tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post110660053198258136..comments2024-03-21T02:27:14.737-05:00Comments on Cernig's Newshog: Instapundit and the Singularity SocialistCernighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1107116066833413782005-01-30T14:14:00.000-06:002005-01-30T14:14:00.000-06:00I must say this is the best discussion in a commen...I must say this is the best discussion in a comments section I have ever read. Very civilized and informative.<br /><br />PSStorminatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08101667806848313957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1107096587791940392005-01-30T08:49:00.000-06:002005-01-30T08:49:00.000-06:00Hi All,
I just wanted to say that I won't be maki...Hi All,<br /><br />I just wanted to say that I won't be making any more comments on this thread. Not because I am running away (heh - the lefty is not for running) but because there are other posts on this blog that would make a far better platform for much of the debates that we are having now. I would love all you rightwingers who are now visiting Newshog to have a look around at the other stuff we write or talk about here. Please, pull up the battered old sofa, raid the fridge, and make yourselves at home. I am thoroughly enjoying the discussions so stick around as long as you like.<br /><br />Regards, Cernig<br /><br />PS I think <A HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Fpikespeak.blogspot.com%2F2005%2F01%2Fwar-for-oil-and-why-we-must-support-it.html">John Pike</A> just became my favourite conservative blogger. Talk about telling it like it is.<br />(Sorry Glenn...you <I>would</I> be my favourite if you gave more of your own opinions and less of links to other peoples. Your own thinking is far more impressive than much of your linkages manage, why don't you use more of it on your blog?) - CCernighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1107070955036054062005-01-30T01:42:00.000-06:002005-01-30T01:42:00.000-06:00Nice post, Mr M.
3 things stood out for me.
"W...Nice post, Mr M. <br /><br />3 things stood out for me. <br /><br />"We're spreading freedom. You know, cause it's like butter." <br />Great line, lol. But we're spreading it because free societies don't breed the conditions that nurture Islamofascism and its byproduct: terrorism. Still a great line though. <br /><br /><br />"Actually, and here's the interesting thing. Bush's policy of spreading freedom directly steps on the toes of a nation's right to sovereignty."<br />This is interesting, and goes to the heart of the matter, I think. I don't believe any country that is not a democracy has a right to be sovereign. I don't think any non-democracy is even legitimate. But this is another discussion altogether. <br /><br />"And for that I have to apologize for not necessarily wanting to kill every brown man that doesn't think like I do. I know, it's a character flaw." <br />Aw man, you had to play the race card. Well, FYI if you were to kill every brown man that disagreed with you you'd have to kill me. (Hispanic, at least according to the government. And because I'm Portugeuse, which they say is Hispanic because of Brazil?!?) Anyway, that argument dehumanizes me and everyone who disagrees with you. It is the old "conservatives think liberals are wrong, liberals think conservatives are evil" thing all over again... bummer. I call shenanigans!!!Harkonnendoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16228446084562112221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1107053744373760632005-01-29T20:55:00.000-06:002005-01-29T20:55:00.000-06:00Hi TallDave,
C'mon man, you KNOW that secretly yo...Hi TallDave,<br /><br />C'mon man, you KNOW that secretly <A HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Fsemirandomramblings.blogspot.com%2F2005%2F01%2Fthanks-to-instapundit-for-recommending.html">you want to be a social democrat</A>. :-)Cernighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1107029417109937132005-01-29T14:10:00.000-06:002005-01-29T14:10:00.000-06:00My my my, what sharp teeth Haarky.
