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Socialism is immoralProtest the quota systemEnd entitlement benefits for freeloaders Support the death penalty for terrorists and anti-nationals |
| FAKE STINGS AND SECULAR GAMES: | |
| The deep rooted conspiracy to subvert the political process [link] |
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Thursday, July 31, 2008 |
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Houses of the holy | |
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Why CNN-IBN did not telecast trust vote sting This is just a small excerpt from a long winded article. Since when does the media wait for a story to "complete"? At this very moment the CNN-IBN site adorns a scary newsflash about a bomb scare at Vadodara stock exchange. Exactly what could be not so water-tight about a footage from a hidden camera? Except of course if you are literally shooting under water. The story also goes on to quote Harish Salve at length. Salve adds little value except to agree with CNN-IBN not airing the tape, while simultaneously not providing any convincing legal reason for not doing so. Not airing the tape was a choice. Likewise, everything stated in the article are opinions of CNN-IBN team or their masters. The basic fallacy is that an opinion can not impart morality on a choice, especially when the opinion is expressed by the party making the choice.
posted by barbarindian at 5:49 AM Permalink
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Monday, July 28, 2008 |
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Thank you, Sushmaji | |
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So the secular buggers are yelping like kicked pariah dogs, after Sushma Swaraj gave them a taste of her own version of Dum Dum dawai. Under normal circumstances, Ms. Swaraj's statements are highly offensive and objectionable, but then again you wanna argue if these are normal circumstances? Be our guest (hint: large bundles of currency notes being flashed in Parliament, Amar Singh etc.). At least two BJP oriented blogs (Chindu and Offstumped) excoriated Ms. Swaraj's statements in no uncertain terms. But such courtesy was not extended by the intellectual Junta post Sonia Gandhi's Maut ka Saudagar remark. Amar Singh uttered the phrase "communal forces" so many times that the fella might have developed a toothache from it. The fact remains that the extended family has always resorted to the most vulgar rhetoric. The list of their victims is long - starting from Dr. Ambedkar to Babu Jagjivan Ram to the latest - Mayawati (a recent CNN-IBN comedy show made the most vulgar allusions to her appearance, Tehelka's Mintty Tejpal also made similar remarks in the past). Let us not even mention the most offensive remarks made about a certain set of people day in and day out. Now they are suddenly nice, working for "national interest" and ardent believers of "economic growth". The media and the intellectuals must share at least a part of the blame for the recent dreadful attacks. The sheer scale of the attack and the meticulous planning behind it suggests the involvement of at least several dozen operatives. This would not have been possible without the aid of the media's constant flashing of terrible images and constant reopening of wounds. The Tehelka Sting finally bore its deadly fruit. Shortly after the attacks, CNN-IBN had Mallika Sarabhai on call. She said something about humanity and insensitivity and then mentioned a couple of key incidents from 2002. Then she said, "perhaps about two hundred or three fifty or a thousand women were raped ...". Even if one were to disregard the statistics, how do you explain such casual statements? What Mallika Sarabhai, Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika Ghose and countless other intellectuals want to say is that Ahmedabad deserved this attack. It is just that they don't have Sushma Swaraj's guts. So, after dozens of attacks, lots of editorializing, politicking, indignation, discussions, analysis paralysis etc. etc., the only big question is: will they consider it even, now?
posted by barbarindian at 8:55 PM Permalink
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Saturday, July 26, 2008 |
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Bicycles of violence | |
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 Even before the Bangalore blasts were properly editorialized, terror struck once again, this time in Ahmedabad. The highly symbolic nature of the three most recent terror strikes accentuates the steely determination of the group(s) behind the blasts. At the same time, these attacks expose the vulnerability of a socialist country grappling with its identity on the world's stage.Like it or not, India is headed towards an ugly conflict it doesn't need with a certain neighbor. It can tide over the crisis, provided the leaders do what they are supposed to, i.e. provide leadership. Perhaps for the first time, a CM has called for "quickening the pace of development" to send a strong message to the terrorists.
