The Caucasus: People Media and Political Agenda

Oil and energy of Azerbaijan, democratization of Georgia, Turkmenistan’s natural gas, the BTC pipeline and the Caspian Sea, the Soviet war in Afghanistan, the Iran contra scandal and the hostage crisis, the Persian Gulf War, the US military invasion of Afghanistan, and the death of Osama Bin Laden. All for what? 

I can’t make sense of this madness and so I start to think cynical. I start to think that the US knew of this man’s location for a long time. I start to think that his murder was planned for this time because there is an agenda to gain leverage with Pakistan for an objective yet to be revealed. 

If I were to say it is all for oil, this would be an inaccurate description of the extent of global political interest and military engagement in and around the Middle East. Nope, it is not oil. It is not natural gas. It is not social justice and human rights. It is the epitome of American greed, our disinterest in anything beyond our doorstep of pleasure, privilege and overindulgence of everything beyond essential. We do not wish to change, we do not wish to share, we do not wish to conserve because we do not care about those less fortunate, those suffering nor generations that follow. We are everyone from the oil company investors to the welfare recipient using food stamps to purchase Drakes cakes for breakfast. 

“Kill that terrorist”, so we can celebrate in a circus of ignorance. Is murder and combat a sporting event? I am embarrassed for the people waving flags and cheering in the street like they were a winning team at a baseball game.

I am embarrassed for people, who exaggerate events and create stories and find creative ways or untruths to somehow turn events into personal experience. Why? In this way we can become victims and justify not helping or avoid changing our behavior.  For example, I was pouring a cup of tea where my dear friends were watching footage of the September eleventh terrorist attack in lower Manhattan. An image of a fear struck woman, looking as though she just climbed out of a collapse of rubble and concrete debris, having emerged seconds before death who continued in a brisk walk, flashes on the television screen. Effie in her comfort of intoxication on fine wine and pharmaceuticals states, “That’s Loshie.” This simple statement implied that my sister was somehow a ground zero survivor. WHAT! The only connection between Loshie and the collapse of the World Trade center is that she walked home to Brooklyn from somewhere midtown, most likely around 30^th street. Ridiculous. 

Our fascination with dirty laundry is a costume. It masks the real issues that deserve attention. And I suppose focusing on others allows me to maybe avoid the guilt that both my two children and I are attending the university and private school, eating well, taking sporadic weekend trips to New York City, the occasional shopping spree and regular on-line purchases of books. I suppose my indulgence in food and education is similar to political leaders that establish relationships with foreign leaders who like so many of us, continue to make bad choices. We always have a choice between right and wrong, no matter the degree of either.Where are we willing to make changes? Should the diminishing suburban middle class (baby boomers) continue to build huge homes with a completely unnecessary amount of space and cut down pine trees to build it in exactly their chosen spot? If I could afford a floor in a Spring Street, SoHo building, certainly I would take it even if it meant I had less to give. I do this already. I could increase my charity donations and buy less. I could  do more service to others and take less time for myself.

The public pawns of the news media, pay attention to the next covered event and bounce around void of feeling from one tragedy to the next. Or as in my case before recent emergence from a coma, do not pay attention at all and instead live in a completely made up small world of light, love and giving birth to pretty brown babies. Shame.

I am a consumer. Petroleum is in everything except food so, I too am guilty. My next purchase once I am privileged to move home to New York, will be a tandem bicycle with a front bar pad for my four year old. I am excited about my family of three’s new method of transportation. Hm? Maybe I will fly our flag off the back.