tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post116127743550469494..comments2024-03-29T06:22:47.638-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: The Past Shines Light on the FutureDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161641152095774642006-10-23T15:05:00.000-07:002006-10-23T15:05:00.000-07:00Heh... thanks for having a thick skin, Hope. Your...Heh... thanks for having a thick skin, Hope. Your picture doesn't show a rhino hide at all ;-)<BR/><BR/>Drop further past and see my long essays on both Gerrymandering and (especially) "Modernism and its enemies."<BR/><BR/>Those are bookable.<BR/><BR/>Above all, see The Transparent Society: Will Technology Make Us Choose Between Privacy and Freedom? <BR/><BR/>Good luck.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161625414779306802006-10-23T10:43:00.000-07:002006-10-23T10:43:00.000-07:00Wow, I had no idea you were sort of famous. My fri...Wow, I had no idea you were sort of famous. My friend Carlos says you wrote the book the movie 'The Postman' was made from--but I didn't think it was fair to judge you on the basis of that, so he loaned me the paperback, which I am one-half of the way through. I thought I'd read it in case I am being insulted by somebody like Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov ;) Being called names can be sexy sometimes--but only when the right person is doing it. Not that it would work with Arthur C. Clarke.<BR/><BR/><BR/>In the meantime, I gotta be honest with you..I'm not really sure what there is on this site that's appropriate for putting into a 'blook', as you say you are going to. Don't people pay for those? As I understand it, a blook is either a narrative like a novel, or a non-fiction series like 'Demon Wife' in Japan--either way, it seems to me that it's about people. And a story. In fact, I bet I could write a blook myself, and I've just this minute decided I will on my own blog site! Thanks for giving me the idea!<BR/><BR/>I double-dare you to come 'have a blook' sometime ;)Hope Muntzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06214486235470401901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161542903887762902006-10-22T11:48:00.000-07:002006-10-22T11:48:00.000-07:00Rob, I agree that the Civil War did not settle the...Rob, I agree that the Civil War did not settle the secession issue. This is why I DEEPLY oppose accession of Puerto Rico to the US, unless they vote to join with 90% majority and swearing never ever to even try to secede.<BR/><BR/>But secession is not what Round Two of the Civil War is about, at all. It is the struggle of romanticism against modernism, written geographically. Read Mark Twain’s denunciation of Sir Walter Scott’s influence on the South. He knew the war was as much between a rising rural feudalism and urban modernism as it was about slavery. Likewise today, the Grey -- oops, red -- counties hate exactly the same things. And we must be almost as militant as our forebears were, in refusing to let them reject America’s role as Land of Tomorrow.<BR/><BR/>TC, you are eloquent. But you ignore a fundamental. When we were led by adults, we had no problem absorbing minor blows while striking genuine enemies efficient and devastatingly competent blows. Se my comparison of the Iraq and Balkan wars at:<BR/>http://www.davidbrin.com/neocons.html<BR/><BR/>Yes, we have enemies! I was among the first to predict the present situation:<BR/>http://www.davidbrin.com/newmemewar1.html<BR/>But that is not the issue. The issue is whether we have leaders who BOTH want to win and can do so with more competence than a crypto-biotic tardigrade.<BR/><BR/>-------------<BR/>* <B>Paranoid riff warning!:</B> The “real and mature” David Brin is signing off. He is not responsible for what follows, which is being typed by the Sci Fi guy within. *<BR/><BR/>I agree that there may be puzzling imperfections to the subornation/competence theory -- perhaps better called a variant on the Manchurian Candidate (or Riyadhian Candidate?) Theory -- which suggests that today’s display of staggeringly incompetent statecraft may instead be explained as deliberate state <I>ruination</I> by traitors who are acting in direct service to a hostile foreign power. <BR/><BR/>(Funny how the same people who were only too happy to imagine such things when the purported conspiracy center was the Soviet KGB, now deem ANY such thought - even in rumination - to be absurd beyond legitimate consideration. Even though subornation of the leadership clade - using bribery, ideology and especially blackmail - has a tradition going back thousands of years.)