Sobre a democracia parlamentar

Leiam este escrito de Tony Benn, nos anos 70:

"As a minister, I experienced the power of industrialists and bankers to get their way by use of the crudest form of economic pressure, even blackmail, against a Labour Government. Compared to this, the pressure brought to bear in industrial disputes is minuscule. This power was revealed even more clearly in 1976 when the IMF secured cuts in our public expenditure. These lessons led me to the conclusion that the UK is only superficially governed by MPs and the voters who elect them. Parliamentary democracy is, in truth, little more than a means of securing a periodical change in the management team, which is then allowed to preside over a system that remains in essence intact. If the British people were ever to ask themselves what power they truly enjoyed under our political system they would be amazed to discover how little it is, and some new Chartist agitation might be born and might quickly gather momentum."

Isto tem muita actualidade

A jangada da Medusa

A jangada da Medusa foi pintada por Théodore Géricault em 1817. Época Romântica.

A entrevista de Durão Barroso

Há dias Durão Barroso deu uma entrevista em que declarou ter sido enganado quando à existência de armas de destruição maciça no Iraque antes da guerra. O impacto desta declaração foi tão grande, devido ao choque causado pelo descaramento do nosso ex-primeiro ministro, que muita gente não se deteve sobre o que ele disse no fim da entrevista, em relação á eventualidade de se fazer um referendo sobre o novo Tratado Europeu. Disse Durão Barroso que a maioria das pessoas, quando se lhe faz a pergunta sobre se se deve fazer ou não o referendo sobre o tratado, respondem que sim, que se deve fazer. Mas depois abstêm-se de ir votar.

Julgo que esta saída mostra bem o que Durão Barroso pensa das pessoas em geral. E que podemos concluir que Durão Barroso acha que a maior parte dos cidadãos estão atacados de indiferença ou de indolência (provavelmente das duas coisas ao mesmo tempo) e que os líderes podem tomar as decisões que entenderem, sem se preocuparem com o que as pessoas pensam.

Ele tem lata para daqui a uns tempos voltar a Portugal, e pretender ocupar um cargo importante outra vez.

Não se fica rico a trabalhar.

Insiro aqui, com a devida vénia, uma notícia saída no Público de 23 de Novembro de 2007. No blogue Ladrões de Bicicletas, no mesmo dia, o João Rodrigues referiu como esta situação significa o "fracasso de um modelo de desenvolvimento liberal imposto por elites convertidas à ideia de um mercado sem fim". Os dados referenciados foram obtidos no Quarto Relatório da Coesão, apresentado em Junho último. Levanto a questão de como rendimentos de trabalho tão baixos poderão alguma vez corresponder a uma criação de riqueza significativa.

Uma magnífica descendência

Olá. Não está mal, pois não? Mas mandem-me mais fotografias, por

favor. Gosto tanto de vos ver.

Marta em Tavira

Marta e o pai. Ah... as férias

Gerontion, de Thomas Stearns Eliot

Thou hast nor youth nor age
But as it were an after dinner sleep
Dreaming of both.

Here I am, an old man in a dry month,
Being read to by a boy, waiting for rain.
I was neither at the hot gates
Nor fought in the warm rain
Nor knee deep in the salt marsh, heaving a cutlass,
Bitten by flies, fought.
My house is a decayed house,
And the Jews squats on the window-sill, the owner,
Spawned in some estaminet of Antwerp,
Blistered in Brussels, patched and peeled in London.
The goat coughs at night in the field overhead;
Rocks, moss, stonecrop, iron, merds.
The woman keeps the kitchen, makes tea,
Sneezes at evening, poking the peevish gutter.
I an old man,
A dull head among windy spaces.


T. S. Eliot, 1920


T. S. Eliot (1888-1965), recebeu o prémio Nobel da Literatura em 1948.
Transcrevi os versos acima de uma selecção tirada dos Collected Poems, editada pela Faber and Faber pela primeira vez em 1940. Esta edição data de 1999.

