Anniversary

[poliphilo]

I've just looked at the date.

Oh my- 9/11!

Why wasn't I apprised of this? Why weren't the papers full of commemorative stuff?

I guess because we've moved on. We have Iraq to worry about. Katrina has changed the paradigm just as the attack on the twin towers once did.

This is a fast-moving century.

We're packing more history into the available time than we ever did before.

Comments

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

4 years that have had their share of bad events... 9/11 was horrifying, but so is the aftermath that we are still experiencing. Reason, tolerance and common (well; not so common any more) sense has largely been replaced by mistrust, scape-goating and stereotyping. I'm not happy with these times at all.

But We The People have asked for it ourselves; we've voted our leaders into power, whether it's Bush, Blair or Ramussen. Why do people do that? When will they learn that a "strong leader" is often just someone who sees things as black and white and refuse to acknowledge that the greys or, indeed, the colour spectrum? Are we so easily scared (or so gullible) that we'll vote for anyone who promises us a simple solution?

I s'pose we are. I'm fighting hard to retain my belief in democracy, but sometimes I just wish for an intelligent oligarchy, really. I suppose I think of myself as "more equal" than the people who voted for our current government, scary as that is. I am a pig. Now, where are my dogs?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think these are crisis times for democracy. I've found myself thinking the same bleak thoughts. If the vote isn't delivering good government then what about the alternatives?

But finally I think I have to agree with Churchill. "Democracy is the worst form of government- apart from all the others."

[mummm.livejournal.com]

You two are such wonderful writers. Thank you for making me think your thoughts.

Churchill... so smart despite all of his critics.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

I'm not an uncritical admirer of Churchill's. He was wrong about a lot of things- but wonderfully right about One Thing when it really mattered.

He had a great gift for phrase-making too.

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

I know there is no alternative if I want to be able to take pride in who I am and what I feel; I have to be a bleeding-hearted, tolerant, socialist democrat, but sometimes I just wish I could be something else.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Deomcracy is in trouble. Fewer people are voting. In a way it's the victim of it's own success.

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

It was Thomas Jefferson I believe who said the masses are too stupid to rule themselves. I think you're spot on re: the election of Bush, although in my countrymen's defense, 48%+ of us did NOT vote for the man (not an insignificant number). John Kerry was portrayed by the Bush campaign as a flip-flopper, and we couldn't have that in the White House in a time of war. Because God knows there's nothing worse than a leader capable of changing his mind in the face of new information/circumstances.

All sarcasm aside, I have to remain on democracy's side, if only because despotism is a bit harder to pull off. Unless of course, you were the despot. Then I'd be first in line to witness your coronation. :P

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

First of all I'm not just talking about America. The situation is, in this particular respect, just as bad in, say, Denmark and England, since these countries are part of the "coalition of the willing". The political rhetorics in Denmark is becoming increasingly sharp these days, and the public discourse, ah well... Not pleasant!

-And I don't want to be crowned; I just want to sit on the coucil of wise elders... :-P

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

Oh I know, I was just speaking from my own experience. I'm sure things aren't much better across the pond.