indians and Sri Lankans, the US couldn't care less. But post 9/11, suddenly LTTE has become a terrorist group. Go figure.
All of this is from having lived in South Asia.
Sri Lanka and India are geographically very close; maybe 20-30 miles at some places. Sri Lanka has 2 major ethnic groups: the Sinhala and the Tamils. Some of the Tamils migrated from southern India in the last couple of 100 years. Some were brought over by the Brits to work in tea plantations.
Anyways, after Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) became independent from Britain, the majority (Sinhala) slowly instituted laws that made Sinhalese the official language, etc. Slowly the Tamils started feeling alienated. It didn't help that the Indians, at a local level in the southern part of the country, supported the Tamils.
Now going back to the late 70s and early 80s, the Tamils started agitating for more rights, and maybe even their own homeland ("Tamil Eelam"). At that time there were people in all parts of the spectrum: those like the LTTE who wanted total freedom; and then others who just wanted more say in their own affairs.
As it so happens, both sides first got rid of the moderates; after all, the presence of moderates is threatening to both sides in any debate, because the moderates represent an alternative that people would eventually find palatable. The LTTE and the Sri Lankan government knocked off the moderates and soon you were left with the two radicals on both sides.
The Tamils of that region have been a trading and seafaring group for 1000s of years. They are very resourceful, and the LTTE has used this to smuggle arms and build up their own little 'army' in northern Sri Lanka.
These guys were doing suicide bombings before anyone else had heard of the term. They're very radical and very resourceful. Their "operations" are planned out months and years in advance. It is sad that such enterprising people have chosen a path of violence.
Just as with any such violent situation, you won't see peace until both sides agree to a peace. One side can't subjugate the other; bloodletting has gone on for 20+ years and still there's no end to it.
The US was forced to call them a "terrorist group" after it became painfully obvious that they were doing exactly what the radical islamists are doing in the mid-east and europe. As long as the LTTE was blowing up Indians and Sri Lankans, the US couldn't care less. But post 9/11, suddenly LTTE has become a terrorist group. Go figure.
uncutsaniflush - 08/23/06 20:45
I hope this helps
from :::link:::
Tamil rebels began an armed uprising in 1983, after they complained of discrimination against the minority Tamil community. The rebels say they want wide-ranging autonomy for Tamil-dominated areas under their control in the north and the east.
Although a ceasefire signed in 2002 is still in force, peace talks have been on hold for more than a year. Norwegian envoys have shuttled between the government and the rebels in a bid to revive talks, but neither side can agree on an agenda to resume discussions. In 2004 the ruling party won local elections, which could strengthen the government's hand and pave the way for it to restart talks with the rebels.
In July 2004 Tamil Tigers threatened to resume a civil war halted by a peace process that began two-and-one-half-years ago. The Tigers accuse the Sri Lankan military of trying to weaken the rebel movement by using the rival rebel faction against them. The army and the government deny the charges, saying they are abiding by a ceasefire agreement signed in 2002. Several Tamil Tiger cadres had been killed in the east recently, and a suicide-bomb attack ripped Colombo, killing four policemen. Description
The Tamil people of the island of Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka) constitute a distinct nation. They form a social entity, with their own history, traditions, culture, language and traditional homeland. The Tamil people call their nation'Tamil Eelam'. Founded in 1976, the LTTE is the most powerful Tamil group in Sri Lanka and uses overt and illegal methods to raise funds, acquire weapons, and publicize its cause of establishing an independent Tamil state. The LTTE began its armed conflict with the Sri Lankan Government in 1983 and relies on a guerrilla strategy that includes the use of terrorist tactics. The group's elite Black Tiger squad conducts suicide bombings against important targets, and all rank-and-file members carry a cyanide capsule to kill themselves rather than allow themselves to be caught. The LTTE is very insular and highly organized with its own intelligence service, naval element (the Sea Tigers), and women's political and military wings.