<BR/><BR/>All right, Anonymous points out that the near perfect correlation is marred somewhat by the fact that there has been a <I>second</I> “big winner” across the last six years. Let’s ponder that.<BR/><BR/>Oh, no doubt a certain r’oil house has virtually appointed nearly every high level figure in this administration, especially in areas having to do with national security. (And, above all, in the services that might have done counter-intelligence correlations to reveal such patterns.) <BR/><BR/>And certainly there are no known cases of that house <B>not </B>benefiting from a relevant administration policy. These two facts combine very well with three others:<BR/><BR/>Means: a trillion petro dollars.<BR/><BR/>Motive: the most explicit and searing hatred of our culture possible, expressed relentlessly, from state propaganda down to the level of school textbooks.<BR/><BR/>Opportunity: to make us repeat the worst American mistake of the 20th Century? The one that divided and bankrupted and corrupted us? A chance just too rich to pass up.<BR/><BR/>Still <B>Iran is troubling</B> to the perfection of this sci fi paranoid fantasy. I mean, haven’t the mullahs over there benefitted almost as much as the r’oils? From skyrocketing petro prices to Condi’s insipid saber rattling, that deliberately threw the last Iranian election to the theocrats? And then there is the convenience of America off’ing their worst enemy, then turning Southern Iraq into a private Iranian satrapy. <BR/><BR/>Isn’t incompetence a better explanation for THAT? Why would we want Iran stronger? Anyway, doesn’t this fly in the face of the blatant “civil war” between Shia and Sunni Islam, that seems to be flaming out of control? Can the fantasy story-plot be salvaged? <BR/><BR/>Well, yes, in fact. If you consider one more possibility. That the Shia-Sunni fighting at the bottom layer... among the poor and ill-educated... is simply unimportant. Among the much calmer elites on both sides of the divide, you do not hear bile expressed toward the other sect. Indeed, there is much talk of restoring the “Uma” -- the pan Islamic state in which all such differences were quelled in favor of jihad against external enemies.<BR/><BR/>Consider what a gesture it would be, to tell the Iranian mullahs, “we’ll send the Americans to bring you gifts... many, many gifts. This will prove (1) our power over the Great Satan and (2) our good will to you. Let these gifts draw us together in common cause.”<BR/><BR/>(“While we let our peasants slaughter each other to maintain a mask of disunion that will lull our enemies, until it is too late”)<BR/><BR/><B>* Paranoid rant mode off. Hope you enjoyed the tale. Pray that it’s just a tale.* </B>David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161519184153768952006-10-22T05:13:00.000-07:002006-10-22T05:13:00.000-07:00Dr. Brin said, I give up. I always get a slap on t...Dr. Brin said, <I>I give up. I always get a slap on the wrist from some of you for going here. I do it in hope that some mid-level (but brilliant) counter-intelligence officer at CIA will read these things, and get an idea... and save us all by finally connecting the dots. Actually. I hope for something else even more. I hope, desperately, that I am wrong.</I><BR/><BR/>First, don’t give up. You know how reliable a motivator despair is!<BR/><BR/>Second, I don’t buy into a conspiracy theory -- conspiracies are too hard to maintain. Besides, I honestly believe that President Bush is trying to do the right thing. <BR/><BR/>I suspect what we’re seeing instead is a very well executed attack on America by someone who knows our weaknesses. We have a planning window that’s even shorter than the election cycle. We have just about zero understanding of history, and we have zero understanding of other perspectives and cultures.<BR/><BR/>So if I were an enemy of the United States, I’d launch a frontal assault that would require a military response knowing that such an event would consume the voters’ attention -- and the government’s as well. I would continue to feed the US bad intelligence (wasn’t it the exiled Iraqis US who were instrumental in convincing the us and world that Iraq still had WMDs? And why haven’t we captured bin Laden yet? Bad intelligence.) to keep us confused. Supposedly, our human intelligence network is still a bit thin from an over reliance on technology. We sift data to draw conclusions; all someone has to do is understand the sifting methodology, and they could tailor the input data to affect the outcomes. <BR/><BR/>And while the US is fighting and confused, I’d launch a diplomatic attack to discredit her among other key nations -- using the fighting and confused parts as ammunition.