![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
When did we lose our balls?
As I read these newspaper articles about the Iraqi people giving a heartful welcome to the advancing Coalition troops as they enter their cities, day by day I gain a more positive stand towards the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive warfare. Perhaps I’m an easy target for “western” propaganda, but maybe the hawks in Washington were right about Iraq. Better to finish off Saddam’s regime quickly as possibly, despite taking few civilian casualties along with it, than let his people suffer slowly. Who gives a damn about Saddam’s alleged weapons of mass-destruction? Even if he didn’t have them and the outcome of entire campaign would mainly just profit American corporations, a Saddamless Iraq would probably still be a better place to live.
Where does my country, the small and pitiful Finland, stand? Nearly five decades of Soviet interference to our so called “neutrality” have sadly left their mark. Gone are the days of glory when our motor torpedo boats participated in the attacks against the Russian Reds in the Civil War, fighting side by side with the Royal Navy, stopping the dream of Homo Sovietus from becoming true.
When the Baltics finally gained their independence from Soviet Union in the early nineties, why didn’t our government support them more openly and condemn the Soviets as they sent tanks into Baltic cities and massacred the Lithuanians in the Vilnius TV tower? What had happened to the Finno-Baltic friendship and a commonly shared history of eastern agression that had been felt so strong before the WWII? Gone are the days of glory when our soldiers of our newly-independent country fought in the streets of Tallinn, helping the Estonians on their road to their own independence from Russia.
Hus, hush! Don’t say a bad word about Russia or they might get angry. It’s ok to criticize the decadent imperialist USA, but not Russia for their actions against Chechens. Bashing America is good, mmmkay? Or as some teenager (probably, judging by his/her use of language) said it here on an SMS chat show on the telly on Sebtember 9/11/2002: “They [USA] deserved it ‘coz they’ve killed millions and millions of innocent people around the world. Bush is an idiot!” Other like-minded teens joined him/her/it soon, and I was forced to change the channel. Even watching a Shopping TV ad for Gymform Plus, the revolutionary ‘fitness’ device that gives you Arnie-like muscles without the need to excerise, was more enjoyable than that.
After becoming more and more interested of politics, I have watched with fear what the biggest left-wing socialist of the Finnish government, our minister of foreign affairs Erkki Tuomioja, is always going to say. Tuomioja’s list of credits include the following: criticising American policy and Nato, comparing Israel’s actions to those of Nazi Germany, banning the sales of Finnish-made gas masks and chemical/biological weapons detection kits to Israel, banning the sale of Finnish-made armoured vehicles to Turkey, criticising American policy and Nato even more, and sounding like a person with a bade case of holier than thou attitude. If the Social Democrats (who for the most part are ok and not too leftist) get the seat of foreign minister in our near-future government, we’ll see if Örkki* Tuomioja decides that it’s absolutely unacceptable for Finland to make a multi-million deal with the US Army about the Advanced Mortar System (AMOS), since US is after all a nation currently involved in a war.
When did we Finns lose our balls to be actively doing something, instead of sitting on our asses and complaining like a rabid Trekkie, like I’m doing at this moment? Americans, you are okay folk, at least for the most part. At least you have occasionally guts to do something about the situation.
* “örkki” means “orc” in Finnish.
Aren’t I clever?
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)