In 2016 the USA was on the verge of becoming a first world country. Then it freely installed a corrupt kleptocracy. Pity.
It seems the USA is having increasing difficulty coping with the mounting consequences.
The Americans I've known, 10 or so, all exiles who escaped the would-be autocracy, have shown themselves to be polite, charming, well-educated and make fine humans now. And the quality of their English speaking is uniformly excellent (surprising for some Americans).
And they say the British are patronizing gits... !
To the other many fine, decent Americans who post here I can only point out the irony in my response to the last preposterous post!
Have you ever resided in the US,Gob?
Real kleptocracy looks much more like the Zuma -Gupta friendship in SA
In 2016 the USA was on the verge of becoming a first world country. Then it freely installed a corrupt kleptocracy. Pity.
It seems the USA is having increasing difficulty coping with the mounting consequences.
The Americans I've known, 10 or so, all exiles who escaped the would-be autocracy, have shown themselves to be polite, charming, well-educated and make fine humans now. And the quality of their English speaking is uniformly excellent (surprising for some Americans).
And they say the British are patronizing gits... !
To the other many fine, decent Americans who post here I can only point out the irony in my response to the last preposterous post!
Have you ever resided in the US,Gob?
Have lived in and worked in New York and then in Dallas...
Reside in the UK these days and I know that I lived and grew up in your home town....
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."
Real kleptocracy looks much more like the Zuma -Gupta friendship in SA.
A right wing capitalist country is a real kelptocracy. The wealth of the country is slowly but steadily moved into the hands of the few while the many become poorer as their wealth and even vital services are taken from them.
Been in data comm since we formed the bits individually with a Morse key.
Or it's the failure of the hot poloi to compete. The wealth isn't taken from them, they just haven't figured out how to achieve it. I think, even today, if you pay attention and extend moderate effort to learn in school, look for ways to achieve and lead, you can come from the most humble beginnings and rise to levels you could not imagine as a kid in the hood. I know - that's what I did, not that I'm a mogul, but I am a comfortable retiree.
Are there any right wing kleptocracies in the world today, John Hill? I can think of more than a few left wing ones. And they seem to manage to drive wealth from the many to the few quite well. Venezuela, N. Korea, Cuba, Zimbabwe for example.
Added: Seems Alison got her wish: We have a life-threatening pandemic poised to reduce climate change, moderate population growth, and emerge when it's over more green as the New Spring emerges on the other side. Those who may be starving at that point will have our eternal respect for their selfless sacrifice. Following generations enjoying butterflies flitting freely across earth's green meadows will thank us, unless they are preoccupied with new crises arising that capture their attention.
The capitalist problem is that once you get a gorilla in the room, it tends to squash the competition, either by brute force or by buying up all the good stuff from people who are happy to cash in. Then you get lack of proper competition and the gorilla grows fat and lazy and turns into a parasite, feeding off its surroundings because of the way it dominates them. For the most part capitalism only works well when size-constrained, otherwise it's effectively an unelected dictator.
On the other side of it, sometimes what is needed is a big bucket of cash and a willingness to try stuff - look at all the stuff that's now possible because of infrastructure put in place by Google and Microsoft, and the wireless connectivity provided by the phone companies that lets us use it all over the place.
The same can be said for socialism. In a limited form it's beneficial, providing basic common infrastructure and services that we all need, and a support network for those who need help as they pull through a difficult time. It too can become a gorilla crushing the life out of any sort of creativity around it but has its own shining examples such as Linux, maintained by thousands giving their (or their company's) time to improve something that now has a huge installed base free at point of use.
Are there any right wing kleptocracies in the world today, John Hill? I can think of more than a few left wing ones. And they seem to manage to drive wealth from the many to the few quite well. Venezuela, N. Korea, Cuba, Zimbabwe for example.
It is amusing that you think those countries are left wing.
Been in data comm since we formed the bits individually with a Morse key.
Left/right wing is a question of viewpoint. Let's set those terms aside, and refer to the above four miserable kleptocracies mentioned by BenThere as 'socialist', or 'People's Democratic Republics' or whatever terms they use.
Regardless of what they call themselves, Ben is correct, they seem to manage to drive wealth from the many to the few quite well.
Maybe JH could explain why they achieve the polar opposite of what they purport to do?
My neighbours on one side are fabulous people, both from Tehran he's been out here for 15 years & She about 5. They married last year, her Sister came out for the wedding and has had her visa extended, which is great, she's also a lovely person.
They're Prok eatin' Piss drinkin' Ozzies now!
Seriously (they do eat pork and drink alcohol), they are highly intelligent very cultured people.
They hate the Iranianregime as much as they despised the Shah....they love it here!
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... Oscar Wilde
As we hunker down thanks to Covid-19 I am reminded of the famous picture titled Earthrise from the early space missions. Then we've had the floods, rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers, the fires and the plagues of locusts.
This track from PF's "Division Bell" album, released 28th March 1994, seems very appropriate for reflection in these troubled times, apart from being part of a great album from a fantastic group;
And here's the lyrics which I trust you will agree are most appropriate for this thread of thought;
Her love rains down on me easy as the breeze
I listen to her breathing it sounds like the waves on the sea
I was thinking all about her, burning with rage and desire
We were spinning into darkness the earth was on fire
She could take it back, she might take it back some day
So I spy on her, I lie to her, I make promises I cannot keep
Then I hear her laughter rising, rising from the deep
And I make her prove her love for me, I take all that I can take
I push her to the limit to see if she will break
She might take it back, she could take it back some day
Now I have seen the warnings, screaming from all sides
It's easy to ignore them, God knows I've tried
All of this temptation, you know it turned my faith to lies
Until I couldn't see the danger or hear the rising tide
She can take it back, she will take it back some day
She can take it back, she will take it back some day
She will take it back, she will take it back some day
Maybe this could be played to "the great and the good" at the next world climate conference?