Activities
The LTTE has integrated a battlefield insurgent strategy with a terrorist program that targets key government and military personnel, the economy, and public infrastructure. Political assassinations include the suicide bomber attacks against Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993 and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, which is the group's only known act outside Sri Lanka. The LTTE has detonated two massive truck bombs directed against the Sri Lankan economy, one at the Central Bank in January 1996 and another at the Colombo World Trade Center in October 1997. The LTTE also has attacked several ships in Sri Lankan waters, including foreign commercial vessels and infrastructure targets such as commuter trains, buses, oil tanks, and power stations. The LTTE prefers to attack vulnerable government facilities then withdraw before reinforcements arrive, or to time its attacks to take advantage of security lapses on holidays, at night, or in the early morning.
In the past several years, the LTTE has also attacked several commercial ships flying foreign flags in the waters off the north and east of the country. In 1998, threats were directed at domestic air carriers flying between Colombo and Jaffna, and in September of that year, a domestic civilian aircraft flying from Colombo to Jaffna crashed, killing everyone on board. The cause of the accident is still unknown.
Bomb attacks remain the greatest terrorist hazard. The LTTE has attempted or carried out numerous political assassinations or attempts. In 1999, suicide bombings resulted in the death of 30 persons and injury to 143 others in Colombo, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Jaffna and Medawachchi. In January 2000, a suicide bomber killed more than a dozen and wounded several passers-by when she detonated her bomb outside the Prime Minister's Office after being detected by security personnel. In March 2000, as many as eight LTTE terrorists attacked a government motorcade traveling on a major Colombo thoroughfare, killing 25 people and wounding many others. In June 2000, a suicide bomber assassinated the Minister for Industrial Development in a Colombo suburb. Twenty-one others were killed and 60 people were injured in the attack. In October 2000, two American and one British women and their Sri Lankan driver were seriously injured in their vehicle in Central Colombo when an LTTE suicide bomber confronted by police exploded his device rather than surrender. Three policemen were killed. In October 2001, an LTTE suicide bomber stopped by police in the vicinity of an election rally in Colombo detonated his device rather than surrender, killing five people and injuring 16 others.
In addition to individual suicide bombers, vehicle-mounted bombs have been used by the LTTE. Major hotels have been directly affected by terrorist activities and could be again because of their proximity to likely economic, government and military targets
In January 1998, the Temple of the Tooth, an important religious and tourist site in Kandy, was subjected to a truck bomb; eight people were killed, and the temple, nearby businesses and an historic hotel were damaged.
Small bombs have frequently been placed against infrastructure targets such as telephone switchgear or electrical power transformers. Public buses have also been the targets of terrorist attacks. In September 1999, bombs were detonated in buses in separate incidents in Negombo and Badula. In one week in February 2000, seven separate explosions of bombs left on public buses in Colombo and other cities killed three and wounded over 140 people. Bombs have also been found on trains and on train roadbeds, resulting in one death and injuries to over 50 people.
In May 2000, the Sri Lankan Government activated provisions of the Public Security Ordinance, giving certain government authorities sweeping powers to deal with threats to national security. The next month the LTTE gained a signifigant victory in taking the Elephant pass army garrison, located in a town on the Jaffna Peninnsula.
In February 2002 the LTTE and the Sri Lankan goverment signed a ceasefire agreement brokered by Norway. As of June 2003 the agreement appeared to be disolving. The LTTE claimed the goverment has done little to address rebel concerns and deliver on the promises made during the six rounds of peace talks. The LTTE wanted to draft an independent Tamil administration, while the Sri Lankan goverment was willing to go only as far as grantiing financial autonomy. The impasse came as involved parties planned to meet in Tokyo for a Sri Lankan financial aid conference.
Sri Lanka's president Chandrika Kumaratunga took over three government ministries, including the defense ministry, and suspended parliament in a move analysts say was aimed at weakening her political rival, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Now that the president is in control of the defense ministry, analysts say it is unclear if the president is in charge of the peace plan or if it remains in the hands of the prime minister. Given the president's hard-line approach to peace negotiations, her actions are casting doubt on whether the nearly two-year-old ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels from will hold.
The peace process has been going ahead. The ceasefire agreement has held for 20 months - this has never happened before in Sri Lanka. And for the first time since the armed conflict started, the LTTE put down in writing and sent a proposal. The proposal from the Tigers was a five-year plan for self-government in parts of Sri Lanka where there is a majority of ethnic Tamils. It was supposed to be discussed during the next round of negotiations, which is now on hold. President Kumaratunga has criticized the proposal, which she says amounts to virtual separation of Tamil areas from the rest of Sri Lanka.
