Spare A Moment
By Bashir Goth
Dear Somalis
In the diaspora
Dear sisters
Dear brothers
When celebrating Eid
When sauntering in Christmas
Spare a moment
When showering gifts
On your lucky children
Spare a moment
When you heap them
In new clothes
In Nike shoes
Spare a moment
When admiring their smiles
In peaceful lands
In beautiful parks
Spare a moment
When you spoil them
With happiness
With electronic games
With garnished foods
Spare a moment
When you drive your families
In lush boulevards
Dinning with them
In glamorous eateries
Aimlessly strolling
Aimlessly buying
In designer stores
Spare a moment
For the hungry
For the homeless
For the hopeless mothers
Hugging dead children
Back in Mogadishu
Spare a moment
When your children
Splash ice cream
On the kitchen floor
Spare a moment
When they fret and frown
Over food at home
Crying for deliveries
From fast food outlets
Craving for French fries
For hamburgers
For hefty MacDonalds
When you relent
And render the order
Spare a moment
For mothers in Mogadishu
Hugging and holding
Hungry children
Hollow-eyed babies
Hanging to life
Spare a moment
When you stroll to hotels
To Sunday evening parties
Prim and piffy
Spare a moment
When you toast a drink
And toss down a draft
When you mumble
In mesmerizing music
Spare a moment
For children in Mogadishu
In feeding zones
Spare a moment
For mothers shivering in cold
For elders cursing their age
For the ruins of Mogadishu
Spare a moment
When you ensconce
In comfy sofas
In heated homes
Spare a moment
When you turn on
Your television sets
And swap channels
On sleek screens
Admiring your children
Excited and starry-eyed
Over latest gadgets
Escaping the luxury
The comfort at home
To virtual violence
To horror movies
Spare a moment
For children in Mogadishu
Roasting in real hell
With limbs maimed
Wading through the blood
Of dead parents
Stumbling on decomposing bodies
Of dead siblings
Seeking shelter in squalid cellars
In bullet-riddled, pockmarked caves
In the lap of agonized mothers
Spare a moment
For an orphan nation
Spare a moment
For a country scorched
Spare a moment
Spare a moment
Spare a moment.
December 19,2007
Copyright© 2007 Bashir Goth
READ MORE in Awdalnews, Wardheernews
Thursday, December 20, 2007
My Choice: None of the Above
By Bashir Goth
In the face of the resounding chorus for action against global warming, it may be tantamount to self-immolation to say anything negative against the campaign to fight climage change. One may not even dare to raise his voice for fear of becoming a victim to inquisiton by the brigades of climate change cheerleaders.
Despite that, I must risk refusing to follow the herd on the motives and long-term objectives of the global warming campaign. I am not a scientist to disprove the findings of eminent scholars in the field, and indeed that is not my point at all. Instead, my concern is the timing and fervor with which developed nations, particularly European countries, push the agenda of climate change. (Please refer to my previous piece)
Drawing lessons from history and the nuances of international politics, one cannot but question the honesty of the whole issue. Questions that need answers include: Why has fighting climate change and global warming gained momentum while conventional players in the energy sector find themselves in fierce competition with powerful competitors from Russia, China and India? Why was the science community silent when Europe was spewing the greatest amount of CO2 over decades? Why did the conscience of the academia, politicians and drum-beating lobby groups suddenly awaken when oil gushed from every hitherto unsuspected region in Africa, Central Asia and elsewhere? How can one allay the fears and suspicions of oil-producing countries that the motive behind the climate change issue and the robust search for alternative energy is really about a tacit strategy to liberate the developed economies from the stranglehold of the oil-producing countries? Isn’t it reasonable for oil producing countries such OPEC, Russia and others and even emerging commercial powerhouses like China and India to suspect that all that the giant industrial countries want is to regain their traditional lead in technology and world trade?
READ MORE in Washington Post. or Opiniononline
By Bashir Goth
In the face of the resounding chorus for action against global warming, it may be tantamount to self-immolation to say anything negative against the campaign to fight climage change. One may not even dare to raise his voice for fear of becoming a victim to inquisiton by the brigades of climate change cheerleaders.
Despite that, I must risk refusing to follow the herd on the motives and long-term objectives of the global warming campaign. I am not a scientist to disprove the findings of eminent scholars in the field, and indeed that is not my point at all. Instead, my concern is the timing and fervor with which developed nations, particularly European countries, push the agenda of climate change. (Please refer to my previous piece)
Drawing lessons from history and the nuances of international politics, one cannot but question the honesty of the whole issue. Questions that need answers include: Why has fighting climate change and global warming gained momentum while conventional players in the energy sector find themselves in fierce competition with powerful competitors from Russia, China and India? Why was the science community silent when Europe was spewing the greatest amount of CO2 over decades? Why did the conscience of the academia, politicians and drum-beating lobby groups suddenly awaken when oil gushed from every hitherto unsuspected region in Africa, Central Asia and elsewhere? How can one allay the fears and suspicions of oil-producing countries that the motive behind the climate change issue and the robust search for alternative energy is really about a tacit strategy to liberate the developed economies from the stranglehold of the oil-producing countries? Isn’t it reasonable for oil producing countries such OPEC, Russia and others and even emerging commercial powerhouses like China and India to suspect that all that the giant industrial countries want is to regain their traditional lead in technology and world trade?
READ MORE in Washington Post. or Opiniononline
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