War, what is it good for?

War crimes: Redudancy or necessity?

(note, this one's a bit more opinion based than fact based).

In this day and age, we've got Weapons of Mass Destruction, atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, and disease warfar. Yet, for some reason, we choose to use infantry and we choose to use slower methods of war. Why is this? It's because of something called "war crimes".
To me, the words "war crimes" are redundant, murder is the ultimate sin, thus war is it's uber-pregnant love-child. However, not all people agree with me. So here's the history of the term "war crime".

You've got 4 Geneva Conventions dealing with prisoners of war (1864, 1949, 1949, 1949); The Hague conventions of 1899 and 1907; the Biological Weapons Convention (1972); and, the Chemical Weapons Convention (1993). Basically, these 4 "conventions" decreed what would and would not be legal for war-fare.

Now, is it just me, or do rules of war sound a little stupid? First off, how do you enforce said rules; secondly, how do you really know what weapons every one has; thirdly, how do you stop a country/force someone to follow them? Really, if a country has, I don't know, let's say the ebola virus in a ready-made bomb, who's to stop them from using it? Or even worse, a blue bomb, it destroys all biological material, but leaves everything else intact. (it may or may not exist...)

Anyway, back to the "rules". Gases, biological warfare, atomic bombs: forbidden. Torture, "unfair treatment of prisoners", neglect of the sick and wounded: forbidden. There are even rules for the "opening of Hostilities"...

I mean, isn't war supposed to be horrific, bloody, and quick? It seems that these "rules" would hinder the process of war. If you want to win a war, do it quickly, don't use infantry, and fuck the rules.

and this is coming from a pacifist. Except, in the case of war, then fuck the enemies and do everything in your power to win quickly and effeciently!


stay tuned to the next post "and we call this one General Ignorance 101"

The British are coming, the British are coming...

And ruining our liberal society.

Or so it would seem for the pre-colonized South-East Asian transgendered communities!

That's right, today's topic is....*insert drum roll*

Intersexuals in Asia (Thailand, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh edition)

In Southeast Asia, the transgendered are referred to as "the third sex"; Hijra/Hijda in the Indian Subcontinent and Kathoey in Thailand. One would think that in this so-called "modern age" that people of all gender, sexuality or race would be free to live life as they saw fit, but that's not the case.

However, before the British came to Asia and ruined is sexually free environment, the Hijra were seen as a normal part of society: not be ridiculed nor banished from home. Hijras are mentioned in the Kama Sutra and were used as court eunuchs until the 1950’s. Hijras are usually devotees to Bahuchara Mata (the mother goddess) or Shiva. Every spring, they celebrate a festival to mourn lord Aravaan.

Religion is the basis of the Hijra, it is their method of birth. They undergo a nirvan (a rebirth) via total emasculation: the testes, scrotum and penis are removed without anesthesia . After the nirvan, the Hijra lives with a Hijra family consisting of a guru and chelas, “students”. The chelas assume the surname of the guru, and create a close knit family unit within the guru’s household.

When the Brits arrived in India, they began to dominate the already established political system. They instilled Western ideology and sexual conservatism. The Brits attempted to eliminate the Hijras, citing them as “a breach of public indecency.” Due to anti-Hijra sentiment, the Hijras have been reduced to a life of prostitution and begging. Violence against them is wide-spread in India, therefore, they have started to become politically active: they participate in HIV/AIDS awareness and other pro-gay rallies in India.

Kathoey refers to Thailand’s so-called “lady-boys”, or transwomen, whether they be pre- or post-operation. Kathoeys, unlike the Hijra, are relatively accepted in the Thai culture; Thailand has never been conquered by the Western powers. Some believe that they accept the Kathoey because they see the Kathoey as people who have committed transgressions in their past lives: there are to be pitied and not blamed. Thailand is overwhelmingly Buddhist.

Although Thailand has a much more liberal approach to the intersex than India, it is still not perfect. Kathoeys are unable to change their legal sex. Families are usually disappointed if a son becomes a Kathoey.

Thailand is on its way to being the first country to openly accept those of the third gender. They are in the public eye, whether it be the boxer Nong Tum, or the Iron Ladies volleyball team or even the band Venus Flytrap. Chiang Mai Technology school even created a separate bathroom for Kathoeys; although, the students are required to wear male clothing, they can sport feminine hairdos.

So here we have yet another example of the damage caused by the British. What will they do next?

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s esoteric blurb, in which we discuss the effects of tanning solution on the scalp or something to that effect…