Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

It didn't take Iran long as I predicted it wouldn't (life does get boring without surprises I can tell you). Those pesky Iranians, so quick out the blocks, running about attacking "the one". And he's not even there yet. Ah, a good enemy is hard to find - you find one, you stick to it like glue (find part two even), lest anyone have a moment of actually looking at you. It's good to see the Iranian leadership has learnt the business basics.

It's all just a game, you know.

I have visions of these "globalized" behind the scenes "interests" meeting in a far away golf club, getting drunk together, telling tall stories, and singing ABBA songs. Most of all though, I have them laughing, laughing at the fools, those poor deluded imbeciles that place so much of their time and effort into taking these world-wide charades seriously. And indeed making some "people" seriously rich in the process. People of all creeds and religions. The creed and religion of cold hard cash is of course without prejudice.

I saw an oil executive interviewed recently. On the question of "world geopolitical problems", I thought, seriously thought, for a brief moment, he was going to burst out laughing. Yes indeed the joke is in, and it's on the 95% of the seals it takes to make up our present human race.

It's a cycle. America has electorially washed away its sins - it's time to move forward - there's no more to see. The usual conflicts, resentments, and most of all "moral arguments", will soon be safely restored. Good news for the net if nothing else.

In one sentence: It's back to business. Party hard, dudes.

Well worth reading, by a Harvard professor of marketing, no less.

I have noticed that people like Michael de Angelos and Marilyn Shepherd not only have a positive view on the subjects they discuss, but, particularly in Michael's case, he can deal with matters unemotionally.

I wonder how well I would handle the American CIA interrogation tactics?

No contest. I would not be a Sir Thomas Moore nor his conviction about his after life.

When we remember those who have given their all for our political posture, and at a time, whether it is in WW1, WW 2, Korea, Malaya, Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan et al. our situation is to accept the result. 

Is it because we won? Or were told so?

But then, as the Americans and their allies have been considered the victors in all of those wars, most of the enemy have prospered after the event but, they will never be able to recover the life and times and love of the family to which they were entitled.. And that applies to the victors. Fair dinkum.

 A modern ADF member follows the dictates of the government of the day even when the defence attitude of the Labor Party has been superseded by the Howard principle of the "schoolyard bully".

I have no problem with Australia being a part of the Asian community as long as the Australian citizens of whatever origin have in their heart their duty to the country they have chosen as home.

It is time to realise that our future is in the Asian area.

On a lighter point, have you ever had a Chinese, Thai: or Vietnamese meal?

The Australian people will eventually see that as not a special delicacy but a normal Australian meal.

NE OUBLIE.

I'm not sure "corruption" is the right word to use about NSW Labor but the incompetence has been considerable. Most of the state's problems arise from the success of Bob Carr as premier who abandoned real programs of infrastructure and exploited Laura Norder to its fullest extent with the backing of the Daily Telegraph and the then-powerful shock jock Alan Jones.

The man was a phoney from start to finish, solemnly proclaiming the horror of NSW architecture whilst allowing property developers full pelt in shoving up buildings that horrify visitors.

Significantly, a decision was taken during Morris Iemma's election to ignore the shock jocks as the very clever Mark Arbib decided their "emperor with no clothes" status should questioned with the result that they are now basically history with their unfair influence.

None the less, the Daily Telegraph has continued on its endless campaigns – the minor Della Bosca / Neal charade as an example to rival the ridiculous Coogee Hotel tale that has riveted the state (not) for weeks on end.

But who will replace them? If you think the NSW Liberals and Barry O'Farrell under the influence of their hard right can do better you are dreaming. They will still face the same challenge: how to placate a state full of consumer groups who demand that billion dollar railways be built for their exclusive use because they purchased McMansions on the outer edges of Sydney when there are limited funds.

Unless they borrow – the most sensible policy, but they won't . They are as beholden to the ridiculous international credit ratings agencies that have been blackmailing world governments (despite their dismal failure in predicting the current Wall Street fiasco) as Labor is.

John Pratt: "Eliot, you're correct, change is always with us. Progress is inevitable."

John, change and progress are not the same thing.

Change is the way the universe works.

