journal features

The world is getting worse

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

Tokyo, 2010.10.04

I'm at the embassy getting my son's passport updated. There is a Canadian fellow here who is working in China. The Chinese staff at the Guangzhou consulate wouldn't give him a passport because he's PR in Japan and his wife is Japanese. The queried him at some length about his Japanese connections and went on to reject his birth certificate and passport on the grounds that they couldn't possibly verify the documents given his circumstabces. So he went to Hong Kong and it was the same story so he had to come back to Tokyo.

This recent fisherman story seems to be just what the Chinese have been waiting for when it comes to Japan. My bet is that the "prime minister of the month" will step up courageously and win them over .. heh heh not really. Actually I could see this blowing back in the face of every foreigner in this country, too.

rand()m quote

Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

—Hermann Goering