First, and I t...My my my, what sharp teeth Haarky.<br /><br />First, and I thought it was kinda clear, the Hitler thing was just some similarities, and I do believe I even said that I don't think Bush is following in Hitler's footsteps per se. But more on that later.<br /><br />I love how the right loves to pin us liberals with ignoring the threat from Islamofacists in the world. And for that I have to apologize for not necessarily wanting to kill every brown man that doesn't think like I do. I know, it's a character flaw.<br /><br />But let's not make any mistakes here. I'm not all amped to go give Osama a bear hug. On the contrary. The man may be little more than a paper tiger at this point, but he ordered the murder of 3000 innocent Americans, and I would really like to see him brought to justice. Of course, on that, I'm still waiting.<br /><br />In fact, I'm very up on the Islamofacist thing. As Richard Clarke put it, Osama is among a group of radical muslims whose intent it is to render the world into a fourteenth century style society that revolves around Islam. Considering some of the practices of modern day unenlightened radical muslims, I'm guessing that fourteenth century unenlightened radical muslims are worse.<br /><br />So I dig the sitch. Probably more than El Presidente, considering the fact that my response to 9/11 wasn't to go and kick someone else's ass. I don't know I'm just saying. Or maybe not. I mean, the man was tired of swatting at flies. So, let's just leave the flies alone until they drive a couple of jumbo jets into some very large office buildings.<br /><br />But, hey, who cares about WMD's or terrorism? We're spreading freedom. You know, cause it's like butter.<br /><br />Actually, and here's the interesting thing. Bush's policy of spreading freedom directly steps on the toes of a nation's right to sovereignty. Look, I'm not apologizing for any of the dictators these people are under, but truth be told, no matter how bad off they are, they have to start the ball rolling on their own. That's just the way it is.<br /><br />If revolution does begin, than there's no bad for us to go in and help the rebels, but there's so much wrong with just imposing freedom on someone that if I tried to go into it right now, my wife would kick my ass for not letting her be. So I'll check in later, and finish school.<br /><br />Mr. MKyle E. Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03285463578393734798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1107009494640225792005-01-29T08:38:00.000-06:002005-01-29T08:38:00.000-06:00Hi Dick,
Iraq War/war on terror: I have written a...Hi Dick,<br /><br />Iraq War/war on terror: I have written a fair bit about my take on the war on terror, including one post which is linked above and which handles the "UK vs Israeli style" question. For the record, if I was leader of the free world I would have gone into Afghanistan, not let up till Osama was in custody or dead and his apparatus dismantled. I wouldn't have gone into Iraq even if I DID think they still had the WMD the US had sold them. Sanctions were working, just as they did against Libya eventually. Iraq was a side issue pursued for personal reasons and is being justified as exporting freedom after the event. If exporting democracy was the true aim, then Kuwait or Saudi or even North Korea were better targets. Now we are there, we have to do the best we can with the mess we made. My mom always made me clean up my toys at the end of the day. The UK's methods of terror fighting in N.I. have stopped the bloodshed, Israel's methods have poerpetuated the fighting in their own locale. The US uses Israeli methods in Iraq, this is a mistake.<br /><br />OK, cluster bomb was wrong and I apologise for the hyperbole. However, 250lb bomb is correct. A new variant was developed for use in urban situations and used in the second assault on Fallujah and since. (see Defencetech archives - go look. Everyone who has pretensions of punditry on the military should be reading Defencetech anyway.) Do you know the lethal radius on even a precision-guided 250lb bomb?<br /><br />Healthcare: Ive said already - can we wait for the post I am preparing to debate this? I promise it will make a better platform for the discussion than this thread.<br /><br />There, that help?<br /><br />Regards, Cernig<br /><br />PS: I notice that at least one right-wing site references these comments as a fun demolition of the irrational ranting lefty by a bunch of logical and well-reasoned righties. Do you all actually feel that way? I thought I was holding my end up pretty well :-)Cernighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106966646568561702005-01-28T20:44:00.000-06:002005-01-28T20:44:00.000-06:00Mr. M-
