Another thing I would never expect from US citzens

The good folks at the British Army Rumour Service have a thread up about Tony Blair: http://www.arrse.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic/t=55715.html

In it they discuss the Channel Four programme The Trial Of Tony Blair, the premise of which Tony "The Weasel" is called up for war crimes in 2010. Not so far out considering that Britain has the Iraq Inquiry. George Monbiot has already paved the way for this with his bounty on Blair.

As one person said in the forum regarding the invasion:

1. Next time you are considering starting another war, please make sure you are doing it for a good reason, and one which can be justified both at the time and afterwards.
2. Please give people the real reason, not one that seemed convenient at the time even if a bit economical with the actualite.
3. Please ensure that the military is the correct size, and is correctly manned and equipped, and is not overstretched by still being involved in your other feck ups.
4.Ensure that there is a proper mission and plan, including some sort of idea of where we are headed with this, rather than going into it with no idea of how you are coming out.
5. And finally, when your boss across the pond rings you up and tells you your boys are being deployed to Iran next, have the bollox to tell him to feck off and die.

This is what I mean when I say support our troops.

The People of Wootton Bassett demonstrate their support of the troops by publicly mourning the dead ("re-patriated") on their return. Friends who live there has told me it's a really moving experience to see the crowds. The Beeb always broadcasts this event on the News when soldiers are "re-patriated". Here's a vid for the yanks who miss this event:


This is a pretty crappy video of the event, but it still chokes me up to watch it. Also, the event has gotten larger with time and the street is packed with people.  I am sorry that this type of thing only happens in Britain.

Somehow, I just don't see all this happening in the US.

As one forum member said:

And what this pathetic excuse of a goverment needs to accept is that our brave lads and lasses volunteered to fight for THEIR country....not for a bloody oil well for some dickhead yank!!!

New Image!

It seems that elections are coming up everywhere! The UK is looking forward to a general election with Gordon Brown announcing the Labour strategy and David Cameron attempting to be "cool". While the British elections aren't as interminable as the US ones are...YET--we do have this build up going on that makes me have this yearning for dictatorship. At least they don't have elections.

The US ones never seem to end. They are campaigning for the next election before the one election has even begun (e.g., they have been campaigning for the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections since 2007). We all know the date when the next "mid-term" election will take place (early November), yet they have been busily going on since lord knows when. And all that takes MONEY!

The British elections are sort of Secret, we know there is a general one coming up sometime this year. It's due because even though Gordon and Dave have been "electioneering", they haven't actually called one and time is running out for the current Brown Government! They have to call an election sometime soon, or we will all be bored as hell with their twaddle. Not to mention the pre-election warm ups on the News getting us prepped for what the issues will be (the fact that everyone is pretty much skint--including the government).

At least they deal with the issues. Unlike in the US where "Conservative" politicians are all talk about "tax and spend", yet the same people who talk that rubbish are working to ensure loads of government money for their constituencies. Not to mention they have done fuck all for about the wars they started.

I am a reluctant lefty, especially by US standards. In the US, Richard Nixon would be considered a liberal these days looking at the programmes he advocated (and the current republicans work to dismantle)!

So, with that said, I now take Alan B'Stard as my new mascot!  And Thanks to White Rabbit from whom I grabbed the Tory ad as it seemed so appropriate to this post.  If Alan B'Stard can become Labour, why can't Tony the Weasel become a Tory.

Tony the Tory!

General thoughts

It's bizarre that the US has a right to own firearms, but not one to health care. Even more bizarre since the US claims to have this "pro-life" belief.

My Brite-view Cine-tube is on the way! I should be watching it tonight. Yipee!

I learned the command to get hi-def materials from iPlayer using get-iPlayer (get_iplayer --get xxx --mode flashhd --force, with XXX being the programme number). The difference in quality is astounding. And it doesn't have the actual iPlayer DRM: even better!

Comments, I would like to take them, but some people need to learn how to play correctly and share. I think this problem is due to the lack of nannies in the US. The US is seriously lagging behind in the Nanny gap.

The inequality thing is one of a few of topics that has really piqued my curiousity.

The others are control of the media and the lack of railroads, especially high speed ones, in the US.

