What’s “Saffron” About It? [UPDATED]
Unless their orange-yellow robes have been stained red by blood, I don’t see where saffron comes into the discussion:
Myanmar’s ruling military junta has cleared thousands of anti-government protesters on the streets of Yangon, with reports that at least 100 monks were beaten and arrested by soldiers.
There are reports by dissidents that four protesters were shot in the capital on Thursday.
Troops fired tear gas at a crowd of around 10,000 protesters, the Associated Press reported.
Media reports said demonstrators were given an ultimatum by the military to disperse within ten minutes or face extreme action.
…
The military sweep through the heart of the city came after overnight raids on Buddhist monasteries in which hundreds of monks were reportedly arrested, and a day after security forces forcefully cracked down on thousands of demonstrators gathered in the streets.
…
“What we heard was that the police and the military have gone in and have contained monks in their temples,” Hallenborg said. “A number have come in and arrested a number of monks. I can’t confirm how many, but it seems the monks are arrested or confined in the pagodas.”
Note to self: secure the rights to “Free Myanmar!” bumper sticker franchise. Cambridge alone will account for a couple of boat payments.
I go back and forth between admiration and pity for the monks—and the Burmese in general. The military junta is a pit bull, and you just biffed it on the snout. How did you expect it to react any differently?
UPDATE
Michelle, again, has a good roundup of news and blogs—but I’m forced to re-ask the question:
What was the end game supposed to be?
When they had 100,000 people in the streets, the monks looked like they had the momentum. How far did that get them? Not to make light of anyone’s religion (moi?), but maybe it’s a lot easier to poke a stick into the eye of a wild beast if you think you’ve got a good chance of coming back, even if it’s only as pocket lint.
Maybe they thought they’d actually stare down the junta (in which case they were either high or stupid, or both), maybe they thought China would intervene (that’s about the last chance they have right now), but this tack only plays to the junta’s strength. After hours and years of meditation, you’d think they’d have a better game plan.
Undergod said,
September 30, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
War – who sends their children off to war? Why don’t the ones who decide to go to war go themselves? Oh sure it’s easy to send someone else, its not your head getting blown off, it’s not you coming home with no legs or arms. Funny how the ones who decide to go to war are just sitting behind a desk here at home. Sure they have to answer difficult questions but who doesn’t from time to time. Parents aren’t you upset about governments deciding that we must go to war because the ones running these countries can’t sit down and work things out like human beings? I for one am very pissed and I don’t even have any kids. But here is something that really burns me. I pay school taxes on real-estate that I own, like my home. Well it really pisses me off that I am paying to send someone’s kids to school so that they can get a great education (remember I do not have any kids) well then these kids grows up and at some point you have a bunch of idiots who you think are running things but they are really too busy praying to whatever god they pray to when they should be face to face trying to avoid sending there children to work out the differences for them. Has anyone ever thought of this? I thought you people loved your kids I thought you really cared about them. If so why are you not in the streets uset that your kid may not be coming home for Christmas because some A-hole wanted their company to make more money than you will ever see in your life time? I myself find this very, very upsetting and unsettling. Just the thought of losing my life or any part of my body for the idiots who are calling themselves leaders really makes me upset for all the young men and woman. Lot at most of these people in this country do you see them losing anything over this. I look at most of the people in the area where I live, their selfish bastards living in 10,000 sq homes they don’t even need, driving hummers and SUVs bigger then any car I have ever seen in my life do you really think must of these people care that your kid dies. How many of our own politicians have kids in the Iraq? Let me give you a guess, not many. Let me tell you something else you are not going to like, alot of family members and friends of our own president are making more money than they ever have because of this war. How does that make you feel? Very angry I hope. Look the point that I am trying to make here is that we should avoid war at all cost (and certainly not for huge profits) after all it is our kids (your kids) that will end up paying the price and so far it doesn’t look you like we are doing enough to tell our own government that we do not agree with them sending out kids to die for money. Now here is something else that should really make everyone think and I mean everyone not just Americans but everyone around the world. If you knew for one second that when you die you were going nowhere not heaven not hell not anywhere, wouldn’t you think twice about life in general? Maybe this is it maybe there is no after life, when I die I am no more. Well that is what is going to happen people you are going nowhere and if each and everyone of us believed that instead of some place that doesn’t exist I would bet you that we would all see things a lot differently. Let’s just pretend that this life we have now is it and let’s see how that changes things. Come on let’s just try it, try it for your children if for no one else. If I told you that living your life here and now like there is no after live just might save the life of your children would you do it. How bad a life could it be if we all lived it like there was no tomorrow. Life that best live you could possibly live and make your life extent as long as you could with out war. Now if I were god I certainly would not send you to hell for that. Remember believing in an after live will only shorten your life here. Believing in life is better than believing in any god. Life is what you gave your child don’t take it away from them. I hope this helps please email me your thoughts mrkymk@comcast.net