posted by barbarindian at 3:23 PM Permalink
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Bangalore Bombed (or should we say, seculared?) | |
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 Congress supporters celebrate the trust vote victoryTerror strikes shining India's most talked about town, the iconic showpiece of our success in the IT/BPO business. In many ways this low yield strike defies logic, yet everything starts to fall into place once you factor in the political situation. Sandeep has a great post summarizing the events leading up to the blasts. B. Raman analyzes the blasts. The convenient timing of this terror attack is quite intriguing, not that we are suggesting anything. Taking on an ally like the Samajwadi Party is a package deal, it is another matter that instead of triggering a massive moral outrage, Amar Singh's antics seem to be tickling the funny bones of media people. For once we have a terror attack which will receive the media coverage it deserves. This time the PM and home minister made statements in record time.
posted by barbarindian at 12:02 AM Permalink
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008 |
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A Choice not an echo | |
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 Phyllis Schlafly may not be a familiar name to many, but in her prime time during the 60s she was one of the most influential American conservative activists. Her groundbreaking book, A choice not an echo, aside from being a best seller, would essentially set the tone that would eventually usher in the Reagan era.An outstanding student, her achievements are even more remarkable given that this was an America still not comfortable with an independent woman, let alone one with strong views. While the political situation in the book requires some background and indeed may not be wholly applicable to a parliamentary democracy like India, many of the ideas in it will be immediately familiar. A choice not an echo is an ardent appeal to American voters, before the presidential elections of 1964. Phyllis Schlafly exposes the ugly underbelly of the unholy influence big business wields on the political process. The book details how easily national interests are set aside, how conveniently idealistic candidates are buried by a conniving media. An excerpt from the book readers can immediately relate to: Chapter Six: The Pollsters and the Hoaxers (1944)
posted by barbarindian at 10:31 PM Permalink
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Her widest smile yet..... | |
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 Link.
posted by barbarindian at 1:01 AM Permalink
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008 |
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Not convinced about nuclear power | |
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 Ah! Democracy! Strange are its ways indeed. In any case, no refund for subscribers, so, we are stuck with this for now.As explained earlier, our objection to the N-deal is mainly on the basis of strategic reasons. The current political environment of the world is pretty toxic and uncertain. Except France, most other countries have crossed over to the liberal side. Once the Olympics are over, heaven only knows what the Chinese will do. A liberal western Government will not blink before imposing sanctions on India for real or imagnary transgressions of the treaty, if it wins a few votes on that basis. So far India has managed to stay out of the radar of the NPT wallahs. Why stir up the shit pot? In any case, it looks like we are going to have nuke power, lots of it. This is where the N-Deal starts to look like a huge fiasco. A 2003 MIT study reveals that Nuclear power economics is very dubious. Huge upfront costs, as much as $12 billion for a single unit, can make it even more expensive. In the US, where nuke provides 20% of power, the industry has received a subsidy of more than $100 billion. For a quick reference, please read this Salon article. An interesting quote from a US Pundit, to people of Australia (who have massive Uranium reserves!): "I love the idea of nuclear energy if we can ever figure out a way to make it," he said.Yes, Virginia, if oil costs go beyond a certain threshold, Nuke power may become a cheaper alternative. This is too hypothetical. No one has ever done a convincing economic study on nuke power in India. Nuke power competitiveness depends on local factors. All the Government reports generally quote arbitrary international data, with no mention of up front costs or costs of over runs and inefficiency that is almost a hallmark of Government projects. Add to it all the overheads of inspection, land acquisition, safety etc. Soon, the US may start offshore drilling. What if oil price makes a retreat? We will be left holding expensive nuclear power in our hands. For all the bravura of the Government, no one is going to spend $12 billion for a single unit for the type of scale they intend to achieve. As a comparison, the farmer loan waiver was $15 billion. This is also the total amount of individual income tax collected in the most recent fiscal year.
