One Spirit. One World. One Humankind.

Conspiracy theories make me all warm and tingly.

But it does amaze me that the thing that most terrifies the One World Government conspiracy nuts is . . . Star Trek!

Think about it: In Star Trek, the entire world has united under a single government. War, poverty, illness, hunger, and greed are all a part of the past. The drive to acquire personal possessions and power has been replaced by the idea of personal improvement.

This is what they fear. It is quite amazing to me. And yes, I know that the chances of getting that sort of world is pretty much nil. The reason it won't work is the same reason that Communism is only good on paper. There will always be someone who wants to have a bit more than someone else, usually just so they can say "I have more than you."

A sad side of human nature, that is.

MICHAEL- No Star Trek on the sepia train....no,no,no...

and definitely no Klingons neither

Sorry. It is a hazard from my youth. One of my cousins (and closest friends) was and is a major league Trekkie. It tends to rub off.

He's now an ABD Ph.D in Biblical Archeology or some such thing.

Sorry...youALL missed the point....it was,and is, OscarMeyer, who is the proponent of..... one with everything

Sorry...youALL missed the point....it was,and is, OscarMeyer, who is the proponent of..... one with everything

Just Because You're Paranoid Doesn't Mean They're Not Out To Get You .......
 
 
The Idea Is To Hide The Hook With Bait So The Fish Doesn't See The Hook .......
 
 
Those Who Beat Their Swords Into Ploughshears Will Plow For Those Who Don't .......
 
 
The Second Amendment Was Put In There In Case The Government Forgets All The Others .......
 
 
WHAT,  ME WORRY ???

Everytime I hear the term One World Government I think of movies like Soylent Green, Logan's Run and Wild In The Streets. Its a new genre of scary.  

Vive la difference!...at least for now. In general, Americans are unique in their view of limited goverance, Europeans have a different vision. And then there are the Eastern variations and the slow changing remnants of communism as it relates to China. I think, while altruistic, a World Government with any real power is an idea whose time has not come due to cultural/political and religious differences.  Unfortunately world leaders play it like a zero sum game instead of a growing pie with enough for all.   I lean toward the Libertarian perspective but hope that I do so in a practical way having been influenced by Ayn Rand and Adam Smith but also by my grandfather, a preacher of Scotish descent. Like most people and cultures, I am complicated.  I just see that liberty and technology and somewhat open markets have lead to more people having more than anytime in human history, But the third world reminds us, there is much more to do. Power and Money continue to usurpt the greater good. "How" is not enough if we are not figuring out "why".  Before we try to establish Utopia, let's just make measured steps to allow our hearts and minds a chance to catch up with the technology.  Human Civilization is still in its infancy in many ways and we must crawl a while longer before we walk it seems. If we try too much too soon, we could fall.    

Absolutely Julia; world government......isn't that what Hitler envisioned?
 
 

the perfect society comes soon enough to all, no matter your race, religion or nationality.  only there will all things be equal and fair. 
 
coffee........

The  last  living  survivor  of  both  Hiroshima  &  Nagasaki  died  recently.   It  would  be  fascinating  in  a  bittersweet  way,   were  he  alive  and  fluent  in  English.   I  would  be  very  interested  in  his  perspective  on  today's  topic.

cuukoo1.....how profound....and that's BEFORE coffee?  Wow!  I'm impressed.   And now my day unfolds before me in the hush that deep snow always provides as it mutes all other sounds--all other sounds if there were any.  Not much is moving or out today at all.  

