Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

Never heard of that fear. Lots of others, but not that one. It's not like Africa is about to approach Asia in terms of population. Asia is over four times as populated as Africa and has well over half of the world's population.

The near future belongs to Asia.

The far future belongs to Africa.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

The near future belongs to Asia.

The far future belongs to Africa.

Japanese are actually pulling the average down. They're abstaining,

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

Japanese are actually pulling the average down. They're abstaining,

Once you go hentai you never go back.

[joecct]

The near future belongs to Asia.

The far future belongs to Africa.

Kipling is rolling over in his grave. TR too.

[Bob Gray]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

The near future belongs to Asia.

The far future belongs to Africa.

Interesting, but pretty much anything projecting out that far is highly speculative at best. And at 4 billion that would still be behind Asia's current population, and I'd assume there would be some amount of population growth there, though likely not what this article says about Africa. At 4 billion, some of the issues facing Africa would likely be staggering.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

Interesting, but pretty much anything projecting out that far is highly speculative at best. And at 4 billion that would still be behind Asia's current population, and I'd assume there would be some amount of population growth there, though likely not what this article says about Africa. At 4 billion, some of the issues facing Africa would likely be staggering.

Heck, weren't they saying that India would surpass China's population by 2050?

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

Interesting, but pretty much anything projecting out that far is highly speculative at best.

Absolutely true. There's also no telling whether being equatorial in 50 years is going to be outstanding (solar power) or hellish (climate change).

Much of my optimism about Africa comes from meeting technocrats at places like MIT and Stanford who were highly motivated to (1) make fortunes in telecomm, medicine, nanotech and (2) bring the wealth back to Africa, create stable economic and political institutions that observe the rule of law, and build a new system that mixes elements of European democracy, American entrepreneurship, and African communal values. They weren't exactly dreamers, either -- they were inspired, but also very down to earth. Their energy and commitment were pretty impressive. We'll see what they can do the next 10-25 years.

[joecct]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

The Patriot Act seemed like a good idea at the time (so did the internment of West Coast Japanese in 1942). Lots of rights get trampled when somebody attacks your country. But has the Law of Unintended Consequences shown us that the Patriot Act is, in fact, a bad law?

Case in point: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2...ofJ/story.html

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

Kipling is rolling over in his grave. TR too.

Kipling had a wry sense of humor about the whole thing. And it's not like he thought much of his fellow Brits. I suspect his WMB was parody that people didn't get, but Ernest Crosby made it explicit later:

Take up the White Man’s burden.

Send forth your sturdy kin,

And load them down with Bibles

And cannon-balls and gin.

Throw in a few diseases

To spread the tropic climes,

For there the healthy n*ggers

Are quite behind the times.

And don’t forget the factories.

On those benighted shores

They have no cheerful iron mills,

Nor eke department stores.

They never work twelve hours a day

And live in strange content,

Altho they never have to pay

A single sou of rent.

Take up the White Man’s burden,

And teach the Philippines

What interest and taxes are

And what a mortgage means.

Give them electrocution chairs,

And prisons, too, galore,

And if they seem inclined to kick,

Then spill their heathen gore.

They need our labor question, too,

And politics and fraud—

We’ve made a pretty mess at home,

Let’s make a mess abroad.

And let us ever humbly pray

The Lord of Hosts may deign

To stir our feeble memories

Lest we forget—the Maine.

Take up the White’s Man’s burden.

To you who thus succeed

In civilizing savage hordes,

They owe a debt, indeed;

Concessions, pensions, salaries,

And privilege and right—

With outstretched hands you raised to bless

Grab everything in sight.

Take up the White Man’s burden

And if you write in verse,

Flatter your nation’s vices

And strive to make them worse.

Then learn that if with pious words

You ornament each phrase,

In a world of canting hypocrites

This kind of business pays.

[joecct]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

Kipling had a wry sense of humor about the whole thing. And it's not like he thought much of his fellow Brits. I suspect his WMB was parody that people didn't get, but Ernest Crosby made it explicit later:

IIRC the White Mans Burden was dedicated to TR for his "pacification" of the Phillippines.

[unofan]

The Patriot Act seemed like a good idea at the time (so did the internment of West Coast Japanese in 1942). Lots of rights get trampled when somebody attacks your country. But has the Law of Unintended Consequences shown us that the Patriot Act is, in fact, a bad law?

Case in point: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2...ofJ/story.html

There were numerous people against the patriot act from the beginning. And Im not sure I agree these consequences are unintended.

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

There were numerous people against the patriot act from the beginning. And Im not sure I agree these consequences are unintended.

We should test the theory. Create a huge, completely peaceful, polite, friendly protest movement that simply says, "Roll back the entire surveillance state. Restore September 10th." Pure peaceful resistance, across the entire political spectrum, no other linked issues.

We'll get called naive or crazy, and that's fine. Most people are more worried about terrorists than surveillance so we probably won't win politically. But if we get put on the watchlist or thrown in jail for that, then at least we'll know where we stand.

[Old Pio]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

We should test the theory. Create a huge, completely peaceful, polite, friendly protest movement that simply says, "Roll back the entire surveillance state. Restore September 10th." Pure peaceful resistance, across the entire political spectrum, no other linked issues.

We'll get called naive or crazy, and that's fine. Most people are more worried about terrorists than surveillance so we probably won't win politically. But if we get put on the watchlist or thrown in jail for that, then at least we'll know where we stand.

If that piece of sh*t Anwar Al Awlaki were still alive, he'd agree with you. I'm sure "Dr." Hasan does.

[joecct]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

We should test the theory. Create a huge, completely peaceful, polite, friendly protest movement that simply says, "Roll back the entire surveillance state. Restore September 10th." Pure peaceful resistance, across the entire political spectrum, no other linked issues.

We'll get called naive or crazy, and that's fine. Most people are more worried about terrorists than surveillance so we probably won't win politically. But if we get put on the watchlist or thrown in jail for that, then at least we'll know where we stand.

The Tea Party tried that. Look where it got them.

But if there is one near me, count me in.

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror Version 6 - Perpetual Motion Machine

The Tea Party tried that.

No they didn't. The TP was only anti-surveillance as subservient to their whole anti-government (that is, anti-Democratic government) paranoid fantasy, and even then they still cross-matrixed it with all sorts of other stuff, the good (burn the banks), the bad (burn the Fed), and the ugly (burn the Mexicans).