Posts by Rich Lock
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Hard News: A welcome return - and pirates!, in reply to BenWilson,
for some reason they have a particularly strong grip on public imagination as being somehow nobler than other thugs who are involved in murder, ransom, extortion, theft, and slavery.
I was quite fond of 'desert bandits' for a while after seeing 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'.
And the Greek Klephts had a pretty awesome sense of fashion.
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If this morning's Harold is to be believed, Hone is now in full-on 'I <heart> Osama' mode....
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Hard News: For the kids, if nothing else, in reply to James Bremner,
Would you have gone out of your way to give Joseph Mengle or Heinrich Himmer a nice burial? I wouldn't have.
Been spending a bit of time gazing into the abyss recently, James?
Probably would have been better to torture them to death, eh? Make them scream. That'll learn them. Luvely jubbly. Maybe turn their skin into a nice lampshade?
Those who fight monsters....
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Hard News: You know what ..., in reply to Lucy Stewart,
the full story is still a work in progress
Yes, but I'll lean further towards 'cockup' (or rather 'muddle'), than I will 'conspiracy' on this one. We're only a few days out from a major event that, by necessity, would be shrouded in 'need-to-know' type secrecy. Most of what we'll be getting at this stage is going to be a bit garbled and incoherent, with the inevitable clarifications to follow.
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Busytown: What was lost, in reply to richard,
given that they got through Iraq without a draft they can probably get through most things
The civil and military costs of the multiple back-to-back tours most enlistees have been subjected to will be rippling outwards for decades, I suspect.
I don't think a draft for the WoT was/is a realistic proposition - it would probably galvanise a public backlash in the same way the Vietnam draft did, which is why the current enlistees are being forced into multiple tours. The US military is currently stretched to near-breaking point, capacity-wise.
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We might find the noisy celebration of a killing distasteful
Yep. Probably for the same reason that I find the death sentence distasteful.
Oh, you'll love this then. In the face of the biggest news story of the day, Stuff lives up to it's reputation as the home of hard hitting heavyweight journalism...by finding a way to shill his death in order to sell a Harry Potter movie.
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Hard News: Any excuse for a party, in reply to Geoff Lealand,
Please, please reassure me that there will be other people here NOT watching. Just when I thought PAS might be a royal wedding-free zone.
Oh God, they got Russell! And Ben!
We must stay awake, Geoff! Whatever you do, don't fall asleep! Don't fall asleep! They're here already! You're next! You're next!
Ahem...
It's actually quite refreshing to see that on PAS, the indifference/hysteria split is not as sharply split along gender lines as it seems to be in the rest of Auckland, if random workplace conversations are anything to go by.
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Cracker: RIght On., in reply to Andre Alessi,
Just imagine Don Brash with Jessica Simpson's body. Go on, I dare you
And just in case you need some help with that...
I haven't had the shakes so bad since Meryl Streep agreed to play Margaret Thatcher.
The horror.....the horror...
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Hard News: The file-sharing bill, in reply to Matthew Poole,
It's possible that a clearly-articulated strategy from Labour could make a difference, but that only helps if you've got time on your side with which to articulate. Urgency changes the equation, because no matter how good your arguments the only people to whom you're preaching are the implacable foe seated on the benches opposite.
I think this is possibly slightly beside the point. The take-home message Labour are giving the public, including their core supporters, is that they aren't an effective opposition, because they'll just vote with the government anyway.
The only thing people are noticing if legislation is under urgency is how the party blocs voted. The clarity (or not) of the arguments is beside the point.
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Up Front: Home is Where the - Ooo, shiny!, in reply to Danielle,
(I do have a semi-serious defence of Jersey Shore, but I imagine it would be rather wasted here. :) )
I just borrow Danyl's. Which gives me more time to read improving books.