More than 60 thousand people have died in Sri Lanka's civil war, which broke out in 1983 when the Tamil Tigers revolted against what they say was government repression.
In late January 2004 Sri Lanka's Tamil rebels warned that a newly-formed political alliance, including the country's president, could lead the country back into war. The alliance said it planned to review Norway's role as peace mediator between the government and the rebels. Tamil Rebel leader Anton Balasingham called the political alliance formed between President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Sri Lankan Freedom party and a hard-line Marxist group an "anti-peace pact." Balasingham accused the new alliance of taking "confused" positions on a serious national issue, and said this could create conditions for a resumption of the country's two-decade-long civil war. The alliance said it does not want a return to war, and supports continued negotiations with the rebels.
An aide to President Kumaratunga says the "excessive internationalization" of the conflict is endangering the country's sovereignty. Norway played a leading role in the peace process between the rebels and the government. It mediated a truce between the two sides, and helped facilitate six rounds of talks between them since. But the Norwegians put peace talks on hold in November 2003, after a political dispute between President Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe left doubts about who in the government was managing the peace process. The crisis was triggered by the president's takeover of three ministries from the prime minister's government. The president and prime minister are of different parties, and in Sri Lanka they are elected separately. The Norwegians said the peace process could only continue once it was clear who is in charge. But they continued to supervise the fragile ceasefire. The rebels say the political bickering in Colombo is undermining the truce, and have asked the international community to put pressure on the government to resume negotiations.
Strength
Approximately 10,000 armed combatants in Sri Lanka; about 3,000 to 6,000 form a trained cadre of fighters. The LTTE also has a significant overseas support structure for fundraising, weapons procurement, and propaganda activities. The LTTE also has its own naval wing designated the Sea Tigers.
Location/Area of Operation
The Tigers control most of the northern and eastern coastal areas of Sri Lanka but have conducted operations throughout the island. Headquartered in the Wanni region, LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has established an extensive network of checkpoints and informants to keep track of any outsiders who enter the group's area of control.
External Aid
The LTTE's overt organizations support Tamil separatism by lobbying foreign governments and the United Nations. The LTTE also uses its international contacts to procure weapons, communications, and bombmaking equipment. The LTTE exploits large Tamil communities in North America, Europe, and Asia to obtain funds and supplies for its fighters in Sri Lanka. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are involved in numerous trans national criminal activities, including partnerships with Pakistani heroin producers/traffickers, alien smuggling, extortion from Tamil families living abroad, and various forms of fraud. All this in order to raise funds for their insurgent activities in Sri Lanka
I hope this helps
from :::link:::
Tamil rebels began an armed uprising in 1983, after they complained of discrimination against the minority Tamil community. The rebels say they want wide-ranging autonomy for Tamil-dominated areas under their control in the north and the east.
Although a ceasefire signed in 2002 is still in force, peace talks have been on hold for more than a year. Norwegian envoys have shuttled between the government and the rebels in a bid to revive talks, but neither side can agree on an agenda to resume discussions. In 2004 the ruling party won local elections, which could strengthen the government's hand and pave the way for it to restart talks with the rebels.
In July 2004 Tamil Tigers threatened to resume a civil war halted by a peace process that began two-and-one-half-years ago. The Tigers accuse the Sri Lankan military of trying to weaken the rebel movement by using the rival rebel faction against them. The army and the government deny the charges, saying they are abiding by a ceasefire agreement signed in 2002. Several Tamil Tiger cadres had been killed in the east recently, and a suicide-bomb attack ripped Colombo, killing four policemen. Description
The Tamil people of the island of Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka) constitute a distinct nation. They form a social entity, with their own history, traditions, culture, language and traditional homeland. The Tamil people call their nation'Tamil Eelam'. Founded in 1976, the LTTE is the most powerful Tamil group in Sri Lanka and uses overt and illegal methods to raise funds, acquire weapons, and publicize its cause of establishing an independent Tamil state. The LTTE began its armed conflict with the Sri Lankan Government in 1983 and relies on a guerrilla strategy that includes the use of terrorist tactics. The group's elite Black Tiger squad conducts suicide bombings against important targets, and all rank-and-file members carry a cyanide capsule to kill themselves rather than allow themselves to be caught. The LTTE is very insular and highly organized with its own intelligence service, naval element (the Sea Tigers), and women's political and military wings.