posted by barbarindian at 8:37 PM Permalink
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Sunday, July 20, 2008 |
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Trust? | |
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The complete disconnect between words and deeds exhibited by the Congress party started to become apparent from the twilight years of Pandit Nehru. Until then, the great man's personal charm over the populace and political leaders managed to put an aura of artificial nobility on the party and put detractors on the back foot. Even then, the Congress was able to maintain its charade. It was also helped by momentous historical events. However, the mask started to come off since the late 80s and by now it is completely off, revealing a face that is almost cartoonish - and ugly. Congress has always demanded the highest conduct from its opposition and detractors, simultaneously indulging in the worst forms of political skulduggery. Suhasini Haider's excellent post on CNN-IBN chronicles some of the party's past back stabbings. Why has it come to this- where the UPA is in parliamentary ICU, depending on blood donations from those it has never felt the need to be even civil with in the past? Losing the trust vote could actually help the party immensely. The general elections will coincide with the state elections in BJP states - where the wave of anti-incumbency against the state Governments will find its way into the general elections too. Inflation may continue to get worse. Also, the party can put back on the mask of nobility with the claim that they let the Government fall rather than indulge n horse trading (believe it or not, people buy these things). Perhaps Congress is betting too much on free agent voters. They feel that these voters are so sold on the N-Deal that they will vote for the Congress in large numbers in the next general elections, completely disregarding chronic mis-governance, urban chaos, halted reforms, terror and naxal menace, cronyism and corruption. If that is the case, it is the biggest irony of all. Most of Congress rhetoric is targeted at these free agent voters, who are allegedly constantly preventing it from implementing its social justice schemes.
posted by barbarindian at 10:30 AM Permalink
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Monday, July 14, 2008 |
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An article | |
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Anyway, we digress. Perhaps there is a logical explanation to all this. Here is an interesting article, there is no reason to suspect its factual accuracy (international source and all that). An excerpt: Rural productivity has increased since 2003, when the government allowed farmers to sell crops directly to wholesalers and abolished state-run monopolies that paid fixed prices to ensure affordable food supplies.Seems pretty much like a "free market" type policy to us. There are two other things the article offers: a) All the pictures are from Madhya Pradesh b) The farmers liberated from the clutch of Government do not appear to be in need of a loan waiver. That is all.
posted by barbarindian at 8:20 PM Permalink
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Sunday, July 13, 2008 |
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Just how much does Congress stand to lose in embracing SP? | |
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The Congress party takes for granted a small but significant section of its vote bank. This is the segment that votes strictly on nostalgic factors. This is an ossified, politically non-vocal community that fasts on 2nd October. For them time stands still in the pre-independence era. Sure, there are problems, but their deliverance will eventually come. They hope for an Avatar of the Mahatma or Chachaji. They don't even have to read the Organizer to find out just how much of a departure the party has made from their mythical world. Mythical because much of their perception was really formed by a state controlled media and a state controlled education system. They just need to see who contests from Nehru's constituency these days. Unfortunately, this group stubbornly resists change, since the support for the party is tied to their self-image. Divested of religion and any other sense of morality, they constantly need to seek solace in the words of past leaders of the Congress party. Captive to the sound bites of a new generation of unscrupulous leaders characterized by boundless avarice, greed and gluttony, they exhibit unmistakable symptoms of Stockholm syndrome. In Amar Singh we see a last big hope that this vote bank will finally receive the requisite jolt that can awaken them from their stupor. What was until now confined to the dust plains of primitive UP, can potentially come to the political center-stage. Once it does, it ain't gonna be pretty. We already talked about startling facets of the man's persona. Well, here is more. A reader alerted us about a phone-tapping scandal involving Amar Singh that happened in 2006. Apparently some opportunistic elements (at the time Amar Singh alleged even Congress and indeed the party was most vocal in demanding Singh's arrest) tapped Amar Singh's phone and recorded several conversations, not only with industrialists but with Bollywood actresses. Some of these conversations were incriminating in nature and referred to ongoing court cases against the politician. Funny thing is, the media never broadcast these tapes. They developed cold feet and allowed Singh enough time to get a Supreme court stay order. Here is an interesting bit from the tapes (allegedly a conversation between Amar Singh and actress Bipasha Basu): Amar: : But I will make some time.Bit too much information on the effects of aging on his anatomical parts. CNN-IBN's Rajdeep Sardesai writes: As our camera recorded the private party , I asked Amar Singh how he reconciled the role of neta by day and party animal by night: "I am not a hypocrite," he shot back, with a familiar grin, "If Amitabh and Anil Ambani are my friends, why should I hide it from the world? If I play Holi with Shilpa Shetty, why should I be ashamed of it!" [link]Certainly there is nothing wrong in social interactions, but it is a bit disconcerting that various references to Bollywood female stars is almost like a central theme to the man's character. No wonder he is siding heavily with Anil Ambani, who has recently made huge investments into the entertainment business. Perhaps Rajdeep finds it cutesy, we are not so amused. Amar Singh's proximity to industrialists was described by Rajdeep Sardesai as a likely new chapter in Indian history, a bridge between corporate India and politics. When BJP leaders drop any hint of capitalistic reforms, the usual response is putting up a front page story with a picture of a hungry child. Such is the nature of political discourse in the country today. Scarcely a few days into the new alliance, Amar Singh has already made contemptuous statements about a Supreme Court judge (or as Ramachandra Guha would say, started fixing institutions one by one). We just hope that Congress realizes the risk in letting these elements into its sanctum sanctorum.
