Spring
It's a month early, but the signs are there: lorikeets screeching their way through the parks around Parramatta, there's been a cockatoo in Surry Hills, and the other night heading home, I heard the first Kookaburra of the season.
28 July 2004
Television Notes
Democrats Abroad - Australia are expected to be featured, along with other stories, on SBS' Dateline, tonight at 8:30. Although I won't personally be on t.v., thank heaven, I'm still pretty excited that DAA are going to get this kind of notice. It's a terrific group to be part of, especially now.
Democrats Abroad - Australia are expected to be featured, along with other stories, on SBS' Dateline, tonight at 8:30. Although I won't personally be on t.v., thank heaven, I'm still pretty excited that DAA are going to get this kind of notice. It's a terrific group to be part of, especially now.
26 July 2004
The Glory That May Be Greece (post-August)
The modern Olympic Games were a great idea, but they have always been subverted to purposes opposed to the principles they were meant to embody, whether it is athletes blood-doping or injecting steroids (as individuals or within state-run programs such as the infamous East German teams during the Cold War, among others), or just governments vying for the right to spend billions on developing one-off athletic theme parks. Sydney’s Olympic site, host to the “best ever” Games, is nearly empty, and costing a packet, too. Despite efforts to privatize the facilities, such as branding the stadium and running a few AFL and rugby games there, the development of Homebush has left a capital black hole smack in the middle of the metro area. As for Greece, assuming Athens ever completes the work for this year’s Olympics, there is some hope for benefit, at least insofar as the improvements to the city’s infrastructure may enhance daily life there from September forward. This was, of course, one of the promises made to the citizens of Sydney, and these promises were kept, if only for the duration of the Games. Those rail improvements, for example? Gone. And having attended the AFL finals last year, that giant stadium, for a premier sporting event, was nearly empty. Athens has the promise of the 2006 soccer World Cup to look forward to, but Sydney had the 2003 rugby union World Cup, where it was only one of multiple host cities around the country, diluting any benefit to Telstra Stadium, and surely Athens will see a similar effect. The Olympics should be scaled down. As for doping scandals, well, either give up and let the athletes pump up, as was done with the “amateur” standing principle when entire professional teams were allowed in, or put some teeth into the enforcement.
The modern Olympic Games were a great idea, but they have always been subverted to purposes opposed to the principles they were meant to embody, whether it is athletes blood-doping or injecting steroids (as individuals or within state-run programs such as the infamous East German teams during the Cold War, among others), or just governments vying for the right to spend billions on developing one-off athletic theme parks. Sydney’s Olympic site, host to the “best ever” Games, is nearly empty, and costing a packet, too. Despite efforts to privatize the facilities, such as branding the stadium and running a few AFL and rugby games there, the development of Homebush has left a capital black hole smack in the middle of the metro area. As for Greece, assuming Athens ever completes the work for this year’s Olympics, there is some hope for benefit, at least insofar as the improvements to the city’s infrastructure may enhance daily life there from September forward. This was, of course, one of the promises made to the citizens of Sydney, and these promises were kept, if only for the duration of the Games. Those rail improvements, for example? Gone. And having attended the AFL finals last year, that giant stadium, for a premier sporting event, was nearly empty. Athens has the promise of the 2006 soccer World Cup to look forward to, but Sydney had the 2003 rugby union World Cup, where it was only one of multiple host cities around the country, diluting any benefit to Telstra Stadium, and surely Athens will see a similar effect. The Olympics should be scaled down. As for doping scandals, well, either give up and let the athletes pump up, as was done with the “amateur” standing principle when entire professional teams were allowed in, or put some teeth into the enforcement.
Convention Hooligans
The Democratic Convention is underway, and if you’re attending, these are things you should leave at home. O.k., fair enough, no weapons or explosives. Umbrellas? Unopened envelopes? Well, it ought to keep down any Parallax View or Manchurian Candidate problems, let alone keep the soccer hooligans in attendance from acting all obstreperously. Meanwhile, this would be a good time for me to have cable, so I could stay up late and watch the proceedings, not that I'd have much chance back home anyway.
The Democratic Convention is underway, and if you’re attending, these are things you should leave at home. O.k., fair enough, no weapons or explosives. Umbrellas? Unopened envelopes? Well, it ought to keep down any Parallax View or Manchurian Candidate problems, let alone keep the soccer hooligans in attendance from acting all obstreperously. Meanwhile, this would be a good time for me to have cable, so I could stay up late and watch the proceedings, not that I'd have much chance back home anyway.
23 July 2004
A Failure of Imagination
The 9/11 Commission’s Executive Summary cites the U.S. government’s failure of imagination as an essential component in the success of the attacks launched that day in 2001, and although they spread the period of blame over the years 1998 through 2001, the failure wasn’t limited to that time, neither was it limited to the government and its agencies. The country itself was complacent, even those who might have been able to foresee the potential for such events. “Fortress America” had protected us all from invasion and from nuclear devastation, and following the Reagan years, it had entered a period of economic prosperity that, even during the collapse of the dot.com boom, had left us all feeling pretty damn secure and far beyond the cares and travails of Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. We deplored the use of sweatshop labor in Southeast Asia to manufacture our footwear, turned our eyes away aghast at the events and daily conditions in Africa, sneered at the working-class struggles of the European nations, and continued the same, tired diplomatic methods to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, all the while continuing those practices that had allowed the name of our country to become synonymous with corporate rapacity. The Commission’s report, or the summary, anyway, contains some fairly tough talk towards the end in its recommendations for the future, and even tries to be more imaginative than such a body might normally be expected, while maintaining a sense of realism. I don’t know that a National Intelligence Director is the best organizational step, but I’m sure that this is only a beginning. It isn’t just our government that needs to adjust itself to the new realities of global terrorism, it’s all the rest of us, too. We need to demand more of ourselves in our personal and professional lives. No more Enrons, for one thing, but as we’ve begun with the apparel manufacturers, we also need to demand more of our Nikes, and, especially, our oil companies. We need to stop our wastefulness, our selfishness. We need to reach out, not to take, but to give. The fate of the world is staked on our ability to imagine a better future. Voting Kerry into the White House isn’t going to fix our situation, but it’s a better start than we’ve had the last four years.