Activities
The LTTE has integrated a battlefield insurgent strategy with a terrorist program that targets key government and military personnel, the economy, and public infrastructure. Political assassinations include the suicide bomber attacks against Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993 and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, which is the group's only known act outside Sri Lanka. The LTTE has detonated two massive truck bombs directed against the Sri Lankan economy, one at the Central Bank in January 1996 and another at the Colombo World Trade Center in October 1997. The LTTE also has attacked several ships in Sri Lankan waters, including foreign commercial vessels and infrastructure targets such as commuter trains, buses, oil tanks, and power stations. The LTTE prefers to attack vulnerable government facilities then withdraw before reinforcements arrive, or to time its attacks to take advantage of security lapses on holidays, at night, or in the early morning.
In the past several years, the LTTE has also attacked several commercial ships flying foreign flags in the waters off the north and east of the country. In 1998, threats were directed at domestic air carriers flying between Colombo and Jaffna, and in September of that year, a domestic civilian aircraft flying from Colombo to Jaffna crashed, killing everyone on board. The cause of the accident is still unknown.
Bomb attacks remain the greatest terrorist hazard. The LTTE has attempted or carried out numerous political assassinations or attempts. In 1999, suicide bombings resulted in the death of 30 persons and injury to 143 others in Colombo, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Jaffna and Medawachchi. In January 2000, a suicide bomber killed more than a dozen and wounded several passers-by when she detonated her bomb outside the Prime Minister's Office after being detected by security personnel. In March 2000, as many as eight LTTE terrorists attacked a government motorcade traveling on a major Colombo thoroughfare, killing 25 people and wounding many others. In June 2000, a suicide bomber assassinated the Minister for Industrial Development in a Colombo suburb. Twenty-one others were killed and 60 people were injured in the attack. In October 2000, two American and one British women and their Sri Lankan driver were seriously injured in their vehicle in Central Colombo when an LTTE suicide bomber confronted by police exploded his device rather than surrender. Three policemen were killed. In October 2001, an LTTE suicide bomber stopped by police in the vicinity of an election rally in Colombo detonated his device rather than surrender, killing five people and injuring 16 others.
In addition to individual suicide bombers, vehicle-mounted bombs have been used by the LTTE. Major hotels have been directly affected by terrorist activities and could be again because of their proximity to likely economic, government and military targets
In January 1998, the Temple of the Tooth, an important religious and tourist site in Kandy, was subjected to a truck bomb; eight people were killed, and the temple, nearby businesses and an historic hotel were damaged.
Small bombs have frequently been placed against infrastructure targets such as telephone switchgear or electrical power transformers. Public buses have also been the targets of terrorist attacks. In September 1999, bombs were detonated in buses in separate incidents in Negombo and Badula. In one week in February 2000, seven separate explosions of bombs left on public buses in Colombo and other cities killed three and wounded over 140 people. Bombs have also been found on trains and on train roadbeds, resulting in one death and injuries to over 50 people.
In May 2000, the Sri Lankan Government activated provisions of the Public Security Ordinance, giving certain government authorities sweeping powers to deal with threats to national security. The next month the LTTE gained a signifigant victory in taking the Elephant pass army garrison, located in a town on the Jaffna Peninnsula.
In February 2002 the LTTE and the Sri Lankan goverment signed a ceasefire agreement brokered by Norway. As of June 2003 the agreement appeared to be disolving. The LTTE claimed the goverment has done little to address rebel concerns and deliver on the promises made during the six rounds of peace talks. The LTTE wanted to draft an independent Tamil administration, while the Sri Lankan goverment was willing to go only as far as grantiing financial autonomy. The impasse came as involved parties planned to meet in Tokyo for a Sri Lankan financial aid conference.
Sri Lanka's president Chandrika Kumaratunga took over three government ministries, including the defense ministry, and suspended parliament in a move analysts say was aimed at weakening her political rival, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Now that the president is in control of the defense ministry, analysts say it is unclear if the president is in charge of the peace plan or if it remains in the hands of the prime minister. Given the president's hard-line approach to peace negotiations, her actions are casting doubt on whether the nearly two-year-old ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels from will hold.
