Nuku'Alofa (Tonga); Watergate and Me

The under water volcano eruption, west of the Tongan Islands, is indeed a disaster for this Pacific Kingdom. 

As I watched the abc TV news featuring the New Zealand Prime Minister - Lucinda  Ardern. She, eloquent as ever, told us their military aircraft were setting out on a surveylence mission to assess the situation, communications had broken down and Pacific Cable damaged somehow.. The Australian military were also sending a serveylence aircraft.

Goodness, it brought my mind into sharp focus, I can tell you. I was on business for Leyland Australia Sydney. Tonga not a big market, but always worth contact visits.

One Sunday morning, after breakfast, I noticed a gentleman, sitting on his own and not looking too happy.I had seen him somewhere else in the Pacific. Anyway I approached and said hello, where is every body today, oh I guess they are all at Church, they is no barman,but we can have what we like and put it on the tally board, Great I thought!.

The day passed and I met him again ,on his own and so we had dinner. After a while, he cheered up a bit, and thanked me for sitting with him. Then it happened. He told me that he was touring the Pacific but really wanted to go home to the States and  Tampa, West Florida. He loved that city a  University city with some industrial companies.

Some thing, did not quite gel, so told him I spent sometimes nearly half the year, away from home, but things would change and they did.  As the evening whore on he told he had been the Comptroller at the Whitehouse in The US, all things budget and finance for the Presidential Office and after the Watergate affair , he was told to lose himself in the Pacific for a year.

It was clearly wearing on him, I too was alone, but I was content in that situation. Most rep's or maagers traveled in pairs, not me ,I was always out doing one off assignments. around the World.

I never asked his name nor he mine. Possibly both realising it was better that way. Monday morning came and I was off, I think, to the public works, workshops. 

Where was my new friend, desk said he had left, but not on an international flight, it would appear.Maybe he intended travelling to one of the many Islands.

I returned to Australia, of course, later hearing the story that US investigators were looking for the finance man, from the Whitehouse. I have often wondered, if he had gone to an outer island ,met a lady or family and lived out his life there in paradise. He had simply disappeared.

I continued my journey, I think to Samoa and to another, classic Pacific hotel. Aggie Greys no less and by golly the good lady still sat at head of the dinner tables, in control of  operations and her clients. No longer I suspect, as it was such a long time agoe'

 Back to the New Zealand Prime  Minister and her TV , announcements on assisting Tonga,together with Australia. Australia sending a Navy Ship with supplies and personnel. Its on its way, right now..

I do hope, it worked out OK for that lonely man in an hotel a long way from home.

As for me, I am home now, living in a kind of paradise;in a forest;fourty acres;a river;a wife of 59 years and not so far away a Covid free family and that blasted noisy pushy, Great Dane,named Duke. Big Black and beautiful and he knows it. When I chastise him, he simply says G'Day Mal give me a kiss. A couple of old fello's really.

All the best for 2022 and to the beautiful Islands of Tonga and its people we will say our prayers  that you servive this catastophy

Malcolm Mason..    Shallow Crossing  State Forest. NSW Australia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Afghanistan and the 'Beehive' Anthology.

This story, is an Anthology, combined with Epigrams!.

The question has been asked, how did the Taliban rise so quickly and take over the Country. The answer, can be taken from nature and the known behaviour of man.   

No poet am I and neither was Rex Harrison, a singer in the musical 'My Fair Lady'. He did very well just talking and shouting, ending on the correct notes. We will thus have do with.writing short stories, one two three. 

ONE- THE BEE and Our bee is the normal Honey Bee, Busy  Bee and the Beehive..

Right there in the middle of things, is her Ladyship the Queen Bee ,she is surrounded by worker bees or drones with certain healthy ones, acting as mates for her. Busy bees busy bees. All drones work very hard at building the Honey Comb  for storage  of honey and therefore is the heart of the hive.The workforce is the poor old drone, who also has to go out , find nectar and water, then bring it back to the hive and into the honey comb. A hard life and ending exhaustive death- poor things.

On their return, the drones have to get back into the Hive and thus past the Guards at the entrance that is, if they pass muster. They are important as they also collect intelligence, such as Weather;a site for future and the location of dangerous forces such as Wasp's

Our Queen is informed of all events. The spoilt lady and rightly so, must at all costs be protected. Thus the guards at the entrance to the hive to go out if necessary and deal with any threat and for fitting their lives if necessary. Bees have barbed stings and once used, tears the bee apart and it dies

At some time an unknown force, tells the Queen- It is time to leave and form a new colony, where she can expand her influence, or some other reason,  again not known..

