Who Are The Uighurs And Where The Heck Is Palau?

In Obama's rush to close down Gitmo, he has found himself with a problem. What to do with the detainees. Though one is already in this country for trial, Congress had said none would be allowed. So much for Congress.

A bigger problem concerns those detainees who are of questionable guilt. One such group consists of 17 Chinese Muslims who are not unlike the Tibetans in their desire for independence from China. According to NPR , they were sold to the U.S. military by Pakistani bounty hunters for $5000 per head.

It is now reported by many sources, including Refugee Settlement Watch that two U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press, said the U.S. was prepared to give Palau up to $200 million in development, budget support and other assistance in return for accepting the Uighurs and as part of a mutual defense and cooperation treaty that is due to be renegotiated this year.

Wow! $200 million of our taxpayer dollars to a small group of islands encompassing approximately 178 square miles with a population of 20,303. It's religious profile is 49% f Roman Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists, the Assembly of God , Liebenzell Mission, latter Day Saints and 33% Modekngei which is their indigenous religion. The missionaries have sure been busy here for their return on recruitment! This place is virtually in the middle of nowhere!

Now on to the Uighurs themselves. Their province, Xinjiang, borders Afghanistan, several of the "stans", Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan and India.

It is chock full of pipelines and is rich with oil, natural gas and mineral resources. No wonder China wants to keep them in tow! To do so they have been flooding the province with non-Muslim immigrants and are allocating to them the best jobs and housing. Gosh, why would this build resentment?

Having been a major stop on the Silk Road, the Uighur converted to Sunni Islam in the 10th century. Between 1933 and 1944 they established their own independent political state, the Islamic Eastern Turkestan Republic, which was soon quashed by the Red Army to aid the Chinese Nationalist forces.

Much like the Tibetans, it should come as no surprise there is a movement afoot to regain their independence.

Which brings us back to our seventeen. They were in neighboring Afghanistan hoping to receive training and return home to join the fight for their homeland. They have been sitting in Gitmo since 2001.

The Chinese want them so they can execute them. Bermuda has raised all sorts of diplomatic nightmares by agreeing to take two on a temporary basis and of course there is the issue of Palau.

Another fine mess! There is a lot of truth in the statement "One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter". Perhaps things would not be so complicated if some discretionary action was taken before tossing people in prison and literally throwing away the keys! There has certainly been no rush to justice here!

As a footnote, if we are in fact willing to pony up $200 million to relocate this small block of detainees, what's it going to cost us to relocate the rest of them? Just think, if the Uighurs should win their fight against China, they may not be able to lend us any more money!

Independent Thinking!

So much for doing away with partisanship! A Pew Research survey, according to The Wall Street Journal , shows both Republicans and Democrats declining in numbers and Independents gaining. Because of that partisan divide! Curious, isn't it? It bears out what I've thought all along. Obama's win was on the strength of his personality, not his policies. Of course when we voted we had no idea what those policies were. Nor am I sure he did.

It also indicates the Republicans have yet to find a way into the hearts and minds of the voters. I have a Dogwalk solution for that. Get off the anti-gay rights, anti-abortion and far right religious issues and find some leadership other than right wing talk show hosts and the Governor of Alaska.

I am glad to see Independent numbers on the rise. To me it indicates people are actually thinking. Now if only we could get Congress to do the same!

It's also interesting that the survey found Independents are the youngest voting block! That is especially encouraging. Again, it means they are thinking and party ideology isn't going to sway them to one particular side. The Obama administration ought to pay attention to this trend and realize that those who put them in office will not follow blindly.

Rush Limbaugh, when I listened to him on a regular basis, used to claim moderates had no convictions. I totally disagree. Moderates are more and more those who claim to be Independents. More socially liberal and more fiscally conservative. The Obama administration can hardly be called fiscally conservative as our debt has risen to unbelievable proportions. The fiscal sacrifices have come from what were private sector businesses while the government had to borrow from questionable allies to bail them out. I question if that is even sound policy what's more conservative!

The Republicans will not attract the young vote as long as they are so stridently anti-gay. It's just not an issue with that generation. As long as they shake the religious right saber in our face, the young voters will continue to turn away. This is not rocket science for crying out loud. Why don't they get it?

Mean while we all muddle along trying to figure out just what the heck the end of all this will bring and what it will take to, one more time, turn things around. I feel like I'm riding on a pendulum that goes from one extreme to the other.

