Many years ago, (I’m seventy) my friend, Herbert L Kelly, wrote this little poem:

In Abner Dean the people go
without their clothes on row on row.

I used to think I thought a lot
and saw through life and all that rot.

But now I’m swell…

Thank you for opening my eyes that last silly millimeter, Mr Duck.

November 17, 2006 @ 2:16 am | Comment

Offtopic, but I thought you’d be interested in this story.

November 17, 2006 @ 4:18 am | Comment

The fourth estate being corrupted ,arrogant and self serving, plus putting itself as the arbiter of what is good for us masses or the country. This is the fallacy of democracy in that most of the media are align by the ones who fund them ie money talks and then we are shove with a bunch of half truths , lies and selective disclosure and certainly not without fear or favour. That is why masses needs to rush the Bastille of status quo every now and then to prevent corruption from being too ingrain into the fabric of our public lifes

November 17, 2006 @ 12:37 pm | Comment

The fourth estate being corrupted ,arrogant and self serving, plus putting itself as the arbiter of what is good for us masses or the country. This is the fallacy of democracy in that most of the media are align by the ones who fund them ie money talks and then we are shove with a bunch of half truths , lies and selective disclosure and certainly not without fear or favour. That is why masses needs to rush the Bastille of status quo every now and then to prevent corruption from being too ingrain into the fabric of our public lifes

November 17, 2006 @ 12:37 pm | Comment

Thanks for that link, Richard, that was great.

Hope you are feeling better!

November 18, 2006 @ 11:58 am | Comment

Richard,

Thought you would be interested in this remarkable talk on “Freedom and Responsibility” by Pierre Tristam who blogs on Candide’s Notebook. His lecture is very pertinent to the issues you contend with living in Asia. His discourse relates to American and European views on freedom and the state, from historical and current perspectives. I couldn’t help but wonder what the Asian perspective would be; where would it fall on the continuum between Hegel and John Stuart Mill?

http://pierretristam.com/Bobst/Archives/CN111406.htm#1

November 18, 2006 @ 6:44 pm | Comment

@Richard:

Great Read. One of my favorites on your site. Thanks for the link. I hope you are feeling much better these days.

All the best,
Ames Tiedeman

@Dr J: Hegel and John Stuart Mill are men that too many people have forgotten. Their insight and belief structure relative to freedom and the ability to cope with freedom as an individual and state are of the most important nature.

Thanks,
Ames Tiedeman

November 19, 2006 @ 11:16 pm | Comment