New word from Token Straight Chick

I've recently added Silent Running to my daily list, and I hope they keep up the good work. I wonder if that makes me a WarBloggerGroupie.

Yes Nora, it does. Let me know if you need my phone number or anything to make stalking me easier.

Swing by The Color of Theives and Wesley's execise in conrast. It made my triger finger itch.

And on a completly different subject: Avril rocks! Go and buy Avril Lavigne's first album "Let Go" right now... stop reading, off you go. Do it now.

This from the Jerusalem Post - courtesy of Wind Rider Final draft of PA constitution nearly complete Seems they've had it in the works since 1999 - and it's just about complete. A few interesting previews:

Khaldi, a graduate of Cairo University's Faculty of Law, said he was recently forced to change the wording of the constitution to set the final boundaries of the proposed state within the pre-1967 borders. In effect, this means that the future state of Palestine recognizes Israel's right to exist within the 1948 borders.

Recognizes Israel's right to exist, a good sign. That it was a 'recently forced' change is somewhat interesting.

"The purpose of the constitution is to demonstrate a new will by the Palestinian people to live in an independent, sovereign state, where Islam is the official religion."

Well, so much for religious freedom.

"This is the first constitution of its kind in the world," he said. "It is aimed to establish a state for immigrants who are expected to immigrate to the new state. In that sense, it is a very strange constitution."

Hate to burst the proud papa's bubble but, I think someone beat them to the punch on that one. Well, as long as the color of the sky in that world keeps shifting towards at least some shade of blue.

The constitution guarantees the civil, political, social, cultural, and economic rights of all citizens living in the state, Khaldi said. According to Article 25, all Arabs living in Palestine before May 1948 are entitled to Palestinian citizenship.

And if they weren't? Hmmm.

Khaldi said the constitution was originally planned for the end of the interim period of the Oslo Accords, when the PA hoped to establish an independent state on most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "We were planning to prepare for the declaration of independence at the end of the interim period, which was supposed to expire in May 1999," he said. "Our job was very big, and we had to hold vast consultations with Palestinians here and in the diaspora about main issues to be addressed.

So, let's see if I got this right - the original target date was 1999, but they've only been working on it since 1999, and they finally finished it up in late 2002 (but still aren't quite done yet). Sounds like they're already forming the solid foundations for a robust bureaucratic underpinnings for a permanent government! Is there an article guaranteeing the right of all to keep and bear baby wipes?

WIND RIDER FINDS NZ IDIOT, IS SURPRISED (FOR SOME REASON) Ok, tell me this isn't something in the NZ water, or some kind of radiation through the South Pole Ozone layer hole side effect, or some freakish mass hysteria only affecting people with doctorates in fine art. Art and Artist Interview in NZ

Auckland-based Haffern, the first person in New Zealand to gain a doctorate in fine arts and a doctorate programme teacher at Elam Art School, sees the day's events and those planes-into-towers images as "wonderful ... because it was a new idea".

Points for originality? Thats the basis of her reaction? What color is the sky in her world?

"What I found, when I went into work the day after, everyone was accusing somebody, everyone had something bad to say about somebody else, whether it was Bush or Osama bin Laden or al Qaeda or whatever - someone was in the wrong and I found that position quite hard to handle."

You mean like - accusing the people that did it? Something like that?

"My doctorate dealt with people in the wrong and I came to the conclusion there is not right or wrong, no evil, no good," she says.

This sounds like a form of really, really active denial of reality. At least reality as the rest of us think of it, at any rate.

"Four planes? I thought it was an extraordinary idea to do this, somebody declaring war against the mightiest country that has ever existed with one of its own peacetime machines. Looking at this, and being an artist, I thought what if this had been a performance piece and Osama bin Laden had declared himself an artist, how would the world have seen it then?"

Let me think real hard and maybe I can come up with, umm, umm, ooo, I got it! How about MURDERERS! or Act of War! Too strong? Over-reaction?

"The installation is definitely not a political statement - it asks the viewer to take a new position free of accusation and prejudice to view the acts of September 11 with a sense of amazement," Haffern explains. "I'm saying, step away from blame. How are we to act if we act only according to blame? So many of us just think and squeal, think and squeal. This act is done and you can't fault the execution of the act. It was perfect, extraordinarily clever."

