April 23, 2007
Interesting but sad to see that what I wrote below from 2002 onwards has
all
turned out to be correct. But there is still Jazz! And at 72 I am still playing.
A reissue of my album Touching You (1987) on CD can now be obtained at
www.onlinejazzshop.com at the very
low price of € 4,99. Samples of all the
pieces on the CD can be listened to on that site!
Line up: Bob Rigter tenor/baritone saxophone, Jan van Twuijver piano, Simon
Planting bass, Hans Beun drums.
Music: Touching You (orig), Skylark, All The Things You Are, Alteration (orig),
Round Midnight, Fried Bananas, You ' ve Changed, Simon (orig), Darn That
Dream, Blues For Jasper (orig).
April 15, 2006
Why this long
silence? Out of absolute disgust with American politics. I withdrew
into a small world of music and literature and Dutch landscapes. It is
interesting
to see that what was obvious to me and many others in Europe is now gradually
becoming clear to the rest of the world. Unfortunately the damage is done.
November 3,
2004
Today I received the following mail from an American friend.
Four more
years of lies and deceit and a power-mad "Messenger of God".
Sickening...he won more popular votes than any candidate in history.
Ashamed; saddened; - they don't seem strong enough.
Still, we must go on and teach children to do the opposite: read, know,
draw, paint, create, sing, play, dance, love, and believe in the beauty
of their fellow human beings.
October 11,
2004
Will our American friends who have the right to vote please read the following?
Rumsfeld
said that there might not be an election in all sections of Iraq. Does this mean
that
we can hold an election in America without Florida and
it will count?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2004
Mr.
Bush and His 10 Ever-Changing Different Positions
on Iraq: "A flip and a flop and now just a flop."
Dear Mr. Bush,
I am so confused. Where exactly do you stand on the issue of Iraq? You, your
Dad, Rummy,
Condi, Colin, and Wolfie -- you have all changed your minds so many times, I am
out of breath
just trying to keep up with you!
Which of these 10 positions that you, your family and your cabinet
have taken over the years represents your CURRENT thinking:
1983-88: WE LOVE SADDAM. On December 19, 1983, Donald Rumsfeld was sent by
your
dad and Mr. Reagan to go and have a friendly meeting with Saddam Hussein, the
dictator of Iraq.
Rummy looked so happy in
the picture
. Just twelve days after this visit, Saddam gassed thousands
of Iranian troops. Your dad and Rummy seemed pretty happy with the results
because ‘The Donald R.’
went back to have another
chummy hang-out with Saddam’s right-hand man
, Tariq Aziz, just four
months later. All of this resulted in the
U.S. providing credits and loans to Iraq that enabled
Saddam
to buy billions of dollars worth of weapons and chemical agents. The Washington
Post
reported that your dad and Reagan let it be known to their Arab allies that
the Reagan/Bush
administration wanted Iraq to win
its war with Iran and anyone who helped Saddam accomplish
this was a friend of ours.
1990: WE HATE SADDAM. In 1990, when Saddam invaded Kuwait, your dad and his
defense
secretary, Dick Cheney, decided
they didn't like Saddam anymore
so they attacked Iraq and
returned Kuwait to its rightful dictators.
1991: WE WANT SADDAM TO LIVE. After the war, your dad and Cheney and Colin
Powell
told the Shiites to rise up against Saddam and we would support them. So they
rose up. But then
we changed our minds. When the Shiites rose up against Saddam, the Bush inner
circle changed
its mind and decided NOT to help the Shiites. Thus, they were massacred by
Saddam.
1998: WE WANT SADDAM TO DIE. In 1998, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and others, as part of
the
Project for the New American Century, wrote an
open letter to President Clinton
insisting he
invade and topple Saddam Hussein.
2000: WE DON'T BELIEVE IN WAR AND NATION BUILDING. Just three years later,
during your debate with Al Gore in the 2000 election, when asked by the
moderator Jim Lehrer
where you stood when it came to using force for regime change, you turned out to
be a downright
pacifist:
“I--I would take the use of force very seriously. I would be guarded in my
approach. I don't
think we can be all things to all people in the world. I think we've got to be
very careful when
we commit our troops. The vice president [Al Gore] and I have a disagreement
about the use
of troops. He believes in nation building. I--I would be very careful about
using our troops as
nation builders. I believe the role of the military is to fight and win war and,
therefore, prevent
war from happening in the first place. And so I take my--I take my--my
responsibility seriously.”
--October 3, 2000
2001 (early): WE DON'T BELIEVE SADDAM IS A THREAT. When you took office in
2001,
you sent your Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and your National Security
Advisor, Condoleezza
Rice, in front of the cameras to assure the American people they need not worry
about Saddam
Hussein. Here is what they said:
Powell: “We should constantly be reviewing our policies, constantly be looking
at those
sanctions to make sure that they have directed that purpose. That purpose is
every bit as
important now as it was 10 years ago when we began it. And frankly, they have
worked.
