: :
: : : : PS, If Castro had come to Seattle for the WTO, would he have been arrested for ordering the shootdown of those two private cessenas a couple of years ago? Remember?: : : He didn't come. Obviously, he isn't that stupid.
: : : : A couple of Mig's shot down two civilian cessenas. Boy, real Cuban aces!! LOL!
: : : It's hardly surprising;on May the 6th 1971 the US-supported Cuban exiles used bioweapons in Cuba which resulted in an epidemic of swine fever and the destruction of 500,000 pigs.
: : : The Cessnas only appeared to be dropping propaganda leaflets, but the Cuban authorities weren't going to take any risks, so they warned them repeatedly to back off and shot them down when they didn't.
: : : The Cessnas were not only acting in violation of Cuban law, they were acting in direct violation of international law and US law; the Cubans were legally well within their rights to shoot down the intruders; and any US court that tried to arrest Castro for that would have to break US and international law to do so.
: : You guys are priceless; I figured you'd go into overdrive about the ballsy way that Reagan told the World Court to kiss his ass when he was mining Managua Bay.
: Nah. Everyone *knows* that Reagan was a fruitcake. The man who famously stated that trees caused more pollution than cars was never likely to be Mr. Rational, after all.
I'm all for mowing down old growth Redwoods, just to play it safe. Pave 'em over and install K-Marts and McDonalds.
: We *could* try him for crimes against humanity; there's more than enough evidence, after all; but he's no longer compos mentis anyway; it would be a waste of effort.
LOL! just like a pinky to go after a guy w/Alzheimers and ignore the dictator of Cuba.
: : But instead you squawk about two unarmed cessnas flying in broad day, having already notified Cuban officials of their plans, being legitimatly being shot down by supersonic Migs. M'Gawd.
: Well, at least it was a pair of Cessnas filled with right-wing nutters breaking every international law in the book; and not a defenceless airliner shot down without warning...
Well, yes, you do have a point. Cessnas do have a rather long and honerable history of being fine old war-birds. Everyone recalls the thousand's of Cessnas thundering over Europe in WWII. The Mighty Eighth and the venerable Cessna Bomber. With it's reputation I suppose it would be churlish of anyone to second guess the terror the Cuban military structure must have felt when these machines of death and destruction appeared on their radar...m'Gawd! The terror!!......
: Hey, Frenchy; I'm going to kill you.
: - now does that make it legal or ethical for me to kill you?; of course it doesn't. The fact that I notified you first doesn't make an ounce of difference.
No, No, you've already convinced me. It was after all a Cessna that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan in 1945. There is absolutely no way that the Cuban High Command could have been sure that either one of those Cessnas didn't have a 'special device' in it's bomb bays. Imagine the recriminations if they had got through and bombed Havana with....leaflets.
Hey, remember the Cessna that some Englishman flew into Russia and landed on Red Square? Hey, that proves how dangerous a Cessna can be...
: : By the way, where ya been?
: Here and there; smashing the WTO meeting in Seattle, rioting in London, marching in Paris; demonstrating in Geneva; you know how it is.
: The good thing about being an activist and being so fiercely opposed by riot police everywhere is that you can be sure that everyone with the balls to walk down a street with you despite the hail of teargas cannisters is committed to the cause. Unlike the apathetic masses that fuel capitalism - who are happy for millions to die supporting their cheap commodities; but will be the first to whinge when their neighbourhoods start suffering from global warming-related symptoms; increased vector-borne diseases, lessening stocks of fresh water and lower crop yields and a higher incidence of extreme weather conditions.
Very good. I'm going to sleep easy tonight knowing that there are warriors out there taking care of business for us uninformed proles. Thanx.
: Being baton-charged and having your head kicked in does separate the men from the boys...any of you armchair free-marketeers prepared to take to the streets to demoonstrate in support of the free market?
Don't want to pop your bubble or anything, but you guys up there in Seattle are getting the royal treatment, with kid gloves. Until you warriors go up against T-34/56's and BMD's et al like the students got in Tian'an Men, taking a baton rap is just healthy All-American fun and games.
: Ho hum; must go; have to form a shadowy anarchist terror group somewhere; you know how it is.
: Farinata.
: (who would like to point out that he is a pacifist...)
With so much work to do how do you support yourself? Independantly wealthy? Royalties? Zero coupon bonds? Inheretance? C'mon, spill the beans.
By the way, they were talking about Linux/Red Hat on the radio the other day. I had no idea, but Microsoft (Mr. William Gates to you) controls 95% of the market and somebody else controls 4.95% of the balance. Linux controls the other .05%.
Come to find out from some people who seemed pretty knowledgeable that Linux might eventually become accepted by the general public in 10 years, IF they can figure a way to make their product easier to use. Exactly what I've been saying.
I ain't gonna read 'Das Kapital' and I ain't gonna teach myself computer programming. Ain't gonna happen.