Jalopkin,  my  virtual  friend,  I  also  believe  in  the  2nd  Amendment.   Frankly  I  would  be  a  fool  to  venture  into  some  situations  without  first  having  taken  every  precaution.  That's  not  called  paranoia,   it's  merely  making  necessary  adjustments,   given  the  dangers  that  may  reasonably  be  seen  to  be  inherent.   
One  of  my  favorite  movies  is  "On  The  Beach,"   the  original  1959  version,  not  the  lame  two  part  mini-series.  The  film  involves  an  American  submarine  captain,   who  while  on  routine  patrol  discovers  that  the  "Cold  War"  has  gone  "hot."    Radiation  is  in  the  atmosphere,  and  is  being  carried  around  the  world,    by  particulates  of  contaminated  matter  carried  by  the  wind.   He  eventually  winds  up  in  Australia,  and  falls  in  love  with  a  beautiful  woman,  while  at  the  same  time  still  being  in  love  with  his  wife,   who  he  must  presume  has  died  with  their  children  from  radiation  poisoning.   Although  the  movie's  bittersweet  message  is  depressing,   even  more  deepressing  is  the  fact  that   50+  years  later  we  seem  to  have  come  no  closer  to  realistically  eliminating  our  risk  of  blowing  ourselves  to  smithereens.
I  wish  I  were  smart  enough  to  devise  a  clever  solution  to  the  problem  of  nuclear  proliferation.   Or  global  warming,  for   that  matter.   Countries  left  to  the  whims  of  their  own  politicians  and  generals  still  are  myopic,   selfish,  or  both.   Albert  Einstein  himself  spoke  out  regarding  the  risks  inherent  in  nuclear  proliferation.   Rachel  Carson  wrote  the  pioneering  "Silent  Spring"  way  back  in  1964,   setting  out  with  precision  multiple  examples  of  how  we  are   systematically  poisioning  our  environment,  and  destroying  the  futures  of  our  children  &  grandchildren.
It  seems  that  if  we  have  been  able  to  put  men  on  the   moon  for  all  of  these  many  years  that  we  should  have  learned  how  to  solve  these  problems.    Even  Rodney  King,  certainly  no  intellectual  giant,  had  insight  into  man's  unwillingness  to  peacefully  resolve  our  problems.   "Can't  we  all  just  learn  to  get  along?"

i am all for a one world government as long as i am the one to rule.

Many writers have described world governments (both Utopian and Dystopian) but I think the biggest problem about getting a world government started is the differences between my version of the ideal world government versus what someone else's verision of an ideal world government.
 
Who decides which way is the "right way"? And how?
 
I don't want a world government that is going to make the practice of my religion illegal. I don't want a world government that is going to restrict my freedom of expression and assembly and action. I don't want a world government that doesn't treat everyone equally. As a woman, I don't want a world government that is going to force me to dress a certain way or restrict me to certain locations and activities or limit the education I am allowed to have.
 
But there are individuals who want a world government that forces their particular religion on everyone, who wants to limit ownership of property, and restrict education and employment to certain people. That person just as firmly believes in his/her ideal as I do mine. 
 
I'm not normally cynical, but given the above, the odds of a world government coming into being peacefully are essentially nil. And a war to force one would most likely end up with a "burned Earth" with pockets of survivors too busy trying to stay alive to worry about someone in another pocket of survivors declaring themselves the World Emperor or something.
 
Frankly, I've been convinced for sometime that we are living in what Robert Heinlein referred to in his novels as "The Crazy Years" and sooner or later, there are going to be significant political changes that will lead to some form of a world government--one that no one is happy with.
 
But isn't that the definition of a compromise? Everyone gives in a little until no one is happy?

Was it Alfred or Albert Einstein who said "There is no solution for civilization or even the human race, other than the creation of world government." ?  Just a curious lurker.

Edemellier:    Welcome  aboard,  "curious  lurker."   Everybody  is  equal  here,   all  that  nice  Mr.  Peterman  expects  is  that  your  comments  be  civil  &  respectful.   So  don't  be  shy,   nowhere  on  anyone's  forehead  is  it  imprinted  with  indelible  ink  "knows  all  the  answers." 

Michael...I am with you.  These theories give me that warm fuzzy feeling!

Bert, so very true.  There is no one who knows all the answers...except of, course God, and He sometimes is not real vocal with his answers.  So we all just have to muddle through with what we know. And welcome "curious lurker".

Dancingkatz hits it on the head again. Even the Star Trek world wasn't really "integrated" it was just American-with-accents.

In my travels, I've found that other cultures are not only strong, but they are VALID for the people living within them. Eastern sensibilities will not permeate very far into Yankee individualism; eastern European values of community (which predate communism by centuries) will never be fully embraced here. Shoot, New Englanders will never have attitudes toward fishing like Hawaiians.

Even one-country government is limited by its ability to allow for local differences. I've heard (and read) from European sources that the US must certainly break apart because of the radical differences between people in different parts of the country. What they don't understand (literally, I've shocked many a European with this) is that each state might have significantly different laws, and even local jurisdictions have unique laws.

This is problematic at times, but I believe that it is the only reason the union still survives. There are limits, of course, and the federal government does have considerable power. I'm not talking about specifics here, but philosophy.