Well, color me a rube, but I don't think I have to actually see the work to have that sense of amazement - this article creates that quite well enough. I can fault the execution of the act - it was heinous. The only way I think 'perfect' enters into any of this would be its use in the phrase 'perfect nutjob'.

Those pesky numbers… For those of you who still read Reuters reports on the Conflict, while keeping your shirt clean: ever wondered about those “casualties scores” they so helpfully provide at the bottom? I did. Do they include the guys who are out on a date with 72 hot chicks? Or the ones who are the victims of the occupational hazards, associated with the employment at the explosive-belt industry? Well, a while ago I ran into this article by Howard Fienberg at Techcentral. And yesterday, while hanging out at Tal.G comments section, I met someone appropriately named Scorekeeper, who provided this link. As I have expected, there is more to these numbers than meets the eye.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "WHA...?" Got an interesting e-mail today, right out of the blue, from the German CSU/CDU, the conservative coalition trying to unseat Gerhard Schroder as Chancellor. Don't ask me why. I mean, obviously I suppose I support the CSU/CDU if they're less dovish on Iraq, and anyone who can beat Schroder after he tried to win by dissing the United States gets my vote. But there's something about the semi-hysterical tone of this e-mail that sets my teeth on edge...

STOIBER A NEW GERMANY. SAVE GERMANY VOTE STOIBER GERMANY HAS 5 MILLIONS BOYS WITHOUT A JOB. GERMANY IS FULL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. GERMANY IS NOT GROWING. GERMANY HAS FORGOTTEN HIS TRADITIONS. GERMANY HAS FORGOTTEN HIS JUDEO CHRISTIAN ROOTS. GERHARD SCHRODER IS DESTROYING GERMANY. PLEASE SAVE GERMANY VOTE STOIBER!

"Judeo-Christian roots"? And since when is the concept of Germany NOT growing supposed to be disturbing? And consrvative though I am, and concerned at some trends in immigration in Western countries, there's just something about German politicans shrieking about immigrants and unemployment that sets all sorts of alarm bells ringing. Guess I'm just prejudiced huh? "Judeo-Chirstian roots"?????

We Have a Cunning Plan! I would have summed it up as "He looked like he's might me thinking of hitting me so I kicked the shit out of him!" But Wind Rider shared something with me he actually planned to have posted (it's not like I ever said I could keep a secret and it's just so damn hard to feel THAT sorry for anyone who even has a porsce to be tricked into selling. Sorry dude.) Wind Rider speaks! 'What are those yanks thinking' and 'what do they think they are doing?' and 'do they even have a plan?' Well actually, yes - something along these lines http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss.pdf Not a very long document - and its points are crystal clear. While some may not agree with the plan that is laid out - it is a plan, and a plan of action, at that. A lot of the rhetoric flying about seems a bit 'old-school'; in that it seems designed to fit the template developed during the previous White House occupant's tenure, when 'the plan' was quite literally a moving target, most markedly affected by the movements of polling numbers. Just another one of the ways the world has changed - although this change came before the 11th of September a year past. The wails of 'lack of vision' or 'no sense of direction' seem uttered as wishes instead of real criticism - because they could not be further from the truth. This is the vision of a leader - and agree or disagree with his direction, this would be it. Yeah, yeah - spewing the government propaganda line, this. A good initial first response, and wonderful rationalization not to even take a peek. It is possible to fall so far behind that some fancy themselves in the lead. Absolutely. An inarticulate, uncouth, rough, not-too-bright cowboy. As far as they know. Heh. Heh heh. Wind Rider

VOTE FOR LAURENCE! The Amish Tech Support Presidential run is gathering all the momentum of a runaway freight train. And the reason isn't very hard to see - just look at some of Laurence Simons' policies?