"Progress" is, on the other hand, a metaphysical concept, implying that change is orderly and "good" and moves in some sort of providential, benign and pre-ordained direction.

That just through the processes of change, things will get "better".

That idea has proved to be the most dangerous, deadly myth of the last one hundred years.

It was the basic assumption of the great marxisant myths of the 20th Century which gave us Stalinism, Maoism and Pol Pot.

There was a bit of it underlying Nazism, too.

So, don't rely on change to do the work of "progress" for you.

You either subscribe to the concept that debt can be good when used the correct way, or you have a society where no-one buys a house or goods until they can hand over the full price in cash.

Same goes for a goverment. Debt used to boost infrastructure and social programs will generate tax to pay that debt. It's the most basic idea and for a goverment to go on, like the last one of Costello/Howard, with incessant tosh about a government free of debts merely shows how either incompetent or ignorant they were.

NSW's problems are caused by its massive raising of taxes in GST which are distributed to subsidise other states. Spent in this state, we would be in a paradise but the rest of the country would suffer.

Those who think otherwise should go off and listen to that goose of a Yank currently in town who uses dated words like "bludgers" whilst hiding the true condition of his own corporation in a US state where the books cannot be examined. This dill is about to find out that backing the wrong horse in the last two races after 10 years of bullying governments is about to backfire -badly.

In Australia, perhaps the most capitalist move (among many) by the Howard government was to remove the cross media ownership laws.

From a government which claimed to be in favour of competition, this was certainly a contradiction.

Very early in his undermining climb to prominence, Howard made sure that his relationship with the world powerful US and the international media was secure. Brown nose the bully?

It appears to me that the accepted consideration of the wealth of a nation is judged by its GDP. Whatever that is.

It also seems to be that the more the market values rises then that is considered as an indication of the wealth of a nation.

I confess that I don't understand because, during the Howard era, the divide between the haves and have nots increased remarkably.

Without any vested interest in the wealth of the wealthy, I find it repulsive that a government of a nation with the enormous resources we have can allow itself to be dominated by foreign interests. The sale of assets is considered as "investment". Fair dinkum.

Kevin Rudd's government is faced with an escalating Howard/Costello foreign debt in excess of $500 billion. Compliments of the Liberal capitalist government of a false economy.

Add to that, whoever the post Howard, post Bush governments may be, the massive problems that have been caused by the unsustainable policy of unrestrained capitalism in only one nation of this world. Fair dinkum.

In whom should we trust?

Charity begins at home.

NE OUBLIE.

The first real crisis after the Obama election.

Anybody who's been reading the NYT would know this was becoming a very serious situation. Watching adults reduced to gibbering, sobbing, thirteen year old schoolgirls was troubling enough (Bay City Roller disease from memory.)

It appears now, this is something much, much, worse. People it seems have nothing to keep their hope alive - they have, in fact, lost the will to live.

Perhaps the mystery surrounding whales beaching themselves may hide the answers. I don't know, I am not a scientist. I hope for the sake of us all the cure is soon found! All of us know at least someone who's been showing signs of "Obama disease".

If I remember correctly, you hoped for an Obama win (one of the few things we agree upon). I'm not too sure why you draw a comparison between Mandela and Obama.

I attended a function for Nelson Mandela at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney - maybe about 8 years ago. What surprised me where the people there. From Dick Pratt to Bob Hawke, Malcolm Fraser and everyone in between from every conceivable political persuasion.

Like an adoring fan I waited in the foyer for Mandela to arrive. I don't think I've ever seen a man with such amazing charisma - the only word I can think of.

Extraordinary humilty and yet like a fabulous noble African chieftan.

But Barack Obama is surely someone entirely different - except you must be pointing to the fact he is part African, part black. Yes? It's a comparison that I could be easily be guilty of, but it isn't legitimate. There couldn't possibly be two men whose lives are so different - who basically have nothing in common.

Except for one thing. Both are great orators. When you hear Nelson Mandela speak it's the most humbling experience. He doesn't speak of the future - he speaks of the past and of the most appaling things that we have all had a hand in, no matter how innocently. And he tells us what we could all be capable of - as human beings. This is not a politician speaking, it's like some strange angel who has been sent to us to deliver the most obvious truths.

