Turkey does not look good

Here is a link to a blog from a good friend.

http://malcolmspoliticalcomment.blogspot.co.uk/p/an-article-by-friends-of-mine.html

I have known Malcolm since 2007 in Rome and then a year in Turkey. I met Banu, a very intelligent and thoughtful Turkish woman, with her sailboat in Marmaris in 2008 & 9. I probably know Pete, but I am not sure which Pete they are referring to. Malcolm and Banu are NOT kooks and I value their opinion. The post in the link above certainly confirms the opinion that it was a peaceful protest until the riot police created a riot with their brutality and cruelty.

I have been assuming that the faction of the Turkish government that condone such violence and brutality to smash peaceful dissent, does not realize how indescribably vulgar and damning such behavior appears to the world. That may not be a reasonable assumption. It is looking more reasonable to assume that the faction wants to be seen as brutal and violent. I cannot imagine why.

I am quite aware that it would be easy and advantageous to someone that wanted to discredit the legitimacy of an intelligent, peaceful protest, to hire or facilitate some thugs that would cause violence that seem to be coming from the protesters. I suspect that this technique is often used in such situations.

But, I think many of us might start out disagreeing peacefully and then when, in our minds, we are brutally attacked and we watch friends and loved ones killed and injured for being so bold as to say that we disagree with the government, it just might be that good and rational people could do the things that the protesters are accused of. I think it is somebody’s law, like Murphy’s Law, or Boyle’s Law, that violence creates more violence.

As much as I love Turks and Turkey, their government still believes and constantly uses the theory of controlling the media with a heavy hand. They routinely block hundreds of websites and the news that gets published is often what they want you to hear and not based on reality. A few years ago they were planning to execute a writer who said things they did not like to hear about Turkey. I apologize for not being better informed, but I think that he was not executed, only because Turkey wants to get into the European Union. It was pointed out that if they executed people for disagreeing with them that they were not really European Union material.

Propaganda and government-sponsored lies are an age-old tradition. The US and British governments still subscribe to that method. But with more restraint and subtlety than Turkey. But, now with the Internet, it is possible for more accurate reporting, such as the link above to leak out. I consider forwarding it a public service. I certainly hope that it will not cause me difficulty. I prefer to live in a world where the truth is not a secret.

I am very sorry to hear about the violence in Turkey. I have not heard of anything remotely resembling such violence in my area and I would quickly leave the country if I thought I was in any danger. I keep my fuel and water tanks nearly full.

I do not have a problem with any religion that I can think of at the moment. I do have a problem with brutality and religion, any religion, that is forced upon the people by federal mandate. It seems to me that you must be very aware that your religion is flawed if you feel that you have to federally mandate it on your victims.

It makes me more than a little nervous to publicly say all of this, but I feel that the truth of the situation is being suppressed.

Dave

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