Break all diplomatic ties with Syria, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian Authority, Vatican City, and Berkeley. Eliminate all foreign and military aid to non-democratic Middle East countries. Presidential order: official language of the United States of America is English, que pasa? Either remove the United States from the U.N. or openly declare that our Security Council veto will be used to deliberately tie up all action by that body in military matters until Israel and Taiwan are full members. Demolish HQ on New York, tell 'em to move to Geneva. Remove military forces stationed overseas to "protect" Cold War-threatened regions that don't require protecting anymore. Maintain minimal presence for rapid deployment or waystations to send troops elsewhere. Major crackdown on illegal immigration. Move army bases to Mexican border to double as monitoring stations and patrols. Moonbase by the end of my first term, Mars mission by the end of my second term. Order merger of South Dakota and North Dakota. You're Dakota, goddamn it. Break up California into three states: North, South, and the District of Berkeley without Federal representation (like D.C.). Remove tax exempt status for religions, revoke status of Scientology as religion, and declare Saudi-funded Wahhabanism to be a terrorist organization.

I also like his slogan - "Vote For Me - I'm Fucking Nuts!" It's remeniscent of the infamous Gubernatorial campaign run by Earl Long, who wore a button stating, comfortingly enough "I'm Not Crazy". You can listen to the man himself right here.

Earl K. Long, Governor of Louisiana from 1939 - 1940, 1948 - 1952 and 1956 - 1960, was one of the most colorful (famous, infamous, and outrageous) governors of Louisiana during the twentieth century. His notoriety is challenged only by the likes of his older brother, Huey P. Long, Jimmy Davis, and Edwin Edwards. His behavior and rhetoric was at times so bizarre, that his wife, Blanche, eventually committed him to a mental institution during his second term. Confined to the state hospital in Mandeville, he demanded to be released, a demand that the hospital administrator refused. Earl then fired the administrator, and replaced him with someone who did release him. The courts later confirmed that insane or not, he had the authority..

DOWNUNDER ALLIES Jay Nordlinger has some thoughts about America's ANZAC allies.

In a recent column — I apologize, but I can’t find it online — Mark Steyn [link here - kindly provided by Cyrus]mentioned John Howard, the prime minister of Australia. He did so in the following context: “Symbolism matters. . . . [The] privilege of kicking loose at the ranch ought to be reserved for real friends [not for terror-funding oil princes]. Yet Australia’s . . . John Howard, whose boys fought alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan, didn’t get an invite to Crawford.” I get a huge kick out of Mr. Howard — John, he would want me to call him. I’ll tell you why. And it goes to my fondness for Australians generally, some of the friendliest, most enjoyable people on earth. (By the way, Bill Buckley says that, in his experience — and he has circumnavigated the globe many times — the friendliest people in the world are Nova Scotians and New Zealanders.) A few years ago, my wife and I were invited to a party hosted by the Australian consulate in New York, at the time of the U.S. (tennis) Open. It was to honor Australian tennis greats, which is almost to say tennis greats, including the greatest, Laver. We were invited because I had come to know Michael Baume, who was serving as the Australian consul in New York. We get there, and we learn a lot about the vaunted informality and down-to-earthness of Australians. We were introduced to the ambassador to the U.N. After chatting with her for several minutes, I became afraid that we were using too much of her time. I said, “Surely, you have people to see here.” She said, “Oh, no.” Then she saw that we were without drinks, and insisted on going off to fetch us drinks. This was the U.N. ambassador, mind you. Richard Holbrooke was our own ambassador at the time, and I tried to imagine him doing the same. It was impossible. Then, at the end of our conversation, this woman — I’m sorry I can’t remember her name (there’s gratitude for you) — gave us her card. And we weren’t big deals, mind you; we were just minor-league American journalists. Then we met the ambassador to the U.S. — same deal. We chatted gaily about Fresh Fields, the earthy-crunchy grocery-store chain in Washington. And then came the prime minister. Here I was, meeting the head of state of a significant country. Referring to my friend and host, the consul, I said rather stiffly, “Mr. Prime Minister, we’re so glad to have Mr. Baume here in New York. He’s a wonderful asset.” And Howard threw his head back and said, “That old son of a bitch? You know, he’s part Catholic, part Protestant, part Jew, part everything. He’s all mixed up, that son of a bitch. His ancestors are all over the map.” And so on. They were great old friends and political comrades. And the prime minister was letting loose on him, talking so freely — to us, journalists, no less. Yes, W. would have an excellent time with John Howard at the ranch, or anywhere else. They’re peas in a pod, really.

