In writing, sometimes I get so involved in the plot that I fear I am going round the bend sometimes. Part of that is due to the fact that lately while doing research for my stories, I have found out things that are even more astonishing than what I have written!
A case in point is the research I have been doing on Afghanistan for a story. I had imagined Mountainous country with deep wooded ravines, and running water as fairly common. It was a major plot device. What I am finding in actuality is that large parts of the country could be from Mars. A very large part of it has absolutely nothing growing on it. It looks like the bottom of death valley. The wars didn't destroy it, there never was anything there.
So, being very determined I simply soldiered on trying to write a romantic war story that would fit in the deserts of Mars. To add to the credibility of the plot, I read up on the Russian Invasion in '78, and previous wars and conflicts in the area. It is amazing. War and killing is the normal state for this country and it has been that way for most of recorded history! Yallah!
So, imagine my surprise when in the last several days, the west suddenly found vast Natural Resources there! Well boys and girls, we have been lied to; the truth kept from us but for what reason, I do not know. I think the Russians knew about it and that is why they invaded. I also think that Bush knew of it and that is why we are now there. I don't think that Opium or the Taliban was ever the big issue. Now the west is there protecting Chinese miners who are developing the mines. Maybe it is too much to try to make my fiction stories seem factual, since the truth is even more bizarre! It may be even more disjointed than I think too!
It is amazing to me that we think that there is so much danger of terrorism and infiltration in Police organizations in the US. I am also amazed that there are not a lot more terrorist activities here in the US? However, according to a retired man I met in 2004, who said he was an Army Bomb removal expert, bombings and attempts have have been going on for years here in the US, but are kept really quiet. According to him, there are enough of our own nut cases running around for that. Hmmm The actual bomb making is ridiculously easy.
So, then, reaching back into my own dim past to the very early 50's, we lived on a farm in rural Oregon. It was so remote that it took us half a day to get to a town of 5000. I was a tiny, effeiminate tyke who was not allowed to help with the big boys as they cleared land and blew stumps up. In those days, it was simple to buy stumping powder, and you could buy a rifle at the local grocery. Once in a while, the men would run short of dynamite, and use fertilizer, and oil along with it in an extremely simple process. I still remember our Water Spaniel chasing the blown up roots, and one day the men used too much of the stuff and dropped a huge root right through the barn roof. LOL It was a vastly different and much more innocent world then. I still remember the huge, and I do mean huge bonfires made from the cleared Hazelnut brush that would burn for days. In those days rather than the Police and Fire department coming, we'd get a call.
"Hey Mr Snively, how ya doin".
"We're doin fine; been workin in the woods; doin a lot of clearin and stumpin".
"Yeah, well this is Chief Jones" and we was wonderin if that was you out by Ladd Hill".
"Yep, it is, the brush finally got dry enough and we wanted ta get it burnt before winter".
"Yeah, well I can see the glow real clear over here in Tualatin".
"Is that so, why it must be 10 or 12 miles"!
"Yup, I think it is about that. Cain't see the actual flames but it is sure lightin up the sky".
"Well, its a way out in the upper field, nothin else is gonna burn we hope", He said with a laugh.
"Yeah, OK, just thought I'd check in on ya to see if everything was OK".
"Yep, we are, thanks for callin".
So, in light of my own past, I wonder why we have not suffered at the hands of the terrorists more? Perhaps their real agenda is to simply menace us with threats; fooling us into believing that they are very determined. Maybe it is our own government who wants us to believe there is a threat?
I'm having trouble sorting my own stories out from and even more sinister reality.
Much Peace
Khaduuj
Comments
The real problem with paranioa...
is trying to figure just who or what to be paranoid about! Talk about endless choices!
If you really want to get paranoid about terrorism, just think chemical plants(or papermills or many other things that we don't even consider).
Too much stuff to even bother worrying about most of it.
Sorry, I'm not exactly any comfort there am I?
Abby
Who want us to fear?
Yes, knowing how easy it is to do some of this stuff. Either the terrorists are consumate idiots, or someone is carefully orchestrating public opinion to make us believe in the boogy man.
Yes, I do hear voices, but they always say things like: "Must have a bit of chokie", or "Must have some Ice Cream, or same such.
Khaduuj
Wait... Are you saying...
