Lets hear it for boring and mundane for little Twerp.
My kids seem to gravitate to the opposite despite they have had the best of 20th century “peace in our time”.
Enjoy your little sweetie while he is little
'Morning Valerie,
I watched FBI director Coumey testfying before the Senate Judiciary Cmte, on C-span.
Much was discussed, deatils not relevant here, but whichever direction the questions all answers referred to technology, which did not exist when other wars and comflicts dominated the world. It makes any reference to learning from history somewhat mute.
I guess we must always factor in humans, but my new theory is that Technology alters Morality.
I remain perplexed, bewildered and anxious - there are too many unknowns for my calculations.
So I remain vigilant, but unhopeful.
Cheer me up, Brian.
The world has always been in turmoil Brian and we probably live in the most peaceful times ever. The streets of Britain for example were a hotbed of petty and major crime until social conditions improved a few generations back.
As an aside to the amazing Mr Trump's antics. The US has two Moslem Congressmen so would these two government figures be banned from re entering their country after a foreign visit or holiday for zxample following DTs' dictate ?
Even human beings differ too much for that to be true. We have cultures and beliefs that shape behaviour, then we have economy, ecology, technology and other denominators that predispose us to do things in a particular way and how we respond to them. In fact, social psychology shows how very different Europeans are compared to how we were in the 1930s and how a massive political movement like National Socialism could not work as it did then. IS is gaining followers now but they are very different to the Germans (and others) who fell under Hitler's spell. History does not, in fact, repeat itself. When we say that it is because certain characteristics or sequences of events are comparable, therefore recognisable, and sometimes that includes errors in individual or collective behaviour that led to an event or situation that on deeper examination are largely not at all comparable. Thus, history repeats itself is an aphorism rather than a truth which, as has often proved the case, if we base judgements on it can lead to grave errors.
Well said, thank you.
Brian, we do need to look at history to see the human response to certain situations.
For example the Romans who had such a sybaritic lifestyle which equates well to how we live in the west.
I love Strictly, but I can well understand how certain groups can look at it with a totally different perspective. Thst is down to culture, not religion.
How we can work out these differences which are historically the same but which are represented so differently nowadays is beyond me.
Graham, start by not believing what you see on CBN.com. I still follow SFN, although I moved to Brussels last year. This is dangerous scaremongering fiction. Factually incorrect. Mohamed is not the most common name for babies born in Brussels. In most of Belgium Muslim names don't figure in the top ten. I don't believe Islam is the biggest religion, either, although the vast majority of Belgians practice no religion - and that will include many who from the ethnic Moroccan/Berber minorities. There is a problem with Salafist preachers, Saudi-funded, brining an aspect of Islam which is alien to the more liberal traditions of the Moroccan culture. I think you need to understand the problem and stop any thoughts of thinking a blanket condemnation of Islam is a route to solving the problem you identify. The CBN.com reporter clearly has an agenda. I'm sorry you were taken in, but this is how FN in France and Trump in the US are able gain support; not because of any truth in this message. Sorry to be so dismissive and I don't mean to be insulting but this sort of gibberish should be hanging from a nail in the bathroom (showing my age as well...)
I try too but it is now too late given that from 1969 on I studied, then researched, worked with, for and fought for children. My daughters have Moslem friends, neither notices skin colour, both having non-European friends. My one bro-in-law is Algerian, therefore my nephews are possibly going to examine their religious and ethnic roots one day. We have Jewish friends, Hindus, Buddhists and an emeritus Catholic bishop in the family. If my two can live with that not making an impression on them, and one is classified 'handicapped' so different herself, then surely anybody else can. They have never been pushed, indoctrinated or influenced by us. At the same time we have never painted so-and-so as bad, evil or whatever. Why is it highly likely the world they will have to spend many years in is going to be in turmoil?
That's one fear I constantly have to push to the back of my mind, Brian. I want to happily believe that Twerp will be able to enjoy a "boring and mundane" life of work, love and family when he's older, not uncertainty, fear or worse. He is literally at this moment online on the Playstation talking to a little friend called Samir while they're playing and all I heard was "Oh you're not allowed to eat bacon. Why?" (Presumably the answer) "Oh no. Then you can't have sausages either, ha ha ha" Total acceptance, zero condemnation, continue to play happily. That's how I'd like the world to be.