Yet at the same time, he gives one the feeling that all is not lost. A Mandela speech is like an arrow that goes straight to the heart. He inspires, he forgives and he humbles the most arrogant of souls.

Barack Obama is, from the limited speeches I have heard, one of the great orators of this century. I don't know who writes his speeches or if it's all off the cuff ,but what he delivers is a hope for the future. All is not lost, there will be change and it will work. In a sense, Barack Obama is a most American of presidents.

Obviously time will tell if I am correct and  it's am almighty task ahead of him.

But it's in the air, it's all around us and America has just gone into a tectonic shift that they somehow willed themselves should happen. Change is upon us, everywhere,

Cast your mind back to the (most appalling ) PM this country has endured - John Howard. Put out of your mind whatever you think about Kevin Rudd - just concentrate on Howard, Remember Howard stating that an Obama presidency would be a gift to terrorists. That statement alone demonstrated the what an utterly shallow and opportunistic man he was.

What happened over the last ten years? It's like the world went into a complete psychotic episode, except it wasn''t the world. Three men held sway - Tony Blair, George W, Bush and the most minor player, John Howard.

We have been delivered.

“We showed the world that the US can change – has changed”

Of course, that change was entirely within the existing constitutional framework of the United States of America as Obama found it.

This is where the comparisons between Obama's achievement and that of, say, Nelson Mandela, fail.

Mandela was drawn from a majority social, ethnic and cultural group that had been politically marginalised, and he changed that.

Obama was drawn from a minority social, ethnic and cultural group that was politically empowered by the existing constitutional arrangements within the United States. And he operated within them.

The two outcomes are virtually opposite to each other.

It could probably only happen in the United States or other country like it.

Eliot Ramsey: “Do you find personally that you are "easily ideologically controlled and sucked in by words", or is that something you feel applies to others primarily?”

No I'm not sucked in by words or ideology. My mind is reasonably free of ideological constraints. Only others can answer the second part of your paragraph by their actions and outcomes. I stand by my life outcomes for my veracity of psychological freedom and understanding.

“What would be your preferred mechanism for preventing others from being "easily ideologically controlled"?”

I don't have a “preferred mechanism” for controlling others. Ideology does that inadequately. Self-control should be the aim for the human species, not control. Ideology just gives excuses for inadequate self-control and ethical freedom.

“Perhaps some special leadership group with a "correct" understanding of things and who could "lead" the gullible masses along the correct path?”

Maybe that's the politically correct brain dead approach we see in the current political and bureaucratic system, but ethical freedom doesn't work that way. When you take the quotes, assimilations and rhetoric out of Obama's speech, it's pretty empty except for his reflections on the trials and advancement of African/Americans, which was spot on. I applaud him for the way he presented that reality and hope he proves us all wrong and can change the world. But being an ideologist, historically it means failure.

Your last post (Submitted by Eliot Ramsey on November 7, 2008 - 6:01pm) I agree with, so maybe your controlling ideology is not as strong as you hope or believe.

"Barack Obama will be a good friend and partner to Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says, after telephoning the US president-elect to congratulate him on his win."

- Canberra Times, 7 November.

Meanwhile...

Barack Obama: "Hello? Hello? Is that Prime Minister Rudd?"

 Kevin Rudd: "Yes, Senator Obama. Thank you for returning my call. And congratulations on your superb election victory."

Barack Obama: "Why, thank your, sir. That's very kind of you. It's lovely to speak with you."

Kevin Rudd: "I'm just here in the dining room at Kirribilli House in Sydney. I'll put you on speaker 'phone."

Barack Obama: "Um, sure. Okay...."

(bzzz...click...)

 Kevin Rudd: "There, that's better. I'm delighted to be able to speak with you, too, Senator. We were very excited here in Australia when the news of your victory came through."

Barack Obama: "Thank you again, Prime Minister.. I'm very much looking forward to working with the Australian government on many common issues affecting our two nations in the Asia Pacific region especially....

Third voice: "Speak up!"

(pause)

Barack Obama: "What was that?"