<BR/><BR/>I really don’t know who’s behind the attack. It might just be terrorist elements. It might be several states. It’s probably a combination. The trouble is, the world situation is way too complex for easy mental models -- at least for me. Is the increasingly left-leaning governments in South America part of the plan, or a coincidence? Is the hijacking of Islam (a historically peaceful faith -- look who preserved the writing of the Greeks) a coincidence or part of the plan? Or even an exploited opportunity? <BR/><BR/>I think a comment you made in a previous post, Dr. Brin, nicely summed up how we need to approach this situation: <I>The way to truly crush intolerance is the way parents deal with the hysterics of small children. By taking the small hammer-blows, absorbing the tantrum, firmly disallowing any larger harm, and wrapping the frenetic soul in an embrace of patient confidence.</I><BR/><BR/>It’s going to be hard as long as we’re embroiled in a right versus left thing, but we’ll see how this election goes. In my lifetime anyway, Republicans were always better as a minority party.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161498067706814142006-10-21T23:21:00.000-07:002006-10-21T23:21:00.000-07:00TB, one of the things which the Civil War actually...TB, one of the things which the Civil War actually didn't solve was whether a State has the right of secession. Two States, the Republic of California and the Republic of Texas, were admitted into the Union under terms which permit them full rights of secession, I'm told. <BR/><BR/>And frankly I think any State may still secede. I don't know that I have much confidence in today's federal government or any remaining loyalist States to invade to bring them back into the Union.Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13115249244056328076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161491416027379052006-10-21T21:30:00.000-07:002006-10-21T21:30:00.000-07:00Dr. Brin,As much as I love this conspiracy theory ...Dr. Brin,<BR/><BR/>As much as I love this conspiracy theory (and it is one of my favorite), it does have one serious flaw. While it is true that much of American military and intelligence policy under Bush has fit nicely with discrediting US standing, one major aspect of the war does not align at all with Mecca's interests in the region (contrast with the war of Bush père): Iran.<BR/><BR/>Indeed, the war has probably been a bigger, relative, boon to Tehran than anyone. So your theory has made its first testable prediction. If there is a competent, intelligent, (treasonous) motivation behind US policy then that requires the rhetoric against Iran to result in action.<BR/><BR/>Of course, a repeat of the Iraq fiasco with the neighbor could always be attributed to further incomeptence, but it would truly narrow the cui bono of this administration down to Al Saud.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161490318134991072006-10-21T21:11:00.000-07:002006-10-21T21:11:00.000-07:00The present red/blue conflict goes back even beyon...The present red/blue conflict goes back even beyond the Civil War. The fundamental question is who will govern the people, "the people themselves" vs "a worthy few who know best for all".<BR/><BR/>Since the Civil War eliminated the possibility of escape from the Union, the focus has moved away from attempts to defend "States Rights" - now commonly considered wholly subject to federal approval - to who will control the federal government.<BR/><BR/>I think mostly as an outcome of the Civil War, the Blue States (urban, industrial, modern) have wielded the most influence over the federal government, imposing their moral views on the Red States - such things as protection of black voting and legal rights, anti-discrimination laws, abortion rights, teaching of evolution, prohibition of religion in the schools, UN/WTO/globalism, etc.<BR/><BR/>The Blues can hardly fault the Reds for getting organized to seize political power and impose their views, after the Blues have so long had their way and imposed their moral views.