The 9/11 Commission’s Executive Summary cites the U.S. government’s failure of imagination as an essential component in the success of the attacks launched that day in 2001, and although they spread the period of blame over the years 1998 through 2001, the failure wasn’t limited to that time, neither was it limited to the government and its agencies. The country itself was complacent, even those who might have been able to foresee the potential for such events. “Fortress America” had protected us all from invasion and from nuclear devastation, and following the Reagan years, it had entered a period of economic prosperity that, even during the collapse of the dot.com boom, had left us all feeling pretty damn secure and far beyond the cares and travails of Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. We deplored the use of sweatshop labor in Southeast Asia to manufacture our footwear, turned our eyes away aghast at the events and daily conditions in Africa, sneered at the working-class struggles of the European nations, and continued the same, tired diplomatic methods to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, all the while continuing those practices that had allowed the name of our country to become synonymous with corporate rapacity. The Commission’s report, or the summary, anyway, contains some fairly tough talk towards the end in its recommendations for the future, and even tries to be more imaginative than such a body might normally be expected, while maintaining a sense of realism. I don’t know that a National Intelligence Director is the best organizational step, but I’m sure that this is only a beginning. It isn’t just our government that needs to adjust itself to the new realities of global terrorism, it’s all the rest of us, too. We need to demand more of ourselves in our personal and professional lives. No more Enrons, for one thing, but as we’ve begun with the apparel manufacturers, we also need to demand more of our Nikes, and, especially, our oil companies. We need to stop our wastefulness, our selfishness. We need to reach out, not to take, but to give. The fate of the world is staked on our ability to imagine a better future. Voting Kerry into the White House isn’t going to fix our situation, but it’s a better start than we’ve had the last four years.
Campaign Contributing
I know you've been sitting in your flat saying to yourself, "I live outside the U.S. How can I make a difference in the Presidential campaign?" Well, just because you're an expat, doesn't mean your money isn't just as good as anybody else's. You, too, can contribute, just by clicking a few internet buttons. Expats for John Kerry is a website designed to solicit and collect funds for the Kerry-Edwards campaign and to help U.S. expats in Australia join in on the activist fun. Go ahead, get started. By November 3, you'll know you've made a difference.
I know you've been sitting in your flat saying to yourself, "I live outside the U.S. How can I make a difference in the Presidential campaign?" Well, just because you're an expat, doesn't mean your money isn't just as good as anybody else's. You, too, can contribute, just by clicking a few internet buttons. Expats for John Kerry is a website designed to solicit and collect funds for the Kerry-Edwards campaign and to help U.S. expats in Australia join in on the activist fun. Go ahead, get started. By November 3, you'll know you've made a difference.
22 July 2004
They Made a Movie of Bridges of Madison County, Too
All the sappy books seem to make it to the big screen eventually, so why not Eucalyptus, a book so awful it won two top prizes in 1999? Russell Crowe can be a good actor, but I don’t see this role playing to his better qualities.
All the sappy books seem to make it to the big screen eventually, so why not Eucalyptus, a book so awful it won two top prizes in 1999? Russell Crowe can be a good actor, but I don’t see this role playing to his better qualities.
Blackbird Singing
Next time you’re enjoying the twittering birds in the trees (whispering “Louise” or not), you have Australia to thank. Of course, if you’re one of those people who awaken grouchily from the yapping of the feathered nuisances, well, you know whom to blame, too.
Next time you’re enjoying the twittering birds in the trees (whispering “Louise” or not), you have Australia to thank. Of course, if you’re one of those people who awaken grouchily from the yapping of the feathered nuisances, well, you know whom to blame, too.
Blogfight!
The Washington Post’s Jennifer Howard takes on the Arts Journal’s Terry Teachout, who, of course, returns the favor. Is this about who’s a ‘blogger and who ain’t? Yeah, it is a little close in here, and maybe I shouldn’t be so pleased when I get noticed by the bigger players. Frankly, given that most of the hits here are the result of either people looking for song lyrics (please search using “lyrics,” not “words”) or puzzles (we’re number one!), I do sometimes feel like a neglected puppy: every pat is worth a million. That overstates the case. I have no delusions I’m ever going to get paid to do this. Jenniferhoward.com isn’t a weblog, and her WP column doesn’t even have hyperlinks, so maybe her dissatisfaction has at its root the same kind of complaint she has for the webloggers she claims are slagging the NY Times’s Laura Miller, where what’s being criticized isn’t the content but the kind of media participation elected. If the popular kids on weblogs are picking on the established media types too much, is Ms. Howard now turning the tables on them? Well, it’s all taken in good fun over at About Last Night, even if I don’t usually count on-line media columns as ‘blogs.
The Washington Post’s Jennifer Howard takes on the Arts Journal’s Terry Teachout, who, of course, returns the favor. Is this about who’s a ‘blogger and who ain’t? Yeah, it is a little close in here, and maybe I shouldn’t be so pleased when I get noticed by the bigger players. Frankly, given that most of the hits here are the result of either people looking for song lyrics (please search using “lyrics,” not “words”) or puzzles (we’re number one!), I do sometimes feel like a neglected puppy: every pat is worth a million. That overstates the case. I have no delusions I’m ever going to get paid to do this. Jenniferhoward.com isn’t a weblog, and her WP column doesn’t even have hyperlinks, so maybe her dissatisfaction has at its root the same kind of complaint she has for the webloggers she claims are slagging the NY Times’s Laura Miller, where what’s being criticized isn’t the content but the kind of media participation elected. If the popular kids on weblogs are picking on the established media types too much, is Ms. Howard now turning the tables on them? Well, it’s all taken in good fun over at About Last Night, even if I don’t usually count on-line media columns as ‘blogs.
On-Line Quizzes
I hate these things. Nevertheless, I fall slightly towards the Liberal Democrat side of the Australian Labour Party’s policies. From the questions and answer choices, I figure I’d make a pretty bad politician.
I hate these things. Nevertheless, I fall slightly towards the Liberal Democrat side of the Australian Labour Party’s policies. From the questions and answer choices, I figure I’d make a pretty bad politician.
21 July 2004
More Friends in the Middle East
O.k., so Iran hasn’t been friends with us since the ‘70s, and we know they’re as supportive of terrorist organizations as others in the region, notably Syria, but while the strategy of cool belligerence employed during the Cold War toward our Bolshevik opponents played out well into the ‘90s, the Western world, America in particular, face a much different enemy now. This isn’t Russia, who have always wanted to be part of Europe to begin with, and for whom Western snubs were an impetus toward reform; the Islamist forces of the Middle East feel degraded by the West, so these tactics add insult to injury. Just while Iran slowly turns toward reform, Bush turns up the heat. We could be developing a better relationship another way, but why? If they did help the September 11 murderers, they deserve our opprobrium, in fact they deserve Iraq’s fate, except we are in no position now to deliver on that promise of punishment, because we punished the wrong nation first. So, as usual, we’ve got it all backwards in the White House, meaning that come January 2005, our next President, Kerry, God willing, is going to have a lot to clean up.
Meanwhile, what’s all this about a National Director of Intelligence? Don’t we have the Department of Homeland Security, led by the inspirational Tom Ridge, for this? With 15 intelligence agencies, maybe there are other reforms that could be instituted than appointing yet another bureaucrat to wrangle over who’s in charge. Oh, but this is the “War on Terror,” and like the “War on Drugs” we need a “czar.” That hasn’t reassured anyone of governmental sincerity since Nixon first tried it.
