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Iran, Nukes, America, Petrol & Bush:The True Tale Of The Wise Old Turkish Water Taxi Ticket Tout ...
The time:
Far off in the mists of a fortnight ago.
The Place:
'Land of Lights', ferry boat & water-taxi terminous, Fethiye quayside, Fethiye Bay, Mugla, Turkey, Asia Minor -- to mention but a few.
"Sod this," sez we, standing sizzling & sweating under the searing scorching sun.
"Let's ask if we can sit on that spare seat in the shade of the (open fronted), wooden shack of the old ticket seller while we wait for the ferry."
Then ... thereby hung this tale.
"English?" the elderly easterner enquired.
We told him we were.
"No problem. You very welcome."
He beamed as he beckoned and bade us sit beside him.
"Look," he said, and pointed to the old portable TV he was watching.
"American. Here. Ankara. Capital. Now. Today."
In spite of the pretty pathetic picture quality and seemingly, similarly sick sound system, we were soon able to see and hear that what he'd said was so.
It was one of Bush's blatant big fibber flunkies (we've forgotten already which one, but wtf anyway), doing what his arrogant awful ilk do best.
Talking a lying load of tripe-twaddle through his white plastic looking teeth. Oh, yeah, and the great goof of a goon had 'good hair' too. But being what and whohe was, he would have, wouldn't he? Well, don't they all;besides John Bolton?
Heh.
"Iran," the old fellow announced. "Nuclear, nuclear, nuclear. Bush crazy man want more war. Says Iran nukes, nukes, nukes. Iran, no nukes. No, sir.
Iran, petrol! Iran, petrol, petrol, petrol!"
"Exactly, " we exclaimed in agreement, and at this point were beaming as broadly as the super-sun-tanned, old Turkish ticket tout/seller himself.
He went on. "Bush lies, lies, lies. Ha! Yes! Every peoples knows. All the peoples everywhere knows. NOT Americans. American peoples believes George Bush."
Can you imagine it? Finding such an unexpected (foreign), kindred spirit? And so far away from home? Someone else who hadn't drunk the cool aid? Another old man who knew better? Somebody else with some sense?
Then the smiling ticket seller suddenly switched to smirk mode.
"Iran, not Iraq," he said. "Iran, big space. Iran, 160 million peoples. Iran, big military. Iran, stronger Iraq. Iran, no scared Bush. Russia help Iran."
The more the man said the more he made our day. Even all the way over there in Asia Minor we weren't alone. We weren't the only ones. We weren't simply a single small voice in the wilderness.
The old Turk continued.
"Me Turkish. We Turkey. We near Iran. We no problem, Iran. Me no problem, Iran. Me no scared, Iran.
America not near Iran. Bush, not near Iran. Bush, problem Iran. Bush want petrol, petrol, petrol. Iran, no nukes. Iran, petrol, petrol, petrol.
Big, big problem -- all peoples problems. World's peoples problems. Because, Bush crazy man."
Then, the ferry finally turned up.
We shook hands. He smiled again. He slapped our backs.
"Maybe meet again. Tomorrow. Enjoy holiday. Enjoy Turkey."
We thanked him. We called him 'old friend'.
Then we stepped aboard the tiny ferry boat and set sail for Calis beach -- on the far side of the breathtakingly beautiful Fethiye bay.
** We didn't see the old ticket seller the next day, by the way. But we did see, smile and speak with our newly found 'Old Turk' friend several more times during our stay. And the most genuine marvelously memorable times they turned out to be, too.
Far off in the mists of a fortnight ago.
The Place:
'Land of Lights', ferry boat & water-taxi terminous, Fethiye quayside, Fethiye Bay, Mugla, Turkey, Asia Minor -- to mention but a few.
"Let's ask if we can sit on that spare seat in the shade of the (open fronted), wooden shack of the old ticket seller while we wait for the ferry."
Then ... thereby hung this tale.
"English?" the elderly easterner enquired.
We told him we were.
"No problem. You very welcome."
He beamed as he beckoned and bade us sit beside him.
"Look," he said, and pointed to the old portable TV he was watching.
"American. Here. Ankara. Capital. Now. Today."
In spite of the pretty pathetic picture quality and seemingly, similarly sick sound system, we were soon able to see and hear that what he'd said was so.
It was one of Bush's blatant big fibber flunkies (we've forgotten already which one, but wtf anyway), doing what his arrogant awful ilk do best.
Talking a lying load of tripe-twaddle through his white plastic looking teeth. Oh, yeah, and the great goof of a goon had 'good hair' too. But being what and whohe was, he would have, wouldn't he? Well, don't they all;besides John Bolton?
Heh.
