R.I.P. Peter Galbraith

Earlier, I wrote an article about the irony and inconsistency surrounding the recent Afghan elections. The unofficial tally has incumbent Hamid Karzai sitting at 54.6%, and nearest competitor Dr. Abdullah Abdullah at 27.8%. That's not fishy at all, unless you remember that nobody likes Hamid Karzai.

The problem is that we have reports of widespread corruption, election fraud, vote rigging, and schoolyard taunts. There is enough proof of election fraud on Hamid Karzai's part to justify an investigation. Hell, there is enough proof of election fraud to justify an entirely new election. So why is it that U.N. Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Peter Galbraith fired for suggesting this?

Do I even need a punchline here? This is one of the clearest cases of foreign policy meddling I have ever seen. Hamid Karzai is a infinitely controllable little puppet, and it's in the U.S. government's best interest to keep him in power. That's reason enough to hamper investigations into this blatantly rigged election, and ruin the career of a man who's served his country for 30 years.

Does anyone remember when the government used to be subtle in it's meddling? Oh wait... Never mind.

Themes for Revolution

This is a short list of books, movies and music that have inspired me in the past to question the world around me and challenge the status quo. Enjoy.

Books
1984, by George Orwell
Dune, by Frank Herbert
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
The Waste Land, by T.S. Elliot
Thus Spoke Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzche

Movies
Fight Club, with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt
The Matrix, with Keanu Reeves and Lawrence Fishbourne
Fahrenheit 9-11, by Michael Moore
V for Vendetta, with Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving
Children of Men, with Clive Owen and Julianne Moore

Music
Rage Against The Machine:
System of A Down
The Nightwatchman (aka Tom Morello)
Flobots
Bob Dylan
Everlast
Public Enemy