O.k., so Iran hasn’t been friends with us since the ‘70s, and we know they’re as supportive of terrorist organizations as others in the region, notably Syria, but while the strategy of cool belligerence employed during the Cold War toward our Bolshevik opponents played out well into the ‘90s, the Western world, America in particular, face a much different enemy now. This isn’t Russia, who have always wanted to be part of Europe to begin with, and for whom Western snubs were an impetus toward reform; the Islamist forces of the Middle East feel degraded by the West, so these tactics add insult to injury. Just while Iran slowly turns toward reform, Bush turns up the heat. We could be developing a better relationship another way, but why? If they did help the September 11 murderers, they deserve our opprobrium, in fact they deserve Iraq’s fate, except we are in no position now to deliver on that promise of punishment, because we punished the wrong nation first. So, as usual, we’ve got it all backwards in the White House, meaning that come January 2005, our next President, Kerry, God willing, is going to have a lot to clean up.
Meanwhile, what’s all this about a National Director of Intelligence? Don’t we have the Department of Homeland Security, led by the inspirational Tom Ridge, for this? With 15 intelligence agencies, maybe there are other reforms that could be instituted than appointing yet another bureaucrat to wrangle over who’s in charge. Oh, but this is the “War on Terror,” and like the “War on Drugs” we need a “czar.” That hasn’t reassured anyone of governmental sincerity since Nixon first tried it.
Big Brother Wannabe Visits Big Brother™
While Clinton’s famous appearances on MTV and the Arsenio Hall show, and Gore turning up on Letterman, certainly constitute populist appeals, I don’t know that visting the Big Brother house is really going to do Mark Latham any good. Part of my question is about voter apathy in Australia, and how much it is tied in to age groups. If the Big Brother demographic is inclined to stay away from the polls, which means staying off the voter registry, which is a more or less of a trick, especially since there’s supposed to be mandatory voting, then this might help. But it also gives an opportunity to the incumbents for mockery. Maybe he should have gone in as an “intruder” and spent the night.
While Clinton’s famous appearances on MTV and the Arsenio Hall show, and Gore turning up on Letterman, certainly constitute populist appeals, I don’t know that visting the Big Brother house is really going to do Mark Latham any good. Part of my question is about voter apathy in Australia, and how much it is tied in to age groups. If the Big Brother demographic is inclined to stay away from the polls, which means staying off the voter registry, which is a more or less of a trick, especially since there’s supposed to be mandatory voting, then this might help. But it also gives an opportunity to the incumbents for mockery. Maybe he should have gone in as an “intruder” and spent the night.
Boston Preview
The DNC has posted its report on the party platform: “Stronger at Home, Respected in the World.” Sure, it’s fluff; these things always are. But it’s good fluff.
The DNC has posted its report on the party platform: “Stronger at Home, Respected in the World.” Sure, it’s fluff; these things always are. But it’s good fluff.
Thank Goodness for Wi-Fi
Those wireless internet access points in the local Starbucks are sure to help, now that the homeless can access the Department of Labor’s on-line job bank. Well, so long as they didn’t pawn their laptop to avoid that last eviction notice. Yes, I know it’s not quite so ludicrous as it appears; there are, after all, many public libraries with internet terminals, and maybe they’ll even set up a few PCs in Unemployment offices. First things first, though, huh?
Those wireless internet access points in the local Starbucks are sure to help, now that the homeless can access the Department of Labor’s on-line job bank. Well, so long as they didn’t pawn their laptop to avoid that last eviction notice. Yes, I know it’s not quite so ludicrous as it appears; there are, after all, many public libraries with internet terminals, and maybe they’ll even set up a few PCs in Unemployment offices. First things first, though, huh?
Check
Bobby Fischer never had the cache for me that he did for others, although I had to recognize his accomplishments and peculiar genius. When he disappeared, it seemed an inevitable consequence of his eccentric character, that quality that had also made him the chess champion. The news that he violated international sanctions on Yugoslavia to replay Boris Spassky merited very little of my attention: more Fischer madness. That he had become more mad became more evident with the news of his post-September 11 remarks and reports of his anti-Semitism. Mostly, however, it’s all just been very sad, so I tend to take Garry Kasparov’s view of the man over that of law enforcement. In fact, I think it’s more than just silly to be hounding the guy, as he’s done nothing to actually harm anyone but himself, and that only in his reputation. He needs help more than he needs to be prosecuted.
Bobby Fischer never had the cache for me that he did for others, although I had to recognize his accomplishments and peculiar genius. When he disappeared, it seemed an inevitable consequence of his eccentric character, that quality that had also made him the chess champion. The news that he violated international sanctions on Yugoslavia to replay Boris Spassky merited very little of my attention: more Fischer madness. That he had become more mad became more evident with the news of his post-September 11 remarks and reports of his anti-Semitism. Mostly, however, it’s all just been very sad, so I tend to take Garry Kasparov’s view of the man over that of law enforcement. In fact, I think it’s more than just silly to be hounding the guy, as he’s done nothing to actually harm anyone but himself, and that only in his reputation. He needs help more than he needs to be prosecuted.
20 July 2004
Activism Works
I didn't get to help register anyone to vote, but Democrats Abroad-Australia did manage two remarkable things from its week-long drive in Martin Place: 75 ex-pat voters registered for absentee ballots and a front page write-up & photo in the Washington Post. The week of 5-10 July was probably fairly inspiried, and it turns out the location was a good one, too. Every vote will count in November, so if you haven't registered, get signed up.
I didn't get to help register anyone to vote, but Democrats Abroad-Australia did manage two remarkable things from its week-long drive in Martin Place: 75 ex-pat voters registered for absentee ballots and a front page write-up & photo in the Washington Post. The week of 5-10 July was probably fairly inspiried, and it turns out the location was a good one, too. Every vote will count in November, so if you haven't registered, get signed up.
16 July 2004
The World Below
It takes 5.1 hectares of the planet to support my lifestyle. If everybody on the planet lived like me, we’d need three planets. I have two problems with this kind of calculation: it makes invalid assumptions, and what’s a hectare? These things exist on the net to satisfy the psychological needs of the designers and to raise awareness of environmental issues the populations and governments of industrialized nations can effectively address, but I think the primary purpose is to assuage guilt in the designers and to allow them to feel superior to anyone with worse results than their own. Where are the comparative measures? How many hectares on average do people use? What is a hectare?
