What has current US presidentiables gotta say about this? Can America and the Allies say they don't have anything to do with Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan—especially Iraq and Afghanistan? Wasn't it just few years ago when we actually mightily took out their leadership and installed our own “friendly” government and “reconstructed” their fault or faulted economy and society?
Backgrounder to those who may not know. With its 143.1 billion barrels of proved oil reserves, Iraq ranks second in the world behind Saudi Arabia in the amount of oil reserves. Meantime, Afghanistan is the world's primary producer of opium poppy. Recently, all legal and llegal production of this crop increased considerably, surpassing 5,000 tons in 2002 and reaching 8,600 tons in Afghanistan and 840 tons in the Golden Triangle (Burma, Laos, Thailand) in 2014. Production is expected to increase in 2015 as new, improved seeds have been brought into Afghanistan. The World Health Organization has estimated that current production of opium would need to increase fivefold to account for total global medical need.
Syria was a major producer of high-grade oil since the late 60s but declined heavily in the late 90s. But then Iran, a known nemesis of the US, is very friendly with Syria. Iran is the world's 5th largest producer of oil. The US is the third-ranked producer but we are also the first in terms of consuming them—yet we don't really want to mess up our environment by digging more oil (yet we emit them as well in gargantuan carbon footprints).
Just showing you how important Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan to us. Anybody wants to drive a block to CVS to get Prozac supply, or two blocks to Walmart for a pack of Trust condoms, or 3 miles to Westville Pub for handcrafted beers? Think Iraqis and Afghanis. Don't think about those lunatic leaders that we love to hate because we can easily take them out anyway. Think about those weeping and shrieking and hungry and cold refugees who were the bodies and souls working their land so that we could have what we need in excess—in exchange for roof over their head and food on the table. Do I even say iPods and iPads, cable TV and Netflix? I don't think these people know what an iPhone app or who the Kardashians are.
Will those gruesome photos of dead refugees that we post on our Facebook walls matter in the long run? Death happens everyday. From a sidestreet of Detroit or South LA, a child got shot by a wayward driveby shooting, drug-related. In the south of the Philippines, victims of Typhoon Haiyan are still mourning their dead and strengthening nipa huts with bamboo stilts as new typhoons threaten. Bombs are still falling somewhere because somewhere people misbehave and defy the orders of the Masters of the Universe.
All presidential hopefuls in all Allied countries should talk about what's going on outside their comfortable fences. I mean, Croatia—of all countries, tiny Croatia—just took in 20,000 refugees since Wednesday. The Croatia leadership is yelling for help. What is the European Union and Washington and Beijing and Russia doing? Making sure that the One Percent's business interests don't get ruffled by this grieving humanity?
And what we the people can do? Well, we can do a lot—but we can start by simply walking or carpooling to Target or Ingles. Or better yet, let's talk about laughter and don't say “No, the mercury gatorade messed up my fridge so I am in a funk!” because you forgot your pills. And if I insist, I'd be the same inane pasckie—arrogant, rude, insensitive jerk who don't care about stuff because I don't drive a car and fine with ramens as dinner.
I digress. Time for my midday coffee.
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