undignified indignation by tayyib & co.

a couple years ago, i told a journalist that the akp government of tayyib effendi is innately handicapped by a general lack of scope and capacity. "their political horizon endes at parochial administration and their sense of economy is limited to the district bazaar or the organize sanayi sitesi (*)," i said.

"their understanding of democracy consists of shaking their heads in assent and accord to what the chief or 'imam' says or at best, extrapolating on his wisdom. their concept of contrariety, opposition, dissent and diversity stops at splintering over details that poorly mask a contention over booty, and is akin to political patricide (**), so common in the third world and, especially islamic third world".

the akp and its leaders have come to the end of their nervous tether. they are blasphemously abandoning their so-called "islamic" tolerance to difference. they are enraged, because people are protesting them at funerals of soldiers killed in the war against the pkk, actually, blaming the government for the deaths.

enraged, instead of doing something solid, they are furiously attempting to squelch the demonstrations. the government, slapped around ungraciously by the military since april, now indignantly turns on the people. the sincereity of their indignation is also suspect, guessing that they know that the akp has not the slightest hope of garnering the votes of the protesters.

the speaker of the assembly, a target of the protests during an officer's funeral in manisa, claimed "provocators", who were traced by security cameras, had instigated the demonstrations. he asked the government and other "authorities" that "such protests should be stopped". the speaker has a bizarre notion of politics that probably would suit iran better than turkey; but the pseudo-democratic vein in the akp revealed itself again under stress when the effendi himself also reacted, promising retribution to those who yelled such slogans as "murderous government". he complianed that these persons were members of various parties, implicitly underlining the militant role of the nationalist movement party (mhp) in the funeral-protests.

the mhp expects its anti-pkk, pro-army and definitely pro-soldier nationalism will bankroll its entry into parlaiment on july 22; but it is at best simplistic to attribute the funeral demonstrations to any party's politics. furthermore, even if that is the case, it is legitimate politics and a legitimate reaction to the government's bungling southeast/kurdish policy and therefore, legitimate opposition which now, the government seems to be trying to suppress using the means of state in its disposal.

then again, the effendi apparently overlooks that even if there may be provocators, they do seem to find a mass rather ready to provoke! also by that token, the widow of the army major killed last week also is a provocator: she refused to acknowledge the cabinet members' offers of condolences and shook hands only with abdullatif şener (***). "you are the honorable cabinet minister," the lady told him.

when you cannot tolerate criticism and are not sure of your own standing, anger is the first recourse, than the tongued begins to loosen! i remember, as a kid, i'd listen to hippies walking in front of the white house, shouting " l.b.j. (****) how many kids you killed today?". then came the "tricky" dick nixon era of low intensity civil war in america that climaxed with soldiers butchering four students at kent state university, ohio.

tayyib effendi & co., with another obvious dent in their democracy-armor, are at least as aware as i am that they cannot stop the protesters and have, with their loosened tongues, already provoked more of the same to come - since, unfortunately, deaths back east do not look like they will stop tomorrow. hence, tayyib effendi & co. will look even more yellow, with more of the yolk from that egg in their face.

an eagle has far more powerful eyesight than a human, but in the end, all it can see is mice and rats, because that is the extent of its vision!

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(*) see previous posts
(**) like what tayyib effendi did to his master necmeddin erbakan "hodja".
(***) whose decision not to run in this ballot made him the akp' s fair haired child.
(****) president lyndon b. johnson, who escalated the vietnam war and was on the receiving end of the first protests.