The peace process has been going ahead. The ceasefire agreement has held for 20 months - this has never happened before in Sri Lanka. And for the first time since the armed conflict started, the LTTE put down in writing and sent a proposal. The proposal from the Tigers was a five-year plan for self-government in parts of Sri Lanka where there is a majority of ethnic Tamils. It was supposed to be discussed during the next round of negotiations, which is now on hold. President Kumaratunga has criticized the proposal, which she says amounts to virtual separation of Tamil areas from the rest of Sri Lanka.
More than 60 thousand people have died in Sri Lanka's civil war, which broke out in 1983 when the Tamil Tigers revolted against what they say was government repression.
In late January 2004 Sri Lanka's Tamil rebels warned that a newly-formed political alliance, including the country's president, could lead the country back into war. The alliance said it planned to review Norway's role as peace mediator between the government and the rebels. Tamil Rebel leader Anton Balasingham called the political alliance formed between President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Sri Lankan Freedom party and a hard-line Marxist group an "anti-peace pact." Balasingham accused the new alliance of taking "confused" positions on a serious national issue, and said this could create conditions for a resumption of the country's two-decade-long civil war. The alliance said it does not want a return to war, and supports continued negotiations with the rebels.
An aide to President Kumaratunga says the "excessive internationalization" of the conflict is endangering the country's sovereignty. Norway played a leading role in the peace process between the rebels and the government. It mediated a truce between the two sides, and helped facilitate six rounds of talks between them since. But the Norwegians put peace talks on hold in November 2003, after a political dispute between President Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe left doubts about who in the government was managing the peace process. The crisis was triggered by the president's takeover of three ministries from the prime minister's government. The president and prime minister are of different parties, and in Sri Lanka they are elected separately. The Norwegians said the peace process could only continue once it was clear who is in charge. But they continued to supervise the fragile ceasefire. The rebels say the political bickering in Colombo is undermining the truce, and have asked the international community to put pressure on the government to resume negotiations.
Strength
Approximately 10,000 armed combatants in Sri Lanka; about 3,000 to 6,000 form a trained cadre of fighters. The LTTE also has a significant overseas support structure for fundraising, weapons procurement, and propaganda activities. The LTTE also has its own naval wing designated the Sea Tigers.
Location/Area of Operation
The Tigers control most of the northern and eastern coastal areas of Sri Lanka but have conducted operations throughout the island. Headquartered in the Wanni region, LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has established an extensive network of checkpoints and informants to keep track of any outsiders who enter the group's area of control.
External Aid
The LTTE's overt organizations support Tamil separatism by lobbying foreign governments and the United Nations. The LTTE also uses its international contacts to procure weapons, communications, and bombmaking equipment. The LTTE exploits large Tamil communities in North America, Europe, and Asia to obtain funds and supplies for its fighters in Sri Lanka. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are involved in numerous trans national criminal activities, including partnerships with Pakistani heroin producers/traffickers, alien smuggling, extortion from Tamil families living abroad, and various forms of fraud. All this in order to raise funds for their insurgent activities in Sri Lanka
08/22/2006 20:07 #28452
Tom and Jerry...Category: art
Ok so I read on Yahoo that Tom and Jerry got in trouble for smoking in a cartoon in the UK. Not sure if it was an old or new cartoon I can't remember. But what I don't get is that people are affarid kids will see the smoking and then want to do it. But hold on I thought cartoons didn't effect people. Wait they maybe be right, I think they could be. I think cartoons might effect people and so kids might want to smoke. But then wouldn't that also mean that the kids would then learn to be violant. So it is ok to be violant and settle your problems through violance but smoking is wrong. I want to fucking scream!!!!!!!!!
But then a remebered something i heard. Supposdly Tom & Jerry where taken off the air originaly because they where a racist cartoon. Remeber Momma you only saw her feat and legs and her broom and she was black, so it was offensive. I don't know if that is really true or not.
But that brings me to my next point. I want my cartoons edgy and even offensive as long as it is funny. That is assuming that the cartoon makes fun of everybody and isn't just a racist message being sent to try to recruit for a hate group.