It takes 5.1 hectares of the planet to support my lifestyle. If everybody on the planet lived like me, we’d need three planets. I have two problems with this kind of calculation: it makes invalid assumptions, and what’s a hectare? These things exist on the net to satisfy the psychological needs of the designers and to raise awareness of environmental issues the populations and governments of industrialized nations can effectively address, but I think the primary purpose is to assuage guilt in the designers and to allow them to feel superior to anyone with worse results than their own. Where are the comparative measures? How many hectares on average do people use? What is a hectare?
Mile[‘]s Off
If there’s one reason the Mile is no longer the premier (middle) distance in America, it’s the 1500 meters. When I was a high school runner, Jim Ryun was like a god, if not as handsome, and Marty Liquori and Dave Wottle were paragons of all the finest principles of sports, the latter even iconographic with that ever-present hat. We all of us patterned ourselves on one or another of them, even those like myself who didn’t train hard and had no real ambition to be among the Olympians. Later, in college, when I spent a semester at the Loughborough Institute of Technology, over near Nottingham, England, it was a point of some pride (but more humor) that this was the university attended by Sebastian Coe, who was at the time the fastest miler in the world. Now, outside of the Milrose Games, I can’t tell you if there is a competitive mile being run anywhere, and the 1500 just doesn’t have the romance for me. I’ll wish Alan Webb all the best for August in Athens, but even if he makes it, the dominance of the metric system has taken the heart out of the event for me. Silly, isn't it?
If there’s one reason the Mile is no longer the premier (middle) distance in America, it’s the 1500 meters. When I was a high school runner, Jim Ryun was like a god, if not as handsome, and Marty Liquori and Dave Wottle were paragons of all the finest principles of sports, the latter even iconographic with that ever-present hat. We all of us patterned ourselves on one or another of them, even those like myself who didn’t train hard and had no real ambition to be among the Olympians. Later, in college, when I spent a semester at the Loughborough Institute of Technology, over near Nottingham, England, it was a point of some pride (but more humor) that this was the university attended by Sebastian Coe, who was at the time the fastest miler in the world. Now, outside of the Milrose Games, I can’t tell you if there is a competitive mile being run anywhere, and the 1500 just doesn’t have the romance for me. I’ll wish Alan Webb all the best for August in Athens, but even if he makes it, the dominance of the metric system has taken the heart out of the event for me. Silly, isn't it?
Root of All Evil
So what, in Alexander Downer’s view, are the causes of terrorism? According to Australia’s Foreign Minister, "It misconceives the problem to think there are 'root causes' like poverty, disadvantage or hopelessly entrenched political impasses - all of them, in any case, long-running and endemic features of life throughout the Middle East," he said. "They are not the well spring of terrorist motivation, and fixing them will not fix anything else. We are engaged in a battle of ideas, a struggle to the death over values." Values? Like a home, a job, a living wage? Is terrorism caused by socialized medicine instead of a free market system such as in the U.S.? Is it the lack of newspapers and cable television? Mr. Downer’s statement doesn’t just “border on the ignorant,” as described by Dr. Wright-Neville of Monash University, it’s a downright offensive statement that seeks to distance privileged societies from alleviating suffering elsewhere. Terrorists are themselves to blame for their actions, for the death and destruction they cause, but like street crime, whether in Sydney or in NYC or in Jakarta, there is more than just an opposition of “values” at work, and the sociological roots of ideological evils need to be acknowledged and combated. This is the front line in the so-called war on terrorism.
So what, in Alexander Downer’s view, are the causes of terrorism? According to Australia’s Foreign Minister, "It misconceives the problem to think there are 'root causes' like poverty, disadvantage or hopelessly entrenched political impasses - all of them, in any case, long-running and endemic features of life throughout the Middle East," he said. "They are not the well spring of terrorist motivation, and fixing them will not fix anything else. We are engaged in a battle of ideas, a struggle to the death over values." Values? Like a home, a job, a living wage? Is terrorism caused by socialized medicine instead of a free market system such as in the U.S.? Is it the lack of newspapers and cable television? Mr. Downer’s statement doesn’t just “border on the ignorant,” as described by Dr. Wright-Neville of Monash University, it’s a downright offensive statement that seeks to distance privileged societies from alleviating suffering elsewhere. Terrorists are themselves to blame for their actions, for the death and destruction they cause, but like street crime, whether in Sydney or in NYC or in Jakarta, there is more than just an opposition of “values” at work, and the sociological roots of ideological evils need to be acknowledged and combated. This is the front line in the so-called war on terrorism.
Root of All Evil
So what, in Alexander Downer’s view, are http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/15/1089694492178.html>the causes of terrorism? According to Australia’s Foreign Minister, "It misconceives the problem to think there are 'root causes' like poverty, disadvantage or hopelessly entrenched political impasses - all of them, in any case, long-running and endemic features of life throughout the Middle East," he said. "They are not the well spring of terrorist motivation, and fixing them will not fix anything else. We are engaged in a battle of ideas, a struggle to the death over values." Values? Like a home, a job, a living wage? Is terrorism caused by socialized medicine instead of a free market system such as in the U.S.? Is it the lack of newspapers and cable television? Mr. Downer’s statement doesn’t just “border on the ignorant,” as described by Dr. Wright-Neville of Monash University, it’s a downright offensive statement that seeks to distance privileged societies from alleviating suffering elsewhere. Terrorists are themselves to blame for their actions, for the death and destruction they cause, but like street crime, whether in Sydney or in NYC or in Jakarta, there is more than just an opposition of “values” at work, and the sociological roots of ideological evils need to be acknowledged and combated. This is the front line in the so-called war on terrorism.
So what, in Alexander Downer’s view, are http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/15/1089694492178.html>the causes of terrorism? According to Australia’s Foreign Minister, "It misconceives the problem to think there are 'root causes' like poverty, disadvantage or hopelessly entrenched political impasses - all of them, in any case, long-running and endemic features of life throughout the Middle East," he said. "They are not the well spring of terrorist motivation, and fixing them will not fix anything else. We are engaged in a battle of ideas, a struggle to the death over values." Values? Like a home, a job, a living wage? Is terrorism caused by socialized medicine instead of a free market system such as in the U.S.? Is it the lack of newspapers and cable television? Mr. Downer’s statement doesn’t just “border on the ignorant,” as described by Dr. Wright-Neville of Monash University, it’s a downright offensive statement that seeks to distance privileged societies from alleviating suffering elsewhere. Terrorists are themselves to blame for their actions, for the death and destruction they cause, but like street crime, whether in Sydney or in NYC or in Jakarta, there is more than just an opposition of “values” at work, and the sociological roots of ideological evils need to be acknowledged and combated. This is the front line in the so-called war on terrorism.