HOME-GROWN TALIBAN So there I am at the movies last night (Friday), and I get accosted by a man angry at my headgear. See, I'm a member of Judaism's Reform movement, which is the more liberal of the three major streams. It allows the individual to make up their own mind on what parts of Judaism are personally meaningful, and which are not. This gives rise to all the problems of living in a free society that I'm sure all of us as modern people are familiar with. Some people take their responsibility to study and think and decide seriously, while others go "Whoopee!" and refuse to do anything at all. But I'd rather be part of a community that allows people free choice, where those who do something do it because it is meaningful rather than because they have been coerced into it. I wea a kippa, a jewish skullcap, because it's an important symbol of public identification. And in These Troubled Times We Live In Today, I think a little public flag-flying is no bad thing. But last night, some one-man Committee for the Supression of Vice and Promotion of Virtue took great umbrage at my wearing a kippa on Friday night, the Sabbath. He told me that I was publically desecrating the sabbath (with him doing exactly the same I note, he was going into the same movie I was), and when I explained to him that I'm Reform, he said I wasn't "allowed" to wear a kippa in public! He then said that as I was "only" a liberal Jew, I shouldn't wear something "orthodox" at all, and ordered me to take it off, which I declined to do. His objection seemed to be based on the premise that a kippa is somehow "Orthodox" only, and that they have some sort of copywright on Jewish symbols, which I don't accept. As I was watching the movie, sensing his disapproving eyes boring into the back of my head, it struck me that this incident highlighted one of the problems religion faces in the modern world, and especially islam. That angry man ordered me to remove my headgear, but when I refused, there was nothing he could do about it. He had no cane-weilding gang of toughs and an entire legal system to back him up, which he would have if this was Saudi Arabia. I was free to make my own decisions because the society I live in is free. In fact, even the "Orthodoxy" which this guy (who was breaking the sabbath himself, by his own interpretation, with the exception that he was not identifiably Jewish which apparently makes it okay) was ostensibly defending, is making adjustment to the modern world. Slowly but surely, modern attitudes are creeping in. It's because we live in a society where religion has no state sanction, and cannot enforce belief or practice. Have a look at this example.

In a quiet trend that could revolutionize gender roles in the Orthodox community, several new prayer groups are offering expanded liturgical opportunities for women while continuing to separate the sexes during services. About a half-dozen such groups, or minyanim, have sprung up in the Orthodox community during the last year. In some cases women are permitted to lead selected daily or weekly services, while other groups permit all members to read from the Torah or recite the accompanying aliya blessing. From the outside, this brand of worship appears to occupy a theological middle ground between Orthodoxy's commitment to stringent gender distinctions and Conservative Judaism's 20-year march toward full egalitarianism. But the phenomenon, which still lacks the public imprimatur of a prominent Orthodox institution or rabbi, seems best understood as a grassroots attempt by lay people to revolutionize Orthodoxy.

Although I understand the attitude of the guy last night, I can't accept it. He was in effect saying that only his stream of Judaism, Orthodoxy, has the right to determine what is or is not Jewish practice. That's a battle they cannot be allowed to win, because it would forfiet the individial right to make a decision to an external group. And I note that Orthodoxy is in fact the smallest of the Jewish streams, with Reform and Conservative Judaism having many more adherents. But the more religious conservatives try to throw up barriers against the outside world, the more attractive it will seem. And as this is the 21st century, and we live in free societies, barriers won't even work! The only thing that will work is individuals making up their own minds, and using their free will. The Law must be written on the heart, as well as on a parchment scroll. Christianity and Judaism are grappling with these issues even now, but whether Islam can adapt to modernity in time remains to be seen.

Back to the 1st amendment By Alisa If any of you read Israpundit you may have read a post titled "The Grand Wizard of the Israeli Klan" (could not manage a direct link, so scroll down). It is a letter by Prof. Steven Plaut of the University of Haifa. First of all, relax: it has nothing to do with Arabs. However, it touches on the second most serious problem the state of Israel faces after the problem of security: it is the relationship between the state and the religion of its citizens. For those of you not familiar with the realities of Israeli life outside the regional conflict, let me give you some idea. In Israel it is illegal to raise and sell pork and its products. Public transportation, on which a large portion of population depends, does not operate on Shabat. Most private businesses, and all public services offices are closed as well, except for emergency services. Same goes on Yom Kippur, but in addition there is no radio and TV broadcasts, no movies or any kind of entertainment. These are just samples, I did not mention the marital and burial issues, over which the rabbis have full control (Jewish population only), and the fact that yeshiva students are exempt from military service (in his letter Mr.Plaut mentions a case in which a mother of a non-Jewish IDF soldier was about to be deported back to Russia, and consequently an Israeli MK Yossef Lapid suggested that instead this be done to mothers of yeshiva students). A large majority of Israelis (including myself) can be described as secular, while at the same time observant to various degrees. Personally, while I dislike many of the religious restrictions, there are some others that I like. There are others who have other preferences. All this brings me back to our "topic of the week". The first thing Israel will have to do after it wins this round of the war against the Arabs, is to completely restructure its political system, giving the highest priority to a total separation of state and religion.

