political question

I think New Orleans is the prime example of the failure of the welfare state. I get really piussed off when I see people at the store with 10 times as much food in their cart paying with food stamps if they look like they could have a fucking job. I'd like to tell them to get in back of the line because I am paying for their food.

they say laughter makes people suggestable.

Bonza babes....send me all your money...oh and some pictures of your boobs :D

Confess -- you're listening to Grand Funk Railroad's "American Band" in those headphones.

Cheeky monkey.

Steve Campbell wrote: they say laughter makes people suggestable.

Bonza babes....send me all your money...oh and some pictures of your boobs :D

You bad, bad, boy!

yeah but I bet it made you laugh even more

Steve Campbell wrote: yeah but I bet it made you laugh even more

Of course!

Politics, Linux, bass guitars, suicide ...

And Campbell still gets the women.

And yet, out there in the big room, I couldnae pull a christmas cracker never mind a woman.

EDIT: soon however one unlucky Angel will meet me, and report back the awful reality. There will be no more women then :(

Aww Steve, you're too down on yourself, man. I won't run away. :P

(maybe because I don't know what's for my own good. )

Regardless of politics or *nix distros, I still think you guys rock.

The United States' problem is empire syndrome. Pax Americana set in after the failure of the 1960s New Left to actually change the country to the full extent it could have. This is a pretty holey, thin metaphor though, stuff you'd see on the pamphlets handed to you on a college campus by a 36-year-old bearded guy in a hemp jacket reeking of patchouli and axel grease.

I don't want to get into overt socio-cultural nitpicking, which is pseudo-science at best, pseudo-intellectualism at worst, but the sociological problem with America is a solid lack of education. Not very many Americans that comprise the nation's primary voting demographic travel very much. The U.S.'s size and development as a consumerist society contributes to a comforting(or at least satiating) sensation of microcosm wherever you are. What's the point in travelling to dem Jumbungfuck Islands when we've got Walmart and Costco right here with everything we need? No interest in seeing or experiencing other cultures or societies either, a total lack of curiosity or creativity, hell, we've got cable network news in thirteen different flavors of pundit to tell us how those spearchuckers across the drink live, act, and think these days. 3/4ths of my friends in this country: A) Have never left the country or continent B) Have never been inside an airplane C) Don't have a passport D) Have no interest in travel or E) All of the above.

We also feel a need to define ourselves through word and name association. "I'm a --Republican/Democrat/Green/Populist/Goth/Emo/Metalhead/Nerd/Geek/Jock/Bimbo/Dyke/Queer/Cowboy/Artisan-- and I stand up for what I believe in!" Errrr, no , you stand up for what a crowd of other people also pretend to believe in for the reassuring warmth of familiarity, identifiability, and belonging. Godforbid anyone risk some alienation by actually researching issues by themselves and firing some synapses to form educated opinions about the world instead of what Pat Robertson/Jimmy Swaggart/Karl Rove/Neil Cavuto/Bill O'Reilly/Michael Moore/Noel Chomsky tell you is reality. People of the Earth! You eat cheeseburgers and watch tellyvision too!

I tend not to put labels on my beliefs, but i've been called a "Situationist Zen nihilist" in the past, as opposed to just "deluded". For you more dweeby folks out there, I guess that would be "Chaotic Neutral", no?

mutual

it's not that i'm horrible in real life it's that fundamental lack of sexniess I talked about before...reckon you could send 1000 chicks past me speed dating stylee and ask them all afterwards. Half of them would just say "where's he on the run from" but the ones that got me (as all my dear Angels do) would each say the same thing "Steve? oh he's great, top bloke, proably gonna meet up for a drink again sometime.....touch him? oooh no it's not like that"

I know it SOUNDS like I'm being all sorry for myself, but trust me I've got a bloody big smile on my face as I type that...cos it's funny most of the time. Not so, on a cold night when you;ve gone to bed early cos you're bored...but hey how often does that happen. Besides I do very much think I get a better deal. Right now there are 5 or 6 girls on this site that think I'm funny and are entertained by my dribblings. That in itself is payment enough, knowing that I'm putting some happiness out into a dark world. The fact that each and everyone of the aforementioned ladies amuses me half to death (note to self, never try to speak to 2 of them at once), is just a freebie icing on the cake thing. But suppose ONE of those girls decided.."actually...I'll have a bit of that so I will", scoops me at a gig or something, screws me to within an inch of my life, and we get invovled.....where would that leave all the rest of you....where would it leave me....I'd be 1 exercised and happy dick up on the deal...but several sexcellently funny and stimulating friends down on it. I think any woman who could make up for that would need to have more up her sleeve than just her body. LOL listen to MR FUCKIN PICKY

besides, been told before by women of all relationships to me (barring my MOTHER! ahem) "you make a great mate but make/would make/made a fucking USELESS boyfriend"

Mr of the Apes.... that's what I was trying to get at...you are however infinitely more eloquent. Far too many people in the US ( and ever so quickly increasingly in the UK (NI has always been stoopid, ignore us)) follow a code or set of principles and that's that, no reason no nothing. I don't adhere to any sucj thing, I look at what's going on, and I, well...work out how I feel about it. That actually seems to be a Bad Thing.

