If nothing else we've had the pleasure of the US right attempting to pass this off as a European insult aimed at them. If only they knew how impossible it is for Europe to agree on anything, and still less its left (in power where? - discounting the lame-duck CIA Blair coalition in the UK), they'd have invaded by sending a couple of platoons of marines on holiday. Most Brits would vote Republican as long as the Queen was kept as head of state (or one of her corgis) - some of us might even join the outfit to stop it being so mamby-pamby on drinking policy in the Navy - what no rum ration! Let's face it we're so broke over here we'd do anything for a bit of bush. You even have a more acceptable (not much) national anthem. Now's the time guys - the Square Heads are holding hands again and getting very nasty when we throw them off sun-loungers in Ibiza. Send a tank over to the White House, claim some pregnant chads and declare Britain the 51st State. Put up that guy McCain again - we'll vote in droves - he makes all the chips ...
On 9 Oct, 22:56, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > …welcome Neil. > > And, yes, love is blind in many ways. I don’t doubt that almost to a > person we each have similar stories. I know I do. I am quite lucky > that my wife of over 3 decades still embraces Emma Goldman and votes > 3rd party members! :-) > > On Oct 9, 6:58 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Thanks for information about Dennis Orn - one has to hope some can > > survive our jungle. I want to believe in Obama, but frankly don't. > > It's so difficult to imagine anyone can survive our political party > > systems (anywhere) and remain an OK person. Our own MP and > > councillors are pathetic in a way Obama is not - the corruption is at > > very low levels. It might be interesting to poll on whether any of us > > really do know any politicians like 'Orn's Dennis'. I was in a > > relationship with a government minister some years back (argh! my > > future is all behind me!), having known her as a political activist > > years before (I was on the 'other side' then despite my leftie > > leanings). I had really liked her and we almost married. She turned > > out to be utterly useless other than in feathering her own nest once > > she was on the inside track, all the democratic politics forgotten > > (was it ever real?) - and I still quake at my own deception. We met > > fairly recently as she did talk about the old days and how the > > 'corruption' got to her. This wasn't much different from what some > > old cops say about being on the inside of things and it being disloyal > > to make them public. It was a difficult meeting as I still tend to > > see her as I did then and it's rather swooning. I've never felt she > > was just an opportunist, but even the union road is littered with > > turncoats. We held hands and laughed at some documentary footage of > > the enemy (here the Conservative Party) doing much the kind of local > > case work with crime and domestic violence victims she used to get me > > into - the laughs being about the 180 degree turn in who was doing > > this. There were some tears about where the compassion went, some > > talk of means to ends and being convinced everything was too > > complicated once you had to do deals. > > > I've just turned down a job in Iran (partly because I'm not fit to > > cope but also because I can't see me doing any good and some fears on > > personal safety). I think answers might lie in international project > > collaborations - on farming, construction, education, policing - > > because 'ordinary' people are the only answer. Here, I think (say) > > that Vam and I swapping 'duties' and countries with our families could > > do more good than the 'Noble' stuff, if enough of us could do it and > > there must be some virtual way into this on a large scale. I suppose, > > simplified to the extreme, I think we could change leadership by being > > able to ignore it. Vam and I could swap without fear of the English > > Defence League or its Indian equivalent - but there are parts of the > > world this is not true of. Withering away this kind of idiocy (which > > is not just abject racism) would also wither away the need for that > > part of the State that 'protects' us from it. > > > The Ignobles have become all-too-Noble these days Don. We'd have to > > refuse one! Changeri was in the frame for the Nobel (Zimbabwe) and we > > don't really know if he is just a Mugabe in waiting. Kissinger got it > > for ending a war that was still going on he had expanded into other > > countries. Maybe Obama shouldn't have been humbled and insisted he is > > too worthy to accept? > > > On 9 Oct, 13:27, Don Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Picked with a two week resume, he joins the Nobel club with such > > > luminaries as Jimmy Carter and Yassir Arafat. How fitting. Dividends > > > from the World Apology Tour '09. > > > > Time to expand on that Ignobel list Archy. > > > > dj > > > > On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 4:18 AM, frantheman <[email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > So, the prize committee chooses Obama, less than a year after he has > > > > begun to operate on the world stage, before many concrete results have > > > > been seen. > > > > > Spontaneously, I see this as a gesture of thankfulness and hope; > > > > thankfulness to the American people that they have elected a successor > > > > to Bush, a man who did so much global damage, a successor who works > > > > with different visions and ideal-structures, a more positive > > > > fundamental view of what it means to be human and what societies > > > > (local, national and global) can and should be doing and achieving. > > > > > Hope that he will realise some of this vision and trust that his > > > > country and the world puts in him. The past few months have made me a > > > > little concerned that the experts and lobbyists, advisors and > > > > professional analysts are wearing him down with detail and > > > > realpolitik. > > > > > Maybe this award will strengthen that "Yes, we can" impetus, in the > > > > face of the everyday inertia of the thousand arguments of > > > > complicatedness against changing anything, against daring to hope. > > > > > Francis- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