Kevin Rudd: "What was what, Senator?"

Barack Obama: "I thought I heard another voice there for a moment?"

Kevin Rudd: "No, Senator. No, it's just me here. Please continue..."

Third voice: "Martin, could you pass me a canapé."

Barack Obama: "There it is again..."

Kevin Rudd (whispers): "Could you keep it down over there. Jeeeesus..."

Barack Obama: "Um..."

Kevin Rudd: "Please continue Senator..."

Barack Obama: "Um...Sure. As I was saying, Prime Minister..."

Female voice: "This tiramisu is going off I think."

(longer pause)

Kevin Rudd: "Senator? .....Are you there sir? .......Hel-lo....?"

Here is a very interesting fact about the Obama election.

In California, the President-elect secured a massive victory, obtaining than 61.1 per cent of the popular vote, with McCain trailing far behind at 37.1 per cent.

At the same time, Californians were asked to vote  on Proposition 8, the ballot measure overruling a state Supreme Court judgment that legalized same-sex marriage and brought 18,000 gay and lesbian couples to Golden State courthouses to be married in the past six months.

Seven in 10 African Americans who went to the polls voted 'yes' to  Proposition 8,

Fifty-three percent of Latinos also voted 'yes' Proposition 8, overcoming the majority of white Californians who voted to let the court ruling stand.

Indeed, Proposition 8 promoters worked closely with black churches across the state, encouraging ministers to deliver sermons in favor of the ban.

"What the church does is give that perspective that this is a sacred issue as well as a social issue," said Derek McCoy, African American outreach director for the Protect Marriage Campaign.

"The reason I feel they came out so strong on the issue is one, for them, it's not a civil rights issue, it's a marriage issue. It's about marriage being between a man and a woman and it doesn't cut into the civil rights issue, about equality.

"The gay community was never considered a third of a person."

Obama's winning speech was interesting, but it lacked any real substance and just showed how easily ideologically controlled people are sucked in by words. After all, Obama's a lawyer and we can see where having lawyers in charge gets us: they and their friends get richer and the people get less justice and poorer. Already Obama is installing the same type of people of the Bush era who represent the elite religious corporate world, so nothing will change, just a different paint job.

We may see a calm at first, but the storm of dissent will rise its head very quickly in the form of righteous indignation. On forums around the USA the fear mongering and threats are flowing freely from the dedicated racists of god. For a god fuelled country, which preaches peace and enacts war, what else can you expect but crazy god fuelled racism and murder when discriminatory superiority and victim complexes clash? The USA is buggered no matter who won, just as the rest of the current world society is destined for the scrap heap having passed its zenith. We see the outcome in Aus of having just right wing religious nutters in control, one stuffed it and now the other is following the same pattern: lots of words but no action just propping up the elite. In the USA, one of the candidates is a right wing christian and the other a right wing black christian, so the only outcome either way could just be racist attrition and if McCain had won, race war, all under the auspices of the loving god.

The problem the USA faces is it has relied on its religious superiority ideology of suppressive force to provide a future, and neglected reality just as every ideological myth does. Now the only outcome is forced change and ideological collapse, along with its associated chaos, destruction and slaughter. But they shouldn't worry, god will come and save them, as he always does when anyone asks

Globalisation and global monopolisation are ideologies of the 20th century and not the 21st. They have and will continue to fail, just as market control is destroying environmental, social and economic life and driving economic collapse. The USA election was a good joke, but all it will attain is a bad joke for the world.

Ernest William "They took their Declaration of Independence and used it as a paranoiac document for the imagined possibility of attack from outsiders to destroy their comfortable self-supporting economy. Wow! And now they are paying for the part that allows and encourages them to be armed at all times. Surely they believe that to remove that “liberty” would be to reduce the fear and paranoia. And good luck to them".

That "paranoiac document" was the bedrock of what resulted on Nov 4.

The bedrock, of that which, apparently the Australian Treasurer hid under - whilst offloading news of his incompetence. Actually, the numbers were strangely on the government's "very" favorable side (I could go into details). Let's put it this way: nobody takes him or those numbers seriously. No wonder he was sneaking around! It took most a day to realize.

