Animals, RPG Review #3, Political Involvement

[tcpip]

Thanks for all the suggestions for cat names. At the end we took greenglowgrrl's suggestion, Mac Lir. As can be suspected at this age he's a complete nutcase. He's made friends with the rabbits, but the rats still aren't too sure which isn't much of a surprise really. Whilst on rodent topics, I have recently picked up a copy of the Mouse Guard roleplaying game; great presentation, good writing and a simplified system based on Burning Wheel. Quite impressed so far and hope to play soon. It will feature in the next edition of RPG Review which should be out within the week. Apart from Mouse Guard, it will also feature GURPS Bunnies & Burrows (special Easter theme), an interview with Steve Long (Star Trek, LoTR, Champions), designer's notes for Summerland and Fire & Sword, a Champions-Spelljammer-Planescape mash-up, classic D&D modules for a Middle-Earth campaign, a review of Watchmen and much more!

I suspect I am not going to see much daylight this coming week; I have to finish the first draft of a book for Iron Crown Enterprises, finish off RPG Review, run two games (D&D Fantasy Australia and RQ Rhythm of the Heat), plus I'm putting together some material for Isocracy on involvement in politics (inspiried by airiefairie's post on talk_politics. Expect a fair dose of Hannah Arendt and Noam Chomsky in the mix.

Queensland had an election, which saw a fourth-term return for the Labor Party against a united opposition and the election of Australia's first female premier (we've had female premiers in the past; they've just lost when it was taken to the polls). Wikileaks strikes a blow by publishing the ACMA list of prohibited content, which included both distateful material but some utterly inoffensive material as well (a dentist?!). Guy Rundle claims that no other issue is more important, and I am certainly sympthethic to that view. The political question is how do we get rid of Conroy?

Comments

[synabetic.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, is it spring already?? Would you like some Lord Orcus in the next issue?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Can you get it done in the next couple of days?

[synabetic.livejournal.com]

I can give it a shot! :)

Have any questions for Lord Orcus to answer?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

This has fallen into my hands..


"Dear Lord Orcus,

I am a governing Senator in a mineral-rich country with sluggish Internet connectivity. Recently I have discovered that there is material that I consider unsuitable being passed around the information superhighway. I have decided that to protect the moral fibre of the country I need to block such material, although I will not specify what these sites are. The first rule of censorship is that you cannot talk about censorship, Haw! Haw!

Some people have told me to "Go to hell!" over this, but I personally feel divinely inspired, indeed fulfilling "Opus Dei" or, "the work of God". What do you think Mr. Orcus? Do I belong in heaven or in hell?

Your sincerely,

Senator Steven Conroy"

[synabetic.livejournal.com]

Poop, I'm sorry man... I've been hit with sudden work and I lost all track of thought on the LOL contribution... is there still time?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Go! Go! Go! :)

[synabetic.livejournal.com]

Okay! I'll try to get something thrown together by tonight! :D

[http://users.livejournal.com/_zombiemonkey/]

The best method of getting rid of Conroy is to fire him into the sun (and put the footage on YouTube).

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

That would have a certain degree of popularity, no doubt.

[blackgrrr.livejournal.com]

I prefer the idea of a cage match with William Gibson.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Conroy is a lot younger and fitter than Gibson, y'know...

[blackgrrr.livejournal.com]

True.
What's Gore Vidal doing these days?
Stallman? Sir Tim?

Zombie Marshall McLuhan?

We need irony here.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Lets go for Stallman.

He might be 10 years older and probably 50 kgs heavier (and not much of it muscle), but I reckon he'd have the passion to see it through in an entertaining manner.

[taavi.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I have very little time for Chomsky. He really cherry picks and distorts his sources to make US actions look like "the evil conspiracy of evil" rather than the result of contested self-interest and politics. I find his work not much better than "confessions of an economic hit-man"; left-wing theory meets James Bond plot! And he flat-out lied about the Khmer Rouge and his record of supporting them.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I was thinking mainly of his work in "Manufacturing Consent"; but I must disagree with the claim of an evil conspiracy. He typically presents results, as you say, from "the result of contested self-interest and politics". There is a great example where he compares an "ordinary Americans" knowledge of football strategies compared to the alleged ignorance of international relations.

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

Mac Lir being a reference to Manannán, or the Swan Children?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

The former; I didn't even know the latter existed, but it would sort of work... I can imagine the wee kittie being a Celtic nationalist..

[stephen-dedman.livejournal.com]

http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20090324-First-Dog-on-the-Moon.html

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's nice work.

I wonder what Kate Lundy would say about her 2003 comments:

"Unfortunately, such a short memory regarding the debate in 1999 about internet content has led the coalition to already offer support for greater censorship by actively considering proposals for unworkable, quick fixes that involve filtering the internet at the ISP level."

[phasmaphobic.livejournal.com]

Didja get my submissions?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Yep, they'll be there...

[brockulfsen.livejournal.com]

Apart from The Secret Masters having his browser history, what motivates Conroy to continue flogging this particular undead horse? Who is telling him "ignore the oputrage, this is God's work" and why is he listening?

It is like Bligh and the Travesty Dam.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well... I've heard that he's a member of Opus Dei... Maybe that explains it.. We have to remember however that Conroy is a self-admitted Internet troglodyte (now if I could only find that Liberal MPs link).

I also wonder what role he had in ensuring that Family First received preferences in the last Federal election over the Greens...

Let the record show

[brockulfsen.livejournal.com]

Brock said "Oh, fuck." Opus Dei are, globally fairly harmless thoecracy nutters. However, for some reason, in Australia they are hand in hand with the Little Church of the Holy Dollar, pushing a weird Papist version of Prosperity theology, and tied up with Joel's Army types in the AoG and often work closely with creep Assemblies Daughter Churches. Unlike the US where Fanatical Devotion to The Pope prevents them climbing into bed with the protestant churches, here they seem quite comfortable together.

In the late 80s they were tightly connected with Logos Foundation in Queensland and actively pushing to retain the National party regime even after Sir Joh was pushed (Qld Catholic Labor are mostly small 'c' Catholics and not Opus Dei). Also the Magnificate Meal Movement initially had a strong Opus Dei support. However when they were outed as nutjobs and the Church condemned them, public support from Opus Dei withered.

[fluffyblanket.livejournal.com]

Yay - the link worked this time ! I like Isocracy and have filed it in my favourites under "Anarchism etc." Your pussy cat is commendably nonspecist . My Carmen is sitting on my knee at the keyboard - I'm her pet human - and is eager to enroll him in her Feline Liberation Front - not that he needs emancipating ...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I like Isocracy and have filed it in my favourites under "Anarchism etc."

Slowly and surely it will build into being quite a resource. It follows the Slow Blogging Manifesto

[fluffyblanket.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...quite an ode to indolence .
: )