regarding your Hitler post- It might inter...Mr. M- <br />regarding your Hitler post- It might interest you that Hitler, from the very beginning, said that his ultimate goal was to conquer all of Europe and Russia in order to assure the Aryan race the place it belonged. It was never a secret. Chamberlain et al ignored his this reality because they didn't want to believe it. <br /><br />Much the same way liberals today ignore the talk of Islamofascists. Zarqawi, Arafat, bin Laden, they have quite clearly said that ALL the Jews in Israel must be killed and that Shari'a must rule the world. That is their goal. They're quite honest and straight forward about it. But, because they fear the truth, liberals refuse to accept them at their word. <br /><br />Also, I don't remember Hitler liberating countries from mass murdering tyrants and then granting the people of those countries democracy... like Bush has done in Afghanistan, and as of TODAY!!! TODAY!!! Iraq. I guess that's pretty minor though, given the powerfully compelling similarities you've mentioned above. <br /><br />Cheers! <br />HarkonnendogHarkonnendoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16228446084562112221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106964910866355192005-01-28T20:15:00.000-06:002005-01-28T20:15:00.000-06:00Man am I sorry I'm not joining the conversation un...Man am I sorry I'm not joining the conversation until now. Well, since things are as they are, I won't be quoting anyone directly, instead, I'll jut be hitting some of the many topics, and instructing you all in what is what. Modern Socialism I will leave to C, since I'm not a modern socialist. I'm not an old school socialist. I'm just not a socialist.<br /><br />BUSH=HITLER:<br /><br />Bush is not Hitler. Hitler had a moustache. Okay, seriously, Bush really isn't a Hitler clone, but there are similarities. Mind you I say similarities, and these similarities rely on interpretation of information, and analysis, none of which can be directly said to be fact. I had, months before I even got seriously into politics, I broke it down into the question, "how do you try and take over the world?" If Pinky and The Brain had been in the room, we may have all found ourselves subservient to a pair of rodents (although Condi kinda reminds me of Pinky. "What are we doing tonight Mr. Bush? (snarf)" "What we try and do every night, Condi, try and take over the world.").<br /><br />Essentially, there are three things that you need, and we will use Hitler and Bush as examples. 1) Create a Global atmosphere that is not conducive to dissent. For Hitler, remember the "policy of appeasement." It pretty much ran like this. Hitler would say, "I'm gonna invade this country." Everyone would say, "Alright Ady, but this is the last one." After that, he would pick another country, rinse and repeat. The idea was that no one wanted to really mess with him because of...2)Develop a military strategy or scenario that is difficult or impossible to counter. Blitzkrieg. One minute your sitting there reading the paper, drinking coffee, the next, you're part of a composite material typically referred to as rubble. 3) Rally citizens around a common cause, usually involves subjugating people. For more on this, go on google, and search "holocaust." So how does Bush fit? 1) After 9/11 he made a very famous faux pas, "you're with us, or you're against us." For more of this kind of attitude, check out my earlier post entitled Go Ahead Punk. And of course, the rest of the world takes this kind of swagger seriously because... 2)We happen to have probably the most powerful military in the world. And if that fails, we'll just turn your country into a glass parking lot. 3) Ann Coulter said it best when she said, "we should kill all their leaders and convert them to Christianity." Now I'm not saying that Bush is going to go and actually follow Hitler's foot steps. Not at all, I'm just saying that he could find a little more couth way of going about things.<br /><br />Fundamentalism:<br /><br />Here's the sitch, to say that radical Christianity is nothing like radical Islam is, well, wrong. To sit and think that established Christianity is and has always been one big love in is also wrong, and forgetful. Anyone remember the Crusades? How about the inquisition?<br /><br />Now I know this stuff happened years ago, but still. The idea is not that I'm attacking the religion, but all the stuff surrounding it. I have always said that God corrupts politics, and politics corrupt God. It really is that simple. People will do anything in the name of God if they have enough faith, and you can get them to do anything in the name of God if you are in the right position to do so. Ergo, God is power.<br /><br />That being said, I rarely ever attack the religious right. Essentially because it is kind of like a Chinese finger trap, the more you fight against it, the more it resists. I could go on, but let me get to the next point.<br /><br />Left vs. Right:<br /><br />Cernig is, as he puts it, a modern socialist. We get along great, we're both on the left of the scale, but I am not a socialist, just in case you forgot from the beginning of the comment. Ideologically, I'm a very radical liberal. I don't think guns should exist, let alone be issued to all people, I think it's possible to allow everyone their personal, and capitalistic liberties, and still have a government that can ensure the well being of all of its citizens. I think the environment should be cared for, yadda yadda yadda. On the other hand, I'm also quite moderate, maybe even a centrist. The reason for that is that in the end, I'm a pragmatist.