15 July 2004
Wrap Rap
Christo's wrapping of Central Park, "The Gates," is slated to happen in February next year, and the Metropolitan Museum is exhibiting a preview of the project. It's been a while since Christo wrapped anything, so this is pretty exciting for art fans such as myself. As much as I will miss being there for this one, which has been in the works for years now, I'm mostly wondering how we can get him into Sydney: wrap the Opera House? The Harbour Bridge? Yeah, I vote for the Bridge, but maybe that's too easy. After the Umbrellas, the Gates, not to mention "Over the River", fixed structure wrapping might be a little tame. I'm having trouble thinking of something else for wrapping, but that's why he's the artist and I'm the fan.
Christo's wrapping of Central Park, "The Gates," is slated to happen in February next year, and the Metropolitan Museum is exhibiting a preview of the project. It's been a while since Christo wrapped anything, so this is pretty exciting for art fans such as myself. As much as I will miss being there for this one, which has been in the works for years now, I'm mostly wondering how we can get him into Sydney: wrap the Opera House? The Harbour Bridge? Yeah, I vote for the Bridge, but maybe that's too easy. After the Umbrellas, the Gates, not to mention "Over the River", fixed structure wrapping might be a little tame. I'm having trouble thinking of something else for wrapping, but that's why he's the artist and I'm the fan.
14 July 2004
13 July 2004
Top o’ the World, Ma
It isn’t likely to happen in my lifetime, but the trend for a magnetic flip has apparently already begun, after which up will be down and so forth. No word on whether this means all the change will fall out of our animals’ pockets, or if this presages the dominance of the marsupial over other mammalian forms, but those “upside down maps” are going to come in handy.
It isn’t likely to happen in my lifetime, but the trend for a magnetic flip has apparently already begun, after which up will be down and so forth. No word on whether this means all the change will fall out of our animals’ pockets, or if this presages the dominance of the marsupial over other mammalian forms, but those “upside down maps” are going to come in handy.
09 July 2004
Libraries, Public & Private
We've got a lot of books. Not as many as I'd like, and sometimes when I'm contemplating pulling something off the shelf to read I find myself disconcerted by the lack of books by the giants of literature - what's all this 80's and 90's stuff? (O.k., sure, a lot of it's really good, but 50 years from now, will they be among the great works? I mean, I even wonder about DeLillo.) But even though I have trouble remembering what's in all these books, how good, how bad, what I loved about them when I read them first, etc., I can remember one thing, a negative: I know exactly where every book I ever lent out is. I know who's got my copy of Shipping News (yes, it is too mine), Clockers, Cities of Salt . . . every one of them that has gone out and never come back. (On the other hand, I do sometimes equally find myself surprised to realize that something on the shelf came from someone else's collection and never made it home; sometimes it's only fair, though.) Over at Thief of Time there's a nice post about the etiquette of book-lending, particularly in regard to the one aspect that always presents a dilemma for people who are more focussed on their canonical reading than on just what will get them through the airport: how to refuse a book you don't want to read. Granted, that collection of Rushdie essays that turned up one day after I'd said it sounded interesting - not, oh, I'd like to read that, mind you, just, oh? interesting - actually turned out to be mostly very enjoyable and sometimes very good, but I've been handed James Patterson as if he's the next Raymond Chandler, so I know this problem well. Nevertheless, like the public libraries, I want my books back, especially as (a) I'm nice enough to lend them if you ask, but (b) not pushy enough to force it into your hands. Because memory is flawed, my own as well as yours, I think I'd better start a catalog. The prospect of setting up a database does not fill me with anticipation, not the good kind, anyway.
We've got a lot of books. Not as many as I'd like, and sometimes when I'm contemplating pulling something off the shelf to read I find myself disconcerted by the lack of books by the giants of literature - what's all this 80's and 90's stuff? (O.k., sure, a lot of it's really good, but 50 years from now, will they be among the great works? I mean, I even wonder about DeLillo.) But even though I have trouble remembering what's in all these books, how good, how bad, what I loved about them when I read them first, etc., I can remember one thing, a negative: I know exactly where every book I ever lent out is. I know who's got my copy of Shipping News (yes, it is too mine), Clockers, Cities of Salt . . . every one of them that has gone out and never come back. (On the other hand, I do sometimes equally find myself surprised to realize that something on the shelf came from someone else's collection and never made it home; sometimes it's only fair, though.) Over at Thief of Time there's a nice post about the etiquette of book-lending, particularly in regard to the one aspect that always presents a dilemma for people who are more focussed on their canonical reading than on just what will get them through the airport: how to refuse a book you don't want to read. Granted, that collection of Rushdie essays that turned up one day after I'd said it sounded interesting - not, oh, I'd like to read that, mind you, just, oh? interesting - actually turned out to be mostly very enjoyable and sometimes very good, but I've been handed James Patterson as if he's the next Raymond Chandler, so I know this problem well. Nevertheless, like the public libraries, I want my books back, especially as (a) I'm nice enough to lend them if you ask, but (b) not pushy enough to force it into your hands. Because memory is flawed, my own as well as yours, I think I'd better start a catalog. The prospect of setting up a database does not fill me with anticipation, not the good kind, anyway.
08 July 2004
In Bed with Bush
Michael Moore is a smug, solipsistic propagandist, so I guess it makes sense that in following Bush so closely to produce his most recent polemic, he’d just keep right on going, all the way to Australia. Look, I don’t care much for Howard, although I can still respect his skills as a politician (some more than others), but who asked Moore anyway? Is he going to do a movie here: No, except he’s more popular than his diatribes are worth. Does he have any interest in Australia: only from sales revenues and insofar as Latham pulling the troops out should he become PM would embarrass George II. He’s self-serving at best, and frankly, I thought his remarks, while clearly meant as humor, often insulting.
Michael Moore is a smug, solipsistic propagandist, so I guess it makes sense that in following Bush so closely to produce his most recent polemic, he’d just keep right on going, all the way to Australia. Look, I don’t care much for Howard, although I can still respect his skills as a politician (some more than others), but who asked Moore anyway? Is he going to do a movie here: No, except he’s more popular than his diatribes are worth. Does he have any interest in Australia: only from sales revenues and insofar as Latham pulling the troops out should he become PM would embarrass George II. He’s self-serving at best, and frankly, I thought his remarks, while clearly meant as humor, often insulting.
