Guns and Bloody Roses

Yet another tragedy waiting to happen. A man of Vietnamese origin killing himself after shooting 13 people dead in Binghamton, NY, continues America's sorry story on gun violence. Then we have the usual scenario of reactive law enforcement doing its thing after the fact. Too little and definitely too late. I am more surprised by the surprise expressed in media over these incidents, when the chances are so much higher in the gun possession prolific US than elsewhere.

Some pundits have proclaimed through studies that there is definitely a connection between economic downturns and increase in violent incidents. Even a quick look at history will show that. Wasn't it poverty that lead to the violent takeover of the American continent by Europeans at the expense of indigenous cultures? They are reluctant to connect the difference in potential for violence with and without a gun.

A person with a knife or club or stick can rarely coerce 4-5 or more persons to bid his will unless he is a Bruce Lee/Rambo type of a fighting superstar. A person with a gun definitely can, even if he is the ridiculed 5 foot 80 pound local wimp. He could coerce 5 NFL footballers if he wanted, so long as they were unarmed and he was.

The promoters of gun culture in the US portray it as their right to defend themselves from attack in a violence prone society. The proliferation of guns actually makes the US a far more violence prone society in the first place. And in the majority of cases, the gun is used as a weapon of offence or coercion far more often than for any self defence. In a number of serial killing cases, the gun plays a very important role, though victims may be killed in some other way. One has to just go through the entire list of prolific serial killers in the US (which somehow seems to have a higher number here as well) to see how effective a gun made them.

So, inspite of having the world's best means, resources and technology to deal with crime, the free gun culture is a massive achilles heel to the entire US security infrastructure. They have the cure and no clue about prevention. This leaves it seriously vulnerable to terrorism in the future (Update below) . A patient enemy just needs its combatants to have a clean record, migrate to the US, get citizenship in the 6-10 year period and arm themselves and carry out coordinated massacres across the country. If they are open to suicide, this leaves a reactive law enforcement, however quick, too late to help counter such a strike and hence ineffective.

Till the US gets the balance between the freedom to carry a gun and the ease of using a gun for violence against fellow citizens, similar incidents will continue to be common place. The US will continue on all fronts including having the most people in prison, having the most in solitary confinement and having a massive drug control problem.

Update. The Pakistani Taliban is claiming credit for the massacre, though it is more likely a bluff, but this is sure to give them and the US security structure something to think about.

Nano - a better review

I found R Jagannathan's review of the Nano in the context of India's urban traffic issues in DNA's Opinion section interesting.

I agree with his view that the 2-wheelers occupy significant space if braking distance is considered in traffic. But this applies to traffic in Mumbai where some form of lane discipline still exists. Not so valid in others where 2-wheelers usually slot into any gap available and hence occupy less space, not that it makes for a pleasant traffic situation.

Jagannathan says that cars should be cheap but roads should be costly, charged for usage just like any other utility. So, the more one uses it by private transport, the more one pays. So, only the rich will use the road more often even if more people have cars. This point though is a valid one to control traffic congestion.

The other issue is the age old one of improving public transport, nice in theory, not so in practical implementation. It will need political will, a most risky option for any politician. This 'will' can only come to the fore if it will cost an election not to use it.

Is Swat the new Rhineland

The Taliban takeover of Swat, a slice of Pakistani territory, is a historic first. A sovereign nation has succumbed to a hardline Islamic outfit and handed over its territory. Through effective use of bluff, bluster and deception against a weak democratic government, the Taliban has officially entered Pakistan.

Before WWII Nazi troops took over Rhineland, through bluff, bluster and deception against a weak democratic French government. Will Kashmir by the new Austria with Punjab-Sindh playing Czecho-Slovakia to the Taliban's war dance?

Nazi Germany never became a nuclear power. Pakistan is one with the least deterrence or control. The probablity of a first nuclear terror attack just went up. Will India will be the first target for such an attack? Israel and the US are more distant and harder to target.

India has historically been the primary target for the Jihadist version of Islam. Fighters were easier to get in poverty deserts of Persia, Arabia and Turkey with dreams of a rich region, fragmented and easy to raid and loot. Converting or destroying a rich, prosperous, predominantly non Islamic region was always on the agenda.

India, in the middle ages, was never united in fighting Islam. Has that changed now? A higher percentage of Muslims exist now than in the middle ages. Most are peaceful, moderate, nationalist. But even a tiny percentage would be enough. Just 1% of 1% of 134 million, still creates a significant pool of 13,400 the size of a pretty large enterprise.

Throw in Bangladesh, the Maoists - the Nepali and the Naxalite variety and it gets even better. Add their growing Hindu counterparts to the mix. A modern, liberal, democratic India looks to be under serious threat.

Is this the beginning of an inevitable regional skirmish leading to bigger things?

India's Valentine Day Brouhaha

The Saint Valentine's Day brouhaha has become a yearly phenomenon. Lovers in India's various urban/semi-urban pockets, usually left alone on most other days, suddenly become targets.

In rural India on the other hand, falling in love is looked down upon. Love affairs across class/caste/religion boundaries, are considered a crime of the highest order, sometimes an excuse for murder. Despite all the hype of a new India arriving onto the modern world, even deemed a new superpower, the real India is anything but.

Vast swathes of rural India and significant sections of urban India are still very much a feudal society. Caste distinctions run deep, deeper than those of class or religion. From the blatantly open casteism in states like Bihar to the very subtle inferences in highly educated, upper middle class, upper castes, it exists everywhere. The newly assertive lower castes have their own versions. This phenomenon transcents all religions in India.

Valentine's day appeals to a very particular section of Indian society, the rising middle class and existing upper classes. These are the elite of Indian society brought up on the fodder of western norms and education.

For them Valentine's day represents,

• Freedom from restrictive social norms of the past.
• A fullfillment of the aspiration to be like the west.
• The growing liberalism in society.
• The growing independance of women.
• India moving to be a developed country.

But it offends many at various levels from mild to extreme.

• As a corrupting influence of westernization.
• As a creeping influence of Christianity.
• For frustrated males who lack female companionship.
• For frustrated males who are unlikely to form healthy relationships with females.
• As a threat to the world view that existed before Valentine's day became popular.
• As a cynical excuse to gain political mileage as an end in itself.

In conclusion, neither views are right or wrong. All it shows is

1. India is not a westernized, highly developed, liberal country. It has some pockets which appear to be so.
2. All sections of society are not ready for such rapid change in their existing world views.
3. A feudal-democracy mixed political power structure will use such conflicts for their political goals.

What next

Cyclones, Hurricanes, Earthquakes .. what next? and I thought Obama vs Clinton and Iraq was important!

Everybody's Jammin

Caught in a traffic jam yesterday. In Pune they are common place. Some God/Leader/Saint/Prophet is dead/dying/getting born. The believers take out a loud, noisy, dusty road blocking processions with the local vagabands drinking and dancing. It is just one more way Indians show their lack of civic sense.

India has historically been a country callous towards life including human. It has been raped, plundered, looted and ruled over the centuries. This brings me to how ambitious plunderers from the past are portrayed.

Alexander came to India with the intent of loot, plunder and conquest. Hitler and Chengiz Khan has similar objectives. One is 'the Great', the others are not exactly identified as such. Purely in square miles, Chengiz Khan outdid both combined. Should'nt he be the greatest?

Hitler is bad because he killed a lot of white, christian populations along with others. So the allies have painted him as worse of the three.

Indians & Chinese eat more - Rice

Condoleeza Rice says food costs spiral as Indians and Chinese eat more. Last I read, the US has the highest %age of obese (fatsoes if you are close to Condoleeza)