I remember last year here fondly. The Australian election was about "change". Seems it degenerated into blame, fairly smartly. Now it's not only blame of another nation, it's of that nation's entire history.

I expect soon for it to be apple trees, Eve etc.........

Have you ever considered the possibility the people you support aren't very good at their job?

Save your money, or invest it in production.

Spending doesn't save the economy:  it keeps the wheels spinning without getting traction, for a bit.  Production saves the economy.

Hang on to your cash...it's becoming scarce.  It will be needed.

but some parts of it slowly, evidently.

I understand that most white people did not vote for Obama.

Good God.  The U.S. never fails to astonish.

That statistic is incomprehensible, I would suggest, to most in the rest of the world.

Otoh, there is that old joke about the words that the US couldn't understand - the phrase "the rest of the world".

The US produces less than a quarter of the world's GDP, but it rules the world's financial markets. It has less than a twentieth of the world's population, and is not the largest democracy. Why do we allow it to dominate the world and rule our lives?

It's about time the rest of us stand on our own feet and take responsibility for building a better world. Obama has said very clearly, that he is elected by the US to serve US interests, and however ethical the US may otherwise try to be, it is just not good enough in the 21st century.

Certainly this election appears to be a major shift in the American psyche and a brilliant way to lift the feelings of a world now suffering from the unrestrained US capitalist system.

He has to deal with a number of unpopular matters in order to bring America back to the world community. In my mind that is an absolute necessity.

With more than a half century of the US doing exactly what it chooses, ignoring the UN, the Kyoto treaty, the International Criminal Court, the Maritime Laws, climate change, and the sovereignty of any nation they dislike or suspect of doing what they are doing should hopefully be over.

Can you imagine the hatred that America has earned with its Military/Corporate being responsible for destroying the infrastructure of countries less able to defend themselves and then, having Cheney's Halliburton receive the contracts to rebuild that which they have destroyed?

Well might they say “remember the Alamo”.

I confess that I try to look at the big picture - it gives me a reasonable perception of what is going on in this ever-contracting world.

The United States of America has aggressively clawed its way to be the most powerful (and dangerous) nation in the world - and what have their “powers that be” done with that sometimes respected, sometimes hated and at all times worried about attitude of the “lesser” peoples?

They took their Declaration of Independence and used it as a paranoiac document for the imagined possibility of attack from outsiders to destroy their comfortable self-supporting economy. Wow! And now they are paying for the part that allows and encourages them to be armed at all times. Surely they believe that to remove that “liberty” would be to reduce the fear and paranoia. And good luck to them.

However, Bush has said “they hate us for our values”. Fair dinkum.

I don't believe that the citizens of any nation are totally stupid. However, when you indoctrinate people from childhood with a principle like the Muslims, Roman Catholics, and the American religion of “The Flag” then the powers that be have a ready made slavish workforce for their policies.

The successful method of the Howard “New Order” was to copy the policies of the Bush administration.

Now another capitalist “Liberal” leader - Malcolm Turnbull - is causing as much trouble for the Australian Government, in a time of global financial stress which is not of their making, but was created by his counterparts in America. Struth.

Let us remember the Malcolm Turnbull/Bishop conservatives' attitude to what is meant by bipartisan. Live that down, Malcolm.

The Howard/American style of negative politics has haunted our democracy for a decade and now we have an expert (Turnbull) in the financial policies that have devastated the world economies and who will undermine our elected government in every way he can.

At this time in our history, let the independents and the small l liberals combine to deal with a disaster not of our making but with which we must support the “pilot”.

My wife and I are maintaining our reasonable savings in a building society and will spend as much as we can afford, if that will help our economy.

Who needs enemies in times of stress - or at any time? Hang your heads you forever disgraced "bipartisan" Australians.

On a light note I had to grin at the 'yes we can' chanting from the audience during Obama's acceptance speech. Those with younger children or grand children might also have spared a thought for Bob the Builder.

Some points and reflections while watching the election coverage yesterday.

I thought John McCain did a Kim Beazely - his concession speech was by far his best and left you wondering why he hadn't gone for this style earlier.

