keep it simple, stupid!

Subtitle: contrast the dialectical dilettante's nuance.

Lie[1], obfuscate, propagandise...

Preamble: the recent election result was the most satisfying since that of 2Dec'72 and yes, that means that at least since events leading up to 'the dismissal,' things have been going mostly down-hill, and more precipitously so in the last 11½ years... Dear reader, if you are offended by the name Whitlam, or incensed that Howard has finally received the 1st instalment of his comeuppance[2], please leave this blog now, taking your (crippled!) mind with you. Or perhaps not: you could hang around (skulking and/or sulking?) and learn something.

-=*=-

Sometimes I mark items as 'key.' Here are some recent ones:

«Sleepers awoke from slumber of indifference
November 27, 2007
By Hugh Mackay

When John Howard recycled Paul Keating's line about a change of government changing the country, ...»

[smh]

«If Conservatism Is The Ideology of Freedom, I’m The Queen of England
By David Michael Green
11/24/07

I wish I had a nickel [5¢] for every time a conservative told a lie in order to sell an ideology that would otherwise be hopelessly unappealing...»

[ICH]

«The party's over and Liberals will soon be history
November 29, 2007
By Steve Biddulph

The Liberal Party is in trauma. The corporate sector is attempting to calm its nerves, ...»

[smh]

To the above three I add two more:

«Environment shock
Marian Wilkinson and Stephanie Peatling
November 19, 2007

MUCH of Australia will lose its ability to farm successfully, and there will be a large loss of species from the Great Barrier Reef and the tropics if the growth of polluting energy from coal, oil and gas is not halted within seven years, a dire report from the United Nations peak scientific body warns.»

[smh]

«IMF chiefs warns of economic 'perfect storm'
Posted November 28, 2007 22:45:00

The chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given a warning that the world economy could be facing what he calls a "perfect storm".»

[AusBC]

That ort'a be enough for now.

-=*=-

The phrase which triggered a most ugly right-wing troll onslaught was contained in this snip: "I said that the time for arguing any of this is over; and so it is. All we can do now is observe the filthy, murdering criminals in action."

The criminals referred to in that snip were the regime-elements associated with B, B & H of the US, UK and Aus and their illegal invasion now turned brutal occupation of Iraq, and the murdering action is their still-proposed theft of and/or wrenching control over Iraq's oil. Whereas this is the current major crime, there is another of scarcely less import which has been underway since at least 1947; I refer of course to the illegal invasion now turned brutal occupation of Palestine by the i/j/z-plex, aka Zionists.

Far from being delivered into a world of peace and justice, we have been plunged into a morass of increasing violence and criminality. It's not 'just' the obvious armed attacks, there has been a systematic looting of world resources carried out under various themes such as 'economic rationalisation' and 'globalisation,' all 'lead' by "Chicago School" type thinking and implemented by the products of the "Harvard Business School (for sharks)" and such-like sharp types and practices ('sharp' here being homologous with 'criminal.')

As a bit of an aside, the 'systematic looting' that I refer to is the mal-appropriation of profits from the resources sector (keyword: resource-rent). In a nutshell, resources world-wide are mostly being rorted by corporations without adequate recompense. As if that wouldn't be enough, the US (otherwise worthless fiat) currency is out'a control (keyword: M3); they are attempting to print their way (recall Weimar), at a great cost to the rest of the world. The proof of this printing is asset-inflation, both in stock and house prices (the latter having received a local boost from Costello's CGT halving. Good economic managers? Hah!) Further proof is the accumulation of US$s outside the US, effectively worthless and worse, almost useless; look at China. Not much can be done with these external $s - except possibly to buy (US-produced) arms, thus enabling the extension of the circles of violence. Bah!

-=*=-

Although Blair and Howard have now left/been thrown out and Bush must eventually go, the crimes continue. Worse, the US economy is faltering and the greedastrophe® gets ever closer.

A note must here be made: it's not 'just' the filthy, lying politicians B, B & H plus their ugly assistants (and apologist/accessories) at fault; they could not propagate their lying propaganda without the active connivance of the main-stream media, the (venal!) MSM. This was marked during the election campaign by both overt (theAus, say, but big bits'a the SMH, Age etc) and covert support extended largely to the coalition, some of this sly support extending from deep within the AusBC and even more revoltingly by SBS. Boo! Hiss! Exactly who 'allows' publicly financed broadcasters to push lying propaganda?