<br /><br />And that's just not a common thing in modern politics.<br /><br />I understand that while I feel it is right for gays to be allowed to be Married, I understand that baby steps are necessary, and getting a guy in office that will get them civil union rights is probably the best step. At this stage of the game, I'll accept anyone that doesn't try to openly ban being gay.<br /><br />So unlike a lot of my left wing friends, I appear much more moderate than I am, and therefore have a slightly different perspective. I also have the tendency to be a little more critical of my own political affiliates than most.<br /><br />Lefties like their causes. The more extreme the liberal, the more likely it is that they're moderate on most things save one or two issues. Issues for which they will pick up an AK-47 and go to war (unless their anti-gun, at which point they will instead pick up a bowie knife).<br /><br />This leads to a lot of infighting, and has, to a degree landed us in the problem we're in right now. The other thing that has us stuck in the mud is...<br /><br />Activisim:<br /><br />Look, I don't want to offend anyone, but most activists do more harm to the liberal agenda than good. Here's why. Right after the election, I listened on the radio to a deejay say, "well, I think what it is is that the um democrats, like, want to tell everyone how they're, like, gonna live, and I think America's just not gonna, like, put up with that." After picking my jaw up off of the floor board of my truck, I actually thought about that.<br /><br />Than I thought about PETA. Than I thought about spotted owls. Liberals are associated with the Democratic Party, and all the activists that end up pissing people off are associated with Liberals, so. Yeah, while we may be saying, "look as long as you're not hurting anyone, go ahead," we still look like the people that are trying to control lives.<br /><br />Okay, I think I've wasted enough space for now, maybe I should write a post or something yah?Kyle E. Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03285463578393734798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106955173248034502005-01-28T17:32:00.000-06:002005-01-28T17:32:00.000-06:00Thanx Cernig! It is a constant battle not to roll ...Thanx Cernig! It is a constant battle not to roll down that hill again, lol. I look forward to reading your essay, though I'll admit my gut reaction to the this argument "it would work except it was undefunded" is nausea. (Gut reaction, get?) <br /><br />Cheers! <br />HarkonnendogHarkonnendoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16228446084562112221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106953641325737422005-01-28T17:07:00.000-06:002005-01-28T17:07:00.000-06:00"Lastly, I truly see no difference in the levels o..."Lastly, I truly see no difference in the levels of vitriol or idiocy exhibited by thoughtless people either from left or right. Both sides of the equation are guilty of sloppy thought, lack of logic, and name-calling, from time to time. (eg Ann Coulter)"<br /><br />As far as comments from the audience, the NY Times does not agree with you. "As nasty as critics on the right can get (plenty nasty), the left seems to be winning the vileness derby this year." Daniel Okrent, NY Times Public Editor, 10/10/2004.<br /><br />And if the commentators on the left and right are equally nasty, why are their audiences reacting differently?<br /><br />Jim C.<br />zgystardst -at- yahoo /dot/ comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106950872313144942005-01-28T16:21:00.000-06:002005-01-28T16:21:00.000-06:00Hi again Dave and Harhonnendog,
Aw c'mon guys, re...Hi again Dave and Harhonnendog,<br /><br />Aw c'mon guys, read more carefully.<br /><br />I keep saying - the huge gaps in the UK health system are purely the result of the lack of funding it was given by the right during the Thatcher years. The Labour govt. under Blair/Brown has been consistently funding it to present levels with plans for further increases and things are changing fast. The article Harkonnendog cites is already obsolete. <br /><br />Oh, and as far as dental care is concerned....been to the South recently? I live here and my teeth are in far better shape than many I see here.<br /><br />Can we wait until I get a chance to write the article on the US/UK comparison before we debate this further, please? It will make a far better platform to begin from than this post.<br /><br />OK...Info time. Please stop confusing Communism with modern socialism. It bears no more resemblance to it than old-style robber-baron capitalism bears to the current US right. Here, read this on <A HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brainyencyclopedia.com%2Fencyclopedia%2Fs%2Fso%2Fsocial_democracy_3.html">Social Democracy</A>, which is the prevalent and mainstream socialist current in Europe nowadays.<br /><br />BTW, Harkonnendog, I liked <A HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Fharkonnendog.blogspot.com%2F2005%2F01%2Ftime-to-take-breath.html">this post</A>. :-)<br /><br />Regards, CernigCernighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106945163396356762005-01-28T14:46:00.000-06:002005-01-28T14:46:00.000-06:00Cernig,