Homecoming
What would it be like to be an ex-expat? According to The Age, Melbourne’s Fairfax paper, it isn’t easy. I haven’t given the matter any thought really, except that the exchange rate would kill us, not to mention the tsuris of an international move, but with the recent development, funded by the government, of an on-line resource for Australian expatriates to serve their homeland from abroad, and now this business school study in Melbourne, it appears to be an issue worth exploring a little more. I’ve heard that seven years is the cut-off for “you can’t go home again,” which sounds a bit pat, like those expert estimates of this-or-that development expected to occur in “5 to 10” years, which usually means “sooner rather than later” or vice versa. The seven year cut-off probably just means something like the same, but picks up from demographic statistics such as how often people tend to move house (6 to 7 years, if you can believe the real estate agents). For myself, I can’t really imagine going back, much as I love NYC. If I ever do return to the States, it seems more likely that I’d move in elsewhere: Boston, Chicago – someplace plenty cold, anyway; summer’s been a drag sometimes. Dr. Ying Zhu’s point about employers’ reluctance to hire “repats” is well-taken, however, and is part of my expectation towards returning. In my experience there have been two things acting as a bar to obtaining a better job: too little time in too many jobs or too long in one place. It seems to me that going back to the U.S. as a job-seeker would present potential employers with a similar evaluation: too long too far away. No matter how successful I am here, I’d have to make a very precise kind of transition, staying within my industry and occupation, which becomes a precarious prospect indeed. But is the issue “tall poppy syndrome” and more restricted to Australians coming home, or would an expat American suffer similarly? Is there any distinction based on where you’ve been, or is the experience the same whether you return from Sydney as from London? The Melbourne International Social Group sounds a bit wet to me, although I’m sure it’s served its membership well, but I haven’t made use of any expat American groups here, which tend toward a business executive orientation. Democrats Abroad – Australia has both put me in touch with fellow Americans and made me more politically active than ever before, but it serves my interests back home, so I have that as my motivation as much as any desire to socialize. Nevertheless, legislation seems excessive, even if I can sympathize with the idea, given that my own outsider status has caused me trouble in my own job searches these past two years. Skills learned overseas in this era of global trade seem to me useful, worth hiring for, but business is more often short-term oriented, not to mention that “business is business” after all, so hiring locally can get you the skills you want without having to extend yourself into translating foreign qualifications to local values. John Bowd of Career People is both right and wrong in this regard. Yes, the CEOs and upper eschalon managers probably would see the value in hiring “repats,” but I question the value of returned expatriates per se over anyone else who meets the basic selection criteria. Unless these repats have had notable achievements in their careers – not just a job in Italy or wherever, but a significant project, etc. – they really aren’t any different from any other candidate, except that the one who stayed home is more likely to have kept up on the developments of local business practices and requirements. Frankly, I don’t see myself getting the chops I’d probably need to distinguish myself from the pack back home, but that was getting to be a problem before I left anyway. For now, culturally, I know I’d slot back in without any real problem (still have my accent, for one thing), but I like my life here too much to give up. In five years, who knows? (Thanks to Kim, at Lost in Transit, for bringing it up.)
What would it be like to be an ex-expat? According to The Age, Melbourne’s Fairfax paper, it isn’t easy. I haven’t given the matter any thought really, except that the exchange rate would kill us, not to mention the tsuris of an international move, but with the recent development, funded by the government, of an on-line resource for Australian expatriates to serve their homeland from abroad, and now this business school study in Melbourne, it appears to be an issue worth exploring a little more. I’ve heard that seven years is the cut-off for “you can’t go home again,” which sounds a bit pat, like those expert estimates of this-or-that development expected to occur in “5 to 10” years, which usually means “sooner rather than later” or vice versa. The seven year cut-off probably just means something like the same, but picks up from demographic statistics such as how often people tend to move house (6 to 7 years, if you can believe the real estate agents). For myself, I can’t really imagine going back, much as I love NYC. If I ever do return to the States, it seems more likely that I’d move in elsewhere: Boston, Chicago – someplace plenty cold, anyway; summer’s been a drag sometimes. Dr. Ying Zhu’s point about employers’ reluctance to hire “repats” is well-taken, however, and is part of my expectation towards returning. In my experience there have been two things acting as a bar to obtaining a better job: too little time in too many jobs or too long in one place. It seems to me that going back to the U.S. as a job-seeker would present potential employers with a similar evaluation: too long too far away. No matter how successful I am here, I’d have to make a very precise kind of transition, staying within my industry and occupation, which becomes a precarious prospect indeed. But is the issue “tall poppy syndrome” and more restricted to Australians coming home, or would an expat American suffer similarly? Is there any distinction based on where you’ve been, or is the experience the same whether you return from Sydney as from London? The Melbourne International Social Group sounds a bit wet to me, although I’m sure it’s served its membership well, but I haven’t made use of any expat American groups here, which tend toward a business executive orientation. Democrats Abroad – Australia has both put me in touch with fellow Americans and made me more politically active than ever before, but it serves my interests back home, so I have that as my motivation as much as any desire to socialize. Nevertheless, legislation seems excessive, even if I can sympathize with the idea, given that my own outsider status has caused me trouble in my own job searches these past two years. Skills learned overseas in this era of global trade seem to me useful, worth hiring for, but business is more often short-term oriented, not to mention that “business is business” after all, so hiring locally can get you the skills you want without having to extend yourself into translating foreign qualifications to local values. John Bowd of Career People is both right and wrong in this regard. Yes, the CEOs and upper eschalon managers probably would see the value in hiring “repats,” but I question the value of returned expatriates per se over anyone else who meets the basic selection criteria. Unless these repats have had notable achievements in their careers – not just a job in Italy or wherever, but a significant project, etc. – they really aren’t any different from any other candidate, except that the one who stayed home is more likely to have kept up on the developments of local business practices and requirements. Frankly, I don’t see myself getting the chops I’d probably need to distinguish myself from the pack back home, but that was getting to be a problem before I left anyway. For now, culturally, I know I’d slot back in without any real problem (still have my accent, for one thing), but I like my life here too much to give up. In five years, who knows? (Thanks to Kim, at Lost in Transit, for bringing it up.)
07 July 2004
Platypus
Tinypic is an image-hosting service that allows you to upload images to their site and link back to them for display on your site. I can't say as I'll make a lot of use of this, at least not until I have a nice digital camera, since I'd otherwise be violating all kinds of copyright.
Tinypic is an image-hosting service that allows you to upload images to their site and link back to them for display on your site. I can't say as I'll make a lot of use of this, at least not until I have a nice digital camera, since I'd otherwise be violating all kinds of copyright.
Presidential Politics: Indonesian Edition
Megawati Sukarnoputri is not particularly well-liked around Australia, or that’s my general impression at any rate, and especially since 10 October 2002. Apparently, she’s less appreciated at home than I might have thought, too, as the recent balloting has left her in the minority and facing a runoff with ex-General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in September. The UN-indicted former General Wiranto (for war crimes in East Timor – how is it he can even run? That’s bold.) came third in the polling, but not by much. Unfortunately, a little “butterfly-balloting” problem puts Ms. Megawati’s 3% lead in potential jeopardy, equally endangering the economic and political stability of Indonesia if the two Generals go head-to-head. Given what is known and what can be extrapolated about Islamic fundamentalism there, a stable and prosperous democratic Indonesia is very desirable for all concerned, including Australia. “SBY” has considerable popularity and a better reputation at home and abroad than Wiranto, and he appears to be the likely next President. Best of luck.