Sinbad

When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the Porter, after kissing ground between their hands stood with his head bowed down in humble attitude. The master of the house bade him draw near and be seated and bespoke him kindly, bidding him welcome. Then he set before him various kinds of viands, rich and delicate and delicious, and the Porter, after saying his Bismillah, fell to and ate his fill, after which he exclaimed, "Praised be Allah whatso be our case!" and, washing his hands, returned thanks to the company for his entertainment. Quoth the host, "Thou art welcome and thy day is a blessed. But what is thy name and calling?" Quoth the other, "O my lord, my name is Sindbad the Hammal, and I carry folk's goods on my head for hire." The house-master smiled and rejoined, "Know, O Porter that thy name is even as mine, for I am Sindbad the Seaman; and now, O Porter, I would have thee let me hear the couplets thou recitedst at the gate anon." The Porter was abashed and replied, "Allah upon thee! Excuse me, for toil and travail and lack of luck when the hand is empty, teach a man ill manners and boorish ways." Said the host, "Be not ashamed; thou art become my brother; but repeat to me the verses, for they pleased me whenas I heard thee recite them at the gate. Hereupon the Porter repeated the couplets and they delighted the merchant, who said to him, "Know, O Hammal, that my story is a wonderful one, and thou shalt hear all that befel me and all I underwent ere I rose to this state of prosperity and became the lord of this place wherein thou seest me; for I came not to this high estate save after travail sore and perils galore, and how much toil and trouble have I not suffered in days of yore! I have made seven voyages, by each of which hangeth a marvellous tale, such as confoundeth the reason, and all this came to pass by doom of fortune and fate; for from what destiny doth write there is neither refuge nor flight. Know, then, good my lords (continued he) that I am about to relate the

Dom Quixote e Sancho Pança

Pablo Picasso, 1955

A central nuclear de Almaraz

Todos os dias vemos coisas preocupantes. Algumas invadem-nos a toda a hora, como o défice orçamental, a crise no Médio Oriente, o regresso de Santana Lopes, etc. Mas há coisas que estão aí todos os dias, e não as vemos. Ou vemos, e esquecemo-nos de elas. É o caso da central nuclear de Alamaraz.

O El País do dia 6 de Novembro, na pág. 38, informa que no domingo passado, faltou a água na piscina da central onde são arrefecidas as barras de combustível nuclear. Frisa o jornal que esse arrefecimento tem de ser permanente, e que a água não circulou na piscina das 13.00 às 19.50 de domingo. Terá havido uma fuga de água. A bomba de reserva não funcionava por estar em manutenção. Almaraz II é propriedade da Iberdrola. O "incidente" (ou acidente?) foi classificado como de nível 1 (numa escala de 0 a 7, de menor a maior gravidade)

Almaraz fica na província de Cáceres. Ver no Grande Atlas Mundial, do Reader's Digest, o mapa 190-191, quadrícula e5, na parte superior. A água que utiliza para esfriar o combustível nuclear é a água do Tejo. O Conselho de Seguranaça Nuclear ordenou uma inspecção. Ecologistas em Acção pediram que a central fosse sancionada.

E nós, que somos banhados pelo Tejo, em que ficamos?

O opinion maker Timothy Garton Ash

Saiu no Guardian de 1 de Novembro último um texto de Timothy Garton Ash (TGA) intitulado Facing disaster in Iran, Europe must finally make the hard choices. Apareceu traduzido no El País do dia 4. Neste escrito TGA pressiona fortemente os países europeus para que incitem os EUA e o Irão a terem conversações bilaterais e desencadeiem sanções económicas fortes contra o Irão, afirmando ser imperativo que o façam para evitarem dois perigos. O primeiro, de que Georges Bush bombardeie o Irão antes de abandonar a Casa Branca em 2008. O segundo, de que o Irão daqui a uns anos tenha a bomba nuclear. Aproveita de passagem para dar bicadas nos intelectuais pacifistas e anti-nucleares, perguntando onde estão agora, e porque não se manifestam contra a bomba nas mãos dos iranianos. Admite ser um problema que Israel, a Índia e o Paquistão já tenham a bomba, mas é de opinião que já não se pode fazer nada a esse respeito.