To prove my even-handedness, I'll quote an Americanism (spit!) - "In g*d we trust; all others pay cash." That sets the tone; in having the wicked old witch Howard now (metaphorically) dead, it's up to Labor to save our local bit'a the planet. We don't just trust or hope they will, we will work to ensure they will. In other words, we will hold Labor to the promise; having stood against the ogre and won, they must now correct the ogre's errors.

-=*end*=-

PS And wha'da'bout "keep it simple, stupid" (aka KISS?) Well, the truth could be likened to a line, a single line so thin as to be only one-dimensional, a tiny thin thread running through the vastness of time. All else, the great infinity outside this single thread being the universe of (filthy!) lies. Only the single thread of truth is accountable, all else is not: keep it simple; no lies, see?

Next, some people say some sort'a g*d is needed, some invisible (and imaginary!) deity, to hang a morality on; I say "What utter bloody rubbish!" A fully functional and fair morality can be built on enlightened altruism, and it sits stably (and comfortably!) on the 'high-wire' of truth (no safety net needed). It behoves us all to seek out the truth - and tolerate no lies, no never, no more.

Ref(s):

[1] lie1

Ønoun
Len's loyalty to his mates had made him tell lies
UNTRUTH, falsehood, fib, fabrication, deception, made-up story, trumped-up story, invention, piece of fiction, fiction, falsification, falsity, fairy story/tale, cock-and-bull story, barefaced lie; (little) white lie, half-truth, exaggeration, prevarication, departure from the truth; yarn, story, red herring, rumour, fable, myth, flight of fancy, figment of the imagination; pretence, pretext, sham, ruse, wile, trickery, stratagem; (lies) misinformation, disinformation, perjury, dissimulation, mendacity, gossip, propaganda; informal tall story, tall tale, whopper; Brit. informal porky, pork pie, porky pie; humorous terminological inexactitude; vulgar slang bullshit.
-related word: mendacious.

-opposite(s): TRUTH, FACT. [New Oxford Thesaurus of English]

[2] comeuppance n. colloq. deserved punishment. [come up, *-ance] [POD]

Actually - or better, rightfully; B, B & H and their assistants (and apologist/accessories!) ort'a be tried for war-crimes. Most probably won't happen but should, presuming that a fair court were to exist. Yet more problems. Cooperation is the key, enlightened altruism the way.

faux news

 Subtitle: the eff'n 4th estate - filthy liars.

-=*=-

Over the 'long haul[1],' one of the most pernicious aspects that I have observed in 'political life' (both in Aus & US) has been lies. Not 'just' lies, and not 'just' from the political principals, not 'just' from governments but also from oppositions (failing to oppose - why?) - then worse, perhaps far worse: lies from 'the press,' modern term "main-stream media;" aka the (venal!) MSM.

It's almost a fable (as in fabulous[2]); the so-called 'good economic managers' that the Libs claim to be, and that the MSM reinforces at revoltingly short intervals - ad infinitum, even. We get this almost-fable thrust down our throats - but it's just not true. Take for example interest rates, whereby Howard's 22% from his own past period as treasurer is ignored, minimised or simply poo-pooed; we have our noses repeatedly rubbed in Keating's 17% or whatever, and then the latest iteration, the 'keeping interest rates (at record!) lows' hoo-ha. All basically misleading at best when not outright and deliberate lies. Both Howard's and Keating's 'highs' were mostly imported, although admittedly both compounded and confounded by local idiocy. Exactly the same story with rates since 2004. Yet the misleading lies abound, and the then-opposition either concurred or demurred; why?

One could query - as I do, as to the how and why we (the sheople®, = sheep + people) tolerate these political lies?

One 'excuse' could be along the 'no sense, no feeling' lines; the sheople have been dumbed-down, mostly by TV. But even if so, the sheople surely should be accorded a bit more respect; a properly functioning democracy requires at least three things, a) an aware and educated electorate, b) a fair and reasonable choice (of candidates), and c) accurate information.