Megawati Sukarnoputri is not particularly well-liked around Australia, or that’s my general impression at any rate, and especially since 10 October 2002. Apparently, she’s less appreciated at home than I might have thought, too, as the recent balloting has left her in the minority and facing a runoff with ex-General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in September. The UN-indicted former General Wiranto (for war crimes in East Timor – how is it he can even run? That’s bold.) came third in the polling, but not by much. Unfortunately, a little “butterfly-balloting” problem puts Ms. Megawati’s 3% lead in potential jeopardy, equally endangering the economic and political stability of Indonesia if the two Generals go head-to-head. Given what is known and what can be extrapolated about Islamic fundamentalism there, a stable and prosperous democratic Indonesia is very desirable for all concerned, including Australia. “SBY” has considerable popularity and a better reputation at home and abroad than Wiranto, and he appears to be the likely next President. Best of luck.
Australia Conquers the World
It’s official: now that Hugh Jackman is the next 007, Australia is the centre of the world. No, really, think about it: Hugh’s got Wolverine and Bond, Russell Crowe’s got pretty much all the other roles, and the ones he doesn’t fill go to Geoffrey Rush, Eric Bana, or Hugo Weaving. With Nicole Kidman and what’s-her-name filling the top slots for female leads, there just isn’t enough work anymore for the American and British actors. They should just move Hollywood down here permanently.
It’s official: now that Hugh Jackman is the next 007, Australia is the centre of the world. No, really, think about it: Hugh’s got Wolverine and Bond, Russell Crowe’s got pretty much all the other roles, and the ones he doesn’t fill go to Geoffrey Rush, Eric Bana, or Hugo Weaving. With Nicole Kidman and what’s-her-name filling the top slots for female leads, there just isn’t enough work anymore for the American and British actors. They should just move Hollywood down here permanently.
Australian Tax Dollars at Work
The National Public Toilet map: interactive, inaccurate (NSW Police Headquarters is missing, for one thing), and by the time you’ve found what you’re looking for, it’s too late. Besides, who’s going to load this onto their Palm™?
On a completely unrelated topic, except that it's in the title of the post, I usually find articles highlighting government waste to be mean-spirited and often just missing the point completely. "Your tax dollars at work" is a phrase meant to elicit outraged reader response to the costs of housing refugee families and so forth. "Look at how much his cost you" the articles claim, but it they had to provide a true balance sheet of the price tag quoted, I think you'd see the dollars dwindle. I promise only to make fun of government expenditures if I think they didn't do a good job. Like on-line toilet maps that don't have a search feature.
The National Public Toilet map: interactive, inaccurate (NSW Police Headquarters is missing, for one thing), and by the time you’ve found what you’re looking for, it’s too late. Besides, who’s going to load this onto their Palm™?
On a completely unrelated topic, except that it's in the title of the post, I usually find articles highlighting government waste to be mean-spirited and often just missing the point completely. "Your tax dollars at work" is a phrase meant to elicit outraged reader response to the costs of housing refugee families and so forth. "Look at how much his cost you" the articles claim, but it they had to provide a true balance sheet of the price tag quoted, I think you'd see the dollars dwindle. I promise only to make fun of government expenditures if I think they didn't do a good job. Like on-line toilet maps that don't have a search feature.
July Surprise
I thought I'd be surprised, and I am: Kerry's selected Edwards as his VP. Well, that's fine; I've liked Edwards since I first read about him in the New Yorker back in '01 or '02, even as a candidate in the Primaries. I think it's a strong ticket, and I look forward to the debates with some relish.
I thought I'd be surprised, and I am: Kerry's selected Edwards as his VP. Well, that's fine; I've liked Edwards since I first read about him in the New Yorker back in '01 or '02, even as a candidate in the Primaries. I think it's a strong ticket, and I look forward to the debates with some relish.
06 July 2004
VP Watch
We’ve all seen the various names mentioned in speculation regarding who’ll be picked to run with Kerry, and while the AP story on McCain appearing in a Bush ad misleadingly claims Kerry asked McCain to stand with him, later in the article clarifying that McCain volunteered his decision to reject any overture (not to mention that McCain isn’t actually making a point to appear in an ad, but rather that he has given permission for his image to be used from footage of an event where he appeared with George II before the campaigning began for this election season), they also report that we’re going to hear Kerry’s choice on Tuesday (that’s Wednesday, for those of us living on the future side of the International Date Line). That Edwards left his vacation at Disneyworld may augur for his selection, but I’ve been long of the opinion that Kerry would select someone nobody’s guessed at yet. Gephardt would be a mistake, I think, and Clark would make too much of the military. Joe Biden’s been making noises lately like a good, hardline Democrat, but I don’t much care for the man. Evan Bayh, Tom Vilsack, and Bob Graham I don’t know, although I like Vilsack’s creditials as a governor, making him more “executive” material than Senatorial experience is generally considered to provide. I don’t have any idea who it will be, but I’m expecting either Gephardt or a surprise.
We’ve all seen the various names mentioned in speculation regarding who’ll be picked to run with Kerry, and while the AP story on McCain appearing in a Bush ad misleadingly claims Kerry asked McCain to stand with him, later in the article clarifying that McCain volunteered his decision to reject any overture (not to mention that McCain isn’t actually making a point to appear in an ad, but rather that he has given permission for his image to be used from footage of an event where he appeared with George II before the campaigning began for this election season), they also report that we’re going to hear Kerry’s choice on Tuesday (that’s Wednesday, for those of us living on the future side of the International Date Line). That Edwards left his vacation at Disneyworld may augur for his selection, but I’ve been long of the opinion that Kerry would select someone nobody’s guessed at yet. Gephardt would be a mistake, I think, and Clark would make too much of the military. Joe Biden’s been making noises lately like a good, hardline Democrat, but I don’t much care for the man. Evan Bayh, Tom Vilsack, and Bob Graham I don’t know, although I like Vilsack’s creditials as a governor, making him more “executive” material than Senatorial experience is generally considered to provide. I don’t have any idea who it will be, but I’m expecting either Gephardt or a surprise.
Vote Early & Often
And when you're done, show proof you've done your civic duty at one of these bars for a beer on the house. Even the bent politicians aren't going to do more than this for you. (Looks like Michigan is the state to beat - I entered a NYC and a California ZIP and the same results came back. Yea, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti)
And when you're done, show proof you've done your civic duty at one of these bars for a beer on the house. Even the bent politicians aren't going to do more than this for you. (Looks like Michigan is the state to beat - I entered a NYC and a California ZIP and the same results came back. Yea, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti)
Cruisin'
Via Kottke, zoom-in detailed illustrations of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Reminds me of those Playmobile toys, except you can't snap the little pieces together and move the people around.