Penso que TGA está sobretudo à procura de mostrar serviço aos chefes do Ocidente, que se agrupam na NATO, e procuram manter a todo o transe a superioridade militar nas mãos dos EUA. Implicitamente admite que o Irão mesmo que esteja a tentar obter a bomba, só a terá dentro de anos. Não vê (será que não vê mesmo?) que o Paquistão, país bastante instável, pode deixar cair as armas nucleares em mãos bastante perigosas. E não admite (embora esteja farto de o saber) que o maior perigo para a paz no Médio Oriente ( e com certeza, no Mundo) é o expansionismo israelita, o qual se por enquanto se limita a ir lentamente massacrando os palestinianos, para depois anexar definitivamente os territórios que estes ainda ocupam, mais tarde vai estender as suas ambições à Jordânia, ao Sinai e provavelmente ao Sul do Líbano.

TGA sabe também que as conversações entre o Irão e os EUA, a acontecerem, nunca terão resultados palpáveis, a não ser que o Irão aceitasse ser totalmente tutelado pelos americanos. Estes querem dominar totalmente a produção de petróleo no mundo, razão pela qual foram fazer a guerra no Iraque. Mais tarde ou mais cedo atacarão o Irão. Isso faz parte da estratégia que vêm desenvolvendo praticamente desde a Segunda Guerra Mundial, umas vezes mais claramente, outras vezes menos. Os atentados do 11 de Setembro de 2001 deram-lhes o pretexto para o fazerem mais às claras. Os governantes que sucederem a Bush vão seguir essa política ("a guerra é a política por outros meios"). Claro que invocam boas intenções (combate ao terrorismo, difusão dos valores democráticas, etc. ) . Não se apercebem de que vão perder esta guerra, e vão-nos arrastar para o desatre. A derrota pode ser só daqui a cinquenta ou cem anos, mas vai acontecer. Despertaram um ódio generalizado por todo o mundo árabe e não só. No Paquistão apoiam um ditador como Musharraf, que vai esmagar os elementos mais progressistas da sociedade (e não os taliban, ao contrário do que os néscios pensam) para continuar no poder. No passado, no Irão derrubaram Mossadegh, puseram o Xá no trono e prepararam o terreno para os ayatollahs.

Entretanto, as sanções económicas que a Europa vai impor ao Irão vão servir para enfraquecer este país e facilitar a aventura americana. Mesmo que a China e a Rússia substituam os europeus ser-lhes-á difícil evitar um considerável enfraquecimento militar do país, necessário para a destruição dos alvos estratégicos seja feita com um desgaste reduzido. A guerra vai começar, vaticino, com um ataque israelita a algum alvo considerado fulcral (alguma coisa que possa passar por central nuclear). O Irão vai replicar e então os EUA avançam. O lóbi do petróleo e as indústrias de armamento rejubilarão. E TGA e outros opinion makers escreverão mais uns artigos comentando a posição da Europa.

Alicante, uma costa destruída

Do El País do dia 2 de Novembro, anteontem, com a devida vénia transcrevo o artigo que segue. Observando o que tem ocorrido em Alicante vemos o que está já a ocorrer em Portugal, e a solução que os espanhóis estão a procurar introduzir. O Governo compra solo para aumentar o espaço público. E se nacionalize, pura e simplesmente, o solo? Não vamos ter de caminhar para essa meta?