The sad fact that too many candidates are crooks and liars is obscured by the venal MSM; shame and scandal twice.

-=*end*=-

PS I assert these sort'a things (venal MSM, say); is there any proof? Yep. Had a radio-test just this morning; many American accents. Why that? A big bit'a our TV programming comes from Hollywood, ads by Madison Ave. There's a reason; cheap! (We at chezphil prefer 'less expensive.') But nevertheless, we are steamrollered with US culture (too bad.) Anything else? You bet! Both SBS and the AusBC source far too much from the US - CNN, say, without proper (or even any) analysis. The breakfast-bag on RN is a serious, repeat offender in this respect, but here's a 'real' example of what I mean:

«HOLMES: The Iraqi navy on point getting ready to take over the sole responsibility of guarding the country's most precious resource.

NGUYEN: And their success or failure could have global implications.»

[CNN (SBS 071008) October 7, 2007 iraq oil]

The piece concludes with:

«ROBERTSON: The stakes are high. Failure here would impact world oil markets with inevitable repercussions for the global economy.»

See what I mean?

Filthy, lying propaganda.

(Do I need to labour the point? Surely not, but if a clue really is needed: murder for oil. Mass-murder. Millions gruesomely, "pink-mist, shock'n whore" murdered. Thanks, but no thanks Yanks. Go home.)

-=*=-

Ref(s):

[1] Noun 1. long haul - a journey over a long distance; "it's a long haul from New York to Los Angeles"
journey, journeying - the act of travelling from one place to another
2. long haul - a period of time sufficient for factors to work themselves out; "in the long run we will win"; "in the long run we will all be dead"; "he performed well over the long haul"
long run
period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period"
[thefreedictionary]

[2] fabulous adj. 1 incredible. 2 colloq. marvellous. 3 legendary.  fabulously adv. [Latin: related to *fable] [POD]

a new 'down-under' world record!

 
UPDATE:

Howard concedes defeat
Source: ABC News
Published: Saturday, November 24, 2007 11:24 AEDT

John Howard concedes defeat to Kevin Rudd in the federal election and says he looks set to lose his Sydney seat of Bennelong to Labor's Maxine McKew. Mr Howard says his government has led Australia into prosperity and extends his deep gratitude to his parliamentary colleagues.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2007/11/24/2100356.htm?site=elections/federal/2007


Hoo-bloody-ray! The wicked old witch is dead!


Now, we might begin, to fight our way out.


Subtitle: but only if the sheople® don't go to water.

-=*=-

"If the polls are correct..." the voters could deliver a new world record smack in the chops for Howard.

Go for it, fellas (and ladies.)

The prize - watching Howard's capitulation speech.

-=*=-

UPDATE:

For those who don't believe that we're being propagandised - not 'just' by the Murdoch rags, not 'just' by corrupt politicians, but also by *almost all* politicians, by *almost all* the (venal!) MSM, including the AusBC and SBS (Boo! Hiss!) - then any such 'doubting Thomases' may be well advised to read this article:

«Spreading Democracy
By Gozawheena Bergacker
Deep in the bowels of a Washington DC Think Tank, ... »
[ICH]

- and don't try to tell me that the same sort'a thing isn't happening here, due to our very own greedies, and almost terminal monkey see, monkey do by most'a th'Aussie sheople. And we're not 'just' being propagandised, we're being taken to the cleaners - and all the while, being made utter fools of, where a large part of the 'being made' is reflexive.

Without a change, Howard will 'lead' us deeper into the shit.

last chance saloon

 Subtitle: the AusBC vs. us, we the sheople®

-=*=-

Anyone with more than half a brain knows what I say is true, when I screech: "AusBC bias!" And yes, the expression "more than half a brain" is tough, but no-one said life was meant to be easy; and the bias *demonstrated daily* by the AusBC is (mostly) far, far from 'Left,' daaarlings - despite what the disingenuous and rabid right-whingers repeatedly try to assert.

John Howard promised us (core?) "relaxed and comfortable."

Turns out that what he meant was that the sheople should doze before their flat-screen, 5.1ch surround-sound home entertainment systems (lapping up trivia, or Hollywood-style drivel?) - while the world went to pot.