I didn't mean you should google using th...Cernig, <br /><br />I didn't mean you should google using the words "UK health care crisis," I meant you should use google to check out the UK system. <br /><br />I can't fisk your sources, but here's mine regarding long waits for services. <br /><br />http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/healthspectrum/features/0503/healthtourism.html<br />One of the things clearly stated in that article is people waited 18 months or more for heart operations in the UK, to the point where they went overseas to get operations. <br /> <br />Here's another exerpt: <br /><br />The fruits of the extra millions poured into heart surgery by Mr Milburn are already appearing; two months ago the national heart "tsar" Dr Roger Boyle predicted things were going so well that the ambitious target of a three month maximum wait for heart patients would be achieved by 2005 - three years ahead of schedule.<br /><br />Maybe we have different ideas about what constitutes a health care crisis. A 3 month wait is not, to my way of thinking, an ambitious target. Talk about loewered expectations... <br /><br />This article: <br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/talking/gp/private_care.shtml<br />describes how people are getting private insurance despite free healthcare. Why? Because the wait is shorter and the service is better. Despite the fact that they have access to free healthcare (not free, of course, since it is paid through taxes, but still) they are choosing to use private insurance. <br /><br />Cheers! <br />HarkonnendogHarkonnendoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16228446084562112221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106937753040079652005-01-28T12:42:00.000-06:002005-01-28T12:42:00.000-06:00Hi again TallDave,
"a country that embraces gover...Hi again TallDave,<br /><br /><I>"a country that embraces government-run health care is dangerously delusional, no matter how well-intentioned."</I> In what way is that any less or more a statement of faith than my words, I ask myself? And oddly enough I have an answer for myself. <br /><br />Do you think a country that didnt offer any health care whatsoever for its citizens in the modern age could fairly be labelled as uncivilisied? Well of course you do. My statement becomes the logical collary of that realisation, as such an important matter does not, surely, admit of degree. No faith required. A simple matter of a verbal expression of symbolic logic.<br /><br />What is this "politics as faith" thing anyway? Bash the godless commies by telling them they have a god anyway and its their political beliefs? The latest right-wing meme? You use it almost as if you don't quite believe it will work - and you are right in that suspicion. Give it a rest as it won't fly here - I am a deeply religious person so the godless guilt trip doesnt work. My politics are thought out, and I will happily embrace what purports to be a right-wing policy when it also happens to be the correct policy. The kindergarten for politics was left behind at the sites of some other, more strident, leftie pundits. Sorry. Attack my evidence or my logic by all means, but leave the name-calling at the door.<br /><br />Next. It's hardly fair to compare an EU which has just taken on a whole bunch of ex-Eastern Bloc countries as members with the US on a pure toe-to-toe basis. It would be far fairer to compare "Old" Europe and the US on a per capita basis. I will have to see if I can find the stats to do so. You can, I hope, trust me to be totally impartial when I do so.<br /><br />Lastly, thank you for the link. I notice it comes from a very right-wing pundit's site so is unlikely to be a fair and representative sample, but it will still come in very useful for the research I am embarking upon for an article to be posted this weekend sometime. The subject will be a comparison of the UK and US healthcare systems on a cost for results basis and on overall quality of care.<br /><br />Thanks again for your interest in my blog, Dave. I hope you stick around to throw in thoughts and comments from the right. You seem to have strong opinions (faiths?) about your politics but can express them (when you choose to) without the strident playground-style name-calling so prevalent from both left and right in US political debate<br /><br />Regards, CernigCernighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106935728796895712005-01-28T12:08:00.000-06:002005-01-28T12:08:00.000-06:00Hi TallDave and welcome back.