REPORTAJE: La destrucción del litoral 3. ALICANTE
Una costa casi privada
El Gobierno comprará suelo para aumentar el espacio público en el litoral de Alicante, cuyo primer kilómetro es el cuarto más edificado del Mediterráneo
SANTIAGO NAVARRO - Alicante - 02/11/2007
La primera línea de costa de Alicante es la cuarta más edificada del Mediterráneo. Según el informe Corine Land Cover, en 2000, el 49,38% del primer kilómetro de costa estaba ya edificado. La invasión de las urbanizaciones privadas, en algunos casos, ha traspasado claramente la raya de los 100 metros de dominio público marítimo-terrestre. Los ejemplos más flagrantes de ese desbocado crecimiento son la urbanización del Bon Nou (siete bungalós a 20 metros del mar) en La Vila Joiosa, dos torres de 22 plantas en la playa de Levante de Benidorm y un hotel de 24 plantas, a seis metros de la orilla del mar, en Calp.
Los únicos rincones a salvo del ladrillo, con la excepción de la playa de Llobella, en Benissa, y dos calas en Torrevieja, son las áreas entorno a los parajes naturales. Es en este punto en el que hará hincapié el plan de choque del Ministerio de Medio Ambiente contra el urbanismo salvaje mediante la adquisición directa de suelo para protegerlo de la piqueta y mediante la redefinición de los deslindes de la zona pública en la costa (en esta provincia queda pendiente el 38%, es decir 106 kilómetros). Todo ello con el propósito de aumentar los espacios públicos en una costa casi privada. "Todo lo que compremos lo haremos con el objetivo de preservarlo de las edificaciones", asegura Vicente Martínez, jefe provincial de Costas. Este departamento ha remitido al Ministerio de Medio Ambiente un total de 117 propuestas para adquirir fincas e inmuebles en el entorno del área de dominio público y parajes naturales, entre las que destacan los 2,8 millones de metros cuadrados del saladar de Agua Amarga, al sur de la costa de la capital alicantina.
En la parte septentrional del litoral alicantino, dominado por los núcleos turísticos de Dénia y Xàbia, la terapia de choque del Gobierno en su batalla por recuperar el carácter público de la costa incluye dos llamativas propuestas: recuperar el espacio de dominio público entre Les Bassetes, los Molinos y el puerto de Dénia, y la adquisición de los terrenos en la franja de 500 metros en el Cabo de San Antonio, en Xàbia. En este segundo municipio se plantea la recuperación de la zona de tránsito y dominio público en la playa del Arenal.
En Dénia, el Gobierno redefinirá la línea de deslinde del río Girona para incorporar al dominio público parte de su desembocadura. Este punto está poblado de urbanizaciones, que quedaron temporalmente anegadas tras la excepcional crecida del río el pasado 12 de octubre.
El siguiente punto donde pone énfasis el plan del Gobierno es el litoral de Calp, otro de los municipios afectados por la reciente riada de Alicante. Aquí, la intención es comprar el Saladar. En este municipio, el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente ha recurrido al Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunidad Valenciana la licencia de obras, otorgada por el anterior gobierno local, del PP, y validada por la Generalitat valenciana, a un promotor para levantar un hotel de 24 plantas a escasos seis metros de la orilla del mar.
"Este es uno de los puntos más agredidos por el urbanismo en la costa alicantina", comenta Carlos Arribas, portavoz en Alicante de Ecologistas en Acción del País Valenciano.
Unos kilómetros más al sur se sitúa el municipio de Altea, donde el Gobierno recuperará la zona de tránsito y se practicarán expropiaciones de edificios fuera de ordenación en Villa Gadea, se protegerá el triángulo del delta del río Algar y se eliminarán las ocupaciones del dominio público y zonas de tránsito desde la cala del Soto hasta la desembocadura del mencionado río. En el cauce del Algar hay programado ya un PAI que prevé levantar unas 6.000 casas, una quinta parte de ellas dentro del primer kilómetro de costa.
Para Benidorm, meca del urbanismo vertical en la costa española, la propuesta es la adquisición de la franja de 500 metros al borde del acantilado de Serra Gelada y ampliar el espacio público de este parque natural con los terrenos urbanos en el rincón de L'Oix, en la playa de Levante. En ese punto, el Gobierno ha iniciado ya el expediente de expropiación del solar, ubicado en la zona de dominio público, donde un promotor estaba levantando dos torres de 22 plantas.
En el tramo de costa comprendido entre los municipios de La Vila Joiosa y El Campello, el documento del Gobierno pone especial atención en la Cala de Finestrat, en el litoral de la primera población, y alerta de la indefinición de los planes de actuación de la zona, donde hay más de 5.000 viviendas particulares y se levantó un hotel, el Atrium, con un exceso de volumetría de 53.000 metros cuadrados (equivalente a 11 alturas) respecto a lo autorizado en el PGOU. El hotel fue legalizado, tras imponer una multa de 12 millones al promotor y obligarle a derribar 14.700 metros del exceso de obra.
En el caso de la fachada litoral de la capital de la provincia, las propuestas más destacadas hacen referencia al tramo sur de la costa, donde el Gobierno propone recuperar la zona de dominio público marítimo-terrestre que ha invadido la urbanización Urbanova.
En Santa Pola, la propuesta más sobresaliente es declarar fuera de ordenación la primera línea de costa construida, y reubicar la carretera que llega desde la playa de El Pinet hasta el puerto para incorporarla el dominio público junto a las salinas y eliminar todas las edificaciones situadas en esa playa (140 casas).
En Guardamar del Segura se plantea recuperar el borde del litoral mediante la denegación de licencias de reparación y recuperación de concesiones en las 120 casas de Babilonia, cuyo mal estado amenaza la seguridad de sus inquilinos.
En Torrevieja, la principal iniciativa es adquirir las únicas parcelas urbanizables todavía sin construir en la desembocadura del río Seco, al sur del barranco Rubio, en la playa de Campoamor y al sur de las playas de Cabo Roig. Para Orihuela, el punto más meridional del litoral alicantino, se propone ordenar los accesos y una senda peatonal en torno a Punta Prima y ampliar la senda entre Cala Flamenca y Cala Cerrada. En la costa de este municipio, el gobierno local del PP, autorizó hace un año la urbanización del último tramo virgen, Cala Mosca, donde está previsto levantar 1.700 nuevas casas.
© Diario EL PAÍS S.L. - Miguel Yuste 40 - 28037 Madrid [España] - Tel. 91 337 8200
© Prisacom S.A. - Ribera del Sena, S/N - Edificio APOT - Madrid [España] - Tel. 91 353 7900

