it's all the same cultural themes as at the end of the clinton administration. techno. emo. ufos. these things actually have something in common. if you don't think the economy is planned, you're not paying attention. but note that the planners do not believe in democracy; the social engineering is being pushed down from above, and it's not a utopian vision. this future has a new religion in it, with new value systems, but it's designed to uphold the status quo rather than abolish it.

it's the type of thing people fear the republicans are scheming up. but, that's the democratic plan, which seems to have just been rebooted with obama without so much as a thought. it's absolute clinton redux. the republicans don't even care anymore, the democrats do everything the business class wants anyways, so they're just happy to hold the office every few years to cut their own taxes.

one of the more surreal conversations i've stumbled upon in relation to this was actually from peter gabriel, who very coyly suggested that the social and political messaging behind his art was to create a globalized culture, and there was some kind of structure underlying it. well, if the nwo sounds like passion, i must say that, i, for one, welcome our new kosmische overlords.

not to drag the nwo scare tactics out. we may end up ruled by computerized aliens, but no intelligent person is going to actually believe it's anything more than a front. these guys aren't marxists; they're not even on the left side of capitalism. it's fascists across the board, right now. and global bodies like the un remain the only way to stop them.

if you want to stop them. it's a hard road from a to b, but we may require a long period of horrific global governance to reach a state of communism.

i mean, things aren't working out so well at the moment.

substantial fire across the street. seems to be contained, but it just reinforces my point that fires happen and we have fire regulations that are designed by experts in order to minimize the risk of them happening. ideally, people would follow those regulations out of good sense. but, we're strange animals. we all think we're special, and that bad things can't happen to us. so, sometimes we need the community to help us in ensuring those risks are being properly minimized.

i don't know what caused that fire.

it would be unfair of me to suggest somebody fell asleep with a cigarette. but stats are stubborn things, it's a place where people drink early into the morning and it's something that sometimes happens when you decide not to go asleep on a friday night of heavy drinking (and whatever other type of consumption).

that's one of the reasons i always smoke outside.

deathtokoalas
cognitively speaking, elephants are very similar to young children. they're in this unique middle point of intelligence that makes torturing them amongst the most heinous crimes imaginable for the precise reason that most people would consider torturing a child to be worse than torturing an adult - full awareness, without full understanding.

this isn't a secondary issue. this shit just has to stop.

Fiona K
"Heinous," yes ...  Dude, have you looked at your online handle?  WTF.

deathtokoalas
elephants are intelligent creatures that we can look forward to cohabiting the universe with.

koalas are despicable in their revolting displays of cuteness, and must be abolished. 

Fiona K
Okay, DTK, you made me laugh. :)  I was pretty sure how you intended us to take your name, anyway.  I think, though, that elephants are not similar to young human children; they're far smarter. But even if they were only as smart as cats, or mice, most animal lovers would say exactly what you said.  Even one tortured elephant is too many.  Remember the story by Ursula K. LeGuin, "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas"?  It's the perfect explanation and indictment of any society that allows the torture of one living being so that everyone else can live happily.  I grew up with friends from New Delhi, and I am shocked that their home country can produce elephants and also produce sadists who don't understand the simplest concepts of rights.  DTK, thanks for writing; you really did make me laugh.