While the sheople are dozing, our resources are being flogged-off for little more than wages and a song, as our public utilities were flogged-off (Qantas, Telstra; yep, partly Labor) and now, along with the drought, there's little left, either on, off or of 'the farm' to sell.

Apart from those home entertainment systems and grossly inflated house-prices (thanks economic wizard Costello), there'll not be much left to show for all that "relaxed and comfortable" snooze-time.

And the ice is melting; arctic, ant- and glacier everywhere.

Howard says: "We gotta keep diggin' up coal!"

But it's coal (and oil; see illegal invasion/brutal occupation of Iraq) that's burning us up: Environment shock!

Howard makes threats: "Change the government and the world - your world - will change!"

Any change must be for the better, and it bloody-well better change, or we're sunk - and/or dried, fried, possibly the lot.

And the AusBC? They're (mostly) backing Howard. Boo! Hiss!

For a representative sample, try the breakfast bag.

-=*end*=-

Ref(s):

  last chance saloon:

«As an English metaphor

In everyday speech, by both American and British speakers of English, the term has been adopted to describe a situation beyond which hope or good fortune will greatly diminish.»

[wiki]

seeing the wood, and the trees too

 Subtitle: chopping through the spin

-=*=-

There was a story on twt today mentioning, almost in passing, that the two Tassie electorates 'stolen' by Howard last time are likely to fall back to Labor. ("But the Prime Minister certainly hasn't met any ordinary voters here in Tasmania so far." We could speculate as to why not.)

Could it be, that the voters have realised their mistake? That it didn't actually pay to switch? Perhaps, that Howard&Co have not 'paid' them well enough, even if at all?

Or could it just be, that not all forestry workers are as thick as two planks? (Fool them once, more fool them. Try fooling them twice, more fool him.)

-=*end*=-

PS The idea that voters get some sort'a 'hand-out' - or, better phrased: bribes - is (almost) entirely the fault of the sheople®, in asking themselves the perennial "What's in it for me?" (The 'almost' because the politicians are all too ready to offer bribes, and far too many do, daaarlings.)

Shouldn't the proper question be: "Who's gunna do the best for all of us/the country/the planet?"

Lying and murdering tyrants and apologists like Ian MacDougall

...MacD's stance is (presumably) one of 'lesser of two evils,' and it helps his 'argument' that the (ignorant, towel-headed Muslim, Islamofascist even) Iraqis are (thought? Assumed?) largely to be killing each other (as opposed to the US killing them, one supposes), now that the restraining influence of Saddam has been removed. This latter - Iraqis killing each other - MacD might think (as we really have no evidence, let alone good evidence, as to who actually is killing whom) is *merely* an unfortunate side-effect of the in-his-mind justified US (B, B & H: the lying Bush/Cheney duopoly, plus lying poodle Blair, lying dag Howard) intervention, in-my-mind *unjustifiable* illegal invasion now turned brutal occupation.

But going back to some possible 'lesser evil,' his 'argument' *for* invasion was to stop Saddam killing any more Iraqi/Marsh Arab/Kurdish et al. citizens.

*BUT* there is no evidence, let alone good evidence, as to how many might'a actually been killed by "Saddam and his two psychopathic sons."

As far as I recall, no mass-graves were ever found, except for those relating back to the Iran/Iraq war, or to the the '91 imbroglio (also possibly prompted by the US; there were stories put about, of Kuwait diagonal-drilling down and across into Iraq to steal Iraq's oil, and the US assured Saddam that they, the US, had no objection to Iraq invading Kuwait. But just about as soon as that invasion took place, the US then U-turned and moved against Saddam. Hmmm?)

(Also another not-so-BTW, two wrongs never make a right; attacking Saddam/Iraq was never going to be the solution to Saddam's badness.)

Facit: while Saddam may well have been an absolutely 'orrible murdering bastard (even if he was the US' bastard), he just wasn't into mass-slaughter much if at all after '91, say (after the US inspired rebellions - subsequently abandoned by that same US - were brutally put down.)

And *that's* the basic error at the root of MacD's stance.

Then, even if there was an humanitarian case (as he claims), it ignores the oil/Israeli components, plus the revenge[1] components, and the general imperial thrust present since at least 1893[2] (and further back, even as far back as the first successful English colony [which] had been planted in 1607 with the 'Pilgrim Fathers' following in the "Mayflower" in 1620 & the associated genocide of the 'native' peoples).

