Now that Eid will end (the celebration at the end of the Haj) business will return to the Middle East with the exception of government workers who will be still off until the following week. Here in the UAE they also have their national day coming up, so the long period of silence is a bit eerie after the announcement regarding debt this week. There has been an announcement from Abu Dhabi saying they will 'pick and choose' what they will assist Dubai with, but in no way will they fully underwrite Dubai's debt. This is a very smart move from Abu Dhabi as they fully understand the wild child ways of their more famous, but less financially intelligent neighbor. It's a little like the typical family, one son is slightly conservative fiscally with strong family values and a grasp of the need for tradition and the other son a rebel interested in living wild, free and without a sense of responsibility. Guess who usually bails out who? Many of my appointments this next week have been postponed due to 'crisis meetings' here, of which I'm not surprised, however this is a debt that everyone knew about but were simply not acknowledging.

A bit off topic, but one piece of news that has opened up a wide variety of questions in my head regarding our civil liberties is the latest from Switzerland. It appears that the radical right wing farmers party have successfully won a referendum calling for a constitutional amendment to ban the building of minarets. So in effect they have used democracy to bludgeon the 400,000 person strong muslim minority with a limit on their constitutionally entrenched right to religious freedom. I should at this point re-state that I myself am a very moderate muslim who converted from Atheism in the late 90's (I like beer too much to be anything stronger). The point being that muslims still have the right to be muslims, but they should be quiet about it... unlike the church bells which ring through my windows at 7 am on Sundays. On the one hand I can understand that a relatively naive mountain people can be duped into thinking that the radical terrorists in Waziristan and their peaceful taxpaying neighbors are one in the same, it does open up various questions regarding the road we now tread. Fear is driving people to abandon the principals of freedom and liberty. Society fought hard to achieve these things, but they are eroding at a furious pace.

I must immediately apologize if any of this comes as 'anti-american' as it is simply the best nation to use due to everyones familiarity with it's day to day happenings... but it is a good example of where we are headed. The rhetoric of 'the evil doers' and the terrorists who 'hate our way of life' has embedded itself into the mindset of many in society. People are becoming less tolerant and more afraid... us versus them... allowing gross injustices to slip by without notice due to the perceived 'safety' it brings. Reading about Mr. Armstrong sends chills up my spine. I have two small children and I fear the society I see changing around me. From the advent of torture as policy to fear tactics like 'falsified birth certificates' there appears to be a slippage towards the kind of mentality that would not be amiss in the early 30's. How far removed is the banning of minarets (and the latest discussion re: the banning of burkas in public) from the Krystalnacht and the resulting persecution of Jews? Not as far removed as many of us would think I'm afraid. All it takes is for society to see 'wrongs' done for the 'right' reasons as being OK before someone takes advantage of the shift and uses it to prey upon peoples darkest fears. What is the one thing missing from the toxic mix of the 30's? Economic collapse... well that appears to be coming too.

I wonder where does this leave us? Many of us on this board are 'out of the box' thinkers who know what financial collapse means (and why it's happening) but what is the repercussions we will see beyond financial security? Many of us have taken steps to ensure our financial side, but what about our intrinsic freedoms to be different and pursue various paths in terms of faith and beliefs? All I can think about tonight is my kids asking questions about the Swiss posters depicting burka clad women and minarets which look like missiles- 'why do they hate people like Grandma?' In truth I don't know the answer... its a sad day really.