Avebury Letter.
OK I have a confession to make. This may shock you? This may come as a supprise? I like Americans.
OK, so not all of them but more than you'd think.
It has to be said I think some Americans (note 'some') are bat$#/t crazy.
But then there's quite a lot of British we could say that about. Let's face it our government was elected by 25% of the people, someone hasn't been paying attention and we have minority hegenomy again.
So its all evens there.
And shock of horrors, I even have admiration for the American Constitution.
I am a bit suspicious that, the modern influence of business on government, has become something akin to: the buying and selling of the imperium by the pretorian guard in ancient Rome.
Do I think Britain is in a much better state? Not really. We still have a monarch, a symbol of privelidge by right of blood. At which point palm and face achieve close proximity. Though we do have 'Magna Carta' which put king John and every other king in a very complicated position. Which is a glorious contradiction.
We can call these two great democratic events the greatest promoters of liberty and freedom in the history of the west. No divine right of kings and, no divine right of religion.
One of my favourite living Americans is Noam Chomsky. The man is wonderfully quietly spoken, I certainly can't fault his logic. In the disagreement between Chomsky, Hitchens and Dawkins, I think he had a valid point that there are questions to be asked about what 'passion' means in a debating stance, should we persuade people, or should we tell them what we think and let them make up their own d@mn minds.
Chomsky has I believe described himself as a 'crypto anarchist' and essentially described this as the philosophy, that all authority must be justified; not just legitimate, and it is the right and duty of all citizens to challenge authority to justify itself.
Which is something I recognise as a democratic stance, and wholeheartedly support.
Another American I like is Jon Stewart, who seems to have a role as leader of public opposition, somewhat similar to the role spitting image had in opposing Margaret Thatcher, over here.
Which is odd, because Obama and Thatcher are as unlike as anyone might imagine.
Then we remember the sightless nocturnal winged flying mammal, poo.
And realise Jon Stewart is one actively willing to name the 'crazy' for what it is. I am sure there are many others. Following the recent tradgedy in Charleston, I was particularly impressed by his recognition that sometimes comedy fails, and the comedian just has to tell us what his spirit has to say. And by spirit I mean the very essence of his being, with as much honesty as he can muster. Not a ghost that survives death. I am reluctant to surrender the word 'spirit' to theists.
There are many other Americans I like, Terry Gilliam springs to mind. And frankly I like Obama, and his missus, who I think has legislature ambitions of her own. I'm undecided if he has been a great US president, but I think he's been a good President. Though like all politicians to be treated as a used care salesman. But in Obama one with a conscience. And let's face it, the sustained pressure the right has attempted to put on him, seems to me to match the intensity Nixon was under at the hight of Watergate.
The problem is I think that now with the TTIP Big Business is openly attempting to gain legal recourse to challenge, democratically elected governments. Effecting both Britain and the US.
The Americans and the British still have a lot in common, both being stubborn independent minded so and so's.
We abolished the divine rights of Kings and right out of the same tradition you abolished the divine right of religions, are we now moving to a stage where we need to curtail the divine right of business?
This letter was inspired by Avebury Stone Circle, near where I live in Wiltshire.
OK, so not all of them but more than you'd think.
It has to be said I think some Americans (note 'some') are bat$#/t crazy.
But then there's quite a lot of British we could say that about. Let's face it our government was elected by 25% of the people, someone hasn't been paying attention and we have minority hegenomy again.
So its all evens there.
And shock of horrors, I even have admiration for the American Constitution.
I am a bit suspicious that, the modern influence of business on government, has become something akin to: the buying and selling of the imperium by the pretorian guard in ancient Rome.
Do I think Britain is in a much better state? Not really. We still have a monarch, a symbol of privelidge by right of blood. At which point palm and face achieve close proximity. Though we do have 'Magna Carta' which put king John and every other king in a very complicated position. Which is a glorious contradiction.
We can call these two great democratic events the greatest promoters of liberty and freedom in the history of the west. No divine right of kings and, no divine right of religion.
One of my favourite living Americans is Noam Chomsky. The man is wonderfully quietly spoken, I certainly can't fault his logic. In the disagreement between Chomsky, Hitchens and Dawkins, I think he had a valid point that there are questions to be asked about what 'passion' means in a debating stance, should we persuade people, or should we tell them what we think and let them make up their own d@mn minds.
Chomsky has I believe described himself as a 'crypto anarchist' and essentially described this as the philosophy, that all authority must be justified; not just legitimate, and it is the right and duty of all citizens to challenge authority to justify itself.
Which is something I recognise as a democratic stance, and wholeheartedly support.
Another American I like is Jon Stewart, who seems to have a role as leader of public opposition, somewhat similar to the role spitting image had in opposing Margaret Thatcher, over here.
Which is odd, because Obama and Thatcher are as unlike as anyone might imagine.
Then we remember the sightless nocturnal winged flying mammal, poo.
And realise Jon Stewart is one actively willing to name the 'crazy' for what it is. I am sure there are many others. Following the recent tradgedy in Charleston, I was particularly impressed by his recognition that sometimes comedy fails, and the comedian just has to tell us what his spirit has to say. And by spirit I mean the very essence of his being, with as much honesty as he can muster. Not a ghost that survives death. I am reluctant to surrender the word 'spirit' to theists.
There are many other Americans I like, Terry Gilliam springs to mind. And frankly I like Obama, and his missus, who I think has legislature ambitions of her own. I'm undecided if he has been a great US president, but I think he's been a good President. Though like all politicians to be treated as a used care salesman. But in Obama one with a conscience. And let's face it, the sustained pressure the right has attempted to put on him, seems to me to match the intensity Nixon was under at the hight of Watergate.
The problem is I think that now with the TTIP Big Business is openly attempting to gain legal recourse to challenge, democratically elected governments. Effecting both Britain and the US.
The Americans and the British still have a lot in common, both being stubborn independent minded so and so's.
We abolished the divine rights of Kings and right out of the same tradition you abolished the divine right of religions, are we now moving to a stage where we need to curtail the divine right of business?
This letter was inspired by Avebury Stone Circle, near where I live in Wiltshire.
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