posted by barbarindian at 10:45 PM Permalink
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Thursday, July 10, 2008 |
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f u cn rd ths u cn ndrstn d nuk dl | |
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New rabbits are being pulled out of the hat every day. Now we have been informed that there are certain safeguards that must be kept secret. In other words, no one really has a clue. It is not even clear if they let various opposition leaders take a peep at those supposedly extremely sensitive documents. But it is the red herring being dragged across the trail and not those rabbits that interests us. Here is a wild conspiracy theory and it sure does sound a lot more interesting than the copious amount of analysis being done on all the news channels. How about the Left, SP and the Congress were in on it together in a well thought out plan?
There are too many coincidences and too many startling developments in this whole drama. News channels like CNN-IBN are playing a bit too dumb to be credible. There is a strong possibility that the whole thing was orchestrated. As a matter of fact, perhaps it was scripted last year itself, down to the last detail. Even last year there were plenty of hints of an SP-Cong alliance which was downplayed.
posted by barbarindian at 11:45 PM Permalink
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Sad | |
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The "communal forces" must be defeated. That is the only priority, remember that.
posted by barbarindian at 11:40 PM Permalink
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Amar Singh's offensive statement | |
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Right at this very moment, Amar Singh is the secular media's blue eyed boy. He is in great demand and he is making use of it. He has been on the most important TV programs, including Devil's Advocate. The media can't seem to get enough of Amar Singh explaining with a straight face how noble his intentions are and how committed he is in fighting the "communal forces". But he had to go out and make this highly offensive statement:
The statement stinks of clogged gutters of a mufassil town in UP, where corrugated cowshed roofs silhouette the horizon. There was something bizarre when he named his new house "Aishwarya". His latest offensive statement only confirms the sort of fantasy he wants to live in. Yet his statement will be downplayed, denied and then pinned on unnamed conspirators who want to "create differences among secular forces".
posted by barbarindian at 12:08 AM Permalink
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Tuesday, July 08, 2008 |
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Lalu | |
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posted by barbarindian at 9:34 PM Permalink
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Monday, July 07, 2008 |
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Yet another explosion | |
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 Another explosion happened. Guess who will bend over first? No prizes though.
posted by barbarindian at 9:42 PM Permalink
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The FM's Devils Advocate appearance: scripted? | |
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 Last year, Narendra Modi made his appearance on the famed Devil's Advocate show. Faced with a persistent Karan Thapar, Modi walked out, barely a few minutes into the program. As expected, there were howls of derisive laughter from the secular quarters and much scorn for the CM from the intellectuals.The premise of Devil's Advocate is simple: the politician or personality invited on the program is expected to face hardball questions from the host. The host (Mr. Thapar) is expected to ask big issue questions and be really persistent. For the guest, it is really a gamble. If you agree to appear on Devil's Advocate, you run the risk of being made fun of in front of the whole nation. On the other hand, your oratory can win you applause from your fans. In other words, by agreeing to appear on the program, you are making a risk-reward calculation. It is entirely the prerogative of the personality whether he or she accepts the invitation. Likewise, the public depends on the honesty of the news channel and the host to draw conclusions about the performance of the guest. In his characteristic style, the FM wanted to have his cake and eat it too: Disclaimer: As a condition for granting this interview, Finance Minister P Chidambaram demanded the right to clear it as well as deny clearance without citing reasons. CNN-IBN was forced to agree otherwise the interview would not have happened. But the final take is being broadcast exactly as recorded and the Finance Minister did not ask for any change.Given such a strange "precondition", it is difficult not to speculate whether the entire interview was scripted. Such is the fate of the Indian public that they must put up with such farce, such gross intellectual dishonesty. It is bad reality TV - and most people can't even afford a bag of chips. People are starving. What does the FM expect us to do? Clap at his repartees and get overwhelmed by his courage to face the toughest TV interview in India? Lastly, here is a curious portion of the interview: P Chidambaram: Well when we do it we take flak, and when we cannot do it anymore because of political compulsions, we just have to grin and bear it. But we have to communicate it to the people, that India and any other developing country, which is an oil consumer, is a victim of international crude oil prices. We must communicate in the language of the people.A fine example of signaling.