Via Kottke, zoom-in detailed illustrations of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Reminds me of those Playmobile toys, except you can't snap the little pieces together and move the people around.
05 July 2004
Foundation
We’ll leave aside the references to Isaac Asimov, thanks, howsoever much they may or may not be relevant, but just pontificate politically apropos of the 4th of July.
I’m very lucky to live in one of the great free nations of the earth, and lucky to come from the first to take the chance that democracy can work. In this election year, both back home and here in Australia, the fundamental principles of the free world are plain, and they are imperilled in more ways than one.
It’s a nice touch to put down the cornerstone at the new WTC site on the anniversary of the establishment of the United States of America, an experiment in democratic governance that has, by and large, worked very well indeed and for much longer than it has done elsewhere, despite the bleak, bullying nags of Noam Chomsky et al. (vis.: America was founded by genocidal religious zealots, etc. – these things have an element of truth, but are not even the central point of the history of the nation, irrespective of those occasions or periods in which brutality and religious or racial intolerance were the order of the day, even insofar as they remain potent factors in American society, so it’s worth being cautious how you define a country that now spans a continent and holds nearly 300 million people). We’ve done remarkably well for ourselves and on many occasions for others, too, not least among them being some of our most ardent critics now. Of course, that’s part of the point of a democracy: critical thinking. Unfortunately, this is an important element that has gone missing lately, at least in government, most recently at the Executive level, but we oughtn’t to let Congress of the hook, either, especially as they are more lacking in this capacity and for longer than the present administration. Presidents come and go relatively quickly here, but Congressmen sit for longer and stand for less term by term. These things are worth remembering even while we celebrate our grand experiment.
The Bush Administration has done more to erode freedom in America than even the terrorists who destroyed the WTC and struck the Pentagon had any hope of accomplishing. Whereas the mass murderers of September 11 sought death and destruction, Bush and his cronies only seek power and wealth. Freedom, as it is exercised in America and elsewhere in the world, is a threat to the tyrannical goals of both groups, and it is therefore the duty of free people everywhere to oppose these groups. Bush operates within “the system” to destroy it, at least enough for personal gain, and can be effectively opposed by that same system. The terrorists use different methods, but free peoples are not without recourse against them and must be equally resolute. How strange to come to this anniversary needing to throw off the misrule of another George, II this time instead of III.
When the events of September 11 had reached their climax, and the period of mourning had come, we all knew one important thing that we have become distracted from: as much as we had a need and a right to be sad and hurt, and as much as we needed then to be angry and to act against the perpetrators to ensure such attacks never occurred again to ourselves or others, we needed to reflect, to use judgment and critical thought regarding ourselves and our place in the world and regarding others in the world. We cannot allow our country to act without such reflection ever again, to act from a short-term perspective or opportunistically, and we’ve known that for a very long time even before autumn 2001, a point enhanced for me just yesterday, listening to a Buddhist monk’s lecture on precipitous thinking and happiness. (It’s strange how these least modern of pundits can speak with such wisdom.) We can be rash in our thoughts and actions, or worse sometimes, we can act for the right goals but subvert them by starting with the wrong motivations. The terrorists have it all wrong, goals and reasons, but we’ve had our share of error these past years as well. The war to free Iraq started from selfish motivations cloaked in the right goals. We all knew it at the time, and we know the source of it. On this day of all days, we need to start fixing that. It should be part of our celebrations. November can’t come soon enough.
PS: Join Democrats Abroad – Australia in Martin Place this week, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the voter registration drive.
We’ll leave aside the references to Isaac Asimov, thanks, howsoever much they may or may not be relevant, but just pontificate politically apropos of the 4th of July.
I’m very lucky to live in one of the great free nations of the earth, and lucky to come from the first to take the chance that democracy can work. In this election year, both back home and here in Australia, the fundamental principles of the free world are plain, and they are imperilled in more ways than one.
It’s a nice touch to put down the cornerstone at the new WTC site on the anniversary of the establishment of the United States of America, an experiment in democratic governance that has, by and large, worked very well indeed and for much longer than it has done elsewhere, despite the bleak, bullying nags of Noam Chomsky et al. (vis.: America was founded by genocidal religious zealots, etc. – these things have an element of truth, but are not even the central point of the history of the nation, irrespective of those occasions or periods in which brutality and religious or racial intolerance were the order of the day, even insofar as they remain potent factors in American society, so it’s worth being cautious how you define a country that now spans a continent and holds nearly 300 million people). We’ve done remarkably well for ourselves and on many occasions for others, too, not least among them being some of our most ardent critics now. Of course, that’s part of the point of a democracy: critical thinking. Unfortunately, this is an important element that has gone missing lately, at least in government, most recently at the Executive level, but we oughtn’t to let Congress of the hook, either, especially as they are more lacking in this capacity and for longer than the present administration. Presidents come and go relatively quickly here, but Congressmen sit for longer and stand for less term by term. These things are worth remembering even while we celebrate our grand experiment.
The Bush Administration has done more to erode freedom in America than even the terrorists who destroyed the WTC and struck the Pentagon had any hope of accomplishing. Whereas the mass murderers of September 11 sought death and destruction, Bush and his cronies only seek power and wealth. Freedom, as it is exercised in America and elsewhere in the world, is a threat to the tyrannical goals of both groups, and it is therefore the duty of free people everywhere to oppose these groups. Bush operates within “the system” to destroy it, at least enough for personal gain, and can be effectively opposed by that same system. The terrorists use different methods, but free peoples are not without recourse against them and must be equally resolute. How strange to come to this anniversary needing to throw off the misrule of another George, II this time instead of III.
When the events of September 11 had reached their climax, and the period of mourning had come, we all knew one important thing that we have become distracted from: as much as we had a need and a right to be sad and hurt, and as much as we needed then to be angry and to act against the perpetrators to ensure such attacks never occurred again to ourselves or others, we needed to reflect, to use judgment and critical thought regarding ourselves and our place in the world and regarding others in the world. We cannot allow our country to act without such reflection ever again, to act from a short-term perspective or opportunistically, and we’ve known that for a very long time even before autumn 2001, a point enhanced for me just yesterday, listening to a Buddhist monk’s lecture on precipitous thinking and happiness. (It’s strange how these least modern of pundits can speak with such wisdom.) We can be rash in our thoughts and actions, or worse sometimes, we can act for the right goals but subvert them by starting with the wrong motivations. The terrorists have it all wrong, goals and reasons, but we’ve had our share of error these past years as well. The war to free Iraq started from selfish motivations cloaked in the right goals. We all knew it at the time, and we know the source of it. On this day of all days, we need to start fixing that. It should be part of our celebrations. November can’t come soon enough.
PS: Join Democrats Abroad – Australia in Martin Place this week, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the voter registration drive.
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