Intermittent postings from Canberra, Australia on Software Development, Space, Politics, and Interesting URLs.
And of course, Brains...
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Wednesday 5 November 2008
14 comments:
Anonymous commenters - please add a signature (doesn't have to be your real name) on each post of yours. Anne O'Namus, Norm D. Ploom, Angry from Kent, Demosthenes, or even your real initials, it doesn't matter.
Commenters are expected to be polite to each other, but the same standard doesn't apply to comments regarding me.
Australian commenters are very very strongly advised to publish anonymously. Sydney alone has more defamation actions than the entire USA and UK. Nearly double that of the UK in fact.
As Google does not reliably inform me that a comment has been posted, and I have no control over first publication, I assert that all comments are innocently disseminated under the NSW DEFAMATION ACT 2005 - SECT 32 and similar acts.
It also looks like Obama won the electoral vote from Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sos.ne.gov/elec/2008/ElectNight/electoral.htm
So, now that the election is over, Zoe, please give us your take on the results.
ReplyDeletePitfalls, perils, and possibilities.
And the overall reaction in your neck of the woods.
"Personally, I think it will be 274 to Obama, 264 to McCain." Red at heart you are. What happened to facts? Are you not believing science? I hope this is the begining of the end of the war machine.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's getting out of the US stockmarket, and the Aussie dollar is up 10% vs the Greenback, despite the upcoming world depression.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to see. Will Obama do as he's promised at various times? Bankrupt the coal industry, prosecute Republican politicians for War Crimes, institute the Draft and cut the military by 25% to pay for welfare? Delete the US manned space program entirely, institute a "fairness doctrine" on all political reporting, and pass money to "faith based initiatives"?
An African American has been elected President of the United States!
Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible!
Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is
possible.
That's Michael Moore.
And in other news... every state anti-gay constitutional amendment passed. Even in Hamtramck, it's now once more explicitly legal to discriminate against GLBTs. The extent of the problem can be judged by the exit polls in California - 70% of Black voters voted to remove existing rights from same-sex couples.
And yet, I've continually been labeled a racist in some blogs for pointing that fact out.
ReplyDeleteBeing very subjective now. It is funny how hormones allow emotions take logic away.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous commenters - please add a signature (doesn't have to be your real name) on each post of yours. Anne O'Namus, Norm D. Ploom, Angry from Kent, Demosthenes, or even your real initials, it doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, my objectivity is questionable. Only time will tell. to the extent that my predictions are correct, my credibility will improve, but I won't have learnt much. To the extent they're wrong, my credibility will diminish,but at least I get to refine and improve my beliefs.
For example, I called Florida for McCain - but that was always going to be close, a line ball decision. I also called Virginia for McCain, and there I was hopelessly wrong.
The only thing I got completely right was the ultimate winner.
Zoë I hate to see you spreading misinformation. He will govern from the middle, just wait and see. He's not the stubborn ass that we have currently.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Obama/Biden administration's approach to security matters? Not just relating specifically to the US, but to the entire free and not-so-free world?
ReplyDeleteThis is your area of expertise, isn't it? I am interested in hearing your take, Zoe.
I fully expect him to do as many U-turns as needed.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be very interesting, as under normal circumstances, he wouldn't qualify for having any clearance, not even CONFIDENTIAL.
Having your campaign launch in the house of a guy who planned bombing the Pentagon will do that.
There's been so much guff, hyperbole and complete nonsense about "terrorist affiliations" etc etc that when you have the Real Deal - or at least an Urban Guerilla - people tend to discount that as more of the same.
FWIW I believe that Ayers was acting out of patriotism (as he saw it) in his part of the Weathermen's campaign against off-duty soldiers, judges, police, and bank robberies to finance The Revolution.
Obama, while sharing a Left-Wing view, is not in the same league, except in one way. He's patriotic too.
The 25% cut in the US military will mean a Western Hemisphere defence strategy only. Israel will be left to fend for herself, and all troops withdrawn from overseas bases, apart from a few left as staging posts. There will be a greater reliance on diplomacy and the use of "surgical strikes" from cruise missiles and the like. Basically the same as under Clinton and Carter, but without the mobile forces to back them up.
No more "military adventures", and a return to gunboat diplomacy and isolationism. The US has had enough of playing "world policeman", let someone else do it.
Zoë you're fears are unfounded. I'm really surprised to see you talking this way. If this is how you really feel I'm disappointed that you have such a low opinion of us Americans (after all we elected Obama).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Zoe.
ReplyDeleteFor my part, I hope that the election of President Obama and the Democratic gains in Congress will mark the beginning of the end for neoconservatism here at home and abroad. This historic American election is a resounding rejection of that thoroughly discredited kooky creed. There is a huge amount of damage to be fixed everywhere. Neoconservative remnants are already working to subvert President Obama's mandate. Zoe's comments are a fine example of that position; they should rather admit they have been severely admonished for the mess they have made and roll up their sleeves to help.
While I disagree on everything else, the "rolling up the sleeves" bit is one area where I agree.
ReplyDeleteWhat I think will happen doesn't matter. What actually happens does. And regardless of who is in the office, they're going to need all the help they can get.
I disagree. What you think will happen influences how you behave. And how you behave definitely influences what happens. There are obvious multipiers in your specific case, Zoe, but even the most isolated person in the world can still have an effect on what happens in that world. My intention is try to get you to outline what you think will happen and then talk about it so maybe we can accomplish some good together.
ReplyDelete