The greatest problem with history is that it rarely, if ever really, repeats itself. We can look at it for ideas but it is always an after the event situation where we can often see what went wrong but nothing we can see changes it. George W. thought outside the box and put a lot of other people in them, six feet under... It does not always work. How we find decent representatives is another one of those things. I have known people who looked like they would change the world at the drop of a hat who made it to the UK parliament from all major political sides. What looked like decent, high principled people became the same breed of politician corrupted by power as many generations of their like. The dilemma is that ultimately we have no answers coming in our direction this time except a number of things that we have seen get us into deep doo-doo before, to quote Bush Sr. My solace comes in being old, my sadness is having young children and imagining the world as it may become during their lives.
I'm not sure anyone can safely predict what will work any more. Things are so constantly evolving, whether that be easier transportation, global communication, warfare technology and strategy or the effects of climate. Is it more fundamental - rule by one or more through sheer power as opposed to a democracy, leaving the majority of a population open to greater poverty and abuse. I too have no idea.
Do please let me know if there's anything reassuring / damning coming out of the testimony. I can't tune in so would be grateful.
Call me an old cynic Joan (you’re and old cynic John) but the victor always writes the history so I’m not sure about all these “correct” solutions. I guess as we get older, well at least in my case, we’ve just heard it all before 
Valerie,
In answer to your question about what would I do, sincerely I do not know.
I always hope that those who definitely know what went wrong in history can also point to situations where the politicians got it right.
I would like to study those correct solutions myself hoping then to find a wise candidate for whom I can vote.
My major concern about Trump is that he may win the nomination and run against Hillary - then what?
I have travelled far and wide, lived in sheer poverty and near great wealth and need to say that the current situation is amongst the most perplexing I have ever confronted.
I appreciate this discussion as there are many learned people on this site and it provides me With insight I am seldom exposed to in a French village.
So, lets think outside the box, so we can elect some decent representatives around te globe.
At the moment I am listening to testimony before the US congress by security specialists. I like Cspan as I can at least listen to the “horses” mouths, without interference by the dreaded media.
Joan, I think you hit the nail on the head with “it would take so long”. This will be a long, long fix in my opinion.
Chauncey Gardner I can recommend the movie “Being there” with Peter Sellers.
What would you do, Joan, if you were in the position to implement a solution?
Joan, My view is that we pay politicians, the Civil Service and the Military very well to “think outside the box” and develop policies and action plans. Why are we paying these dogs and barking ourselves, especially with our limited information and no resources? If you hire people, you have a right to hold them to account. It was completely and utterly obvious to the World and it’s mother that invading Iraq was stupid, even to the powers that be in the US and UK which is why they fabricated reasons, so this isn’t some trite hindsight thing. It’s a clear sign, in my opinion, that past performence does indicates future incomptence at best and irresponsible geopolitical fiddling at worst. The issue for me is that many of the “dogs” that brought us here still strut the World stage and it looks as if they’ve learnt nothing.
So, “thinking outside the box” my first priority would be that those that got us into this mess play no part in getting us out. Because they’ll only make it worse.
Bill Rutherford, but he would be quite old now and I can still remember the last old president, known as 'the great communicator'. Some of his communications were interesting, to say the least " The dollar should be weaker'. No said the White House, 'the president didn't mean you should sell the dollar'. Then there was a new word introduced, plausible deniability. Afterwards, it was revealed he had Alzheimers. So Americans may have the choice of a nut case or someone who has lost their marbles. Whose finger would you prefer on the button.
Certainly, though I thought this link was about Brits bombing Syria
Your idea is sound. Yet it would take so long to be effective.
What would you do in the meantime.
We, western world, have actually done plenty of nation building in the middle east. I was there just two years ago and was shocked by the poverty and disorder.
I am seriously asking why the charity and expertise has not
"taken".
No way are all Muslims violent and hostile, nor is the religion endemically so, yet the mid-east is a “hell”. When I think of living in those desert villages I wonder there is not more violence.
Remember the Sahel, desertification etc.
Could it be that climate change is at the root of the distress that is creating the anger, and even sane warriors are angry due to dashed hope and expectations.
Many promises remain unfulfilled and it looks as though our pledges will not bear fruit anytime soon, despite some of us have worked for clean air and water for over 40 years.
Personally I am very disillusioned.
If any of us knew that we’d be running for president Joan :-)But, off the top of my head, I think we urgently need a type of Marshall plan to start to repair the damage the US has done to the region. A clamp down on Saudi and Israeli excesses is also required. All this bombing is very counter productive IMO. Though it does make the US arms industry very wealthy.
If, for example, you lost a loved one because some jerk flying a drone in a bunker in the US (what a job, kill during the day and home for dinner in the evening) made a “human error” I think you’d be pretty cross with the US?