Sinbad

When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Hammal set his load upon the bench to take rest and smell the air, there came out upon him from the court-door a pleasant breeze and a delicious fragrance. He sat down on the edge of the bench, and at once heard from within the melodious sound of lutes and other stringed instruments, and mirth-exciting voices singing and reciting, together with the song of birds warbling and glorifying Almighty Allah in various tunes and tongues; turtles, mocking-birds, merles, nightingales, cushats and stone-curlews, whereat he marvelled in himself and was moved to mighty joy and solace. Then he went up to the gate and saw within a great flower-garden wherein were pages and black slaves and such a train of servants and attendants and so forth as is found only with Kings and Sultans; and his nostrils were greeted with the savoury odours of all manner meats rich and delicate, and delicious and generous wines. So he raised his eyes heavenwards and said, "Glory to Thee, O Lord, O Creator and Provider, who providest whomso Thou wilt without count or stint! O mine Holy One, I cry Thee pardon for all sins and turn to Thee repenting of all offences! O Lord, there is no gainsaying Thee in Thine ordinance and Thy dominion, neither wilt Thou be questioned of that Thou dost, for Thou indeed over all things art Almighty! Extolled be Thy perfection: whom Thou wilt Thou makest poor and whom Thou wilt Thou makest rich! Whom Thou wilt Thou exaltest and whom Thou wilt Thou abasest and there is no god but Thou! How mighty is Thy majesty and how enduring Thy dominion and how excellent Thy government! Verily, Thou favourest whom Thou wilt of Thy servants, whereby the owner of this place abideth in all joyance of life and delighteth himself with pleasant scents and delicious meats and exquisite wines of all kinds. For indeed Thou appointest unto Thy creatures that which Thou wilt and that which Thou hast foreordained unto them; wherefore are some weary and others are at rest and some enjoy fair fortune and affluence, whilst others suffer the extreme of travail and misery, even as I do." And he fell to reciting,

