ANZACs and war and stuff

[bogan]

Yeah, too many greedy, selfish, magalomaniac leeching humans involved for true democracy to function.

A true democracy has no positions for those to exploit, what we have is a 'representative' democracy.

[FJRider]

ANZAC and war seems to be the stuff of confusion. My radio told me ...

Turn your radio off if it confuses you.

Rely on the internet ... it wont lie to you.

[mashman]

Selfishness, intolerance, greed, pride, avarice, prejudice, uncompromising independent thinking, all evident in mankind. You have such people trying to rule same. Utopia is man's dream but his own frailties prevent it ever being realised.

No matter what form of governance you think of it will fail due to it being administered by human beings. Doubt me? History proves it every time.

Deal with the first 2 and the rest will take care of themselves over time... but keep the uncompromising independent thinking as that's what democracy is for. As long as you offer real alternatives, democracy should win.

But mankind has not tried to live without money on a country sized scale, so history can't prove that that doesn't work

Yeah, too many greedy, selfish, magalomaniac leeching humans involved for true democracy to function.

Is that a hint of intolerance I see in your post... but like the bloke below says, give or take,

A true democracy has no positions for those to exploit, what we have is a 'representative' democracy.

[Akzle]

I heard that WWI was a pointless mud-fight and soldiers were once close to the point of just putting down their guns, going home and telling the politicians to go jump in a lake. I wish they had.

O. that it were. can you imagine the world today? it'd be a better place, innit? i'd have my own ooompa loompas and a chocolate river...

Yeah, too many greedy, selfish, magalomaniac leeching humans involved for true democracy to function.

you're right.

//wait. what the fuck just happened? i think scummy broke the timespace continuum. the air tastes purple...

[_Shrek_]

Yeah, too many greedy, selfish, magalomaniac leeching humans involved for true democracy to function.

thats why I want to be a dictator

[FJRider]

thats why I want to be a dictator

Nah ... I'd prefer President for life ... doesn't sound so evil ...

[caseye]

O. that it were. can you imagine the world today? it'd be a better place, innit? i'd have my own ooompa loompas and a chocolate river...

you're right.

//wait. what the fuck just happened? i think scummy broke the timespace continuum. the air tastes purple...

Miracles do happen Akzle.

[Banditbandit]

i don't believe in 'god' in that sense, and i did make it fairly inclusive, i'm more of a gaia, papatuanuku kind of guy.

All look like Gods to me ... unless you mean Gaia in the sense that Margolis and Lovelock used the name .. their hypothesis had nothing to do with religion (it was co-opted by the New Agers in their pick-and-mix religious style)

you say gods are the creation of our imagination? what created our imagination?

Why did anyone need to create it? Canot it just arise as a result of the interactions within this universe (whatever and where-ever that might be)? Everything is based on interaction .. why would imagination be any different?

[Banditbandit]

A true democracy has no positions for those to exploit, what we have is a 'representative' democracy.

See, right there you hit the nail on the head ... you say "representative democracy" .. but is that really what we have? Isn't it more of a deliberative democracy ???

What kind of democracy are people really talking about here ...

And in Godzone with the different identities that we have living here isn't a radical plural democracy more likely to be an effective type of Government?

[oldrider]

In NZ the electorate gives "permission" to political parties and politicians to select a government among themselves.

These selected politicians then form a coalition government that has accountability to each other, rather than to the electorate.

The political parties that are not included in the government can then form a similar opposition coalition also responsible to each other rather than the electorate.

The electorate is left frustrated and feeling powerless as there are so many layers of control between them and the "government of their choice"!

Sort of like a giant Tui Board advertisement ..... "The government of your choice" ..... yeah right!

At the end of any NZ election, the electorate still does not know the result, until the politicians and parties decide for themselves. Democracy or dictatorship?

[rok-the-boat]

As a young lad I used to ask my elder relatives about the war in the UK. Rarely got much out of them but I can tell you that the END of the war was far more meaningful to them than any of the battles, especially a battle we basically lost (Galipoli). You don't see Englishmen having holidays for the Somme or Verdun or even the Battle of Britain. To me - it's the end of the War that should be the holiday, not just one of many bad battles.

[rok-the-boat]

A true democracy has no positions for those to exploit, what we have is a 'representative' democracy.

The creators of the American Constitution understood the dangers of democracy that we today fail to see. That is why they made America into a Republic. I cringe everytime I hear an American politician ranting on about democracy. What with all their war-mongering since WWII, they have abandoned their Republic and have become a Democracy. Think about it.

[scissorhands]

In Takapuna on Anzac Day was an old maori soldier who served in the Korean war. Looked like he had been fighting fit for a big part of his life. He had been sitting at the table on the corner for 2 hours making a presence.
I went up and asking where he served, said 'good on you' and thank you.
I dont agree with many wars, but the men who stand ready to defend our country, deserve respect and recognition

[Akzle]

Why did anyone need to create it? Canot it just arise as a result of the interactions within this universe (whatever and where-ever that might be)? Everything is based on interaction .. why would imagination be any different?

so your argument is that sentient consciousness is a physiological process? that all life is just a biological and chemical phenomenon?

i'm not buying it.

I dont agree with many wars, but the men who stand ready to defend our country, deserve respect and recognition

i'm sitting and ready. if coons want to pick a fair fight, i'll fucken take a gun to em. but not on the governments terms.

sadly, it'll probably be yanks with drones and space lasers... my little bush hut probably wont last long.

[Banditbandit]

so your argument is that sentient consciousness is a physiological process? that all life is just a biological and chemical phenomenon?

i'm not buying it.

No I would not argue that at all .. sentient consciousness has an accompanying physiological process in the brain which can be measured in terms of chemical reactions and electro-magnetic impuleses ... but does the physiological process result in our consciousnes or does our consciouness cause the chemical/electromagnetic process? I have no idea ...

Certainly chemicals and electromagnetic reactions (drugs and EST) can affect the consciousness - as can physical events - such as brain damage ... which does mean that consciouness is at least dependent on the physical events ...

But as for consciousness being being purely a result of physiological process? The no - I don't buy that either ..

That was not what I was suggesting at all ... but what I meant is a whole philosophy course ... maybe if you read something like Dogen's Shobogenzo ...

http://www.amazon.com/Shobogenzo-Zen...rds=shobogenzo

(And don't anyone suggest Zen and art of motorcycle maintenance .. that has bugger al to do with Zen ..)