Ouch!
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Keith Addison Sent: Thursday, 1 March 2012 12:18 a.m. To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Imposing democrisy Hi Bob I spelled it wrong, I meant to say democrisy, sorry. As a democracy New Zealand ranks 5th, after Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden, with Australia 6th, and the US 19th, after Uruguay and the UK. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index I'm not sure if that makes New Zealand 3.8 times more democratic than the US, nor whether Mr Rudd would currently agree about Oz. New Zealand ranks 32nd on the per capita GDP list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita However, it gets a "poor" rating in the Happy Planet Index (HPI): http://neweconomics.org/sites/neweconomics.org/files/The_Happy_Planet_Index_ 1.pdf New Zealand is coloured dark orange on the map, far below green. In the rankings chart (p57), it ranks 11th in the Western world, but only 94th worldwide, after Jordan and followed by Japan. Countries in HPI rank order Reasonable ideal Life Satisfaction 8.2 Life Expectancy 82.0 Ecological footprint 1.5 HPI 83.5 New Zealand Life Satisfaction 7.4 Life Expectancy 79.1 Ecological footprint 5.5 HPI 41.9 Godzone? I think democracy is a denatured concept these days, especially considering what's done in its name. Maybe it's hit its use-by date, as have nation states, surely, in this living world where everything is connected to everything else. We need something better than nations and democracy, more local and more global. "The major western democracies are moving towards corporatism. Democracy has become a business plan, with a bottom line for every human activity, every dream, every decency, every hope. The main parliamentary parties are now devoted to the same economic policies - socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor - and the same foreign policy of servility to endless war. This is not democracy. It is to politics what McDonalds is to food." - John Pilger "I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves." - Henry Kissinger, prior to the CIA overthrow of the democratically elected government of socialist President Salvadore Allende in Chile in 1973, to be replaced by the murderous Pinochet. "Its easier to kill a million people than it is to control them." - Zbigniew Brzezinski "No man is an island, intire of itselfe, every man is a part of the maine. Any man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in Mankinde. So seek not to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." - John Donne Time to dump Leo Strauss and look to Georgescu-Roegen. Best Keith >Yes. New Zealand. > >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of >Keith Addison >Sent: Tuesday, 28 February 2012 11:46 p.m. >To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org >Subject: [Biofuel] Imposing democrysy > >Can you name a single truly democratic nation in the world today? > >See also: > >89% vote in favor of new Syrian Constitution >Published: 27 February, 2012 ><http://rt.com/news/syria-referendum-constitution-results-307/> > >"West" Wants Assad Out, Democracy or Not >By Global Times >February 27, 2012 ><http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/697555/West-wants-Assad-out-dem o >cracy-or-not.aspx> > >--0-- > ><http://rt.com/news/eu-recognizes-syrian-national-council-321/> > >EU hits Syria with toughest-yet sanctions, recognizes SNC > >Published: 27 February, 2012 > >The EU has recognized the Syrian National Council, one of the main >opposition groups, as a legitimate representative of the Syrian >people. The decision came as the EU ministers met in Brussels to slap >Syria with its toughest set of sanctions yet. > >Although the EU ministers recognized the SNC as the "official >opposition", French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told journalists >that there are other groups opposed to Assad's regime which should be >urged to unite and become more organized. > >The EU continues to execute its strategy of putting political and >economic pressure on the Syrian regime to force President Bashar >al-Assad out of power. Verbally, the West maintains its support of >the opposition, at the same time reiterating that a Libya-style >scenario will not be repeated in Syria. > >Some of the Arab countries, however, advocate a direct military >intervention in the country to stop "the bloodshed against the >civilians." > >The Qatari Prime Minister voiced his unbounded support of the >opposition on Monday, saying that the international community should >arm the rebels, since it failed to find a solution to the crisis by >the means of United Nations Security Council. > >"I think we should do whatever is necessary to help them, including >giving them weapons to defend themselves," Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim >al-Thani said on Monday during a visit to Norway. "I think we have to >try to do something to send enough military help to stop the killing." > >Saudi Arabia is also backing the idea of arming the rebels, with >Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal saying that giving weapons and >ammunition to groups fighting the Syrian regime is "an excellent >idea" because "they have to defend themselves." > >Syria's Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said that >militarizing the Syrian opposition is a big mistake that will >backfire. The West is trying to destabilize Syria for geopolitical >reasons, Makdissi said in an interview with the Associated Press. > >EU imposes tough new sanctions > >Foreign ministers of the European Union have agreed to sanction the >country's central bank, freeze assets of several high-ranking Syrian >officials, halt purchasing gold and ban cargo flights to Syria from >the EU. > >This is not the first - or even the second - time the 27-nation bloc >has taken such steps. Their effects have yet to be seen, but EU >leaders believe that applying as much pressure - both diplomatic and >economic - as possible on the Assad regime will lead to positive >changes in the conflict-torn nation. > >Europe would prefer to have even tougher sanctions in play, from the >United Nations, but Russia and China's position as permanent, and >therefore veto-wielding, members, has so far prevented UNSC measures. > >British Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed the West's >continued frustration with Moscow and Beijing for preventing stronger >action against Syria at the United Nations. > >"I hope that China and Russia will see that it has been a mistake to >take this position, that it is damaging their own interests in the >Middle East, that it is wrong in the eyes of the world," Hague told >reporters. > >To both Moscow and Beijing, however, there is a greater wrong - using >UN resolutions to justify a military involvement, as happened in >Libya. > >'Majority of Syrians are non-people for the West' > >Neil Clark, a journalist and contributor to The Guardian, believes >Western leaders are being highly hypocritical when they criticize the >Syrian regime for being undemocratic, and yet fail to respect the >views of the majority of Syrians. > >"Fifty-seven per cent of Syrians have voted and an overwhelming >majority of them have said yes to it," he told RT "It's a great day >for democracy in Syria. And yet what's the reaction been by the >Western leaders? Well, Hillary Clinton denounced it as a cynical >ploy. Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, said that it >was a sham, but in fact what is a sham is the West's approach because >the reaction to this referendum shows us that they're not really keen >on democracy in Syria." > >Clark said the West tends to cast a blind eye on huge pro-Assad >demonstrations and the fact that 55 per cent of Syrians want >President Assad to stay. > >"The reality is that the majority of Syrians support Assad, but for >the West these are non-people, their views don't count". > >He noted the symbolism of the announcement of new sanctions against >Syria by the EU. > >"On the very day that Syria, after five decades of one-party rule, >votes for democracy, what does the EU do? It announces tough new >sanctions on Syria. It's highly symbolic." > >Clark expressed his opinion that the EU was hardly a democratic body itself. > >"I think that it's quite ironic on this very day we also have the >French President Nicolas Sarkozy explaining why we, the European >people, are not going to be allowed to vote ourselves on the EU >fiscal treaty. He says it's too hard for us to understand. So the EU, >which is claiming to be in favor of democracy, is actually working >against it." > >He concluded by saying that the majority of Syrians do not want their >country to disintegrate like Iraq or Libya and see President Assad >and the Ba'ath party as the preferred solution to hold the country >together. _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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