"How many by my labours, that evermore endure, * All goods of life enjoy and in cooly shade recline?Each morn that dawns I wake in travail and in woe, * And strange is my condition and my burden gars me pine:Many others are in luck and from miseries are free, * And Fortune never loads them with loads the like o' mine:They live their happy days in all solace and delight; * Eat, drink and dwell in honour 'mid the noble and the digne:All living things were made of a little drop of sperm, * Thine origin is mine and my provenance is thine;Yet the difference and distance 'twixt the twain of us are far * As the difference of savour 'twixt vinegar and wine:But at Thee, O God All-wise! I venture not to rail * Whose ordinance is just and whose justice cannot fail.

"When Sindbad the Porter had made an end of reciting his verses, he bore up his burden and was about to fare on, when there came forth to him from the gate a little foot-page, fair of face and shapely of shape and dainty of dress who caught him by the hand saying, "Come in and speak with my lord, for he calleth for thee." The Porter would have excused himself to the page but the lad would take no refusal; so he left his load with the doorkeeper in the vestible and followed the boy into the house, which he found to be a goodly mansion, radiant and full of majesty, till he brought him to a grand sitting-room wherein he saw a company of nobles and great lords, seated at tables garnished with all manner of flowers and sweet-scented herbs, besides great plenty of dainty viands and fruits dried and fresh and confections and wines of the choicest vintages. There also were instruments of music and mirth and lovely slave-girls playing and singing. All the company was ranged according to rank; and in the highest place sat a man of worshipful and noble aspect whose beard-sides hoariness had stricken; and he was stately of stature and fair of favour, agreeable of aspect and full of gravity and dignity and majesty. So Sindbad the Porter was confounded at that which he beheld and said in himself, "By Allah, this must be either a piece of Paradise or some King's palace!" Then he saluted the company with much respect praying for their prosperity, and kissing the ground before them, stood with his head bowed down in humble attitude.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Mais Serviços Públicos a privatizar?

Transcrevo, com a devida vénia, do jornal The Nation de ontem, 1 de Novembro de 2007, um artigo da Naomi Klein, que realmente parece ser uma senhora que não hesita em dizer as verdades:

lookout by Naomi Klein
Rapture Rescue 911: Disaster Response for the Chosen
[from the November 19, 2007 issue]