FULL OF SHIT? St Johns is a lovely little harbour in Newfoundland, except for one small problem. It's essentially a delightful mixture of seawater and poo. Newfoundland blogger Damien Penny explains:

Presently, the municipal government allows untreated sewage to flow into the harbour - near the end of the waterfront, there's an infamous "bubble" where the filth flows in - and despite years of protest and political promises, nothing ever gets done about it. [ ... ] Last weekend, an expensive yacht on a round-the-world voyage was forced to take shelter in St. John's when Hurricane Gustav struck. Shortly thereafter, the boat was swamped - and filled with sewage. [ ... ] Will this finally shame the municipal, provincial and federal governments into doing something about it? I'm not holding my breath.

Gee Damien, I have to say it sounds like holding your breath might be the best option!

If you're Kofi Annan you probably don't want to see this but the rest of us will be snorting our lunch out through our nostrils at it.

The Tumbling Woman, my take Well I'm really torn to be honest. It goes beyond art certainly and anyone looking at it on Sept 10 would go hmm and move on to the next piece. As an artwork in itself I'd call it good, its proportions are correct and positioning emotive. However, this is a piece that has a purpose, to ensure the horror of Sept 11 stays with us. Many of us have become frustrated with how after just one year the passion is fading and the will has weakened. The tree huggers and their spineless media would have us believe that it’s all over and we go home and put our feet up. Sadam has cracked and the world is safe. Crap. A lot of people out there need to have it shoved in their faces if not rammed down their throats what comes of complacency and this does it. So what’s my problem with it? It reminds me of something. Many years ago we lost an Air New Zealand DC10 on Mt Erebus in the Antarctic. I remember it well because I was out sailing with a friend of mine whose father was the Airline Pilots rep who went to the crash. My friend was in fact supposed to be on that flight as it was the last "ice flight", at the last minute he decided to use his flight to go somewhere else and we went sailing. We came home in the early afternoon to the news that his father had gone into work and that the plane was down. This we got to know several hours before the rest of the country. What followed was not a happy time for anyone involved but one of the things that sticks with me is that when transcripts of the cockpit recorder were released one radio station decided that a dramatisation would be the way to go. I listened in absolute horror to this "dramatisation" wondering what the hell would the families of the crew and passengers would be going through if they we listening to it. This sculpture will do all that and more to anyone already scared by that day and they certainly will not need any reminding. So there we are, art, public service or heartless reminder?

War Now the musical! Scott Wickstien has waxed musical with this on the subject and over at Winds of Change Joe Katzman has correctly identified the source of this blogs title. So far the name had attracted references to submarines (tempting, but no) and the film with Bruce Dern, with the robots that were nothing like R2D2...err, anyway Joe has hit the nail on the head. To fully appreciate this blog, in particular the spirit in which it came into being, play Mike & the Mechanics in the background. I'd midi file it for you but even I would smash the monitor after 20 seconds. Who invented midi files anyway and why isn’t there a gang of farm tool waving, toothless inbreeds tearing down the gate to his run down castle? I digress. "Swear allegiance to the flag Whatever flag they offer Never hint at what you really feel Teach the children quietly For some day sons and daughters Will rise up and fight while we stood still Your next challenge is to identify the significance of the "451" in my email address.

