[Glitch]

>We looked after East Timor without US help, so maybe we should downgrade our
>alliance with the US.
>I mean, if you reverse the argument, why should I care about some sniper in
>Washington? It is so far away from Australia, and in any case a result of
>childish gun laws. Maybe Australia shouldn't care about what happens to the US
>anymore. 

Absolutely, I agree.  But just as many of us here in America feel our
country has been hijacked by a bunch of clowns who care only about money and
power, so you in Australia are powerless to do anything about your country's
alliance with America.  I'm not so sure Australians should care too much
about what goes on HITS.  But as long as Australia (and Britain and many
other countries) are eating out of America's hand, so to speak, being our
little satellites or whatever, and obviously benefiting from it by someone's
definition, or it wouldn't be happening, how can the common person do
anything about it?

>Concerning the Bali attacks, it has actually been well covered in
>Swedish media, but partly because there were a few Swedes hurt and
>killed there... Probably there were some Americans too, so it's time for
>you to haul down your flags and be silent for the victims of Bali. Now!

As usual, Bjorn, you have a way with words that never fails to piss me off.
Speaking for myself, I have emerged into adulthood as an American who never
lived here until I was 16.  I arrived in this country and started to learn
what it means to be an American.  And as far as I'm concerned, I'm a
foreigner here.  This place is run by folks I don't support and this country
has done all kinds of horrible things which I have only started to learn
about: Guatemala is my latest discovery and I'm sick about it -- and I'm at
a loss about what the hell I'm supposed to do about it.  Don't give me
orders about what I should and should not be doing for victims of this or
that.  Those of us who know about Bali are grieving for it, and those who
don't know -- well, that's part of the America I'm discovering.  You can't
possibly know what it's like to be a citizen of this country which has so
much to be ashamed of in its history - and at the same time so much to be
proud of.  What's a person to do?  This is my ongoing question and I have
yet to get a satisfactory answer out of a non-American.  Those of you who
bash us for what we have no power over...what the hell would you do if you
were us?

>I can understand why Midnight Oil is so frustrated with the U.S. and with most
>Americans.  We don't dare do anything different; John Ashcroft might be
>watching us
>(and probably the sniper, too).

Exactly right.  We have now become a place where those who differ are afraid
to speak their minds.  I can think of several occasions in the past few
months where I wanted to speak out about the Iraq situation and did not,
quite literally because I didn't want to register on anyone's list as a
dissenter and thus put myself and my family at risk of disappearing into the
Jose Padilla black-hole into which so many have gone.  These are scary times
we live in and there are no easy answers.  But I do know you can't blame the
common person for what his/her government is doing.  So please stop.
As for the US-media coverage of Bali, I agree, it sucks, but it doesn't
surprise me.  Anyone who thinks the media giants aren't in the pockets of
big corporations and thus pandering to their desires is living in a fantasy
world.  I choose to get my news from international sources such as the BBC
and others, so I get a more well-rounded view.  Unfortunately many Americans
do not do this and so never know what's going on in the rest of the world.
--Glitch