This neat page of Samuel Johnson Quotes: http://www.samueljohnson.com/index.html
With these neat Quotes on Freedom

248. America/Americans; Freedom; Slavery
"How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes?"
Johnson: Taxation No Tyranny
Link

666. America; Freedom; Slavery
"Slavery is now no where more patiently endured, than in countries once inhabited by the zealots of liberty."
Johnson: Idler #11 (June 24, 1758)

I will reiterate something I like to quote, Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary:

In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit that it is the first.

Vegetarian sausage and bacon. It is sort of a stretch that I eat turkey sausage and bacon these days, but I still want some animal protein in my diet. I'm not ready to go totally vegetarian.

So, other than being annoyed that the big electronics firms haven't weighed in on the media player thing, I am ready for the weekend. It would be nice if the big electronics firms came up with one of these things that allowed you access to ALL the material on the internet rather than the crappy little programmes out there, such as Playon and TVersity. Milliesoft's tuner free MCE seems to be the best programme out there except it only works in Vista and Windows 7--neither of which I will touch. Next OS I move to will be Ubuntu.

There is a world of material out there so, it doesn't need to be "57 channels and nothing's on".

Now, Who's a clever boy? I have to brag here. Now, see how you match up at the Pew Research Centre's Political Quiz


The ultimate insult, Tony "The Weasel' Blair went in front of the Iraq Inquiry crew this AM. Amusingly enough, he denied that there was a "covert" deal with George Bush--Does that mean the deal was "overt"? I keep thinking of what Kenneth Clarke, MP said that was recorded in the House of Commons Hansard Debates for 26 Feb 2003 (pt 14):

Mr. Clarke: We have had 12 years, in two or three of which people have done nothing at all. We have had 11 weeks of the present policy and we must judge whether a few weeks more are required.

Let me make clear the origin of my doubts about the very persuasive case that the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary sometimes put. I cannot rid myself of doubts that the course to war upon which we are now embarked was decided on many months ago, primarily in Washington, and there has been a fairly remorseless unfolding of events since that time. I am not alone in having heard and met American politicians of great distinction who gave the impression that a change of regime in Iraq was determined upon long ago and that the use of military force in a pre-emptive strike was justified in order to achieve that. I believe that in most cases the motives have been worthy and they genuinely believe that they are ridding themselves of an evil regime. I do not believe the conspiracy theorists. One can go on to hear theories about the installation of democracy in the Arab world, unfinished business from a previous Administration, and a reaction to the understandable state of political opinion in the United States of America in the aftermath of 11 September.

If war happens in the next few weeks—that is a genuine possibility—hon. Members must ask themselves whether it is legitimate to believe that such action had already been determined and had been remorselessly unfolding for many months. Many people believe that. It is why middle England and those of moderate political opinions have so many doubts. To many of my constituents, the answer to the questions, "Did Washington determine such action many months ago?" and "Could the President seek re-election without war and the removal of Iraq's president?" is as obvious as the reply to "Does the emperor have clothes?" The Government must respond to that formidable case.

George Monbiot is offering a bounty for "Tony the Weasel's" arrest

Again, it's interesting that similar movements regarding an Iraq inquiry and arrest of Bush and his cronies hasn't taken hold in the more serious segments of US Society.

We haven't heard the last from Tony the Weasel

Somehow in my state of political and current events ignorance, I've managed to keep it from my consciousness that Gordon Brown wants Tony "the Weasel" Blair to become president of the European Union.

Probably because I am glad he is GONE from British politics. I never liked him anyway since he made me feel as if I went to the wrong School or Oxford College when I met him. And this was pre-PM days. I had the fortune to attend Parliamentary discussions on License of Right in 1988.

My boss at that time told me that one day Tony Blair would be PM. Six years later, well...

The worst bit is that Blair reminds me of Alan B'Stard on the New Statesman. The really funny thing is that Rik Mayall claims he "discovered Tony Blair" in the Daily Mail.

Not as good as this from the Beeb: Explaining the defection to Labour, Mr Mayall said: "They are young, they are sexy and they are much more right-wing than the Conservative Party."

I guess my suspicions were correct!

And you wonder why I call him "Tony the Weasel".