Actually, I said th...Hi TallDave and welcome back.<br /><br />Actually, I said there were never 18 month wait times for heart ops. <br /><br />I do not deny there are wait times for non life threatening ops. There are wait times for those in the US too, aren't there?<br /><br />The wait times for ops were HUGE under the Conservatives. I KNOW, I was there. They have consistently come down under Labour, not as fast as some have liked though, and THAT is the crisis referred to in the Guardian article.<br /><br />Just so you know, The Guardian seems to regard itself as the newspaper of opposition - it will slag off the party in power no matter who they are. That isn't a bad thing, now is it?<br /><br />Regards, CernigCernighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106894196079383952005-01-28T00:36:00.000-06:002005-01-28T00:36:00.000-06:00Reverand Lovejoy and Ned Flanders (and the whole F...Reverand Lovejoy and Ned Flanders (and the whole Flanders family) are annoying but they're not evil. Bush's Christianity is closer to Ned Flanders's than Pat Robertson's.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106891565578510432005-01-27T23:52:00.000-06:002005-01-27T23:52:00.000-06:00Hi Judith,
Ah c'mon. You have to realise that the...Hi Judith,<br /><br />Ah c'mon. You have to realise that the original post was pretty light-hearted. I posted it because someone on Glenn's blog had asked about Charlie's rep for being a "leftie". Certainly Glenn and Charlie took it as light-hearted. You have to admit it gave rise to some interesting conversations though.<br /><br />Just for the record - I love Heinlein, I enjoy Pournelle, I enjoy all kinds of SF authors without care of their politics.<br /><br />Regards, CernigCernighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106891155731438912005-01-27T23:45:00.000-06:002005-01-27T23:45:00.000-06:00Hi Harkonnendog,
I took your advice and googled "...Hi Harkonnendog,<br /><br />I took your advice and googled "UK health crisis" and guess what, there isn't one. Its a persistent myth but a myth nonetheless. There never ever were 18 month waits for heart ops. Ever. There was a crisis about 5 to 10 years ago, but it was a legacy of the Conservative years when they drew down spending on health. Now it is recovering. The UK, like most of Europe, has an advantage over the US in most health indicators. To the extent that the Swedish model has been touted by some Republican heathcare experts as a solution to the US crisis.<br /><br />To be honest, that fits my personal experience of both systems. I have received better and faster care in the UK than the US.<br /><br />I also googled "comparisons of UK and US healthcare". I hope to present my findings in the next couple of days, so keep reading Newshog :-)<br /><br />Regards, CernigCernighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106890846359916182005-01-27T23:40:00.000-06:002005-01-27T23:40:00.000-06:00PS It's also odd for SF fans - by definition peop...PS It's also odd for SF fans - by definition people who enjoy good fiction for its own sake - to be surprised that someone can enjoy works by an artist whose political beliefs differ from his. I mean, that's the difference between art and propaganda isn't it? Or do you all vet your authors' politics before deciding what novels to read?Judithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106890379989002202005-01-27T23:32:00.000-06:002005-01-27T23:32:00.000-06:00The political labelling here is truly one-dimensio...The political labelling here is truly one-dimensional, and surprising for SF fans. The fandom I remember didn't try to pigeonhole people's politics into mainstream categories.<br /><br />Just to add to the mix: I am a post-60s socially liberal feminist, mellowed out libertarian, who usually voted Democrat before 2004, voted for Bush this time. There are many like me. We don't agree with some of Bush's domestic policies, but we do support and understand his foreign policy, and the Democratic alternative was much worse. I guess if you like labels you could say we are Koch Democrats or Schwarzenegger Republicans. Or hawkish libertarians. I think Glenn fits into that category too.<br /><br />Anecdotal evidence (but lots of it!) leads me to believe that we were the swing voters who made the difference.<br /><br />The torturous rationales some of you are going through to pigeonhole us according to your prejudices are amusing.Judithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106880611711386422005-01-27T20:50:00.000-06:002005-01-27T20:50:00.000-06:00Oops, Illicit Prof...
You are a liar, Sir.
Stat...Oops, Illicit Prof...<br /><br />You are a liar, Sir.<br /><br /><A HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scb.se%2Fdefault____2154.asp"> Statistics Sweden, 2005</A>The Swiss unemployment rate is 5.3%, their GDP is growing, their total of all taxation is 31.6%.<br /><br />The previous poster is correct about the NAZI party - they were certainly nothing socialist by the time Hitler had control, as you doubtless well know.<br /><br />Can I suggest you were fired for incompetence, not being a Republican?<br /><br />Regards, CernigCernighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186967493691481078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106877939402216522005-01-27T20:05:00.000-06:002005-01-27T20:05:00.000-06:00Illicit Prof, I'm not a history expert (I've only ...Illicit Prof, I'm not a history expert (I've only read ONE book on German Pre-WWII history, not TWO, lol) but IIRC the "Socialist" in "National Socialist" was chosen as part of the name in order to try to lure people away from the real Socialist parties. It seems like every other party in Weimar Germany was the "______ Socialists".Old Wacky Hermithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00028692611952640755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106874030631129762005-01-27T19:00:00.000-06:002005-01-27T19:00:00.000-06:00Dear Cernig,
