Shireroth

This depends on how you define "democracy". Read "On Democracy" by Robert Dahl for a very popular and prolific definition of democracy. Then you also have to decide what you think is most important, the result or the process. Is democracy good because it produces a good outcome, or is it good because the process is fair? I fail to see how elected officials, free, fair and frequent elections, freedom of speech, access to alternative information, freedom of organisation and inclusive citizenship is a bad thing (this definition is called "polyarchy" by Dahl). Don't blame democracy as an idea for the failures of your politicians. After all, we get the politicians we deserve.

Indeed. Democracy is indisputably my favourite form of government, because I can see what's going on. Even if the corporations and media really are controlling what I see and care about.

She wants creationism? Wicked! Pastafarianism will finally get the balanced classroom setting it deserves!

Perhaps Parapsychology 101, mandatory. Or why not "Geocentrism: what it is and why it's right". I would like to take a course examining the relationship between humans and dinosaurs. Kinda like the Flintstones.

This is just getting better and better. Sweden's largest newspaper, Aftonbladet, writes that Sarah Palin has revealed that her daughter is five months pregnant. She goes on to say that her daughter and the guy that got her pregnant will be getting married. He on the other hand says that he doesn't want to be a father (a bit late now). She has also been a member of the Alaskan Independence Party in the 90's together with her husband. They (the party) want Alaska to leave the union.

As a liberal (I would be that in the US, not here in Sweden), I don't give a crap if a VP candidate's daughter is having a baby at 17. I also don't care if she's not getting married. I just think that the irony is so wonderful. Palin wants to teach abstinence instead of birth control, but she can't even teach her own daughter that.

I fail to see how elected officials, free, fair and frequent elections, freedom of speech, access to alternative information, freedom of organisation and inclusive citizenship is a bad thing (this definition is called "polyarchy" by Dahl). Don't blame democracy as an idea for the failures of your politicians. After all, we get the politicians we deserve.

Freedom of speech, access to alternative information, freedom of organisation,... are things that make democracy the best government system that we have till now. BUT for the rest it doesn't make much difference if you have some nobles ruling the country or elect the people (a small group still rules the country and the representatives are just dolls with which they, the party leaders, play and abuse).

Mike Fors wrote: As a liberal (I would be that in the US, not here in Sweden), I don't give a crap if a VP candidate's daughter is having a baby at 17. I also don't care if she's not getting married. I just think that the irony is so wonderful. Palin wants to teach abstinence instead of birth control, but she can't even teach her own daughter that.

I don't see it like that, if Palin couldn't teach her daughter abstinence instead of birth control that doesn't mean her ideas are bad. Because of that she knows better than someone else what works and doesn't work to avoid situations like that.
Mostly, the person who makes mistake will know afterwards what is best. She has experience with situations like this and that gives her an advantage next time and in how she can act.

People will breed. You can't stop them. Humans have a psychological need to breed. It's basic to being human. We are sexual creatures. That simple. Maybe not in the way Freud would argue it, but we are. Like many other primates.. sex is what we do best. That and use tools. (or sometimes both at the same time... ). You will never stop teens, who are programmed even more so for it, from not wanting to get it on. Once again.. Religion gets in the way of life.

You, Erik - like some other people around here - have this nice way of... not only talking when you need to but... bring quite poignant in your rhetoric. Seems thought-through in an odd kind of way. This has a positive affect on the quality of your posts. My one qualm is with your conclusions; they always seem to be a bit... generalise-ey.

Don't generalize Benkern. All of Erik's postsaren't like that...

Oh dear.

Okey.. Abrahamic religions get in the way. or.. how bout.. Catholicism, puritanism and other abrahamic religions get in the way.

Sounds good to me.

What is your position on Zoroastrianism and Shintoism for example?

I don't tend to run into them, as such have no opinion on them one way or the other. What I recall of them is that there are interesting. But as I see them cause no harm on a daily basis, I am neutral. Maybe if I know more about them, I could give you an answer.

Shintoism works very well with Buddhism, imho.

I recall reading something about that... Japan did that.

Yep. The birth ceremonies are Shinto and the death ceremonies are Buddhist. They meld rather nicely.

You know what the US needs? A good ol' monarch or dictator or other authoritarian government.

Well, since I'm not sitting as Kaiser of Shireroth, I'll take the job.
*****
Back to Gov. Palin. She sold the ex-Govenor's plane on Ebay. It was a jet, and wouldn't land at most Alaskan airfields anyway. So she understands e-commerce and yard sales.

And if she used to be in the Alaska Independence Party, doesn't that make here a micronationalist of sorts? Sounds like our kind of people.....

So her daughter's pregnant. Whoop de do. Erik is right, people will be primates. I like the idea of a little uncle and niece/nephew running around the Veeps mansion.

And her former brother-in-law tasers little children....Thanksgiving in the Veeps house is going to be great fun.

As far as taking over from McCain- Well, I've often thought we could pull 537 names from the phone book and be ahead of what we've got. At least she's a real person instead of a beltway hack.

Heck, invert the ticket, I'd vote for her tomorrow.

As far as religion--- the vice president has enough authority to blow zir nose if the president will counter-sign for Kleenex.

How about Obama and Palin against McCain and Biden?

mwhaWAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

See y'all later, I'm not here!

I think the McCain - Biden ticket would win by default. That amount of old heterosexual white male has to curve time-space...

How's the Libertarian option in the states these days? It seems to be at least gaining some ground?

I think it's still weak. I might vote for it. I'm in CA.. it goes to the Democrats anyways.

Especially along what is called by some wags, The Left Coast. The interior of the state is less likely to vote as consistently Democrat as the west coast.

*will in all likelyhood vote for Nader*

What? He's been running for president for the past, what? 30 years? He deserves it, he really does.

lol http://thepage.time.com/2008/09/03/murp ... unplugged/

wth?

I have just finished watching the speech by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin at the Republican Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, and have been ipressed by her forthrightness, her originality, her intelligence, her convictions, and her meeting issues and criticism from certain opposing Blogs and mainstream reporters with candor and imagination. No matter what one thinks of Governor Palin's political positions, she strikes me as someone who can inspire people of many political stripes, who is determined to accomplish what she sets out to do, and who follows through in working hard for the reforms needed by her constituents. She has had 6 years as a mayor of a town of almost 10,000, a "strong mayor" system, in which the mayor makes the final decisions and is held personally to account. She then unseated a sitting Repulblican Governor, and renegotiated the unfair oil contracts with the oil companies, which resulted in the state's coffers filling to bursting. She then sent a $1200 check to every citizen in Alaska, rather than spending it frivolously. She is a woman of determination. She looks at the camera wirh the same fierce look as an eagle, and just as straight.

I think opponents will snidely dismiss this woman candidate at their peril. Sarah Palin has her finger on the pulse of middle American families, and can intimately relate to their lives and experiences. As an Alaskan by lifelong residence (moving there as a baby), she shows the toughness and determination of an accomplished frontier woman. I realize that the conservative perspective is foreign to many, but she is the first candidate in many years to bring real excitement to the ticket. http://rnc08.c-span.org/

The Palin speech summed up eloquently:

Government can't solve our problems, we have to do that ourselves.

That guy is a zero because he worked in the community of his own free will instead of being a mayor like me!

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index ... ender-card

Behold.... the Daily Show....Best news source in the world.

Yes, it's cute and it's a good gotcha! to Rove, but the question is, did you actually listen to Governor Palin's speech? Just listening to Daley making cutsie tells nothing substantive about the candidate herself. Sorry, Erik I consider this fluff, not news.

I think Erik was joking. Calling The Daily Show a news source should be an obvious joke.