Have no problems with the BLM protest marches as such, but during a pandemic?? Wasn't sure whether to post this in the Darwin Awards thread.
blm-london.jpg (61.92 KiB) Viewed 243 times
We're here because we're here, because we're here, because we're here.
Nobodies taught them the lyrics.
WWI and WWII killed off a younger generation, BLM marches and Covid-19 will do the same for current younger generation. Plus for lots of others. Need to bunker down for ensuing Armageddon.
Rev Mother Bene Gesserit.
Sent from my PDP11/05 running RSX-11D via an ASR33 (TTY)
Have no problems with the BLM protest marches as such, but during a pandemic?? Wasn't sure whether to post this in the Darwin Awards thread.
blm-london.jpg
We're here because we're here, because we're here, because we're here.
Nobodies taught them the lyrics.
WWI and WWII killed off a younger generation, BLM marches and Covid-19 will do the same for current younger generation. Plus for lots of others. Need to bunker down for ensuing Armageddon.
How many times we have seen protests that lead nowhere just some looting? And it seems President Trump knows how to play the security game and persuade people to vote for him.
TGG, if your earlier reference of USA being in a crossroad in 2016 I am afraid Trump was the less of two evils: A new political family was about to be created and it seems former Secretary Clinton couldn't persuade voters she cared about them (even her Art and Media support maybe backfired) -Trump did.
I was in Iran a few years ago, they are wonderful people and detest their regime but while they are in the country they are too scared to talk about. It's a loathsome and evil regime. Those who have escape may well be the force for a revolution. Many would like to see the return of the Pahlavi dynasty, as with Rhodesia and Ian Smith, it was a damn sight better than the scum they got in its place.
As for 'black lives matter', clearly they don't matter to themselves to why should they matter to us? And if they do matter so much, why don't they piss off and do something about the poverty, corruption, disease, famine, and wars in black countries?
As for 'black lives matter', clearly they don't matter to themselves to why should they matter to us? And if they do matter so much, why don't they piss off and do something about the poverty, corruption, disease, famine, and wars in black countries?
Spoken like the avowed racist that you admit you are!
Every man's life matters and we abandon our own decency, dignity, humanity and civilisation if we deny, preach or intimate otherwise.
One small step from thinking like yours to beatings, Belsen or worse! You, and others too, should try buck your ideas up, or at least simply keep them to yourselves!
I guess it is the story of old dogs and tricks!
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."
I would side with Cape here (although we disagree on Israel). It seems some classes (Black in the US, gypsies, roma and illegal immigrants in Europe) have a huge sense of entitlement and being very special, well above the law. For instance a roma here explained that because of the lockdown they couldn't get out of their camps and steal and needed government assistance during the lockdown.
Other groups -underprivileged too - tend to take it in pride and try to work it out. Yes it is not nice to have be the victim of police violence but maybe if you can't do the time don't do the crime. Police don't shoot people on the street but it is an escalation of events that lead to a death.
THREAD DRIFT ALERT ! ! Please relocate to US Hamster Wheel, Chaos in USA or the OK Corral thread which you haven’t had the cohones yet to start ! ! That’s the apt location for petty squabbles as to whose leaders are the most pathetic.
I believe this thread title is as published, so as a group of mostly ex-aviation professionals and having operated in safety-critical occupations can we beware of distractions and concentrate on the task?
If you want to worry about Natural Disasters, how’s about overcoming the censorship of the Establishment and the social meeja empires and try your best to view this film about Human Disaster by whatever means in your IT capabilities?
If you have the moral fibre to stay with it and watch until the end, don’t switch off as the credits roll, as interspersed with the credits there are some juicy morsels which continue to show up some of the “Green” movement movers and shakers for the greedy b’std charlatans they are.
As for 'black lives matter', clearly they don't matter to themselves to why should they matter to us? And if they do matter so much, why don't they piss off and do something about the poverty, corruption, disease, famine, and wars in black countries?
Spoken like the avowed racist that you admit you are!
Every man's life matters and we abandon our own decency, dignity, humanity and civilisation if we deny, preach or intimate otherwise.
The point overlooked is that the very statement 'black lives matter' implies that others don't, and it's that which pisses me off. And regardless of racism or not, the irony is that black lives seem to matter less to other blacks than they do to anyone else, you only have to see the way black Africans in Africa lay waste their countries and people, with war, corruption, and violence.
The statement 'black lives matter' is itself inherently racist by its implication, which is why I have no sympathy.
I am having difficulty in understanding what logic is in force here, an American policeman is involved in the unfortunate death of a black suspect criminal, the details yet to be established in court of law, and we are then expected to condone a shower of leftie black (and white) protesters breaking the law in London.
This isn't about racism in London, it is organised leftie protesters, shouting anti Boris Johnson abuse does not affect how American policemen do their job.
Any excuse, however bizarre, to be an annoyance is being used here, Sturgeon has said that if there was no lockdown she would join the protests, why on earth would she do that? I hope that the Police in London act in accordance with the law this afternoon, anyone within 2 metres of another protester should be arrested immediately, if in the confusion they have their neck knelt on then perhaps they might obey the law in future.
If black people don't want to be arrested by police officers then they can simply stop dealing drugs, carrying and using large knives, stop breaking and entering other peoples premises and stop illegal protests, then miraculously the police will stop arresting them. Or is that racist?
