Reply To Myanmar The Wisdom Of Sanctions
In my previous submission I noted that I am a western expat living in Indonesia, a predominantly Moslem country. Thus I should be considered as an impartial and neutral observer, nothing more and nothing less. I view the Stickman submissions as a laid
back and carefree zone where people want to relax and read entertaining stories, not a place where people come to read thinly veiled political dissertations which is why I was so offended by Korski’s submission on many different levels.
Most readers of Stickman from what I gather are interested in reading stories about Thailand, the neighboring countries, bargirls, relationships etc. Submissions about travel to rural areas and photographic submissions also are very entertaining.
Basically Korski wrote a submission attacking United States foreign policy and the state of Israel at large, while incidentally mentioning an experience he had in Myanmar. I am not writing to defend or attack the United States, Israel or
Korski for that matter. I write to share my observations.
1. The first thing I noticed about this submission is that it is completely disingenuous. If you want to write a submission attacking the United States and Israel, by all means do so…..but don't hide behind the cloak of writing about
Myanmar (which incidentally was one of the first countries to recognize and have diplomatic relations with Israel, and continues to have warm relations to this day). The off the wall diatribes about foreign policy really have no business here.
It seems completely clear to me that Korski wanted to have the wide audience of Stickman readers to spotlight his theories on politics, but realizing that it must have a South-East Asia connection to get published, decided to toss in an anecdote
about myanmar.
2. The next thing I noticed was that this was a very selfish submission. Sure he feigns indignation at the sanctions and mentions that he feels bad for the population. In reality the only thing Korski feels bad about is that he can’t
use his ATM card. He is upset because he was inconvenienced. But it wasn't the sanctions, the united states government, the state of Israel or the banks of myanmar that caused him to be inconvenienced. No. Korski himself has the sole blame
for his inconvenience. When traveling to a country like myanmar that is off the beaten bath, or to any foreign country for that matter, it is your responsibility to make the necessary inquiries as to the availability of ATM machines, use of that
country’s banking systems, transportation, etc BEFORE you get on the plane. stickman made some negative comments about myanmar in his thoughts,but nevertheless I think he will agree with this point.
3.What came to mind next was the hypocritical nature of the submission. Korski bemoans the lack of humanitarianism on the part of the united states and Israel. This leads me to believe Korski must fancy himself as a humanitarian of sorts.
To the north of Israel lies Syria. A regime which has killed 15,000 of its own citizens in the past 12 months. by comparison Israel has killed less than 120 Palestinians in the last 12 months, and those figures are from al jazeera by the way,
so in no way can they be deemed biased in favor of Israel. I’ll let the readers decide for themselves why Korski decides to highlight Israel as opposed to Syria for humanitarian indiscretions.
In the end my thoughts on Burma are thus. It has a breathtaking past. You cannot tell the story of Genghis khan, the silk road, trade routes, etc without Burma. It has a rich past and cultural heritage. The land of 1000 pagodas and a strong
belief in Buddhism. I have never visited but it’s on my list. From the photos I have seen the landscapes and views are second to none. They boast some of the most pristine beaches on the planet. If the future is narco-tourism with ganja
getting legalized all over the globe, well they have a leg up on that too, with supposedly some of the best opium in the world thrown in as an added bonus. They have started making reforms in myanmar and with some luck and foresight it just may
turn into the kind of tourist destination that we all hope for. My prediction is little by little, year by year they will get the whole mess straightened out. In the not too distant future I see myanmar as a place that you can visit and freely
use your ATM cards. Millions will marvel at the ease with which they can access the banks. and our dear Korski, jack the lad if you will finally be at peace.
Until that day comes, please, for the love of all things holy, let’s all agree to disagree on politics. And let's all agree to keep politics away from Stickman Bangkok Readers Submissions.
Stickman's thoughts:
Yep, no more political pieces please. I let this run as a response, but won't be posting any more subs on this topic. If you have an opinion, email Korski or Clarence Worrly, both of whom have provided an email address at the end of their submission.