FWIW, I've been RIGHT behind many things the US has done, and RIGHT against others. And much of my vitriol against "the great satan" is out of concern for people I care about there,(and people there in general), and out of sheer fear of who's got all those guns at their fingertips.

Steve Campbell wrote:

it's not that i'm horrible in real life it's that fundamental lack of sexniess I talked about before...

besides, been told before by women of all relationships to me (barring my MOTHER! ahem) "you make a great mate but make/would make/made a fucking USELESS boyfriend"

Dude, you're so much like my best buddy it's stunning.

The chicks love you. I love you. If I weren't married I'd be on a plane to Bangor tomorrow with roses and a 55 gallon drum of KY.

Get a grip, man. BE the boyfriend. Put the adolescent self-image aside and detonate the sex bomb, baby.

A fiver says each and every Angel I meet in the forthcoming year gives exacty that analysis of me . Your counter bet fiver, is not based on anything so fucking sordid as sex.....just tyat their report on me varies from that I have given above, in any way other than specific phrsing.

Steve Campbell wrote: Your counter bet fiver, is not based on anything so fucking sordid as sex.....just tyat their report on me varies from that I have given above, in any way other than specific phrsing.

Like I said, exactly like my best buddy.

Obviously sex isn't important to you, but that doesn't mean the B.A.s are going to be content just looking.

Gnu Odor wrote:

Dude, you're so much like my best buddy it's stunning.

The chicks love you. I love you. If I weren't married I'd be on a plane to Bangor tomorrow with roses and a 55 gallon drum of KY.

If that isn't the quote of the year, I dunno what is.

yes but unfortunately nominating it for quote of the year is not very helpful to me. it is my sworn purpose in life to erase that comment from my mind as quickly and as fully as possibly.

Gnu Odor wrote:

Steve Campbell wrote: Your counter bet fiver, is not based on anything so fucking sordid as sex.....just tyat their report on me varies from that I have given above, in any way other than specific phrsing.

Like I said, exactly like my best buddy.

Obviously sex isn't important to you, but that doesn't mean the B.A.s are going to be content just looking.

that's not what I meant, just meant I categorically refuse to bet on getting laid, it's a revolting and very immature [1]idea. A million times more so since what we're really talking about is friends of mine.

And it would be an idiotic bet anyway since I'll be attempting no such thing.

you get your fiver if just one comes back here and says "here, see yer man campbell...wouldya? tell you waht I fuckin would" or "wow I wish he was mine" I will NOT however accept "he will make SOMEONE a good BF "

[1] know it's not what u meant either BTW

Gnu Odor wrote:

"religious fundamentalism"/"old tyme relijun"

i stand by my belief that this is part of the reason behind the success of the republican party over the past 10 years. the south has traditionally been solidly democratic, but since the RNC hired ralph reed of the christian coalition the GOP has been able to successfully court the millions of fundamentalist christians who live in the south. the democrats were caught off-guard and the party was essentially emasculated.

part of the reason i left the democratic party and became a green was because the democrats lost their backbone and spent too much time on the defensive. another reason is because i'm tired of the bipartisan system and i believe we need more than two parties to challenge seats in all three branches of government, so i support the growth of the greens, the libertarians and other third parties as alternatives (although i'm not too keen on the american nazi party, i have to admit). three or more parties vying for power would result in true checks and balances.

AgentWood wrote:

Gnu Odor wrote:

"religious fundamentalism"/"old tyme relijun"

i stand by my belief that this is part of the reason behind the success of the republican party over the past 10 years. the south has traditionally been solidly democratic, but since the RNC hired ralph reed of the christian coalition the GOP has been able to successfully court the millions of fundamentalist christians who live in the south.

Yeah, I've got to give you that. Thing is, as an (albeit relectant) atheist, I really had a problem with the post-election analysis: "It was God/values." Well, not with me. And Kerry didn't win my respect in the final months of the campaign by suddenly remembering he was a "deeply religious" person. (Or, similarly, that he was "fascinated by rap and hip hop.")