He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass
destruction.
He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors.” --February
24, 2001
Rice: “But in terms of Saddam Hussein being there, let's remember that his
country is
divided, in effect. He does not control the northern part of his country. We are
able to keep
arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt.” --July 29, 2001
2001 (late): WE BELIEVE SADDAM IS GOING TO KILL US! Just a few months later, in
the
hours and days after the 9/11 tragedy, you had no interest in going after Osama
bin Laden. You
wanted only to
bomb Iraq and kill Saddam
and you then told all of America we were under
imminent threat because weapons of mass destruction were coming our way. You led
the American
people to believe that Saddam had something to do with Osama and 9/11. Without
the UN's
sanction, you broke international law and invaded Iraq.
2003: WE DON’T BELIEVE SADDAM IS GOING TO KILL US. After no WMDs were
found,
you changed your mind about why you said we needed to invade, coming up with a
brand new
after-the-fact reason -- we started this war so we could have regime change,
liberate Iraq and give
the Iraqis democracy!
2003: “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!” Yes, everyone saw you say it -- in costume, no
less!
2004: OOPS. MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED! Now you call the Iraq invasion a "
catastrophic
success
." That's what you called it this month. Over a thousand U.S. soldiers have
died, Iraq is in a
state of total chaos where no one is safe, and you have no clue how to get us
out of there.
Mr. Bush, please tell us -- when will you change your mind again?
I know you hate the words "flip" and "flop," so I won't use
them both on you. In fact, I'll use just
one: Flop. That is what you are. A huge, colossal flop. The war is a flop, your
advisors and the
"intelligence" they gave you is a flop, and now we are all a flop to
the rest of the world. Flop. Flop. Flop.
And you have the audacity to criticize John Kerry with what you call the
"many positions" he has
taken on Iraq. By my count, he has taken only one: He believed you. That was his
position.
You told him and the rest of congress that Saddam had WMDs. So he -- and the
vast majority
of Americans, even those who didn't vote for you -- believed you. You see,
Americans, like John
Kerry, want to live in a country where they can believe their president.
That was the one, single position John Kerry took. He didn't support the war, he
supported YOU.
And YOU let him and this great country down. And that is why tens of millions
can't wait to get to
the polls on Election Day -- to remove a major, catastrophic flop from our dear,
beloved White
House -- to stop all the flipping you and your men have done, flipping us and
the rest of the world off.
We can't take another minute of
it. Michael
Moore
May 25, 2004
What did Bush say the name of that prison was?
"I will grab!"
What more could you expect.
July 22, 2003
What a month! You lie! You lie! Precisely 45 minutes after the war in Iraq
started, it
was clear. The number of Iraqi's killed will probably never be divulged. I
wonder whether
the American and British bereaved can sue the state for sending their sons and
daughters
into war on false pretenses. They won't of course. Proudly they cherish a piece
of cloth
a few medals and a piece of paper with the word Hero on it, to the sum total of
at most
five dollars. The guerilla war has started and Iraq is turning into another
Palestine.
May 1, 2003
Mayday - mayday - mayday - mayday ...
April 21, 2003
u r g e n t
Please fly in weapons of mass destruction a.s.a.p.
Americans do not care about legitimacy of war as long as they win, but for
England it
is of vital importance that we finally find some weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq.
Save Blair's skin!
March 29, 2003
When you come home, please not in a bag dad.
March 24, 2003
Since America has lost its moral and ethical credibility (rigged elections,
supreme court,
Kyoto, Israel/Palestine, International Criminal Court, etc.) I watch the war as
reality tv. Not
that you see the reality of it all, but still. Christiane Amanpour is delicious.
I love the way
she speaks. It is that nasal quality that does it for me. I hear Rumsfeld
whining about POWs
and the Geneva Convention. Suddenly he is all for international law and human
rights. I think
of Guantanamo and the tears roll down my cheeks. What a wonderful show. And then
Bush
makes an appearance. We see him making fun while he is being groomed for his
appearance.
Then he puts on his dummy face and he recites his mantra on evil and the weapons
of mass
destruction and that God is with America. And then, surprise surprise, some of
his soldiers
die, and by way of consolation he announces that he prays for them! I wish I
knew the precise
content of that prayer. It is too good to be true. Yet all this must be reality,
for who could write
such crap.
Still, again and again, I return to CNN. It is because of my craving for
Christiane Amanpour and
her delectable nasal vocalisation.
March 18, 2003
What did Cook do with Tony Blair's goose?
Feb 21, 2003
If Sadam took Turkey from behind, would Greece help?