Before we go on to the main analogy, may I go to the word 'Appeasement '.

Two-. APPEASEMENT-----A short while agoe, I heard a radio program hosted by a respected Broadcaster/Journalist, talking to an American Professor, who was writing a book on the history of appeasement. It fitted my story precisely, you see , my experience, suggests Appeasement rarely works with Dictators and Heads  of State, who have a mindset on their own agenda, especially if it is based on an Ideology.

Back at the Bee Hive, the guards know that if a bird; reptile or human approaches, they simply warn them off. However, should a wasp approach with nefarious intent  the guards must leave the hive and be prepared to die when they lose their sting, in the fight that ensues. I'm getting there I hope.,because the Queen Bee and hive must be protected at all costs.

The most notable attempt at appeasement of a Dictator was in 1938, when the British Prime Minister endeavoured to appease Adolf Hitler. 'Peace in our time'. But it was not to be. A year later he resigned and back came the Old Warrior Winston Churchill, with the words, 'I can only give you Blood Sweat and Tears'---The rest in history.

 Three-.2021 Masons essay. "Advocacy for a Virus Free World" Fourth of July 2021. Sent to the G7 (8) to include Russia. Courtesy copies to HRH Prince Charles.Prime Ministers of  Australia; New Zealand and India. The main aim was to ask leaders to bring China to account for Covid 19, as it originated there.

No major response yet,but things are happening quietly.

President Biden endeavoured to have a fire side chat, with President Ping. Ping responded with the attitude direct from the Mao Ideology of the four books of the Selected Works of  Mao Tse-Tung. This was very clear in President Pings responses to President Bidens approach, which was to my mind too friendly, considering the seriousness of the situation. Pings comments were later followed  by that rather rude Chinese Foreign Office senior official. Like the Bees, a strong approach is the one for a chap like Ping.and or that Regeme.

President Biden is trying the same tactic with Russia's President Putin, probably with more success, because Putin is his own man and his Countries ideas and not an ideology. 

 Four. Afghanistan 20021

Before the take over that surprised every one it seems, a lot ad been going on in Afghan towns and cities and for some years.

Here we have the Bee Hive analogy. 

At the centre of each town or city, was a Taliban leader (Queen) attended to by his most trusted assistants. who organised the working people. They would be Electricians;Accountants; Doctors and Nurses, Builders; tele communication people etc etc all keeping the town/city working smoothly.

To supply the place with infrastructure, certain worker would go out to secure supplies of food and equipment.  .Vehicles, first choice Toyota, easily obtained, Toyota being the main suppler of vehicles to terrorist and despotic regemes (see my blogs on this trade).When possible Hummers, either abandoned or stolen. Plus ocassional  Ford. Armaments of all catagories Plus Fuel /Oils/Tyres etc and workshop manuals, when possible. 

Intelligence, of course of Allied Troops, movements and  base location. Just like the Bees, busy bees busy bees observing the location and movement of Wasps.

Over, quite a long time all this equipment would be maintained and hidden from view, with guards on duty seven/twenty four. Some if it in  Godowns! some in the Arab tradition, buried. The basis of my assisting in the location of Saddam Hussein.

And so it would remain, in waiting.for a signal to act.

Sure as the sun sets., America and allied partners decided to pull out and with a date!. 

As with that queen bee in the hive, the signal is given to rise, with modern comunicatons alerted all the Taliban leaders and others to act-- and by golly they did

They had every thing they needed to strike, effectively. Kabul was hit  hard, as the Capital of Afghanistan. The guards had stuck and the wasps out played and out numbered., just like  in the 18 hundreds Great Britain and Russia,not so long agoe.

For now the Gas and Oil pipe lines are OK. Revenue of course for the new Rulers.

As for those lovely Bees,the new hive will prosper, until another, Predator arrives.

For Afghanistan, maybe it will be China - and the best of luck, they need a lesson or two in the Real World.by a people who do not submit to Imperialism of any kind.

On this wet summers day in Australia, I think of that time, in the sixties, on a mountain in Pakistan, with a North West Tribal man, teaching me to look and observe, the mountain across the valley. I eventually, observed the chap, sitting over there. He moved slightly to indicate his presence. My well armed teacher smiled and said. There you are Mr Mason, he gave you a chance, but if you made the wrong move, you would not live to tell the tale.

FIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

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