That leads me into the fact that I don't want my cartoons edited. Bugs bunny wears a dress so do we have to cut that out so we don't upset the cross dressers. I know there where some offensive Bugs Bunny and other cartoons made a long time ago. But I want to see them in there original form. Cartoons should never be PC and should never be altered to be PC. Oh and if they are in Black and White leave them that way.
I hate political correctness and here is why. It is a way to cover racism. No one wants to admit they maybe prejudiced. I will admit it I am. I think that as long as I treat everyone the same and don't let that affect how I treat people then that is ok. But what being PC means is you call People Afro Americans then don't hire them because they are black but you use a word that have positive annotations instead of negative (or is that connotation I forget). Being PC is also about not offending everyone and trying to have everyone like you and not be offenend it is so fucking dishonest and so fake. With politcal correctness there would be no comedy. I'm a little off point here but my main point is lets not change cartoons cause some one is offendend. Cartoons are supposed to be funny and offensive.
But then a remebered something i heard. Supposdly Tom & Jerry where taken off the air originaly because they where a racist cartoon. Remeber Momma you only saw her feat and legs and her broom and she was black, so it was offensive. I don't know if that is really true or not.
But that brings me to my next point. I want my cartoons edgy and even offensive as long as it is funny. That is assuming that the cartoon makes fun of everybody and isn't just a racist message being sent to try to recruit for a hate group.
That leads me into the fact that I don't want my cartoons edited. Bugs bunny wears a dress so do we have to cut that out so we don't upset the cross dressers. I know there where some offensive Bugs Bunny and other cartoons made a long time ago. But I want to see them in there original form. Cartoons should never be PC and should never be altered to be PC. Oh and if they are in Black and White leave them that way.
I hate political correctness and here is why. It is a way to cover racism. No one wants to admit they maybe prejudiced. I will admit it I am. I think that as long as I treat everyone the same and don't let that affect how I treat people then that is ok. But what being PC means is you call People Afro Americans then don't hire them because they are black but you use a word that have positive annotations instead of negative (or is that connotation I forget). Being PC is also about not offending everyone and trying to have everyone like you and not be offenend it is so fucking dishonest and so fake. With politcal correctness there would be no comedy. I'm a little off point here but my main point is lets not change cartoons cause some one is offendend. Cartoons are supposed to be funny and offensive.
libertad - 08/23/06 10:15
I agree with you old cartoons should not be edited because they are not PC. It would be like erasing History because you don't like what it says. On the other hand, new shows have an important responsibility in not promoting hateful messages. I kind of like shows that show how funny and absurd things like racism, sexism or homophobia are. They don't have to be PC. They can make fun of these things so long as they do it in a way that does not encourage hate. I think a good example here would be the Simpsons. They display stereotypes in a very satirical sort of way. I have a very good sense of humor, but commercials, such as the dodge ad, are really not a great thing for society. SOrry to go off topic a bit, but this is something we have talked about before. If you can't be funny without hurting other people, than maybe your not funny at all. Cartoons are not supposed to be offensive, they are supposed to be funny. Shows like the simpsons or south park really aren't pc, but I have never been offended by them either.
I agree with you old cartoons should not be edited because they are not PC. It would be like erasing History because you don't like what it says. On the other hand, new shows have an important responsibility in not promoting hateful messages. I kind of like shows that show how funny and absurd things like racism, sexism or homophobia are. They don't have to be PC. They can make fun of these things so long as they do it in a way that does not encourage hate. I think a good example here would be the Simpsons. They display stereotypes in a very satirical sort of way. I have a very good sense of humor, but commercials, such as the dodge ad, are really not a great thing for society. SOrry to go off topic a bit, but this is something we have talked about before. If you can't be funny without hurting other people, than maybe your not funny at all. Cartoons are not supposed to be offensive, they are supposed to be funny. Shows like the simpsons or south park really aren't pc, but I have never been offended by them either.
