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Justianus

Listed below are comments made by Justianus between Thursday, 19th June 2008 and Sunday, 28th September 2008.

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The First US Presidential Debate - Live 9:07pm on 28 Sep 2008 Re # 402:

Surely having a woman in the Oval office will also annoy those countries (like Iran)where women are considered 2nd class citizens too?

For what it's worth, Masoumeh Ebtekar was Vice President of Iran during the Khatami administration. Iran beat the US in getting a female VP by at least five years or so.
Carly Fiorina on Sarah Palin 10:56pm on 03 Sep 2008 She is not the new Eagleton only because she so utterly surpasses him in the ability to wreak disaster.

No-one in their (left or) right mind can possibly take her seriously.

Perhaps the death-knoll is here.
Eagleton? 9:29pm on 02 Sep 2008 Eagleton?

No, not really. After Palin, I doubt anyone will ever mention Eagleton again.

And perhaps, in time, we might also get beyond this extraordinary "McCain = maverick = good" image, and realise that, for all his qualities, the guy just isn't cut out to be president of anything.

Of course, it may take a new war or two to get there. And thousands of US deaths (and hundreds of thouands of nondescript other deaths). And a great deal of everyone shouting "USA - USA!" even as the body bags come flying home.

But who knows? Edward V111 abdicated, because of love (and who remembers him?). Ezra Pound wrote the greatest American poems ever behind bars in an Allied prison after World War II (he was a facist). And God destroyed the entire world in Noah's time, because he felt things were getting a bit antsy.

Eagleton? Surely not. We've bigger fish to fry.
The Brits defending America 1:04pm on 30 Jul 2008 re # 34:

"And what about the nut in France who smashed up a MacDonalds Restaurant as an American symbol cheered on by crowds? This has far more to do with hatred of American civilzation (...)"

Ahum. Given the fact that there are some 6,400 MacDonald restaurants in Europe, most of them doing quite well, this might not be the most forceful of arguments :)
Anti-Americanism will continue, whoever wins 07:32am on 23 Jul 2008 re # 38
allmymarbles wrote:

"An exorsist. Wow! That's a welcome change from all those lawyers in govrnment."

Yep, it's Hot Stuff. And true, to boot. Bobby Jindal's own story is readily available on the New Oxford Review - although, in the true American tradition, you will have to pay to access the full story.

Of course, if Jindal isn't the VP choice, it'll be Mitt Romney. That'd be even more miraculous. The Mormons believe that the Americas were populated by Israeli tribes who somehow got there centuries before Columbus ever thought of sailing West instead of East (and, indeed, centuries before Erik the Norman said: "Look, Ulva, I'm off to get a smoke. Be back in a sec."). For some reason or other, it took until the 1830 for Messr John Smith - who had gotten to the new continent by less auspicious means - to realise this fact.

So: take your pick of idiocy. It's all up for grabs.
Anti-Americanism will continue, whoever wins 05:35am on 23 Jul 2008 re # 12

marygrav wrote:

"Bobby Jendal? You must be kidding. How is Jendal going to pass the Religious Fundamental Test?"

Not sure I follow that. I thought Bobby Jindal was the darling of the Christian fundamentalists? I understand he's not just against human stem cell research and a strong supporter of teaching creationism at schools. He's also an, er, exorcist.

Certainly, he's Rush Limbaugh's pick. And Newt Gingrich's.
Anti-Americanism will continue, whoever wins 9:45pm on 22 Jul 2008 The "wiser foreign commentators" are, it seems to me, missing the point.

Of course the outcome of the election won't sway many hard-core anti-Americanists. But it could do a great deal of good when it comes down to the not-so-hardcore people out there.

And most people are moderates, unless goaded into some ill-reasoned fanaticism or other.
Is rail the answer? 9:55pm on 09 Jul 2008 "Is rail the answer?"

Justin, really - are you even [i]trying[/i] to be serious?

Before you know it, you'll be considered every bit as much a joker as McCain
Would an attack help McCain? 07:29am on 24 Jun 2008 Beyond a shadow of a doubt, a new and substantial terrorist attack (on the US, and preferably in the US) would secure a McCain victory.

Everyone knows this, and it's a bit odd to see McCain denouncing such a given as "not true".

The more interesting question might be: what would you do if you were a terrorist organisation?

Would you launch such an attack (assuming you could)? It would set up an all-out crusade/jihad quite nicely: conservative Republicans against conservative Islamists. It'd be McCain v. bin Laden; lapel pins v. burqas, cluster bombs v. beheadings.

Or would you refrain, perhaps because your ultimate goal is - wait for it - peace, albeit on your own terms? But that would lead to an Obama victory, and the potential loss of an enemy you so desperately need in order to have someone to fight against.

To be frank, I have no idea at all what "the terrorists" really want. What I do know, though, is that it's about time we find out.

Until we do, we're all in the dog house.
The gas-price election 01:22am on 19 Jun 2008 re # 74

Wesside01,

Ah, yes. Let's get real. For example:

- let's believe in a fair and true judicial system. Then let's lock up a lot of guys without any recourse whatsoever to that system because they're big baddies and don't deserve it and we got really real;

- and then let's drill up all the oil we can find to lower the gas prices. It'll take us at least five years to get really started, and by then whatever we find won't make 10 cents of difference to a gallon, but hey, the prices are just too darn high right now, so we really need to get real;

- oh, and let's go off and bomb Iran. After all, these people are just terrorists and all they want is to kill all of us 'cause they're really jealous of the fact that we're really great, so let's kill all of them first.

- etc. Really.

Hmm, this is fun. I'm getting real real fast, here :)

Oh, and can I sell my mom? I mean, I liked her when she was 40 or so, but now she's 73, so I'm allowed a flip-flop there, right?

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