AND ANOTHER THING...
As the West slithers further & further away from the old ideological alignments towards the soulless pragmatism of Realpolitik, one becomes almost nostalgic for the clear battle lines of the Cold War. Whilst the purity of vision demanded by the ideologues of the day led to narrow dogmatism, at least it had its inception in some sort of search for a better way.
I feel no nostalgia for the verities of the old world socialism that fired my father in the ë20s & ë30s. Nor do I yearn for a return to the freewheeling, roll-it-up-&-smoke-it libertarianism of the ë60s. But I do miss having my politics taken seriously enough by the Establishment that it looks to its locks & shutters.
Now Bushís hokey smile & Blairís fluorescent grin indicate all too clearly that they feel safe & secure in a bland, one-size-fits-all democracy that can tolerate, even celebrate, the right of the minority to protest & propose. They know that the greater majority is at home watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire? & that no shouting in the streets will ever be loud enough to rattle the bars of their cages. What has the Material World to fear from a few noisy idealists..?
Idealists. Was there ever a notion more hopelessly, blindly, naively idealistic than that the free enterprise society is best constituted to provide justice & equity for all?
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A SENIOR MOMENT
An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house and, after the meal, the wives dutifully cleared the table and withdrew to the kitchen. The two elderly gentlemen leaned back in their chairs & lit cigars. Blowing a plume of blue smoke towards the ceiling, the guest said to his host: "Last night we went out to a new restaurant. It was absolutely splendid. Canít recommend it highly enough".
The host asked: "What's the name of the restaurant?"
The first man opens his mouth to reply, then knits his brow in obvious concentration, finally asking his companion:
"ErÖ whatís the name of that red flower you give to someone you love?"
"A carnation?" his friend suggested.
"No, no. The other one," the man responded testily.
"The poppy?"
"No, no, no," growled the man. "You know - the one thatís red and has thorns."
"Oh, you mean a rose", his friend laughed.
"Yes, thatís it, thatís it! Thank you!" the first man says. He turned toward the kitchen and yelled: "Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night
11:00:20 PM 
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