"Iran," the old fellow announced. "Nuclear, nuclear, nuclear. Bush crazy man want more war. Says Iran nukes, nukes, nukes. Iran, no nukes. No, sir.
Iran, petrol! Iran, petrol, petrol, petrol!"
"Exactly, " we exclaimed in agreement, and at this point were beaming as broadly as the super-sun-tanned, old Turkish ticket tout/seller himself.
He went on. "Bush lies, lies, lies. Ha! Yes! Every peoples knows. All the peoples everywhere knows. NOT Americans. American peoples believes George Bush."
Can you imagine it? Finding such an unexpected (foreign), kindred spirit? And so far away from home? Someone else who hadn't drunk the cool aid? Another old man who knew better? Somebody else with some sense?
Then the smiling ticket seller suddenly switched to smirk mode.
"Iran, not Iraq," he said. "Iran, big space. Iran, 160 million peoples. Iran, big military. Iran, stronger Iraq. Iran, no scared Bush. Russia help Iran."
The more the man said the more he made our day. Even all the way over there in Asia Minor we weren't alone. We weren't the only ones. We weren't simply a single small voice in the wilderness.
The old Turk continued.
"Me Turkish. We Turkey. We near Iran. We no problem, Iran. Me no problem, Iran. Me no scared, Iran.
America not near Iran. Bush, not near Iran. Bush, problem Iran. Bush want petrol, petrol, petrol. Iran, no nukes. Iran, petrol, petrol, petrol.
Big, big problem -- all peoples problems. World's peoples problems. Because, Bush crazy man."
Then, the ferry finally turned up.
We shook hands. He smiled again. He slapped our backs.
"Maybe meet again. Tomorrow. Enjoy holiday. Enjoy Turkey."
We thanked him. We called him 'old friend'.
Then we stepped aboard the tiny ferry boat and set sail for Calis beach -- on the far side of the breathtakingly beautiful Fethiye bay.
** We didn't see the old ticket seller the next day, by the way. But we did see, smile and speak with our newly found 'Old Turk' friend several more times during our stay. And the most genuine marvelously memorable times they turned out to be, too.
Labels: Ankara, Asia Minor, Calis, ferry, Fethiye, John Bolton, Mugla, Turkey, water taxi
posted by Richard at Wednesday, September 26, 2007
6 Comments:
Hi, I just posted a comment on your last blog entry, which I guess you made yesterday .... I did NOT know this one was here.
Check it out.
And welcome back. We all need you.
Great stories, pics, trips and adventures. Glad you got back ok. It looks like the old Turk was right - along with many others here - Iran is being ramped up for targetting.
How can those clowns in your Senate keep making the same mistakes rosemary? Can't anyone do anything about them?
What I really worry about more than most other things is, what's Russia going to do. Idly stand by? And China? They've both got a lot invested and at stake in Iran. Will they meekly let mad George f*ck everything up for them?
Turkey looks lovely - thanks for sight of the pics.
Yes, things get more scarey by the day here in the good of US of A.
If one is taking notice, that is.
I think the big trouble is that so many people sleepwalk through their lives here, thinking nothing will ever change. Or maybe it's because they just feel powerless against this dictator-like administration. Sadly, it might take a kick in the bum, maybe from Iran, to waken both government and many people here to reality.
The Democratic Congress we expected so much of has let the people down regarding Iraq. Iran now looks far more dangerous, not only to the USA but to the world, if nuclear weapons are used against it. I suppose Congress will be just as wimpy in that department too and will roll over for El Bush.
It's all very worrying.
Sigh.
Welcome back Richard, lovely pics., particularly the cliffs, tell us more about them maybe?.... and that elderly Turk has more on the ball than Dubya ever will.
Worrisome times, ramping up I'd say to THE FULL RAPTURE. Watch out Jesus here we come. Oh not us, I forgot, just Bushco and the neocons.
Nice pictures. Apropos Iran there's a story in the Daily Mail that you've got to read:
I hate all Iranians, US aide tells MPs
Britsh MPs visiting the Pentagon to discuss America's stance on Iran and Iraq were shocked to be told by one of President Bush's senior women officials: "I hate all Iranians."
And she also accused Britain of "dismantling" the Anglo-US-led coalition in Iraq by pulling troops out of Basra too soon.
The all-party group of MPs say Debra Cagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Coalition Affairs to Defence Secretary Robert Gates, made the comments this month.
more...
PS: The photo of her that the Daily Mail have put up also makes me wonder whether we've finally found somebody whose even uglier than Condi ....
How is it you can find perceptive people to chat with on holiday and Thomas Friedman can't? Have they given up talking to Americans? I know just how they feel, and I AM American. Right now our "Democratic" Congress is obsessed with an ad that made a lame joke about General Petraeus's name, for Zeus's sake. It's like talking to a cat.
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