The American elections...
Nov. 7th, 2006 10:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fajrdrakoI don't usually talk about politics here, and don't worry, I'm not about to change that policy. I'll probably regret this post, and may return to delete it.
I'd tell my American friends to vote today, except it's none of my business, and I know you all will anyway. And you'll vote for the people I'd want to see voted for, the ones who aren't in favour of human rights abuses like torture, or election fraud, political uses of religion, and disregard for individual privacies. I'd tell my American friends to vote, except I have no faith in democracy, least of all in democracies administered by electronic ballots; where the only people running don't represent a real variation in policy or choice.
But there is some difference between candidates, maybe enough to actually make the effort of voting worthwhile.
Two interesting items in this regard on the CBC radio news this morning: One, that a computerized research system widely used in Canadian universities, traces and records all research queries that go through that system - and stores that information in the U.S. where it can be accessed by American law enforcement. Because this is alarming to many Canadians who are worried about their personal freedoms, some universities have opted to use a similar system based in Toronto instead.
I feel so much better thinking that it's CSIS or the RCMP that can track my research, rather than the CIA.
Yeah, that implies a lack of faith in Canadian law, which at least theoretically still guarantees our privacy and freedom. You can imagine the cynicism with which I say this. Previous news items have been about how the RCMP shares all its information with the FBI anyway.
The following news item this morning was about how Canadian customs unrepentantly go through all the cached and stored pictures on a person's laptop when they cross the border, in a search for kiddie porn. The advice of the news report was: don't take your laptop across the border. Presumably they don't do this with every traveller who has a laptop - not unless they have a larger army of customs officials than I know of. The news item cited tens of thousands of pictures on the average laptop, many of which the owner doesn't even know about. How effective can random searches be? And isn't that a colossal breach of privacy, all for the sake of a witch hunt?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 05:09 pm (UTC)I think I want buttons that say "Vote Asterix".
And I suppose if Captain Jack were running for something I'd drop all my anarchist principles and vote for him whatever the platform....
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 05:21 pm (UTC)Personally, I want the "Eat, Drink and Do what you Like" party.
*checks if reference noticed*
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 05:25 pm (UTC)No, I was being way too polite.... And it was the truth, if not the whole truth. (Heh. Pause for happy contemplation of the possibilities.)
"Eat, Drink and Do what you like" sounds like a party I'd like to be invited to. Reference?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 08:47 pm (UTC)Has no one heard of clearing their cache, history and temp files? I do it every night.
No it wouldn't stop a data recovery program from finding my pr0n collection, but it defeats a quick search like they do sometimes at the border.
Plus I keep all my images stored on an external HD that requires an external power source.
Oh and for the record I'm so down with the Captain Jack party!
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 08:52 pm (UTC)As for the Captain Jack party - yes! a hearty yes!
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 09:09 pm (UTC)do you know that according to polling the socialistic party (10 years ago still showing its Maoist roots, still demanding of all its choosen representatives to pay all they earn above a certain standard to the party?) would be the third biggest party, thus passing the neoliberals, if elections were to be held today? (place number 1 and 2 are being fought over by the Social Democrats and and the Christian Deomcrats.)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 09:16 pm (UTC)Good for you! When are you having elections?
It's heartening to hear that your socialist party is doing well. I'm not sure how things are here - the NDP and the Liberals both are having trouble finding strong leaders.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 09:24 pm (UTC)I am of course pleased about the result of the socialist, but at the same time the extreme right (not the Neo Nazi but the decent "I speak what the common man thinks-type") is on the rise to. And the party I support "Groen Links" is, well lets say, not thrifing in these circumstances. Anyway, I am dubious whether the SP can keep this position untill the national elections. Eventhough its leader is at the moment seen as the most trusted person for prime minister.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 01:28 am (UTC)at the same time the extreme right ... is on the rise to.
Yes, here too, I think. Not so much a problem locally but I hate to see it creep into federal politics.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 08:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 11:31 am (UTC)There's a Scottish Socialist Party and its splinters - but they're all intellectually light-weight gesture-politics - sixth-form stuff - and some hilarious antics when their former leader (who liked to present himself as 'clean-living') was up in court over newspaper allegations over swingers' clubs... This is still running.
I tend to vote Liberal-Democrat as the least bad option.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 12:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 12:27 pm (UTC)I've probably said this before, but I do love your icon here.
From a bumper sticker seen around Albuquerque
Date: 2006-11-08 01:48 pm (UTC)"Vote for Chthulu. Why settle for the lesser of two evils?"
Re: From a bumper sticker seen around Albuquerque
Date: 2006-11-08 01:54 pm (UTC)Re: From a bumper sticker seen around Albuquerque
Date: 2006-11-08 01:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 02:55 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, the UK Parliament still runs on first-past-the-post, based on number of seats, not on proportion of the vote.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 03:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 11:25 pm (UTC)Re: From a bumper sticker seen around Albuquerque
Date: 2006-11-09 11:37 pm (UTC)That bumper sticker also reminds me of one seen on autos shortly after a certain provincial government was elected just over a decade ago ... the sticker directly referred to the then new provincial premier with the message: "Don't HARRIS me." :-)
Re: From a bumper sticker seen around Albuquerque
Date: 2006-11-09 11:49 pm (UTC)Re: From a bumper sticker seen around Albuquerque
Date: 2006-11-13 02:06 am (UTC);)
Re: From a bumper sticker seen around Albuquerque
Date: 2006-11-13 12:23 pm (UTC)