MacD claims a tenuous humanitarian rationalisation, but it was not merely tenuous, it was Oh, so cynically hyped - and he, MacD, fell for the hype - lock, stock and barrel - and all those oil barrels, to boot ($US30trio?) We can then speak of MacD's misplaced faith (aka belief independent of the facts) in the pushed paradigm, the filthily lying politicians, a venal MSM, scheming & thieving m/i-plexes, finally and perhaps the worst, the lying, land and water stealing via murdering i/j/z-plex.

-=*=-

All of which were there, and are far, far, almost infinitely worse - than Saddam ever was. Saddam was a thug, but it's the US, the supposed 'hero' who is acting like the 4th Reich, as good as *is* the 4th Reich. Nobody has ever satisfactorily answered my 'house-siege' analogy; if the cops have to storm a domestic siege/hostage situation, they afterwards do not move in, loot the house and keep all proceeds for themselves - exactly what the US intends, with its massive 'embassy' and humungous military bases - and imposed privatisation/rip-offs, puppet-regime and oil-law.

It is the US which is the lying and murdering tyrant, and it's apologists like Ian MacDougall who give that tyrant support.

-=*=-

Finally, of course there's always the problem, when choosing between the 'lesser of two evils;' one must, perforce, end up with an evil. More work required?

-=*end*=-

PS One may be able to get the sailor out'a the port (it *was* about oil, even if *not only* about oil), but one can't get the port out'a the sailor: it wouldn't've happened *without* the oil. The wannabe hegemon, pushed by the illegitimate sprog, assisted by the poodle and dag, deliberately set out to brutally mass-murder for, not exclusively perhaps, but unavoidably *oil*.

Further: y'can't say that it was based on flawed intel or that it was bungled: both'a those may well've played a part (and the intel was fixed, i.e. fudged, see Downing St. memos, dodgy dossier, yellow-cake, alu-tubes... a whole lot'a filthy lies), but when someone sets out on a criminal enterprise (as B, B & H plus hangers-on most definitely did, and assisted by their apologists then as now), criminal is as criminal does; the invasion was illegal, just as the occupation is brutal, each more murdering than the other. And apologists make themselves accessories to those crimes, including the supreme crime à la Nuremberg.

Finally: Shock'n whore® was never gunna be a lesser evil. A rather fatal error, Mr. MacDougall; we the anti-wars foresaw most if not all the problems - which properly belong to you & your ilk, so YOU can get used to the guilt & opprobrium. Hmmm?

Ref(s):

[1] Revenge? - Yeah. More 'normally' associated with Iran, Iraq incurred US revenge - for switching oil payments to EURO. Can't be seen to undermine the otherwise practically worthless US fiat currency, threaten the US deficit-swindle 'free ride,' eh?

[2] Basic Statistics for United States Imperialism.

This is, IMHO, an exceedingly important document. I do not know its 'true' origin, but I found it 1st (with a big 'Haw!') here:
apk2000.dk/netavisen/artikler/global_debat/2002-1126_us_imp_basic_stats.htm

There is another copy here:
whatreallyhappened.com/usinterventionism.html

what is vs. what could (should?) be.

Subtitle: Que sera?

-=*=-

Some big problems with "what is:"

1. Excessive & dangerous CO2 pollution.

2. Excessive & unsustainable resource (mis)use.

3. Excessive & profligate consumption by some sector(s).

A 'passenger' to the above is excessive population growth.

An actual 'driver' of the above is current 'leadership.'

-=*=-

It can be argued that the sheople® f**k like rabbits; it certainly seems that the highest population growth is most often associated with depressed living conditions and low education. An obvious antidote would be to improve living conditions and education - and certainly, to provide as much help as possible on the contraception front.

Q: Why is this not being done, in fact often the opposite?

A: Gross current 'leadership' failures.

As if that wasn't enough, the sheople are being encouraged to (over)consume - little encouragement required, but the direction nevertheless; a 'worst-case' example being humongous 4WD/SUVs as a class and the 'pits' here being the behemoth H3-Hummer. What a filthy, largely useless and senseless waste!

