This country's going to the dogs, or: 'My Manifesto' (draft)

[V-Agent]

Dear V-Agent:

Thanks for clipping out my post.

I thereby had a chance to insert an "l" into the word "believable", having left it out the first time.

I think we should, by the way, "believe-abe" ( Lincoln), except when he argued for the suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War . . .

Cheers and friendly greetings for the opal prospectors down under,


--Z

I didn't even notice.
I can understand your relief, as I myself find bad spelling a tad annoying (almost manadatory on the internet it seems...)

Lincoln was indeed an interesting bundle of paradoxes, though if any of the founding father's words are to be heeded, it's (in my oppinion) the greatest of them all: Benjamin Franklin.

How I wish he was alive giving the government hell today...

(Sadly, considering he helped support the American rebel forces with both money and weapons - including home made bombs, he would for all intents and purposes be labelled a "terrorist" in this day and age and propably be sitting in Guanatanamo nursing a saw rectum from the same "bottle" interogations David Hicks has had to suffer through).

[microbe]

I can understand your relief, as I myself find bad spelling a tad annoying

"manadatory" "oppinion" "saw rectum" "interogations"


Hmmmmm! Was that humour then??

[V-Agent]

Nope, it's bad spelling.

*Boom*Boom*

[abcrystcats]

"Does Big Brother exist"? ( Winston asks . . .)

"Of course he exists. The Party exists. Big Brother is the embodiment of the Party."

"Does he exist in the same way as I exist?"

"You do not exist," said O'Brien.

This is the heart of it. We are not real. We don't stand for any part of reality. The reality is the government propaganda, the spin. If we are told WMD exist in Iraq, then they must exist. Whether they are there or not makes no difference. If we are told there are terrorists living among us, then they must be found and punished. Proof doesn't matter; belief matters. And if the government can get us to believe something, that belief is all powerful, and truth is meaningless.

No, we do not exist. Maybe you're right and it's better that way, I don't know.

[V-Agent]

That's the trick they're playing on us: they make us believe that we do not count, but if we believe, then we do.

Never let them tell you otherwise; you exists and you count.

Remember: if you think, then you are; and you are what you think...

[Zlatko Waterman]

Recall, Kat:


That in the ROLLING STONE article about the guy who sold us the Iraq War, his own self-created job title was, "Information Warrior."

Exactly as Orwell said in his novel: the one who controls the information wins. Because everything else just goes "down the memory hole"-- the incinerator.

The Nazis believed they could put people in there also.

V-Agent is right. The only thing that can turn around the BUSHREICH is numbers of people.

But, as yet, those people are not ready to speak up.

O'Brien also tells Winston:

"Do not think that the proles will rebel and rise up. They would not rise up in a thousand years."

" . . .You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us. But we create human nature. Men are infinitely malleable. Or perhaps you have returned to your old idea that the proletarians or the slaves will arise and overthrow us. Put it out of your mind. They are helpless, like the animals. Humanity is the Party. The others are outside, irrelevant."

("Nineteen Eighty-Four")

But that was a rather pessimistic novel.

"He loved Big Brother" ( the conclusion of the book) need not be our future.

Though maybe : "He loved Exxon" might be . . .


--Z

[abcrystcats]

This part is interesting:

You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us. But we create human nature. Men are infinitely malleable. Or perhaps you have returned to your old idea that the proletarians or the slaves will arise and overthrow us. Put it out of your mind. They are helpless, like the animals.

Is there something called human nature which is outraged by injustice and rebels against it?

Yes or no?

Or are we "infinitely malleable" ? Do we just bend to the will of the strongest party?

Are we "helpless" or do we just choose not to help ourselves? And why is it that we don't choose it, IF we have the choice?

And .... I don't know. I wouldn't say that it makes us like animals, even if we are "infinitely malleable."

I don't know how "malleable" my cats are, but it's certainly NOT infinite. My thumbnail has FINALLY grown back, six months after a cat ripped it off -- proving to me for once and for all that animals are quite capable of resisting perceived injustice (lol).

If animals can resist, can't we? And if not, why not? If we are "slaves" are we slaves to our OWN ability to rationalize?

Sorry, just a lot of questions, but I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas about whether or not there is something noble called "human nature" that we possess ....

[mtmynd]

Thx, V-A, for the great read (and the inspired equally great replies!). I often wondered what had happened to the great original music of 'down yonder' and now understand what has happened - our music giants have shadowed but yet another original sound... pity for the youth and others that enjoy a decent sound to accompany their drugs and booze.

Tell me more about Hungary when you find out, eh? Doesn't the U.S. have an embassy (eavesdropper) there, too???

[V-Agent]

The US has embassies everywhere, especially in the ex-eastern block.
They also have military installations, airodromes, artillery caches, etc, etc.
Economically, too, the US is everywhere in Hungary and eastern Europe.

The good news is that Hungary has joined the EU, but as yet hasn't adopted the Euro, so things are relatively cheap with the Forint, and with the passport I can travel Europe without any Visa/work difficulties.
It's all good!

On top of that, the place is alive - especially Budapest, in a way that Australia just isn't.