<BR/><BR/>I thought one scene from the "Red State" movie was especially eloquent - where the interviewer asks if a store owner should be allowed decide not to sell to a person (meaning a minority), and the woman says the owner absolutely should have the right, on the grounds of property rights. <BR/><BR/>That perspective is so alien to the interviewer, that he is literally dumb-founded - unable to decide how to respond. He is so accustomed to thinking of his point of view as the only moral and right point of view, that it's as if someone had said "Of course God is evil" to a Christian who had up to that moment considered the other person pleasant and sane, if perhaps a bit odd.<BR/><BR/>Lest someone mistake the above as me opposing the list of things the Blues have imposed on the Reds, I should say that I'm in favor of the outcomes of those impositions - but not their imposition by federal law. <BR/><BR/>If Blues truly wish to disarm the Reds, they should look at turning back to a limited States Rights position. Allow any state to overrule federal regulation, provided the state is able to institute that via a state constitutional ammendment based on at least a 60% majority in a popular vote referendum. <BR/><BR/>So if California wished to legalize marijuana, or Missouri wished to outlaw teaching of evolution, it could. Place some things off limits - equal legal rights before the law and probably civil rights laws, and of course the few powers actually granted the federal government by the US Constitution.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161470555974259292006-10-21T15:42:00.000-07:002006-10-21T15:42:00.000-07:00The current political environment is nothing like ...The current political environment is nothing like the Civil War continued. After all, if the South wanted to secede from the Union today no one would stop them....Xactiphynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08254344563346437079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161453700340117612006-10-21T11:01:00.000-07:002006-10-21T11:01:00.000-07:00Limit your sources of information to those who str...<I>Limit your sources of information to those who strongly agree with you and tolerate no dissent whatsoever.</I><BR/><BR/>The "Eternal" Means with which to keep all well-endowed institutions alive and stupid. <BR/><BR/>Of course, that doesn't apply to institutions subject to market forces.<BR/><BR/>Now, the rest of you can continue splitting the proverbial hairs here.jomamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11059960615448444452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161450842309781142006-10-21T10:14:00.000-07:002006-10-21T10:14:00.000-07:00Vote Anti-Incumbent this November - it's the ONLY ...Vote Anti-Incumbent this November - it's the ONLY form of message that the politicians really care about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161442883896774692006-10-21T08:01:00.000-07:002006-10-21T08:01:00.000-07:00What happened in Rome cannot happen here because w...<I>What happened in Rome cannot happen here because we have a communications system far superior to that of the Roman Empire, technologies that allow people to thwart tyranny.</I><BR/>ROTFLMAO!!!<BR/><BR/>It is happening here. <BR/><BR/>And our propaganda sysytems are also far superior to anything the Romans had, not to mention our surveillance technology.<BR/><BR/><I> If the government became a tyranny, there would be rebellion. </I><BR/>Tell that to Jose Padilla.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><I>It would be fought on many fronts. There would be multiple attacks over the internet. There would be multiple militia groups turning against the government.</I><BR/><BR/>I am still waiting...<BR/><BR/><I>There would be outside (other-national) pressure against such a dictatorship. An American Tyranny is something that the world does not want... because if one or even a few people controls this country... without a means of removing that person from power... it's too great a threat. One person could easily destroy the world.</I><BR/><BR/>And there is, why do you think NK & Iran are trying to get Nukes, Chavez is undermining the US in Latin America, France is tying up the US up in knots at the UN and China and Russia are blocking all of our moves in Central Asia.Don Quijotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355584994080980478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161436219719766262006-10-21T06:10:00.000-07:002006-10-21T06:10:00.000-07:00DonQ, you really are an archetype. Um... WHICH Ame...