Are you saying that the explosion on the deep water horizon wasn't an accident? That, it was a plot? Was it by the International News Organizations to get new news (folks weren't interested in the economy any more)? Was it by the White House, to deflect attention from the Economic woes?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Unbridled incometence
From what I gather, it was a defect in the way they were handling the gassing of Methane that was coming from the oil well along with the oil. I think it was abominable greed and being in a great big rush to get at the oil that did it. What they are doing is inherently very dangerous, in over a mile of water, and the oil is coming from the earth at astonishing presure. What ever was sitting on top of that well should have required a great deal of effort to open and keep open, and there should have been three of them.
I worked in industry for a lot of years and there are just some things that you never, ever do.
Much peace.
K
Healthy scepticism
Is always useful when dealing with the real reasons for a country going to war. I once read that the majority of wars throughout history have been fought for access to and control of resources, regardless of how they were presented to the population as a whole.
Oil featured prominently in the first Gulf War. Iraq had huge debts to repay to Kuwait and Saudi following the Iran - Iraq war, and thought Kuwait was over-pumping oil thus artificially lowering the oil price - and slant drilling into their territory. So when Iraq decided to invade Kuwait, Saudi asked for help to stop Iraq turning its sights onto their oil fields...
As for the second Gulf War, let's just say the Iraqi regime was so good at hiding its WMDs that we still haven't found them...
As for now, it turns out Iran has a few oil fields. And of course, being surrounded by nations antagonistic to itself, has embarked upon the strategy of hyping its own military capabilities ("We could build a nuke...if we wanted to!")
-oOo-
It'll be interesting to see what happens with the US's attitude to these areas of the world in the light of Deepwater Horizon, which has thrown a spanner in their plans to acquire oil a little closer to home. Further deep water offshore drilling proposals are likely to be mothballed for a while - which might reactivate the proposal of land-based drilling in Alaska - unless they decide they don't want a Lakeview Gusher, which released 9 million barrels over 18 months in 1910-11.
EAFOAB Episode Summaries
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
WWI and WWII
Well, I am fearful of dating myself, but at least we won't get preggers.
I had always been under the impression that WWI was actualy a quarrel between the royals of England, Germany and France. I hear they are all related. Nothing worse than a family feud, I say.
WWII, I am told was in many ways, the same thing on the western front.
The Japanese war, from what I can gather from some very biased outsiders, was in many ways caused by the US, in that we cut the japanese oil supply off. Of course that is ignoring the Japanese invasion of China that had been going on for how long?
I served during Vietnam, and was told that Lady Bird Johnson made a lot of money on the deal because she was Sealand shipping. Hmmmmm Someone else said it was all part of the cold war; stopping china and all that. I know that one of my chums lost both legs at the knees, and another came back so messed up in the head that he never was right again. I could use Vietnam as my excuse but I did not serve in country.
As far as the present oil gusher goes, in comparisson apparently Mexico just had one that went on 4 months and Austrailia had one that went 9 months. Hmmmmm So, I'd say that our present "crisis" is politically motivated, a chance to make those nasty Democrats look bad.
Personally, I'd horsewhip anyone who put a hole in the ocean that did not have at least tripple redundancy safties on it. I read the other night that the pressure at the well head of the present one is 13,000 PSI. I think a bit of bloody caution is in order.
In spite of the fact that I am Muslim, I can see a real need to quit buying Middle Eastern Oil, mostly because I think the stuff was put very far under the earth for a very good reason and ought to stay there.
Khaduuj
The Tsar, the Kaiser and the
Samirah M. Johnstone
Poor Anastaisia
I once saw the story of her and her family. It was all very sad and at the end of the story we did not know if she survived. Recently, I read that researchers had finally found her body along with some family members in a shallow grave in the woods near their palace. Hopefully, her next life will be happier.
Much Peace
K
I'm just
kind of sick and fed up of governments really, actually any form of large organised group has the huge potential for turning out really sucky people. I don't like or trust any politician they all lie no matter what country of political system. The same for these huge companies too, I watch too many documentaries I think and I can just see the world getting slowly worse and worse.
I just try to get by day to day and try and not let the sheer idiotcy out there ruin my life.
I don't mean or want to be a downer.
Blah...Now I need chocolate.
Bailey Summers
Eritriean chokie cup cakes!
In a resturant yesterday, I had an Eritrean Capuchino cupcake. OH YUM, Double yum. It was sooooo good, almost orgasimic ... well maybe not that ...
giggle
K