Feb 13, 2003
39% of the Dutch see America as the greatest threat to world peace. I remember
the days
when the Americans were our heroes. They liberated us. Now, America has lost its
ethical
and moral credibility. America exempts itself from human rights treaties. No
American is to
be tried in an International Criminal Court. The senate has even passed a law
that Holland
is to be invaded if an American should be tried there for war crimes.
They have for years now condoned the violation of human rights and of UN
resolutions in the
Middle East. This led to the disastrous polarisation with the muslim world that
has led to the
desperate kamikaze actions culminating in 9-11. Why must Iraq comply with UN
resolutions
while Israel has been allowed to flout them for years? Sadam is a scoundrel and
must be
removed. But the images of Sabra and Chatilla for which Sharon was responsible
are still in
my mind. Who, in the Middle East, wields weapons of mass destruction? On which
side will
the hundreds of thousands of war casualties fall?
Tomorrow is Valentines Day.
Feb 04, 2003
The ancient Greeks were aware that excessive pride and arrogance leads to lack
of self-
criticism and ends in tragic failure. This was summed up in the notion hubris.
After 9-11, those who died tragically were triumphantly called heroes. Hurt
pride made it
impossible for the USA to seriously consider the causes that led to the
disaster. The
space-shuttle disaster shows the same blind self-trust. The stereotype reaction:
those
who died are triumphantly called heroes and the incident must be forgotten as
soon as
possible. The plans for building on ground zero have now been divulged. America
is going
to triumphantly build the highest tower in the whole world as a symbol of its
hubris.
War soon. If Sadam has weapons of mass destruction, they will be deployed as
soon as
the war starts. If not, not. But then, at least, Bush has his war and the whole
of the US will
rally behind him. God bless America.
Dec 28, 2002
The days of the legendary jazz concerts in The Hague appear to be back. The new
Jazz
Club Pannonica has started off with a live cd recording of trombonist Slide
Hampton with
Cees Slinger pi, Sjoerd Dijkhuizen and Simon Rigter ts, Frans van Geest b, Erik
Ineke drs.
The cd will come out on the Blue Jack Jazz label. On dec. 26 and 27 there were
fantastic
concerts by The Hague All Stars (Michael Varekamp trp, Simon Rigter ts, Vincent
Koning
g, Peter Beets pi, Frans van Geest b, Gijs Dijkhuizen drs. For their new cd see
Simon's page
on this site). Tonight and tomorrow there will be concerts by The Hage All Stars
Big Band.
Be sure to have a look at www.pannonica.nl
, and visit the club when you are in The Hague!
Dec 14, 2002
Racist Republicans: a sorry Lott.
By the way. Senator Lott, wasn't he the one that changed into a salt pillar?
Nice and white?
Dec 10, 2002
Frost in Holland. Marathon skating. Great jazz, too. See new cd on Simon's page
on this site.
Fortunately, one cannot generalize about American attitudes. There are some
critical minds.
Maybe more than appears from the news. See www.markfiore.com/animation/corrections.swf
.
Dec 4, 2002
Spent some days on a small island off the northern coast of Holland. Away from
the world.
No cars. No entertainment. Just nature. The sea, the dunes, mud flats, rare
birds. Water
colours hanging in the air. Greys, browns, shades of green, touches of blue and
of red, the
white line of a sand bank far away. What a beautiful world. No radio. No
newspapers.
Back in the civilized world, 80% of the news was about the aftermath of
9-11. The causes
have not been redressed. Instead, hawks lash out in fear or greed and the
middle-east conflict
is allowed to fester on. Everywhere in Europe xenophobia gains ground. Fear
reigns.
But not everyone has gone off their rocker. Go to www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar
.
Nov 5, 2002
Elections in the USA today. In Holland we remember how Bush became president. We
are concerned about trade barriers, the environment, the struggle against
symptoms rather
than causes of terrorism, the flouting of UN resolutions and international
justice, even to the
extent that a decision was passed to invade Holland in the case of any American
being brought
to justice in The Hague. Come on America, show your moral fibre!
(Nov 6: But no. After 9-11 fear reigns.)
Sept 12, 2002
After a year, the gap between rich and poor has only widened. The conflict in
the Middle
East continues. International justice is far to seek. These causes of tension in
the world
have not begun to be resolved. Yesterday the fear of terror was glaringly
apparent. Let me
cite the president's recent comments on the Emron scandal: "Faith is earned
by integrity.
There is no capital without conscience. There is no wealth without
character." Wise words!
So wise, that they should also be applied to world politics.
Today the president insisted that a nation should obey UN resolutions. Great!
And that
should hold for all nations.
Yes, we had a great summer in Holland. Elsewhere in the world it was a bit wet.
Now why
was that.
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