Where's His Holiness? He opened this can o' worms and now he can't be arsed to check back in.

I honestly do appreciate the opportunity to discuss such things. I'm willing to learn. (And thus hope to keep the NOOL couch exchange open for travel/enlightenment purposes.)

Gnu Odor wrote:

AgentWood wrote:

Gnu Odor wrote:

"religious fundamentalism"/"old tyme relijun"

i stand by my belief that this is part of the reason behind the success of the republican party over the past 10 years. the south has traditionally been solidly democratic, but since the RNC hired ralph reed of the christian coalition the GOP has been able to successfully court the millions of fundamentalist christians who live in the south.

Yeah, I've got to give you that. Thing is, as an (albeit relectant) atheist, I really had a problem with the post-election analysis: "It was God/values." Well, not with me. And Kerry didn't win my respect in the final months of the campaign by suddenly remembering he was a "deeply religious" person. (Or, similarly, that he was "fascinated by rap and hip hop.")

Where's His Holiness? He opened this can o' worms and now he can't be arsed to check back in.

I honestly do appreciate the opportunity to discuss such things. I'm willing to learn. (And thus hope to keep the NOOL couch exchange open for travel/enlightenment purposes.)

i may not be an american, well i am sort of, certainly the religious right was well organised to vote bush. it may not have been the deciding or largest group of voters, but every vote counts (except in florida).

I think it was CakeClockZwart who posted;

http://www.politicalcompass.org/

Go have a look... The Q's take 5 mins.

I'm definately a lefty based on this.... It's obvious that there's a mix of lefties and right wingers on this site, but I think most of us are left of centre.

OK, I apparently hang out philosophically with the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela.

Your political compass Economic Left/Right: -1.00 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.26

I'm not surprised, though. There's theory and there's practice: Communism? Sounds great! Um, a few bugs to work out, though.

I do have a lot of quibbles with this quiz, though, ie, negatively-biased language ("it is worrying," "a sad relection," "it is regrettable," etc.) and awfully vague terms ("the rich," "a good idea," "predator multinationals").

craig's digitalwaters wrote: I think it was CakeClockZwart who posted;

http://www.politicalcompass.org/

Go have a look... The Q's take 5 mins.

More quibbles the more I think about it:

1. The quiz assumes you have a vote or at least believe you have some influence over how your country is run.

2. Too many questions about corporations; too few about "I believe suicide bombings of civilians are a valid means of political expression."

3. Bushitler appears on the example graph as two separate persons.

Gnu Odor wrote:

craig's digitalwaters wrote: I think it was CakeClockZwart who posted;

http://www.politicalcompass.org/

Go have a look... The Q's take 5 mins.

More quibbles the more I think about it:

1. The quiz assumes you have a vote or at least believe you have some influence over how your country is run.

2. Too many questions about corporations; too few about "I believe suicide bombings of civilians are a valid means of political expression."

3. Bushitler appears on the example graph as two separate persons.

I agree that it needs a tweak, but it's still pretty valid.

craig's digitalwaters wrote:

I agree that it needs a tweak, but it's still pretty valid.

Agreed. I'm comfortable where I am on the graph. And the US 2004 election graph is pretty dead-on, with Bush and Kerry in the same quadrant.

Any suggestion that Kerry was "the antiwar candidate" is hardcore revisionism.

Wow this is a grown up conversation! I thought we were all a bit numb, obviously not.

Good weekend everyone?

BTW Steve Campbell and Gnu - you've both changed your avatars - why? You had an identity change or summink?

FFS Gnu I TOLD you it wouldn't fookin work if we didn't change our logins as well. She sussed us.

AND that's possibly the LEAST oooogly pic every taken of me :(

Missy Jem wrote: Wow this is a grown up conversation! I thought we were all a bit numb, obviously not.

Good weekend everyone?

BTW Steve Campbell and Gnu - you've both changed your avatars - why? You had an identity change or summink?

Missy- you're back We so missed you! I did anyway. Did you get your ticket for Manc Aid?

Bonzette wrote:

Missy Jem wrote: Wow this is a grown up conversation! I thought we were all a bit numb, obviously not.

Good weekend everyone?

BTW Steve Campbell and Gnu - you've both changed your avatars - why? You had an identity change or summink?

Missy- you're back We so missed you! I did anyway. Did you get your ticket for Manc Aid?

YOU missed her?

(actually I'm sure you did, but trust me....i missed her too :) )