We could be fixing our sewage plants, but we don’t, that would cost money and put people to work!!!, must be socialism!!!, higher interest rates!!!, deficits!!!!, inflation!!!!, all kinds of shit!!!!!!, so some of our rivers now choke with raw sewage and our environment goes down the tubes a little further.
Gorilla thinks: “If only our bog standard politicians would visit the bogs they’ve created!”
Back in Iraq, a snag has developed.
Seems the parliament can’t muster enough votes to override a Vice Presidential veto (and how’d we manage to advise the Iraqis to set up a constitution with a vice presidential veto?), so the election may have to be postponed beyond January.
Still plenty of reassuring noises from our generals that this won’t interfere with the “waterfall” aka the beginning of our orderly withdrawal from Iraq.
Less certain is what this says about the Iraqis’ ability to manage their country, when it’s clear the nationalistic and religious divides still lurk beneath the surface. These really aren’t our problem, they just illustrate what a huge mistake it was to invade in the first place.
Gorilla is a bit confused by all this electioneering: “What happens when the Sunnis come off the payroll? Should we ask Karzai’s brother to pick up the tab?”
Copenhagen is approaching, and the good news is that many heads of state are attending!!!
The real news of course is that there’s no agreement on anything.
Countless hours will be spent between now and Danish summiteering in negotiating as best they can yet another non-binding agreement to do nothing!
Australian PM Kevin Rudd, a “key negotiator” sums it up:
“I believe there is a strong and high degree of political resolve from many of the leaders around the world to land a Copenhagen agreement,” he told the BBC.
But he said reaching what he called an “operational framework agreement” was “not inevitable” and that the negotiations will be “very tough”.
Gorilla says: “Yep, the saga of green is mostly blue!”
And the Afghan corruption campaign is now on hold!
Seems there are 5 ministers and ex-ministers up for arrest and trial, but President Karzai has not yet signed the warrants.
Gorilla asks: “Which comes first, a new and improved Afghanistan, or health care reform? Give it another decade and see!!!”
Gorilla’s Blog