I used to worry that the United States was in the grip of extremists who sincerely believed that the Apocalypse was coming and that they and their friends would be airlifted to heavenly safety. I have since reconsidered. The country is indeed in the grip of extremists who are determined to act out the biblical climax--the saving of the chosen and the burning of the masses--but without any divine intervention. Heaven can wait. Thanks to the booming business of privatized disaster services, we're getting the Rapture right here on earth.
Just look at what is happening in Southern California. Even as wildfires devoured whole swaths of the region, some homes in the heart of the inferno were left intact, as if saved by a higher power. But it wasn't the hand of God; in several cases it was the handiwork of Firebreak Spray Systems. Firebreak is a special service offered to customers of insurance giant American International Group (AIG)--but only if they happen to live in the wealthiest ZIP codes in the country. Members of the company's Private Client Group pay an average of $19,000 to have their homes sprayed with fire retardant. During the wildfires, the "mobile units"--racing around in red firetrucks--even extinguished fires for their clients.
One customer described a scene of modern-day Revelation. "Just picture it. Here you are in that raging wildfire. Smoke everywhere. Flames everywhere. Plumes of smoke coming up over the hills," he told the Los Angeles Times. "Here's a couple guys showing up in what looks like a firetruck who are experts trained in fighting wildfire and they're there specifically to protect your home."
And your home alone. "There were a few instances," one of the private firefighters told Bloomberg News, "where we were spraying and the neighbor's house went up like a candle." With public fire departments cut to the bone, gone are the days of Rapid Response, when everyone was entitled to equal protection. Now, increasingly intense natural disasters will be met with the new model: Rapture Response.
During last year's hurricane season, Florida homeowners were offered similarly high-priced salvation by HelpJet, a travel agency launched with promises to turn "a hurricane evacuation into a jet-setter vacation." For an annual fee, a company concierge takes care of everything: transport to the air terminal, luxurious travel, bookings at five-star resorts. Most of all, HelpJet is an escape hatch from the kind of government failure on display during Katrina. "No standing in lines, no hassle with crowds, just a first class experience."
HelpJet is about to get some serious competition from some much larger players. In northern Michigan, during the same week that the California fires raged, the rural community of Pellston was in the grip of an intense public debate. The village is about to become the headquarters for the first fully privatized national disaster response center. The plan is the brainchild of Sovereign Deed, a little-known start-up with links to the mercenary firm Triple Canopy. Like HelpJet, Sovereign Deed works on a "country-club type membership fee," according to the company's vice president, retired Brig. Gen. Richard Mills. In exchange for a one-time fee of $50,000 followed by annual dues of $15,000, members receive "comprehensive catastrophe response services" should their city be hit by a manmade disaster that can "cause severe threats to public health and/or well-being" (read: a terrorist attack), a disease outbreak or a natural disaster. Basic membership includes access to medicine, water and food, while those who pay for "premium tiered services" will be eligible for VIP rescue missions.
Like so many private disaster companies, Sovereign Deed is selling escape from climate change and the failed state--by touting the security clearance and connections its executives amassed while working for that same state. So Mills, speaking recently in Pellston, explained, "The reality of FEMA is that it has no infrastructure, and a lot of our National Guard is elsewhere." Sovereign Deed, on the other hand, claims to have "direct access and special arrangements with several national and international information centers. These proprietary arrangements allow our Emergency Operations Center to...give our Members that critical head start in times of crisis." In this secular version of the Rapture, God's hand is unnecessary. Not when you have retired ex-CIA agents and ex-Special Forces lifting the chosen to safety--no need to pray, just pay. And who needs a celestial New Jerusalem when you can have Pellston, with its flexible local politicians and its surprisingly modern regional airport?
Sovereign Deed could soon find itself competing with Blackwater USA, whose CEO, Erik Prince, wrote recently of his plans to offer "full spectrum" services, including humanitarian aid in disasters. When fires broke out in San Diego County, near the proposed site of the controversial Blackwater West base, the company immediately seized the opportunity to make its case. Blackwater could have been the "tactical operation center for East County fires," said company vice president Brian Bonfiglio. "Can you imagine how much of a benefit it would be if we were operational now?" To show off its capacity, Blackwater has been distributing badly needed food and blankets to people of Potrero, California. "This is something we've always done," Bonfiglio said. "This is what we do." Actually, what Blackwater does, as Iraqis have painfully learned, is not protect entire communities or countries but "protect the principal"--the principal being whoever has paid Blackwater for its guns and gear.
The same pay-to-be-saved logic governs this entire new sector of country club disaster management. There is, of course, another principle that could guide our collective responses in a disaster-prone world: the simple conviction that every life is of equal value.
For anyone out there who still believes in that wild idea, the time has urgently arrived to protect the principle.

Sinbad

Sindbad The Seaman and Sindbad The Landsman.

There lived in the city of Baghdad, during the reign of the Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, a man named Sindbád the Hammál, one in poor case who bore burdens on his head for hire. It happened to him one day of great heat that whilst he was carrying a heavy load, he became exceeding weary and sweated profusely, the heat and the weight alike oppressing him. Presently, as he was passing the gate of a merchant's house, before which the ground was swept and watered, and there the air was temperate, he sighted a broad bench beside the door; so he set his load thereon, to take rest and smell the air,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.