My home state of Queensland, Australia, was ruled for a couple of decades by an increasingly corrupt, hard line, right wing regime, which favoured gerrymanders, secrecy, intimidation, and lies over democracy, due process, equity, and accountability.

Then, one day in the late 1980's, a corruption scandal started to get a little traction. No one paid too much attention at first - we'd seen scandals before and they'd all been covered over, hushed up, paid off.... or disappeared.

So, a compalcent governement appointed an investigator to hold an inquiry. However, this time, the investigator actually did his job. He got the terms of the inquiry expanded. He heard evidence from everyone and he pursued the investigation with conviction and independence. And, finally, he brought down the whole house of cards. The government fell and that party has been a thin, spent force ever since.

The investigator's name was Fitzgerald.

Here's hoping...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzgerald_Inquiry

Look folks, we're at war. War. And in a war, people get hurt. It's sad, but stuff happens. At times like this we've got to support our brave vice presidents who are out there risking their necks to protect our freedoms. And what you can be sure of is that our vice presidents are doing everything they can - they got smart buckshot, the best technology - everything they can to reduce civilian casualties. And you've gotta ask, what was this guy doing out there with the quails, in the bushes, in camouflage, in an area where vice presidents were known to be conducting operations. I don't have the facts and I don't want to speculate on this alleged lawyer's motivations and loyalties, but it doesn't look good, does it?

Look folks, we're at war. War. And in a war, people get hurt. It's sad, but stuff happens. At times like this we've got to support our brave vice presidents who are out there risking their necks to protect our freedoms. And what you can be sure of is that our vice presidents are doing everything they can - they got smart buckshot, the best technology - everything they can to reduce civilian casualties. And you've gotta ask, what was this guy doing out there with the quails, in the bushes, in camouflage, in an area where vice presidents were known to be conducting operations. I don't have the facts and I don't want to speculate on this alleged lawyer's motivations and loyalties, but it doesn't look good, does it?

As an observer from another country (Australia), it strikes me that while Americans can debate eternally whether the election was hijacked or not, most people are missing the truly staggering question: How can a modern democracy - a country that considers itself to be the beacon of freedom and democracy to the rest of the world - have an electoral system so broken that debates about legitimacy are even conceivable?

Are there any other true democracies in the world where there is no uniform electoral practice across the country, supervised by an independent, non-partisan electoral commission? How can Americans justify any system that allows party campaign personnel to have any role at all in determining electoral practices, electoral roll composition, voting mechanisms, or recounts?

Do these anomalies not strike average Americans, regardless of political affiliation, as obscene, let alone inefficient, shambloic, and embarrassing?

In a genuine democracy, the question of partisan interference in a national election should be ridiculous. In most modern countries it is unthinkable by all but the maddest tin-hatters. Any country - even America - which allows a system fundamentally flawed at all levels is flirting with dictatorship and tyranny. And when such a country also possesses an arsenal the size of America's, with a suitably militarist culture, it is a chilling prospect for the rest of the world.

Americans frequently remind themselves that theirs is the most free, most freedom-loving, most democratic country in the world. For people in many other countries, this brings at least a wry smile. For while America may once have led the world in these things, those days are long past. Many countries have caught up and gone past. Their achievements have come from hard work and pincipled commitment to democratic ideals, not from rhetorical self-delusion.

For it is not America's past that will make or break democracy. It is not patriotic slogans that will protect you. Only your systems and institutions can do this. Any American - regardless of political affiliation - who cares about democracy and freedom should be very, very worried about what has been created.

Australians are too keen on diving either - especially after an Oscar-worthy dive by the Italians in the final 30 seconds cost us an upset win and a place in the quarter finals last night. :-(

Diving is the worst part of the game. It's the nastiest, sneakiest, most flagrant form of cheating around. I'd like FIFA to have a committee that reviews the video of every game and has the power to charge & suspend any player who is caught pulling a penalty with a dive.

Oh well.....

How do you know they are your real parents?