THE YEAR 2010. MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR. DEMAND STRONGER ACCOUNTABILITY AND DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS

While the year 2009 might well have been a bit of an eye-opener for some people, in overall terms, apart from some major disasters, year 2009 was a rather forgettable one for more people.

With any luck, however, year 2010 might well be a somewhat different in numerous different ways.

On the international scene, Iraq and Afghanistan are still major trouble spots at this point in time, while 2010 will see Yemen will be one country to watch in terms of Al-Qaeda and related insurgency.

The two rogue states in the Middle East, Iran and Israel, will highly likely to remain bitter enemies, the problem for both countries being that their own internal situation will become more unstable as the year progresses.

In Iran's case, increasing dissatisfaction with the Ahmadinejad regime is likely to result in increased violence on the streets of Tehran that, in the longer term, will lead to a downfall of the regime but perhaps not the Islamic state system.

In Israel's case, thing are slightly different but non-the-less equally serious. Israel and Hamas have both been accused of war crimes and international arrest warrants have been drafted, in some cases enacted against former and current political and military leaders by organisations such as the International Law Compliance Forum (ILCF) and others, clearly highlighting the case that the likes of the ILCF are doing the job that the UN and International Criminal Court are failing to do.

Likewise, the fact that Israel has thus far failed to comply with most UN resolutions, hence the rogue state description, the likelihood of any negotiated peace between the Palestinians and Israel will be virtually zero. Israel is also being severely damaged by an increasing and growing boycott of Israeli goods and services by private citizens and non-Government organisations throughout the EU and in other countries.

Also in the war crimes and human rights arena, the recent admission by former British PM, Tony Blair, have automatically rendered himself, and by implication Australia's John Howard as well as George Bush, vulnerable to prosecution for war crimes as well as crimes against humanity, again by organisations such as the ILCF as well as others.

Once again both the UN and the ICC have failed to do their respective job in that regard. In reality, the ICC might as well have a collective good sleep and then venture on home, if its current appalling performance is a guide.

All is not well within the EU human rights either with countries such as the Netherlands blatantly defying international laws and conventions in relation to the rights of its citizens who happen to live in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada. EU processes have simply failed in that regard.

In other areas, there seems to be a major outbreak of lunatic religious fringe organisations that are attempting to make their presence known around the world. Radical Muslim, Jewish and Christian groups and cults are all attempting to gain legitimacy where legitimacy is neither appropriate or desirable in terms of the wishes of local populations being taken into account. Perhaps some religious organisations and cults may care to remember that, while in civilised societies their right to practice as they please is guaranteed, their status in law is zero.

And while we are on matters religious, we cannot allow the opportunity to go by to mention recent events within the Catholic religion.

The pure numbers of people recently having been either accused, charged and/or convicted of some very serious sex crimes, as well as some very senior people within the Catholic church being accused of hiding and covering up such crimes, must certainly give rise to any suggestions that the Catholic church as a worldwide entity either gets its house in order or close up shop. In any case, all those accused of sex crimes as well as to who have attempted to hide and cover up such crimes, should and must now be dealt with through the normal criminal court processes, no matter how senior positions these people might or might not hold.

2010 might also be a good year to once and for all rid the world of acts of piracy by making it very unattractive for people, mainly from Somalia, to engage in such activities.

In all though, there are many things that we, as individuals are able to do that would make the world a better place to live in.

First of all, stand up for your rights, the rights of free speech, freedom of and from religion, freedom of association and, essentially, don’t take any crap from anyone, be that a Government or any other kind of bureaucracy.

If you don't like what your Government is doing, vote them out. If such a Government is a dictatorship, make your voice heard peacefully without getting yourself killed.

Make a stand.

And after you have done all that, enjoy life. You might as well as you are going to get only one of those.

And on that note - Happy and prosperous 2010

My name is Henk Luf.
And that's the way it is.

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