There might be nothing wrong with 'aspirational' per se, if the cumulative effects weren't so damaging; time to realise one may not always be able to Havidol...

-=*=-

Where we currently are is a result of ideological failure, not of the 'left' as alleged by some running-dogs of the 'right,' but failures of that right-faction itself, since it has been on the ascendancy these past years - since WW2, say; keywords Friedman, Chicago School, Perkins' Economic Hit Man, Klein's Shock Doctrine. More? Out'a control m/i-plex; colonial wars aka illegal invasions leading to brutal occupations, cf. (ex!)Palestine, Iraq - theft, torture and (mass!)murder.

We can claim 'leadership' failure exactly because the sheople are being further dumbed-down (corrupt politicians, venal MSM), further than they naturally would be, even under the worst Malthusian[1] nightmare. Laugh till you cry[2],[3]? We the sheople are being misrepresented; when we implored "No War!" we were ignored - and called a mob.

This situation being so - WYSIWYG; what to do?

The sheople, being sheople as they are, can only say: "Aorta!"

The (irresponsible!) leadership is a neff-ing disgrace.

-=*end*=-

PS As sheople, we are not exactly powerless. We have our voices, individually not much but collectively a possible "ROAR!" We have our votes, however devalued and/or corrupted. We must stand on our honour and morality, rejecting all corruption. It behoves us to speak out, and not reward any, let alone the grossest of leadership failures. Here I refer to the current incumbents[0].

Translation of an old German proverb:

"You have to take life as it happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you want to take it."

A vote for no change is unlikely to encourage desperately required improvements.

Ref(s):

[0] incumbent —adj. 1 resting as a duty (it is incumbent on you to do it). 2 (often foll. by on) lying, pressing. 3 currently holding office (the incumbent president). —n. holder of an office or post, esp. a benefice. [Latin incumbo lie upon]

[1] Malthus , Thomas Robert (1766–1834), English economist and clergyman. In Essay on Population (1798) he argued that without the practice of ‘moral restraint’ the population tends to increase at a greater rate than its means of subsistence, resulting in the population checks of war, famine, and epidemic.
DERIVATIVES
Malthusian adjective & noun
Malthusianism noun [Oxford Pop-up]

[2] Hobbesian

Hobbes , Thomas (1588–1679), English philosopher. Hobbes was a materialist, claiming that there was no more to the mind than the physical motions discovered by science, and he believed that human action was motivated entirely by selfish concerns, notably fear of death. In Leviathan (1651) he argued that absolute monarchy was the most rational, hence desirable, form of government.
DERIVATIVES
Hobbesian adjective [ibid.]

[3] Thomas Hobbes 1588–1679
English philosopher

Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from some sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly.

Human Nature (1650) ch. 9, sect. 13 [The Oxford Dictionary of QUOTATIONS]

My comment:

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.

when your only tool is...

 
.. a) a hammer; all problems look like nails.

.. b) hubris; most solutions involve arrogant pride or presumption.

.. c) criminality; most solutions don't just look like filthy crimes.

-=*=-

Some people seem to think that they can 'win' by being - well, a wee bit less than totally honest, shall we say? They seem to think that crime doesn't pay can be avoided. And by some accounts, some do so get away with criminality - for a while anyway, and I offer these three examples:

1. Howard (hopefully soon ex-PM),

2. The U S of A &

3. Israel.

Quite clearly, Howard has been less than totally honest, and 'suffers' (if that's the correct word) from hubris. As do the next 2 examples on my list.

The U S of A has roughly 5% of the world's population - but consumes roughly 25% of the world's resources. This mal-apportionment has not been achieved in a totally honest way, much to the contrary.

The state of Israel, as may clearly be seen, occupies great swathes of land which does not legally belong to that state; the state itself being of extremely dubious legality.

Each of the three think they can get away with their varying degrees of criminality; Howard has the nerve to try for yet another election win, The U S of A is by all accounts insensitive to the failures of their Iraq imbroglio (illegal invasion turned brutal occupation) and Israel just won't stop its Oh, so often murdering aggression against its neighbours.

What will each need, to teach them the error of their ways?

Some solutions - real solutions, just solutions - will be less painful and/or harmful than others.

-=*=-