08/21/2006 18:48 #28451
Katrina Prision BreakCategory: tv
On monday nights I Usaly watch Monday Night Raw. Tonight it should be verry good Since Summer Slam was last night, it was good last night some good matchs. Prision Break returns to Fox at 8pm I'm really looking forward to see where the story goes it was so great last year we shall see. I will taping on HBO at 9pm Spike Lee has that Documentary about New Orleans and the floods. It is on in two parts tonight and then 2 parts on tuesday also. At the verry least it should be verry interesting. I think Spike will show things in a differant way then we are used to seeing them. I belive Spike is also making a Feature Film for theatres about Katrina but that is going to be completely differant and isn't this but I'm not sure. I will admit I don't completely agree with Spike Lee on a lot of things. But the movies I have seen of his I have really enjoyed so we shall see about this one. On a side note if you havn't seen them I have fair pictures up on my previous post.
08/20/2006 14:41 #28450
Fair Bus Derby 06Category: photos
So I went to the fair again. With the rain I took things inside and did walk through the rain. I never did get a fried dough but I did get to see some animals and take pictures that you can see down below. I did put up a lot of pictures but these aren't the only ones I took. I think I would have just stayed home If I wasn't going to the derby. One thing that was to bad about the rain was that the parade was Cancelled that meant I didn't get to see all the Clydesdales but I did get pictures of some of them and the Donkey from the Bud adds. I also saw other horses also. You may notice the Elvis Hot Sauce that was to good not to take a picture. The place setting where in the creative arts building. The carved out tree was preaty cool to, not sure if the pictures do it justice or not. hope you all enjoy the pictures.
That is a praying mantis on the seat at the bus Derby. It did wind up crawling up me. The odd thing is you or at least I couldn't feal it. Not sure really how many and what pictures to put up once the derby starts hopefull I put up enough to give a general sense of it with out them being to many and boaring. I don't think the carnage and damage really shows up in pictures and of course there is no crashing sound. Yes granted maybe I should have put this up a few pictures earlier but now is good enough. I saw the Fix the Logo bus from a far and thought thats awesome. I think my favorite was the #16 Sabres Bus, yeah it dosn't really say his name on it nor did he drive it but it is great looking.
There was also a minivan Demolition derby heat the vans where verry quick and hard to get good pictures of but there are a few up above.
On thing I maybe should have explained is that the buses goes in heats. The last two buses running in each heat advance to the finals. There is a last chance heat for all the buses who didn't make it but can still move. All in all it is preaty fun to watch.
#23 won in the end, they also had a best in show at the begining that the fans voted on but not sure who won that I think it was the #16 bus.
That is a praying mantis on the seat at the bus Derby. It did wind up crawling up me. The odd thing is you or at least I couldn't feal it. Not sure really how many and what pictures to put up once the derby starts hopefull I put up enough to give a general sense of it with out them being to many and boaring. I don't think the carnage and damage really shows up in pictures and of course there is no crashing sound. Yes granted maybe I should have put this up a few pictures earlier but now is good enough. I saw the Fix the Logo bus from a far and thought thats awesome. I think my favorite was the #16 Sabres Bus, yeah it dosn't really say his name on it nor did he drive it but it is great looking.
There was also a minivan Demolition derby heat the vans where verry quick and hard to get good pictures of but there are a few up above.
On thing I maybe should have explained is that the buses goes in heats. The last two buses running in each heat advance to the finals. There is a last chance heat for all the buses who didn't make it but can still move. All in all it is preaty fun to watch.
#23 won in the end, they also had a best in show at the begining that the fans voted on but not sure who won that I think it was the #16 bus.
Wow. That is an intense post! I have been thinking about similar issues lately. The spin for me is, hiring cheap labor to do dirty jobs I don't want to do. In this town, there are plenty of laborers to be had. Probably all illegal aliens. Vietnamese to sacrifice their lungs so my crappy carpet can be ripped out and lead-painted floors sanded and refinished. Mexicans for any hard labor you might throw at them. I feel incredibly guilty paying them to do my dirty work. (I've only hired Vietnamese - through a referral - to refinish my floors so far.) Sure, I can make more per hour doing "clean" work, and therefore why not spend my time working to pay them? But it just seems weird. On the surface they are perfectly free to charge whatever rate is fair for their services. But the reality might be they don't know what they're sacrificing, or they don't have a choice. So, just because they believe their own life is cheap, should I? Although even if I don't, someone else will. So where does that put me?