Remember that freedom of speech thing... Well let’s expand it to information as well to give you an idea of how things are working out in this part of the world. Our very own PM's office has just had a slap on the wrist in the Chief Ombudsman’s Annual Report because their version of keeping New Zealand green is by not telling us anything under the guise of the Official Information Act. (Reminds me I never got OIA debrief when I left the forces, no wonder I can't keep a secret!) However according to the Chief Ombudsman "The Official Information Act does not provide any basis for the blanket withholding of information. Tell you what Helen we'll let it go if you give us back our air force. Don't forget this is a country that completely suppressed information by media control during WWII and put dissenters and conscientious objectors to hard labour in prison camps. Oh yes how times have changed.

In a tribute to electronic viagra... The email smiley face :) turns 20 today! On Sept. 19, 1982, IBM researcher Scott Fahlman typed :) in an online message.

This just in from Wind Rider: "Never ever EVER allow somebody with tits to convince you that 'selling the Porsche' is a good idea." It seemed like good advice so use it good health!

Greetings to our visitors from Insatpudit. Please excuse the mess, the painters haven't finshed yet and the carpets should arrive any day. Currently I feel like I've been dropped into the pilots seat of a B17 over Berlin and I'm still trying to find what button does what. There seems to be a bit of unfriendly attention from the ground too. Not many novice bloggers would take on replacing War Now, but it had to be done. Once things settle down you can expect some more of what you got from War Now, but without the subtlety. Observe the intro. Feel free to stick around and jump in with anything you want to share.

Recomended Reading Permenat links will be set up when I build up the nerve to takle the beast html again. The Parish Pump Silflay Hraka And while you're out and about the New Zealand blogging comunity just grew, drop in on nzpundit.com

Hello.... To date between us Bruce and I have been bombarded with messages regarding the current status of his blog, all of them highly supportive. So this: War Now! got what it deserved B. Brother. veeshir ...rather grabbed my attention. veeshir clearly doesn't know how we do things around here. To quote Sam Kinison "you don't want my complete and undivided fucking attention". Speak up veeshir and tell us more, I need more information before use you as an example.

To commemorate 24 hours of law suit free operation; Am I My Brothers Keeper? Not under any judicial system in this part of the world happily. Over the last forty-eight hours War Now the highly popular War Blog run by Bruce Hill has been closed down. What can be said about it? In his words “very little”. “There have been some difficulties with my employer and I had to make a decision about my future”. Any other information you may acquire is pure speculation and you should treat it as such. However my personal feeling is that an injustice has taken place and many people have lost a major source of entertainment, information and a forum for their ideas. For me it is one of many unacceptable situations in the world today, however this was one I could do something about. Within twenty-four hours of War Now going down, Silent Running was up and flying on three spluttering engines. The support from the blogging community has been truly overwhelming, many of you have sent messages of support to both Bruce and myself, links have been altered and I have received a lot of very helpful advice during this learn as go process. The site meter is now up and running and with my best estimates of this and the comments and email traffic it looks like we have only dropped a third of the usual readers. War Now is gone but you can’t kill an idea or a principle and those embodied by War Now live on in Silent Running. And in spite of suggestions to the contrary Bruce and I are not the same person, as you will observe from my contact email I’m in a different country for a start.

For more on the subject of freedom of speech, in particular Australias laws on the subject drop by The Parish Pump where Ken Parish throws some light (and annoying facts) on the issue.

From Alsia on the subject of free speech: When it comes to matters in life over which we exercise some degree of control, our freedom is limited only by our willingness to pay for exercising it. Consequently, if we want to compare the degree of freedom of speech in different societies, we have to consider what price does a given society exact from an individual for exercising various forms and degrees of his freedom of speech. The price can be very minimal, such as some time and money (blogs). It can be more expensive, such as legal fees for libel suits. It can be a loss of a job. It can be a loss of a friend. It can be a loss of freedom of movement, or a loss of life. In the US, the first amendment guaranties that an individual will never pay for his freedom of speech with either his freedom of movement, or his life. (I am not sure about his job). However, there will always be some legal fees, and there is the rub. If one cannot afford to pay for his freedom of speech, one better keep quiet.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am not the literary giant that my brother is, by at least two inches and three shoe sizes. I’m neither willing nor able to keep up to either his level or quality of output. My function to date, well for the last four decades in fact, has been to play Bart to his Lisa. However having taken on the mantel of War Now (and more than a few of the readers with any luck) I find something must be done to maintain what was clearly many peoples favourite blog. I have come up with a two-step plan to that end. 1. Target marketing. So tell me what you want to read about, what you want to see (I’m going to try and make it visually interesting) and how you want it presented. 2. The “do it your bloody self” method. The same system that got me one of the most efficient platoons in the territorial force, delegation. In short people, you write it I’ll post it. First topic: “Censorship & Free Speech”. Many of you will have become aware that what Americans take very much as a basic right, either does not exist or exists in a weaker form in other counties. Even civilised Anglosphere democracies like Australia. So go ahead and make a case for either position to have or not have “free speech” and then the rest of us will pull it apart, argue rabidly, resort to threats of violence that are never going to pan out at 7 000 miles distance and then we’ll all get drunk and forget the original question.

