My jackals quote was a direct response to XH's post: "The point is that the U.S. has been run by a corrupt set of jackals for the past 8 years and we're hungry for a leader who doesn't completely suck."

I was just saying, Obama and the democratic party completely suck as well. I didn't come up with the comment out of the blue. :)

I bet you dollars to donuts the hideous system that grinds down the poor internationally to make our cheap shit would still be in full swing, China would still be full of quasi-fascist pricks, your health system would still be a shambles, the terrorists would still have attacked, the privatisation of the human genome would still have occured, the government would still mysteriously care about what two consenting adults choose to do with their genitals, your debt would still be looming over you.

Worst of all, even if Gore did push through massive reform to get serious on global warming at the very beginning of his career (which would have been suicide), China and India still wouldn't care.

Moreover, who knows what scary shit either Kerry or Gore would do to hold on to power and retain "legitimacy"? The government would still expand massively and the possibility of localised decentralisation would shrink just like it always does.

Firstly, thank you to the poster who defended me from being catagorised as a troll.

As to cecilbeanie's post, if you had cared to read just three words after the name Ron Paul, you'd have seen that I qualified my grudging consent to some of his ideas (his anti-government ones), with out-and-out hatred of his pro-market, anti-exploited people, insane and potentially devastating notions concerning economics. I have no love for him, or the majority of his jungle capitalist supporters, but at least he's for SOME of the things I believe in. I'd never vote for him though. Anyway, you needn't worry because I'm in Australia and can't vote anyway, so I won't muddy the waters.

And to dissidenz, I'm saying that it isn't enough. This system is not enough. Why must we compromise again and again and hope that we can at least migitate the damage? How many times must we get screwed before we realise that it doesn't matter who is driving the tank that's crushing us? You're saying the best we can do is choose someone who is hopefully less of a screw-up than the last guy. I'm saying it doesn't have to be that way. Things are not set in stone. Human history is always changing. There are alternatives. I'm not talking fascism, or communism. I'm just talking decentralisation, across the board. Self-empowerment, self-organisation, self-responsibilty. Never before have we all been so educated, so technologically free, so culturally diverese, so interconnected, so accepting. We're not perfect, nothing we ever create will be perfect, but we can do better. We have it within ourselves to be greater. Not forever in a happy fairy land of truth and justice, but greater than this. That's all I think. I'm truly sorry if I offended some people here, but I was just speaking my mind. If indeed you do view me as a troll, then just ignore me. I'm not going to get worked up about it, after all, it's only the internet. :)

Sounds more like a South African accent to me! You guys do know that 95% of Australians do not speak in Broad Australian, that oh-so-often parodied accent which was introduced to you via terrible 50's movies and Crocodile Dundee, right? Common Australian is the dominant dialect and I've never heard an American actor attempt it.

If you're at all shocked or surprised by this. The state exists through force, it keeps it's power through the inherent threat of violence and deprivation of liberty. This is nothing unusual except for the fact it happened to white people close to a heavily media-scrutinised event. Abstracted power over masses = violence. You can dissent, but don't step outside the white lines! Stay in the "free speech zone"! You can't use that sign, it's offensive! Don't peacefully blockade us, it could be embarassing!

The result if you do? Immense violence. The clear warning that if you say anything that would truly upset the status quo, you get a boot to the head.

Anarchists are not perfect, they are human the same as everyone else. But fuck, if seeing that there is something critically wrong with the way power systems operate currently is "criminal", then sign me up to be a criminal. The worst anarchist "crimes" in recent history? Some shop windows broken. The worst state crimes in recent history? Fucking hell, where do you start?

Occasionally something will happen that even stuns misguided liberals into brief action. Yes something horrible is going on. It must be stopped.

Their solution? "Vote for the other guy! He'll make it better! Oh please, help me arbitrate my own power and responsibility Mr. rich smooth talker in a suit!"

Surprise surprise, your guy in a suit is still a corporate whore who will do everything he can to cling on to power and retain legitimacy. He will lie, steal and murder to do it. Just like every other centralised power-holder in history.

There is a way to be both cynical and optimistic guys. It depresses me that ANYONE who claims to be even mildly leftist or in favour of freedom still chooses to vote or participate at all in this utterly idiotic and horrible system. As the great George Carlin (an admitted anarchist btw) once said; "the game is rigged."