'I Went to an Islamic and a Fascist Country...'Recently by Mike (in Tokyo) Gun Control and Japan
Just like the title says, I’ve been to a hard-core Islamist country and a very frightening fascist country. I’d like to tell you about it.
What can I say about this fascist country? I feared for my safety. That country is called a melting pot as it has people living there who come from many different countries with different cultures and they practice many different religions. Even so, I have been told that this country is 70% Christian (they don’t act like Christians!) with the rest a mix of many others. This is not a very peaceful country and it has an extremely high crime rate. There is little freedom to do as one pleases. The government seems to spy on the people for even the most mundane things. I suppose it's because they are at war constantly. Before I arrived in their country, in the airplane before we landed, they made me fill out all sorts of stupid forms asking all sorts of ridiculous questions. Upon landing, the very unfriendly customs and immigration agents seemed like they hated their jobs, lives, and wished I'd never bothered them by visiting their country. It is unnerving to be given the stink-eye like I am some sort of terrorist. I am often disheveled and possibly suspicious looking but I think I am hardly terrorist material or even terrorist-looking material. With a gasp of exasperation, the man stamps my passport, mumbles something to me and waves us by with one finger as he grimaces at the next in line. How warm and polite. I reckon an old 1/2 white guy and his Japanese wife and half Japanese kid don't fit the bill of your typical terrorists, but that doesn't stop them from making you sorry you were ever born and feeling unwanted in their country by way of an unpleasant interrogation. That is a country that is suffering from a distinct lack of freedom and a terrible overdose of paranoia suffered by the populace. There is a tension in the air, which seems of the racial sort, as the denizens of that country even fear for their lives at night out in their own neighborhoods in many places. The police scowl at everyone everywhere. The rules are plentiful; you have to wear seat belts when driving a car and helmets while on bikes; you can’t talk on cellphones while driving; you can’t do this nor can you do that… Heck, you can’t even do simple things like walk in public smoking a cigarette or drinking an adult beverage. Yes, that's the way it is in the USA, a decidedly fascist country and police state. I don't go there anymore. What can I say about the Islamic country? I went to Malaysia. I felt very safe there. Malaysia is called a melting pot as it has people living there who come from many different countries with many different cultures and they practice many different religions. I was told by a Malay taxi driver that Malaysia is a majority Islamic, 25% Buddhist and a small percent Christian nation. Malaysia is a very peaceful country with an extremely low crime rate. I suppose it’s because they are not at war constantly. When flying out to Malaysia, I was surprised because on the plane there were no special forms or registration sheets to fill out. "Surely this must have been some mistake!" I thought. So I asked the stewardess. "No!" came the reply, "No forms to fill out before landing in Malaysia." Upon leaving the plane, I was stunned to see that there was no one at customs checking what was in our bags. We picked them up and walked on and, just as we were to depart the terminal, a lone immigration man smiled at us, took our luggage tags and, "Visiting?" he grinned as looked down and patted my son on the head. "Have a wonderful time!" he smiled as he waved us goodbye without a second glance. How warm and polite.
I reckon an old 1/2 white guy and his Japanese wife and half Japanese kid don't fit the bill of your typical terrorists so left us alone. Or maybe, because Malaysia isn't bombing foreign countries 24/7, everyone leaves them alone too. Do unto others and all that. Malaysia is a country that is definitely not suffering from a lack of freedom and an overdose of paranoia suffered by the populace. I saw one policeman the entire two weeks I was there. You didn't have to wear seat belts when driving a car or helmets while on bikes. Some people were riding three or four people on a single motorcycle! Heck, you could even walk in public drinking a beer or smoking a cigarette wherever you wanted. Yes. That's the way it is in Malaysia, an Islamic country, a very free and peaceful society. But, in America, a supposedly "free" country how is it? In America, you could never do those simple things that the Malay people take for granted everyday of their lives. And that concludes my review of an Islamic country and a fascist one. This article is dedicated to a person who I think is a true hero for our times, Becky Akers! February 26, 2013 Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers [send him mail] was born and raised in the USA and moved to Japan in 1984. He is the president of an Internet & Cross Media advertising/marketing agency and a media production company named Universal Vision. He writes about marketing, the Internet and Social Media at the Modern Marketing Japan blog. His book, Schizophrenic in Japan, went on sale in 2005. Copyright © 2013 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given. Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers Archives
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