<I>DonQ, you really are an archetype. Um... WHICH America are you talking about? The Old Union and the Coasts and the cities did not elect these people... except for those traitors in Ohio and Indiana, who seem to have forgotten what colors their forebears wore in the first round of this Civil War.</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>Excuse me, but the civil war ended over a hundred and fifty years ago.<BR/><BR/>The people who voted in this Congress and this Senate (you know that Legislative branch that keeps rolling over in front of the Executive Branch, you know the branch that just made Habeus Corpus a quaint relic of the past, that made Torture and Disapearance legal) came from all of the fifty states of these United States. <BR/><BR/><I>People, keep noticing this weird reflex on the left to DEFEND Bush & co as nothing special or to get worked up about!</I><BR/><BR/>I got plenty worked up about it, but after watching the Dems lose the 2002 election after the Florida Judicial Coup, the 2004 election despite the fact that the Democratic Candidate was a "REAL WAR HERO" and not some AWOL guardsman, and now expecting them to lose the next Election, I figure the American Public is getting what it deserves.<BR/><BR/><I>It is one of the more fascinating epiphenomena to emerge from all this.</I><BR/><BR/>The most ascinating epiphenomena to emerge from all this, is "the small goverment, don't thread on me conservatives" roll over in front of Bush and give him every thing he has asked for. <BR/><BR/><I> What they fear most is an awakening of sincere American Goldwater conservatives, joining the revolution.</I><BR/><BR/>I have no such fear, there aren't any!<BR/><BR/><I>DQ: the aspirations of 300 million people summarised in one sentence?<BR/><BR/>No.</I><BR/>Actually it's the aspirations of 6 Billion people, it's just that most of them aren't stupid/ignorant enough to believe that they can get it, unlike the 50 odd million who voted for Shrub in 2000 and 2004.Don Quijotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355584994080980478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161389477530031122006-10-20T17:11:00.000-07:002006-10-20T17:11:00.000-07:00I second the motion for better blogging software. ...I second the motion for better blogging software. I mean, what we really need is better-<I>than</I>-blogging software, but unless someone is willing to make <I>Earth</I> a self-fulfilling prophecy, I don't know when that will happen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161382432468301692006-10-20T15:13:00.000-07:002006-10-20T15:13:00.000-07:00DB said: "Destruction of our military readiness, o...DB said: "Destruction of our military readiness, our financial footing, our social cohesion, any connection between government and science, our leadership standing with allies, , our popularity across the world. All wrecked, smoldering in near-total ruin." <BR/><BR/>I'd disagree that our military readiness is "destroyed" - distracted and tied up is more like it.<BR/><BR/>Leadership and popularity, they consider irrelevant - we can go it alone.<BR/><BR/>As to the rest, I don't think they really see the problems they're creating. Their cronies are doing great - so where's the problem?<BR/><BR/>Social cohesion? They got the Presidency and both houses didn't they - how cohesive can you get? <BR/><BR/>Science? - science is fine, as long as it stays within boundaries set by religion. <BR/><BR/>And one you didn't mention - Civil rights? If you're a good citizen, you don't need "rights" - you can trust them to do right by you...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161373915755185132006-10-20T12:51:00.000-07:002006-10-20T12:51:00.000-07:00a) He's arguing hyperbole, which is fine. He's act...a) He's arguing hyperbole, which is fine. He's actually quite very eloquent with it and his examples are intelligent. <BR/><BR/>b) Every *single* example he cited was reversed by the people. The pendulum swung back.<BR/><BR/>c) He's on MSNBC. Six people watch that. (Though, to be fair, it looks like he has an entertaining format. I may begin to watch, if only to compare how long it takes me to get tired of him the way I got tired of O'Reilly.)<BR/> <BR/>d) Because his stuff was picked up and trumpeted far and wide by exactly the people conservatives already reflexively ignore for crying wolf all the time about a man they hate because he won a greater percentage of electors than he did popular votes, conservatives reflexively ignore him. Or types like Hannity reflexively strawman him, corrupting the message. <BR/><BR/>e) He committed an *egregious* fallacy, conflating what Bush says about newsmen with what he says about terrorists right at the beginning of his missive. There is no excuse for that.Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13115249244056328076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161372795294305322006-10-20T12:33:00.000-07:002006-10-20T12:33:00.000-07:00Tony re: Blur-weave camo... wow! Have you put thi...Tony re: Blur-weave camo... wow! Have you put this on the Earth Wiki?<BR/><BR/>Notice I called it blur, not invisibility. I really liked Predator for that reason.<BR/><BR/>DonQ, you really are an archetype. Um... WHICH America are you talking about? The Old Union and the Coasts and the cities did not elect these people... except for those traitors in Ohio and Indiana, who seem to have forgotten what colors their forebears wore in the first round of this Civil War. <BR/><BR/>People, keep noticing this weird reflex on the left to DEFEND Bush & co as nothing special or to get worked up about! It is one of the more fascinating epiphenomena to emerge from all this. What they fear most is an awakening of sincere American Goldwater conservatives, joining the revolution.<BR/><BR/>But they can sigh relief. Apparently, that ain't gonna happen. The stereotypes are safe.<BR/><BR/>Blake: In Earth, "sequestration" has a somewhat different meaning. It is a positive thing, like patents and copyrights, devised to lure secret holders partly into the open. They can pay a fee and sequester "secrets" for various lengths of time, and then be safe from prosecution for Actual and Significant Secrecy (A.S.S.) But sequestered secrets may be viewed by specially licensed Fair Witnesses who can advise about long-term consequences.<BR/><BR/>Andrea: I'd like to break up my posts. But I promised my wife to only post twice a week (except maybe near elections!) Also, some I like to leave up a few days, if I feel they are important. But your advice is heeded. I'll ponder.<BR/><BR/>What I really need is to get some decent blogware and design a better site based at http://www.davidbrin.com SOmeday... when not swamped.<BR/><BR/>Thanks re the "ArchiTechs!" Spread word about the prime time showing! November 1 at 8pm!<BR/><BR/>Rob, Olbermann has put the challenge square. Conservatives who ignore their duty are not ONLY lesser men than the liberals of 1947. They are also dooming conservatism.<BR/><BR/>------<BR/><BR/>Anybody want to see a wide-ranging “Tech Talk” that Sheldon Brown & I delivered at Google HQ on October 17, 2006. That's the same day my Holocene patent issued! View the presentation at: http://tinyurl.com/yy7yxm (Manyother topics were also covered in: "Methods of 21st Century Problem-Solving.")<BR/><BR/>I see that right after our talk, Google shares are pushing the $500 mark. I feel personally responsible for this.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161368436471608472006-10-20T11:20:00.000-07:002006-10-20T11:20:00.000-07:00Is Olbermann really saying something new?No, not r...Is Olbermann really saying something new?<BR/><BR/>No, not really.<BR/><BR/>That doesn't make his message wrong, or unnecessary.<BR/><BR/>* * *<BR/><BR/>Shit, meet fan:<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/19/AR2006101901692.html" REL="nofollow">Court Told It Lacks Power in Detainee Cases</A><BR/><BR/>'Moving quickly to implement the bill signed by President Bush this week that authorizes military trials of enemy combatants, the administration has formally notified the U.S. District Court here that it no longer has jurisdiction to consider hundreds of habeas corpus petitions filed by inmates at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.<BR/><BR/>In a notice dated Wednesday, the Justice Department listed 196 pending habeas cases, some of which cover groups of detainees. The new Military Commissions Act (MCA), it said, provides that "no court, justice, or judge" can consider those petitions or other actions related to treatment or imprisonment filed by anyone designated as an enemy combatant, now or in the future.'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161366907604752342006-10-20T10:55:00.000-07:002006-10-20T10:55:00.000-07:00A format comment, rather than a topical one.David,...A format comment, rather than a topical one.<BR/><BR/>David, would you feel comfortable breaking your long posts into shorter, more specific ones? I know it is pandering to those of us who are attention-challenged, but I think it would make the blog more readable.