Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> writes:

> Neeum Zawan wrote:
>> What Wikileaks scandals represent a state of affairs that is worse now
>> than when you were younger?
>
> More like the response to it. When Nixon was called out, we went after

Oh, OK. 

> the President, not the newspapers. I don't remember people threatening

The media landscape has definitely changed, as is a factor for all of
this. Easy access to propaganda leads to easier radicalization.

>> Ditto the Gitmo thing. Trashing the rights of the "other" is part of US
>> history. 
>
> It is still considered scandalous that Lincoln locked people up without
> trial during the civil war. People are still bothered by the US locking

And I don't doubt 150 years from now, Gitmo will be considered
scandalous as well.

> up people of Japanese descent during WW2 - we still recognise *that* as
> wrong.

But Gitmo is not locking up Americans, which is the difference between
the current scenario and your two scenarios. 

> And, face it, most people *are* outraged at Gitmo, at bankers trashing
> the economy, at the "too big to fail" concept, etc etc etc. Yet it
> continues.

Keep electing the guys who let you down, and it will continue.

Post a reply to this message

On 1/17/2011 8:34 PM, Neeum Zawan wrote:
>> I think a lot of what happens in the USA, a lot of what Americans
>> complain about, is that it's pretty obvious that in spite of what the
>> people want, and in spite of what would be good for the country as a
>> whole, it just keeps not happening, regardless of who gets elected. How
>
> How often have these people who complain a lot decided to "make
> compromises" and end up voting Republican or Democrat? As long as that
> is their reasoned approach, the party they vote for has no incentive to
> cater to them.
>
P1: You can pick between the man with the bloody axe, or the one with 
the bloody knife.

P2: Uh, what about the guy in the corner?

P1: Oh, that's Fred, he's quite mad and keeps a chainsaw under the 
table. We suspect it *may* be a bit bloody too.

P2: Hmm, right... how about I just be going now then?

P1: Sure, if you think you can make it to the door before Fred does!

-- 
void main () {

     if version = "Vista" {
       call slow_by_half();
       call DRM_everything();
     }
     call functional_code();
   }
   else
     call crash_windows();
}

<A HREF='http://www.daz3d.com/index.php?refid=16130551'>Get 3D Models, 
3D Content, and 3D Software at DAZ3D!</A>

Post a reply to this message

>    That may be a good goal, but it's impossible to know everything for
> certain, and very often you just *have* to make assumptions.

Sure, but assuming/believing that what the government is doing is for or 
against the country as a whole seems to involve a huge number of 
assumptions, so I would rather reply with "sorry, don't know enough 
about that" than answer one way or the other.

Post a reply to this message