22 August 2008
Smelly hypocrisy over Georgia
When Germany and France jointly argued against Georgia's early entry into NATO, they must have had some inkling what sort of man President Mikhail Saakashvili really was. Recent events in South Ossetia have proven how right the Germans and French were. Had Georgia joined NATO, Western Europe would have been obliged to engage Russia militarily.
Saakashvili has acted exactly like a spoilt little Junior at a zoo with long suffering parents. Provocatively poking a large Russian Bear, Junior gets a mauling in return for his efforts. He then turns around and whines for his parents to punish the Bear for daring to maul him! If I were the parents, I'd hurl the little thug over the fence as a tasty snack for the Bear.
But wait, the boorish and presumptious American relatives side with the little darling because he was schooled in the good old USA, and impressed them with his early talent for boorish and presumptious behaviour. Seeking to curry favour and emulate the American relatives, the French parent convinces himself that Junior indeed was innocent and scolds the Bear. The German parent reluctantly falls in with her French partner. But her half-hearted scolding of the Bear betrays her real views.
Understandably, the Bear is peeved at being treated so unfairly. Why, it remembers a time not too long ago when the American relatives came to the zoo and trashed the Iraqi Skunk's enclosure into rubble. What grand reason did they offer for their dastardly deed? The American relatives didn't like the smell coming from the Skunk's enclosure.
Never mind that they fed the Skunk for years while it was in a ding dong fight with the Persian Cat. Never mind that despite exuding unbearable (pardon the pun) body odours themselves, the American relatives had the cheek to complain about the Skunk's smell. In fact, to its delicate nose, the American relatives smelt far worse than the Skunk, sniffed the Bear.
At least the Skunk had an excuse for smelling bad, the Bear thought. After all, the good lord saw fit to create the Skunk's bad smell as a self-defence mechanism. But in the case of the American relatives, despite having lots of other people's money, they didn't believe in showers, soap and deodorant!
What is a Bear to do?
Saakashvili has acted exactly like a spoilt little Junior at a zoo with long suffering parents. Provocatively poking a large Russian Bear, Junior gets a mauling in return for his efforts. He then turns around and whines for his parents to punish the Bear for daring to maul him! If I were the parents, I'd hurl the little thug over the fence as a tasty snack for the Bear.
But wait, the boorish and presumptious American relatives side with the little darling because he was schooled in the good old USA, and impressed them with his early talent for boorish and presumptious behaviour. Seeking to curry favour and emulate the American relatives, the French parent convinces himself that Junior indeed was innocent and scolds the Bear. The German parent reluctantly falls in with her French partner. But her half-hearted scolding of the Bear betrays her real views.
Understandably, the Bear is peeved at being treated so unfairly. Why, it remembers a time not too long ago when the American relatives came to the zoo and trashed the Iraqi Skunk's enclosure into rubble. What grand reason did they offer for their dastardly deed? The American relatives didn't like the smell coming from the Skunk's enclosure.
Never mind that they fed the Skunk for years while it was in a ding dong fight with the Persian Cat. Never mind that despite exuding unbearable (pardon the pun) body odours themselves, the American relatives had the cheek to complain about the Skunk's smell. In fact, to its delicate nose, the American relatives smelt far worse than the Skunk, sniffed the Bear.
At least the Skunk had an excuse for smelling bad, the Bear thought. After all, the good lord saw fit to create the Skunk's bad smell as a self-defence mechanism. But in the case of the American relatives, despite having lots of other people's money, they didn't believe in showers, soap and deodorant!
What is a Bear to do?