Tweaking: (If you're reading this you're in the right place) Apparently the under score in the address is a problem for some ISP's so it's out. we want people to actually be able to view the blog. So everybody update... (if you are here you have). Any more tips throw them at me now.

Wind Rider lashers out: I'm pissed enough to get pissed - and I don't even fucking drink! Freling thin skinned censoring bastages! Free speech is the cornerstone of the Anglosphere! That they could drown in the blood thats been shed to protect that liberty! A pox, an annoying odiferous, treatment resistant unsightly RASH upon their private parts! **The unsolicited comments above are the private opinion of a US Citizen outside the boundaries of the Commonwealth of Australia, ready to bop pinko twits in the nose with his copy of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Have a nice f'ing day.** Wind Rider No, go on tell us what you really think!

Whatever happened to War Now? Many of you have asked and indeed expressed a degree of pissed. This is good, here at Silent Running we encourage free people to ask questions and to get mad when they don't like the answers. And you have my full support if you wish to attempt to get the extra points by being drunk at the same time if that’s you particular skill bigwig. The answer is at the moment is, I can't tell you. Until Bruce has gotten some legal advice you will just have to work the rumour mill. For those of you that have linked me already, ta! I'll get onto the adding you as I work out how to drive this beast. Armoured vehicles were a lot more intimidating when I fist met them and they turned out to be quite manageable, not too sure which of them will do more damage but the bench mark is the $15 000 NZD worth I did the first time I drove an APC (that’s a whole other story) so lets see what this puppy will do!

Science... err Fiction: The Iraqi Ambassador to the UN has just finished giving a speech, and walks out into the lobby where he meets President Bush. They shake hands and as they walk the Iraqi says, "You know, I have just one question about what I have seen in America." President Bush says "Well your Excellency, anything I can do to help you, I will do." The Iraqi whispers "My son watches this show 'StarTrek' and in it there are Russians, and Blacks, and Asians, but never any Arabs. He is very upset. He doesn't understand why there are never any Arabs in Star Trek." President Bush laughs and leans toward the Iraqi, and whispers back, "It's because it takes place in the future...."

The Ground Rules: Ok guys I’m only here to provide a forum, War Now was murdered in cold blood by nothing less than censorship. This is intolerable, yet legal in some parts of the world. Unacceptable none the less, in that spirit I offer complete freedom of speech, I believe it is a sound principle that should be a right. So if you make a comment or you send me something to post I will not alter, edit, modify or delete it. You for your part will keep it within the bounds of the guidelines as set out below and what you can defend because as we saw in War Now if you say something people don’t like, they may just slap you about. If you do send me something you want posted (feel free saves me writing) it will have to fall within the bounds of what I consider acceptable. (No it’s not censorship, it’s my ass. We’ve already seen one blog go down). If it is acceptable it will be posted unaltered, if not it wont see the light of day. The guidelines are: Threats e.g. offering to cut the throat of every man woman and child of any particular race. Not good. Also illegal in this country as it incites racial disharmony. Racism. Go join the clan and hide you face like all hero’s, no room for you here. Too long. I have a very short attention span so… hey what’s that. Too dull. If I nod off before paragraph two, it’s not looking good. Otherwise go for it, disagree with each other, let the fur fly I say. IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: If you email me from the link you can consider it public, anything and everything that comes through that account is subject to being posted. If you want to email me privately you can ask for my address.

Welcome to Silent Running. War Now is dead but like trying to stamp out burning petrol it has spead. There will be a period of settling in so stay tuned. Abnormal transmission will be resumed shortly.