Will we ever get back to a consensus somewhere near the middle? Time will tell. The trouble is I'm not sure how much of that I have!

Happiness IS A Warm Puppy!

I was going to do a serious post today. Really. But then it was quite a nice morning, it's my birthday and I decided to have some fun. Yard work could wait. Certainly blogging could wait. So what to do. Call a friend for lunch? Nope. Go see my favorite puppy. It has been a couple of weeks and I was anxious to see how much he had grown. You can judge for yourselves!

Olli's Mom assured me it was a good time to come since a lot of staff were on duty and she could visit a bit too. So here I am in my usual spot on the floor with a bundle of fluff in my lap.

A family came in and everyone descended on the pup. I had to take the pictures. Kids and puppies. A combination that can't be beat. What a great way to have your dog socialized! Take him to you place of work every day.

It reminds me of when we were first married and had our first Saint. We lived near Princeton at the time and used to walk the Delaware canal path between Washington's Crossing and New Hope. Hub once commented had he known how many girls a Saint puppy attracted he'd have foregone matrimony for some time to come. Ha! Probably true!

As you can see, even when staff had a free moment they couldn't resist scratching an ear! I do believe Ollie is going to be even more spoiled than Bacchus!

I was on the receiving end of something the others didn't get, however. Kisses. All over my hand and face. I've been given the best gift possible for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and now my birthday. My Bacchus.

Being Auntie Mari to Ollie isn't a bad second!

Maybe tomorrow I'll get back to something more serious. Then again maybe not. I haven't told you about the goose that came in!

Writing As A Reflection Of The Author

I don't read nearly enough books. Most of my reading consists of newspapers and periodicals. Some on line though I prefer off.

I find it strange because so many of my blogging acquaintances are writers. Some published. Some not. Many, however, have put their work online. I haven't read any of them. I just can't get into a good story sitting at my computer. It isn't that comfortable and I prefer, as they say, to curl up with a good book.

Over the past couple of months two personal friends have had books published. Finally, an excuse to curl up! I was eager to get started because I had never read anything that had been written by anyone I know personally. It was a fascinating experience.

Both books are fiction. The subject matter is in no way similar. What I found fascinating, however, is how much the protagonists reflected the personality of their creators.

The first, When Wolf Comes, is the story of a young man who was shanghaied from a Boston pub in the early 1800s. After several misadventures along the way, he found himself a slave of the Makah tribe of the Northwest Coast of what is now Washington state.

I've know John Pappas for years. His wife, before succumbing to pancreatic cancer, was one of my best friends while we lived in Seattle. They were both my friends. We were always involving ourselves in projects of mutual interest. That's when I learned of John's deep curiosity about and interest in the Makah culture.

The book reflects it in the depth of research that is obvious. And his hero is a reflection of himself. A kind, caring, easy going fellow who had an easier time than he might have because he was, above all, pragmatic. John.

The other book's author is familiar to many of you. Sea Changes by Gail Graham who also authors the blog Driving Chairman Bao . Gail is as complex as the story she has penned. If a movie were made of it she'd have to play her protagonist, Sarah. Sarah is Gail and Gail is Sarah! The story is set in Australia where she lived for over thirty years and was not particularly fond of it. This isn't a review of the book, rather an observation as to how much the book reveals about it's author.

I enjoyed both books a great deal; both were intriguing stories that held my attention. But what really fascinated me was that while I didn't learn anything I didn't already know about my friends, it tells other readers a great deal. Dead on. I can't help being curious as to whether others have had a similar experience in a good read.

I guess that's why writers are encouraged to write about the things they know best. Including themselves!

Who'd Have Thunk It!

Tough love works! After a dose of constipation and the reversal of same we decided no more bad diet. It worked. He's eating well now, he's alert and interested in everything, he's sleeping less and romping around like a kid. Well, as much as an old man can romp like a kid.

His cardiologist says it's because of our commitment to him. Maybe, somewhat. I give her the bulk of the credit. She concocted the "cocktail" that has kept him with us. Without it all the commitment in the world would have been for naught.
We of course are absolutely astounded and thrilled with the change in him. To look at him you'd never know he was suffering from congestive heart failure. Hmmm. Maybe there is something to eating a healthy diet!

There have been times when these updates have been difficult to write. He was doing that poorly. This one is pure joy. May it continue for a good long time!