McCain's speech nonetheless still positioned Obama as "their" president. Even while calling on Americans to support him and invoking the normal pseudo-religious themes of American nationalism there was a back story: that now they have "their" president, let's see what he does.

Obama basically sang from the same hymnbook of American nationalism as McCain but his preacher's cadence was a little more pronounced. He was also still cool. But what has been called the principal role of American presidential elections, the reconsecration and renewal of the national religion, America the idea/ideology, was still very much in evidence. The US president is in many ways first and foremost a high priest as much as an elected monarch.

A majority of Americans voted for him but not a majority of whites. However, as with Kevin Rudd's sorry, though more so, this is a breakthrough symbolic moment. A heck of a lot of white Americans did vote for Obama and perhaps whites and blacks can look more comfortably at one another now than two days ago. If they can now more easily join together to accomplish things, even better.

One of Obama's mantras was we can get there . Pleased with his victory though I am, I kept wondering, where is "there"? The traditional rhetoric of past black leaders has also been headlined by a mix of metaphor and emotion rather than an offering of policy, but even in the metaphor "there" was a place - the promised land, the top of the mountain, etc. Is this shortening to just "there" some sort of post-modernist intrusion in the rhetoric? A nod to the zeitgeist in what was otherwise pretty much a standard discourse mired in the tropes of modernity (progress, unity, development, etc), or what? Well I suppose we will, like, know when we, like, get there, or at least we can, like, live by the more post-modern and pragmatic light of "wherever you go, well there you are."

"Yes we can, yes we can" - sort of inspiring but sort of advertising jinglist as well. And on things like gun control, nationalisation of health, a decent living wage and protection of working conditions, I suspect, well "not really, no we can't" will be the answer. Still I hope he can prove me wrong.

It was fascinating to watch the various sanctioned authoritative commentators rush to corral Obama into a conservative position. He mustn't be too hasty on Iraq, he should not be too hasty in purging Bush's people and, most predictable, he mustn't let "a working class" agenda" overwhelm the more important issues. Like pay rises that can presumably always wait into the never never for their appropriate time, he wouldn't want to go making a priority of keeping the faith with the great majority of working stiffs and unemployed who voted for him.

Meanwhile in offices all over Washington, the sound of shredders starting up could no doubt be heard.

The curious thing was that the campaign wasn't particularly dirty. Probably the cleanest I've ever witnessed, if truth be told. The attacks were very standard considering Presidential elections. The belief it was dirty (a very common belief) is one of the more bizarre of post-election happenings.

I've seen otherwise intelligent people, people who know the political process, and understand electioneering emotive arguments, when they see them,  behaving just plain weird. Very experienced journalists, going above and beyond opinion support, and becoming just plain giddy. I've personally never witnessed something like it in an election before.

I saw it with otherwise staunch Dems not only dumping on Hilliary, they were dumping on Bill - seriously denigrating people who were otherwise Dem heroes! This then progressed onto McCain and Palin. It was like the "one" couldn't even be questioned on his greatness. It'll be most interesting when he does have a disagreement with other leaders. I'm seriously very curious to what the reaction will be.

I've asked many people what Obama stands for, and none up to date has given me the same answer. I mean even upon his election, insiders couldn't even answer the question. The truth seems to be that nobody really knows. It's like people look at Obama and they are looking at a mirror. A mirror that reflects their personal tale. it's almost as if any criticism of him (deserved or not) is a personal criticism of them. Darnedest thing I've ever seen.

Hilliary, Bill, and John have since been forgiven. They've now knelt before the one, and spoke of his greatness.  Be gone and sin no more.

Jack Kennedy began Vietnam (resulting in millions dying), along with coming within an inch off starting world war three. That's not even to mention his rather colorful personal life, that would never have been acceptable from another. The man in many quarters is considered America's greatest President.

The most dangerous of politicians: The society invented sociopath.

The day after the election I read a few Obama articles and posts. I realized, I'm not being asked to respect President Obama, I am being told to love him.

I don't believe this is a good situation for America or for the world. A politician, and I don't care who that person is, never, and I repeat never, should be given that level of adulation. The survival of democracy relies on the basis a person never is.