Thought Picnic: Manicured talons of keyboard dread

Coping with anger

As I have written many times before, anger is an emotion I try as much as possible to avoid. Well, I avoid it when it requires that I express myself vocally.

It takes hold as a trembling leading to a possible loss of my voice as it goes higher in pitch before it completely trails off. One place you never want to be in is where you suddenly cannot talk where there is much to be said.

In essence, I have decided that when I am so angered, I would rather leave the room and find a place to cool down before I return to apologise later than I could not continue with the meeting.

Fingers on the keyboard trigger

Now, very few things anger me, however, none do so as much as being at the receiving end of rank incompetence or incomprehensible bumbling.

My patience is so quickly exhausted by those situations that whilst I would not be caught blurting out an expletive to express my displeasure, I should not have a keyboard to my fingers because I would be parting with a piece of the mind I do not want to retain.

I suffer fools gladly to a point where my expression in words would both be damning and excoriating without being abusive.

Saying it nicely

When people waste my time, they had better be ready to be wasted with the coolness of expression lacking in any kind of commendation, but short of calling the person an idiot.

Yet, idiot would be the closest term of endearment and that would be effusive with praise. I have work to do and others have their work to do, when either of us shirks in doing what we are supposed to be doing with efficacy and efficiency, you can be sure someone would be so seriously pissed off.

You do not want to be at the receiving end of a pissed off letter or email, penned so daintily by my manicured talons of dread, no you don’t.

Did he read it?

The question I really want answered is this. Did the President read the letter sent by his Presidential colleague in Iran?

Before Condi got her mitts on it and started to dismiss the contents and denigrate the Iranian President, did the president handle the 18 pages and see the print in the letter?

President Bush might not have been eagerly twiddling his thumbs waiting in expectation to read from a government that has been at variance with the United States for 30 years.

However, this was symbolic, but the United States forgot the occasion and missed an opportunity to at least see if dialogue was possible.

The letter says a lot

Then, we are told the letter says nothing new in terms of the prevailing issues, I beg to differ; the letter does address the concern about how propaganda is being used to demonise states in readiness for military attack.

It addresses the concern that certain countries unfairly think they have exclusive rights to technologies to the exclusion of others; especially, where standards of eligibility differ – North Korea (resignation), Pakistan (détente), India (support), Israel (indifference), Libya (emasculation) and Iran (suspicion).

It highlights the Israeli/Palestinian issue as the crisis of our times and the inaction that makes the “Destroy Israel” rhetoric find support amongst Arabs.

It is interesting that President Bush did find time yesterday to talk to President al-Bashir of Sudan about the Darfur crisis seeking some resolution on troop support in Darfur.

President al-Bashir could arguably be no less a figure of hate than President Ahmadinejad, talk is always important.

Of whom little is expected

If I expected the letter to be accorded a modicum of courtesy in the reading, comportment in the reply and diplomacy in commentary, I would be naïve.

It is a shame that the smart and clever people in the United States government cannot muster a diplomatic coup when presented to ample opportunity.

They forgo the basics of diplomacy for lambast and bluster whilst young men and women of American might end up being sent to lose their lives for a cause that have not been well thought through because the avenues of conciliation were closed by their government.

One is beginning to think the advocates of regime change might just need that tonic in the White House too.