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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I live in Australia. I don't know any intelligent
people that are not</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>interested in and that don't have an opinion on the
Iraq war and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>the Bush administration's and our Prime Minister
John Howard</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>and the UK Prime Minister Tony Blairs part in
bringing it about.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I don't know anybody that doesn't want reassurance
about it,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>and I suspect that that comment could also be
levelled at George</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>W Bush, John Howard and Tony Blair. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But let's be realistic. If you are American over 50
you are more </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>likely to die </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>of a
heart attack or cancer than you are of any </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>terrorist attack or </FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2>indeed of anything the Bush administration may</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>or may not do in time between now and 20 Jan 2009
when the</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>next US President will be sworn in.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>A series of dirty bombs on the mainland of the US
let off in the</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>cities would not change the existential risk
for you in that cancer </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>and </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>heart disease
would still be statistically more likely to kill you. </FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The header of this post is about politics and the
utility of protest.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yes, some protesters have egos and indulge in
things that are </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>partly exhibitionism. Yes most forms of protest are
inept in terms</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>of their statistical chances of actually achieving
what the protesters</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>want them </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>to
achieve. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>I prefer that
even silly people protest, that they feel they can,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>that </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>they are free
too. Because the humanity of silly people is </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>humanity </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>too.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I haven't watched Cindy Sheehan, I know of her only
as a stereotype,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>but I have heard of her protest </FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>here in Australia through snippets of </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>media when I wasn't looking </FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2>for it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have heard other people, less publicly and in
quiet conversation</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>with a few others or maybe just myself, anguish
about the shooting</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>of the guy in the UK that did not in fact turn out
to be a terrorist, and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I know that people are concerned about the loss of
civil liberties and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am glad that they are concerned. I *like* them
the better for their</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>concerns and for their protests however inept their
protests may be.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think that when we stop protesting we stop
appealing to the humanity</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>of others. I don't want people to stop appealing to
my humanity, I find</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>the reminders of my sociable
nature </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>useful and encouraging
toward</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>the desire to solve certain sorts of
problems.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We can, I hope, empathise even when we cannot
cure.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Brett Paatsch</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=kerry_prez@yahoo.com href="mailto:kerry_prez@yahoo.com">Al Brooks</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org
href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">ExI chat list</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, August 22, 2005 9:14
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [extropy-chat] (POLITICS)
Utility of Protest was:Exhibitionism(no, not THAT kind)</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Your logic is absolutely impeccable, Bret. No more comedy posts. Just one
more observation though: if this war goes on to a worst case conclusion,
then we'll have no extropian future-- this is a platitude but it is a relevant
platitude. Saying 'give it time' or 'it will work out' is no longer
reassuring.</DIV>
<DIV>Optimism is only justified if it is not baseless
optimism.<BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>