Let me begin with Gandhi. While there is no doubt that he was an honest, religious man of principles, his idealism has left us with a litany of woes. It is interesting that the West, which reminds India of the greatness of his nonviolent principles and chastises India for deviation there from, never gave him a Nobel Prize for peace. Rumor says he was nominated with Hitler as his competitor and neither was given the prize. Kissinger, Begin, Arafat, Theodore Roosevelt and similar persons responsible for millions of deaths, terrorism and warmongering were awarded the coveted honor.

There is the prevailing and persistent myth that the nonviolent Gandhian approach touched and resonated a sympathetic and decent chord in the hearts of the high-minded British and won independence. Contrary to this baloney, they had named the First World War as the war to end all wars and backed out of giving even home rule to India and Ireland. Their moral pretence could not be maintained after the second war and even more importantly, India was becoming a financial burden. They had already squeezed out all the economic benefits and there was no will or wallet left. So 'Jalta Ghar Krishna ko diya'. There was some American pressure as well and India was of no consequence. Note the different attitude, in Vietnam Indonesia and Korea, where the morbid fear of communism made America fight at great human and economic cost.

When India militarily reclaimed the 200 year old, Portuguese Indian colonies after repeated attempts at peaceful resolution, it was soundly condemned by the West, which interfered militarily all over the world to retain colonies or control their governments. The reining in of India from justifiable retaliation, while indulging in wanton military bullying itself is evident in the current war on terrorism. It is critical for all nations to understand the often quoted, statement of a former British foreign minister, that nations have no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests. Add to that Chomsky's observation that nations are not moral agents and the clear analysis, that the preaching of the West is like 'Sau sau chuhe maar ke billi haj ko chali', and we have the co-ordinates on which to map our behavior as a nation.

I am not advocating moral affront, overt cynicism or slavish submission. America is determined and has the wherewithal to dominate militarily and in space with, missiles, anti-ballistic missiles, aircraft, navy and satellites. Russian hand wringing and Japanese bowing are the wrong attitude. Europe has taken the high road of morally upright public posture and pronouncements, combined with covert or reluctant co-operation, as it achieves critical cohesion, economic and military strength. Israel has chosen to align interests, play the surrogate but also to gain a hold on the Emperor. It is reminiscent of the Byzantium, where the Empire paid tribute to the ferocious Southern Slavs in return for being vassals, who reserved the right to renege on everything, when it suited their interests. China managed to obtain US space technology by launching commercial satellites, nuclear weapon design by uncertain means and nanno-satellite technology from Surrey, UK and is willing to play second fiddle truculently, until it solves its economic and employment problems. Within a few years, the Aegis system will be sold to Taiwan and that is when China and Taiwan will complete their political unification. The economic unification is well under way, in spite of the posturing. Then American think tanks, pundits and politicians will go into overdrive debating who lost Taiwan?

India is bit player or extra in this grand world picture. It will be forever relegated to a minor role by corrupt leadership without a vision, conversion by bribery of its oppressed castes, infiltration of foreigner minorities and other pseudo-secular fifth columnists. In the past USA and Britain have bolstered Pakistan, to stifle its growth and lately China has played the same card brilliantly. India's former support, the Soviet Union went bankrupt and now India is at the mercy of the triumvirate of the World Bank, IMF and WTO, all janissaries of America and the West.

All the crowing Indian Americans brainwashed and bamboozled by the secular and democratic pretences and sermons of America should take note of the horrible treatment meted out to nationals of Muslim nations and I am a condemner of Islam. Certain steps become necessary for the safety of the nation and freedoms have to be restrained for the greater good, but without malicious behavior. That is what I object to. On the other hand protests and closing down of Srinagar in Kashmir because court convicted terrorists, who attacked the Indian Parliament are sentenced to death, tells you that the allegiance of many Moslems lies with Pakistan, not India! It is the height of idiocy for any minority in any nation to challenge the might and human tolerance of the majority by committing heinous acts of terrorism and it is time that the intellectually challenged Indian community not join the band wagon to fall into the trap of becoming latter day Amichands in the new Battle of Plessey. This is not to say that we should roll over and play dead for the BJP. We should excoriate its ineptitude, corruption and follies, but realize that if we permit conversion by bribery and practice tyranny by upper castes, we will go the route of disintegration like Indonesia. It is important to give the BJP credit for the declaration of being an overt nuclear nation. If India had waited, it would get the same treatment as Iraq. The foolish Arundhati Roys are not intelligent but idealistic fools or naive tools of our enemies, bequeathing a curse on the nation.

Those of you gullible enough, to believe the myths of freedom of religion and separation of church and state, need to know that all Federal and State government oaths are taken on the Christian Bible, not on the Koran, Gita or Zend Avesta. The tolerance was meant only for sects of Protestant Christianity, not even Catholicism. The separation of church and state was to stifle Catholicism. That is why parochial schools are almost entirely Catholic. Protestant schools cropped up in the south only after busing for desegregation. The ignorant ought to know that atheists are not acceptable and the judicially sound decision to drop God from the pledge of allegiance was promptly vacated. Finally for the stupid or the shamed, who naturally resent or condemn stories of statues of Ganesh drinking milk, which are deliberately made high profile, to advertise the idiocy of the third world, have you ever wondered at the somber reverence assigned to a demented Pope with Parkinsonism, acknowledging a Christian miracle?