The ‘Ugly American’ as terrorist-mouthpiece

Given Robert O Blake's incurable itch regarding Sri Lanka, I thought a re-post of this comment might be useful.

Long before Wikileaks revealed that the current US Ambassador in Colombo, Patricia Butenis was bending over backwards to harass this government and thereby the citizens of this country, those who are alert about things like international relations, the political preferences of global powers and related machinations and of course the behind-the-scenes moves by diplomats. The lady had an impressive track record in the matter of meddling in the internal politics of countries where she has served. 

Patricia Butenis succeeded a man called Robert Blake.  Now Blake, according to Wikileaks, knew exactly what the LTTE’s political and military strategies were.  Not that we are surprised of course, since it is well known that Blake’s bosom buddies in Colombo had been tasked by the LTTE to use whatever means necessary to undermine the Sri Lankan government and create conditions favourable for that terrorist outfit.  In fact this same group left no stone unturned in trying- to engineer the escape of the LTTE leadership, clearly so that they could live to fight another day. 

The man must have been pretty down in the mouth when for once the US script was flipped by a determined government, a tenacious set of military commanders and a polity that had had enough of the ‘peace’ rubbish dished out by Eelamist apologists and consequently backed the military offensive to the hilt.  He left and was later appointed the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. 

Blake, on March 16, 2011, expressed ‘deep concern’ about ‘developments that shrink the democratic space and respect for human rights in Sri Lanka’.  We didn’t need Blake to tell us that.  Our constitution is made to make dictators.  As for human rights, parroting LTTE propaganda doesn’t really make a case. In any case, Blake is an employee of a government that goes to war in open violation of the constitution of the country, without sanction from Congress in terms of the section titled ‘Declaration of War’.  The last time a leader of that country took the constitution seriously was on December 8, 1941, when Franklin Roosevelt sought and obtained permission from Congress to formally declare war on Japan consequent to the bombing of Pearl Harbour.

Maybe non US citizens are not considered ‘humans’ and therefore it is alright to bump them off. Perhaps it is because the US thinks that brown people are fair game for bomb, bullet, bayonet, stripping, humiliation, torture and entertainment, as has been the case (in recent times) in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya.

Blake’s ‘democratic’ concerns are scandalously selective.  Today, the USA is bombing Libya in support of rebels with strong links to Washington (and to the Al Qaeda, ironically) and against a government that has unlike US allies in the region diverted oil generated wealth for the benefit of all citizenry, where there is close to zero unemployment, where usury is prohibited, which enjoys the highest life expectancy and literacy rate in Africa and there’s free health and free education.  Neither Blake nor his boss has dared compare all this with their thick-as-thieves pals in the region among whom are many monarchs and tyrants (well, the monarchies are tyrannies as well). 

So he’s upset about the 18^th Amendment. I am upset about it too, Bob.  But you know what, I am not going to stand anywhere close to you even if you were to hold the same placard, the reason being that you are a man without integrity, a rank meddler and an obnoxious busybody who was and is a spokesperson and agent for the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit whose operations saw close to 100,000 of my fellow-citizens dying and several hundred thousands injured, displaced and dispossessed.   And, for the record, for all the flaws of our constitution, civil life is a million times better than it was when you were around partying with shady characters in Colombo. 

Here’s the latest ‘news’. Yes, the quotation mark indicates the fact that it does not come as surprise.  Blake has been powwowing with the LTTE rump.  He’s been strategizing with known LTTE operatives in the West who built careers and profiles spreading lies about Sri Lanka and whitewashing the LTTE of its many crimes against humanity, acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing.  Why Blake or any of his colleagues in the State Department have not conferred with the Al Qaeda is mind boggling, all things considered.  Blake must be utterly naïve if he believes that the people who run the Global Tamil Forum and the British Tamil Forum never had any links with the LTTE.  He’s no baby, this man. He’s quite grown up.   They have directly and/or indirectly funded the LTTE and helped procure arms used to kill innocent civilians and consequently need to be named and shamed as the terrorists that they are.   But then again, Blake represents a country that has no qualms about giving bucks and guns to insurgents and terrorists and one which in fact has no qualms about slaughtering civilians in their thousands.  

There’s a p.s. to the ‘latest’.  Blake has told the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives that ‘The [Sri Lankan] government's worrying record on human rights, its weakening of democratic institutions and practices, and the way in which it conducted the final months of its conflict against the Tamil Tigers hamper our ability to fully engage.’  If ‘record on human rights’ and ‘strength of democratic institutions and practices’ (both in the USA and outside) is important to these people, they must acknowledge that their ability to engage with themselves are severely handicapped.  It means that the decision-makers in the USA must require truckloads of sedatives to deliver their REMs.  

‘We continue to stress the importance of reconciliation and accountability for the future civility and prosperity of that country, Blake has said of Sri Lanka. Ditto, brother.  Sorry, ditto to the 100^th power, in the interest of maintaining perspective. 

And now this Ugly American wants to visit Sri Lanka. Come, Blake, come. Be our guest. Enjoy our hospitality.  Yes, even party with your old friends in the terrorist-loving I/NGO circle.   I am sure you’ve memorized the lines scripted for you by the LTTE thugs you’ve been doing goodness knows what with.  Not that you had to, this we understand of course.  Fine. Fine.  Yes, you can even try arm-twisting.  That’s what your boss Obama did when your fellow ‘diplomat’ (hehehe) Raymond Davis emptied his magazine into some innocent bystanders.  Do all this, but also remember that even if this government is seen as ‘consolation prize’ by a significant portion of those who voted for it, they would most probably back it to the hilt against the LTTE or its agents (such as you). 

P.S.  The man did visit and re-visited too. Probably partied too with his Eelam-loving, pro-LTTE pals in Colombo.  And he's now playing 'Ugly American' in Geneva.  In Sinhala we say 'pau'.