posted by barbarindian at 12:06 AM Permalink
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Sunday, July 06, 2008 |
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Now you have seen everything | |
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We are yet to recover from Vasundhara Raje's new quota regime in which she promised 14% quota for the economically disadvantaged sections of the deemed "privileged". If this gambit passes legal challenges, Raje will beat Lalu and Mayawati to the punch. Now get a load of this: Two years after a city college allowed girl students inside its portals, insecurity seems to have set in male ranks. Outdone in all fields academic, they are now demanding admission under reservation. Imagine. This happening in a male-crazed land where sex ratio is anything but in favour of the female child!There are only two remaining bastions to be conquered. The first of course is private jobs and the second - regional quota. The regional quota is currently implemented in indirect ways, for instance this. As various groups begin to understand better where they stand, they will demand continual adjustments. Since the Government steadfastly refuse to create a poll-neutral formula and the apex court has ruled out meddling in the affairs of the executive branch, these corrections will take increasingly violent forms. The Gujjar agitation was merely one of many to come. An example of just how messy the quota arithmetic has become can be evidenced from this: CHENNAI: In an ironical development, a community that was provided reservation in educational institutions and jobs said it does not want the provision. Christians in Tamil Nadu said the 3.5% exclusive reservation made for them in education and employment should be abrogated, contending that they had realised that quota hurt their interests instead of benefiting them. [...] Bishop of Kottar Rev Peter Remigius, state minorities commission chairman Fr Vincent Chinnadurai, all MLAs and one MP from Kanyakumari district, were part of the delegation. "This reservation is not beneficial to the Christian community, as we were doing better when we were competing with other backward classes for 30% OBC reservation. As an educated community, we were doing well, but the quota now restricts our job opportunities and admissions," Fr Chinnadurai told TOI. [...] Citing an example, he said in the ongoing MBBS admission process, out of 2,699 seats, Christians could only get 94 seats (3.5%), whereas they could have got more than 300 seats if the entire 30% OBC quota was open to them. [link]This is India, where there are no rules, just rights.
posted by barbarindian at 12:54 PM Permalink
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Saturday, July 05, 2008 |
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Have you seen them lately? | |
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 Pictures of hungry children, not seen on secular media for months and counting.Inflation: 11.63% and mounting.
posted by barbarindian at 10:50 AM Permalink
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008 |
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Dumb charades | |
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 We predicted it as early as September, 2007. In the past few months it hasn't really been a state secret. Yet CNN-IBN is pretending like this is some sort of revelation. They are attempting to put a facade of respectability to this sordid affair by running a blitzkrieg of stories.Apparently the National Security Adviser met with Amar Singh and explained the nuances of the deal. This really changed Amar Singh's heart! Directly, Amar Singh addressed a press conference and expressed his overwhelming support for Congress and the N-Deal. What exactly would the NSA have said to Singh? For that matter, since when did Amar Singh become such a desh bhakt that he would only consent after learning that the deal was good for the country? It is evident that Congress and SP are going to do a seat sharing deal in the upcoming general elections. It was evident the day Amar Singh got an invite to the UPA 4-year anniversary party and got his Z-class security the day after. Meanwhile, SP is asking for a hefty bride price: among other things, they have asked the FM be dismissed. We feel this has more to do with a certain very powerful family run conglomerate's proximity to the Samajwadi party than with their displeasure at the FM's inflation handling. Come to think of it, we would like that too. The bugger needs to go, enough of his Harvard-oh-I-am-so-intelligent and y'all are fools stuff.
posted by barbarindian at 10:31 PM Permalink
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