Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for October 30, 2008

Good questions, all.

Yah, Gweedo, wherever they have free elections, they’d likely skewer him just like here. One side does not want the other side to win, and they’ll do anything to prevent it.   Name a politician in recent memory who hasn’t been skewered.

The revolution obviously isn’t working and the system is still buggered all to blazes. When can we try anarchy, momma? PLEEEZE? Just for a few years maybe?

Oh. I thought it was lipstick, or something.

We need to stop complaining about the mainstream media and start supporting the underground media. Perhaps if we can get some entities with crossed and opposing viewpoints to merge and grow, a new, more balanced mainstream will emerge.

For now, there’s always The Economist

Yeh - consider the ‘election’ in Ruwanda of “President for Life” Robert Mugabe, who has stated he will step down ‘only when God calls’ him, and the subsequent co-presidency - it could be worse, than what we are experiencing here, presently -

Unfortunately, true anarchy depends on having a large majority of citizens who are intelligent and capable enough to handle their own affairs, and are willing to work cooperatively, understanding the dependence we all have upon each other, every day. That’s why it usually doesn’t last long - most people do need a leader to provide direction and cohesion. And there will always be those few who actively seek to lead, and achieve it, just because they are active and forceful. That was fairly well understood, even in the 18th C., as it was thought ‘unseemly’ to actively campaign for office, leaving it to others to do the work of informing the voting public about who was ‘available’ to serve … but I have to remember the great line from Will Rogers, I think, who, upon reading about a candidate running in Oklahoma, ‘to service (sic) the people of the great state of Oklahoma”, said, “I don’t know about you but out on the ranch we know what the word ‘service’ means.”

Robert Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. Rwanda is led by President Paul Kagame.

Mr. Mugabe, please go to the nearest courtesy telephone. God is calling.

Roger you sure that’s God ?? ??

I’m sorry, but the operator can’t give out that information. We can only forward the message.

Txmystic says:

We need to stop complaining about the mainstream media and start supporting the underground media.

Here, hear!

But the danger with alternative press is that it's easy and comforting to stick to sources that agree with you. I try to seek out a variety of opinions (left, right, and otherwise) and try to understand their viewpoint, (even if it *is* wrong).

In honor of Halloween, I’ll tell you something truly scary. I live in China 2 hours from Shanghai and I teach Enlgish writing to the teenage kids of very rich businessmen and a few government officials, all of them say their dads are thrilled at the idea of Obama becoming president of the US - they claim Obama will make it easier for China to “take its rightful place in the world”. Given their track record of chest-thumping, greed, and oppression you can very well guess what that means (when I pointed out that ALL the presidents have tried to do their best for America, no one listened). They don’t know one thing about McCain because the media didn’t bother with broadcasting both sides. Yep, I’m definitely scared. I think I’ll be headed back to Pibgorn with Gweedo now.

I’m just waiting for the Shrub to impose martial law, suspend elections and declare himself president for life.

Tee hee! You people are just so darn cute with your little partisan jokes!

You're pretty darling yourself, UncaAlby. ;-P

Sternvogel -

Thanks for the correction - should have checked it -