Your post regarding health care is ...Dear Cernig, <br /><br />Your post regarding health care is simplistic. First you need to prove that the Swedes or Brits offer the same level of care as the Americans. For instance, the UK spends a smaller total amount on its military than the US does. According to your logic that means the US does not use its military budget as wisely as the UK. Obviously that logic doesn't hold up since the militaries are not equivalent. <br /><br />Not to burst your bubble, but I wonder what the UK percentage would be if the UK health care system worked as half well as the US system. I wonder what the US percentage would be if Americans had to wait 18 months for heart operations, when they didn't die in the meantime, like they do in the UK. Or if they were forced to remain in hospital beds because the US lacked secondary care facilities, like the UK does. Maybe you should make that a factor in your calculations. I wonder what the percentage would be if the US sytstem didn't invent most of the new drugs the UK system benefits from. <br /><br />A two minute google search will show you your health care system is in crisis. The US rejected the socialist medical solution for rational reasons. This is a complicated issue. Our system is not perfect, but I would rather pay 15% of my income for the best care in the world, available upon demand, than pay 8% to be put on a series of waiting lists.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />HarkonnendogHarkonnendoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16228446084562112221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106872840323985452005-01-27T18:40:00.000-06:002005-01-27T18:40:00.000-06:00I am a former professor of history at a state univ...I am a former professor of history at a state university in north Fla. I no longer teach as I was ostrasized for being a...*gasp*...a republican and having worked on a (first unsuccessful, then another successuful) gubenatorial campaign. You talk about Sweden as being a model of socialism. What you fail to mention is that Sweden has a nearly 60% unemployment rate. Yes, they are in fact a socialist constitutional monarchy. However, the country is nearly bankrupt from having a cradle to grave "nanny" social care system. <br /><br />They have the highest tax rate in Europe (66% on average). Those who are footing the bill are beginning to revolt. There is a growing underground movement to heavily modify the system as it now exists. Additionally, like many other countries that have a growing muslim population that is taking advantage of the generosity of their host nation, there is beginning to appear a strong anti-immigrant sentiment in the native population.<br /><br />As for socialism as a form of government. It doesn't really work all that well. Government is by nature a drag upon a national economy. The less government interference, the more dynamic an economy. Additionally, what most Americans fail to realize is that the NAZI's (the acronym stands for: Nazione Sozialist Arbeiter Partie or National SOCIALIST Workers Party) were socialists, and their bitter battles with the communist movement in the 1920's stemmed from the similarity of goals for Nazis and communists (differences between brothers is often the most bitter of all).<br /><br />The Illicit Professor<br />Rich V, Pikesville, MDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106870276983282602005-01-27T17:57:00.000-06:002005-01-27T17:57:00.000-06:00Glenn, from where I stand GWB seems to be as much ...Glenn, from where I stand GWB seems to be as much a symptom of religious fundamentalism as the ayatollahs -- and the Pope.<br /><br />This is a perfect example of what many moderates that share many liberal values tend to despise about the modern left: the inability to prioritize and contextualize things without the omnipresent (and often exaggerated) filter of your own experience to silly belief patterns.<br /><br />Bush Administration = Islamic Radicals = Taliban, = Hitler, = fascists<br /><br />...leftists seem more dogmatic than analytic, on the whole, that the center-right spectrum. <br /><br /><br />- BILL FROM INDC<br /><br />Good point Bill - once a leftist has adopted this (religious dogma) worldview, they respond to any challenge or the introduction of contradiction (heresy)with repetition of chant-like leftist slogans (prayer); and merely offer (faith-based) assertions in the place of rationale.<br /><br />My pet theory is that in many cases, (not all) their political beliefs fill the void left by the rejection of any formal religion; and their political rhetoric similarly becomes quasi-religious in tone.<br /><br />The Plain old' Faithful are at peace with the "mystery" of their g_d, but the anti-religious left has to maintian their creed without that helpful bucket - "mystery" for anything that does not follow logically, from other elements of their faith. (see; G_d, merciful, cross reference, Tsunami).<br /><br />This is really why the angry left is so damn angry.<br /><br />Conitive Dissonance hurts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259877.post-1106870186891958822005-01-27T17:56:00.000-06:002005-01-27T17:56:00.000-06:00"In my view, a country that does not provide unive...<I>"In my view, a country that does not provide universal health care is uncivilised, no matter it's other accomplishments."</I>America does provide universal health care, we just do so in a decentralized manner. American heath care, as measured in health outcomes, is on parr with and often exceeds that of nations with politically managed health care. <br /><br />There is more than one way to arrive at the same outcome.Shannon Lovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17912483436448082527noreply@blogger.com