<BR/><BR/>It also lets the comment thread on each of the ideas be more focused.<BR/><BR/>By the way, nice show (which I finally watched). Team worked well together, some very sharp ideas. The parasitic elevator was excellent. As someone who does a lot of creative problem solving professionally, it's fun!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161358708009629942006-10-20T08:38:00.000-07:002006-10-20T08:38:00.000-07:00This is the official Olbermann transcript.Honestly...<A HREF="http://www.msnbc.com/id/15321167" REL="nofollow"> This</A> is the official Olbermann transcript.<BR/><BR/>Honestly, though, do you really think he's saying anything new? After all the comments in all the weeks since, I dunno, all the time he's been on the air, the only thing conservatives will really do (if they're watching at all) is say something like, "Oh he's so cuuuuuuuute when that vein pops out on his neck!"Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13115249244056328076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161357997510560182006-10-20T08:26:00.000-07:002006-10-20T08:26:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13115249244056328076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161352538157995622006-10-20T06:55:00.000-07:002006-10-20T06:55:00.000-07:00Totally off-topic, another (minor) Earth hit: 'Blu...Totally off-topic, another (minor) Earth hit: 'Blur-weave camouflage'<BR/><A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6064620.stm" REL="nofollow">Experts create invisibility cloak</A>Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161350102211040462006-10-20T06:15:00.000-07:002006-10-20T06:15:00.000-07:00Thank You NoOne.As you say, Stefan, Olbermann is f...Thank You NoOne.<BR/><BR/>As you say, Stefan, Olbermann is firing on all cylinders (and how could you not, with stuff like this to rail against?!)<BR/><BR/>Quoting one piece from the transcript:<BR/><BR/><I>If you are pulled off the street tomorrow, and they call you an alien or an undocumented immigrant or an "unlawful enemy combatant" -- exactly how are you going to convince them to give you a court hearing to prove you are not? Do you think this Attorney General is going to help you?</I><BR/><BR/>Coincidentally, here's one way of tackling this: <A HREF="http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005105.html" REL="nofollow">Tracking Hasan Elahi</A>. It could have come straight out of 'The Transparent Society'!<BR/><BR/>But of course, if you no longer have the right to ask 'Why am I here?', then why would they bother going to the effort of finding out? <BR/><BR/>(You are here because you deserve to be. Now confess!)<BR/><BR/>DQ: the aspirations of 300 million people summarised in one sentence? <BR/><BR/>No.Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161349713905019892006-10-20T06:08:00.000-07:002006-10-20T06:08:00.000-07:00There is a much simpler explanation for the Bush d...There is a much simpler explanation for the Bush disaster, the American people wanted something for nothing!<BR/><BR/>He is but the symptom of the American disease (ignorance, arrogance and greed) and not the disease.Don Quijotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355584994080980478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161348677973073072006-10-20T05:51:00.000-07:002006-10-20T05:51:00.000-07:00Those who do not learn from history are doomed to ...Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Those of us who do learn from history are doomed to say "I told you so!".<BR/><BR/>They tell you that history repeats itself. What they don't tell you that the first time it's a tragedy, the second time it's a farce.<BR/><BR/>History does not repeat itself. Historians repeat each other.<BR/><BR/>One of the lessons of history is that we do not learn the lessons of history.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1161344228302848722006-10-20T04:37:00.000-07:002006-10-20T04:37:00.000-07:00Tony Fisk requested a transcript of Keith Olberman...Tony Fisk requested a transcript of Keith Olbermann's stunning monologue on the suspension of habeas corpus.<BR/><BR/>While this source is not authoritative, it matches up well. From <BR/><A HREF="http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/43258/" REL="nofollow">Alternet</A>.NoOnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08685249095572192084noreply@blogger.com