I'm sure Albert E. wasn't thinking of an Islamic-based world government and we're all facing towards Mecca 5 times a day (thanx DancingKatz!).  Can you imagine how expensive a world government would be?  The Dems would love it to pieces -- the ultimate universal health care and control. 
 
Isn't diversity much better than the same ol' same ol'? I'll take that any day, good and bad.

Kristina:   The  other  side  to  the  argument  that  each  of  the  50  states  has  different  laws  and  interests  can  be  found  in  nature.    When  a  florist  wants  a   beautiful  yellow  rose,  which  simultaneously  is  resistant  to  assaults  by  insects  and  cold  weather,  he  seeks  a  hybrid.    Now  we  have  species  of  roses  that  combine  the  strengths  of  one  parent  with  the  beauty  of  the  other,  and  pass  both  traits  on  to  their  progeny.   America  gains  strength  from  it's  diversity,   and  certainly   has  been  able  to  put  aside  it's  regional  differences  to  confront  both  Japan  and  Germany  in  World  War  II.   So  my  hope  is  that  some  day  and  some  way  we  as  nations  will  be  able  to  do  the  same  thing  with  issues  like  global  warming  &  nuclear  proliferation.  It  is  complicated,  it  is  a  slippery  slope.......however  it  is  NOT  impossible.

I really like your analogy, Bert. It's spot-on and is exactly why the U.S. manages to stay together.
 
Another thing about a world government...wouldn't it end up homogenizing cultures? One of the things I like about traveling is the vast differences in cultures. It would be a very boring world if we lost all that variety.

Michael, I have to say my heart jumped at the mention of Star Trek...The Next Generation. Si Fi is a fun way to put our history and philosophy on stage. In every episode you could tie the warring parties to a civilization of one brand or another. I think the message in many episodes is "all aboard." And the interesting thing to Michael's point is earth-man all united around a common cause only to meet civilizations of other worlds that aspire to be a "one over" society. The problem in any government is two fold, first power corrupts people...example today we are seeing in an nobal cause mired in an agenda vested solely in unconscience numeric power to pass a Bill that goes against the will of the American people. And this government's leader is in a hurry to put it's passage without talking about it (debate) in a trophy case before the State of the Union. That is a lust for power. And to think that some would think of us as the worlds policeman.  In a broader scope,evidence that World Government is flawed is our current UN...it is only a representation of who we are as people. I'll merely make reference to Kofie Annan's son and the over looked or passed over response to the atrocity in Darfur. There is a long list of failure. Second we have the people who abdicate their own will to a higher will and do so blindly. I.e. Germany as pointed out in earlier posts. Michael Ziev, I am totally behind your libertarian limited government view and Objectivist foundations in raising a glass to accountability for mother earth and mankind to each and every person to chop their own wood and carry their own water, including those of genuine need. I work with a social worker who is well recognized in createing usiful contributions that handicaped people can do and with an outcome that is the most gratifying experience a person can have.  It is possible to teach a person to fish.  All capable people should not require a government to point the way, but to only look in the eye of the person he/she is with, in that eye is You. Bert in my answer to your question If you are at peace with what you see...then there is a start.    OK off my soap box...thanx for listening

Tommy Typical, my concern with technology as it approaches the singularity is phisophy and ethics are not only too far behind, but are falling off the charts in many university studies.  Sure you can major in those areas at many universities, but in the technical majors, ethics and philsophy as to why are given an elective nod...blend that with a corrupted government, and we have a doomed future.

DancingKatz:   Thanks  for  your  kind  words,  as  well  as  for  your  words  of  wisdom.   In  response  to  your  thoughtful  concerns,  let  me  say  that  milk  needs  to  be  homogenized,   made  of  emulsified  fat  globules  equally  distributed  throughout.  But  countries  need  not  change  into  cookie  cutter  clones  of   each  other  to  come  together  in  the  face  of  common  enemies.   It  seems  that  we  as  nations  can  retain  our  precious  diversities,  while  at  the  same  time  attaining  population  control,   feeding   the  masses,  eradicating  disease,  and  also  dealing  with  nuclear  proliferation  &  global  warming.   I  am  specifically  NOT  asking  anyone  to  buy  into  some  simplistic  dreamy  scenario  wherein  all  of  this  is  easy.   Remember  the  science  fiction  movie  "War  of  the  Worlds?"    Wasn't  that  the  movie  where  Michael  Renee'  {sic.}  before  boarding  his  flying  saucer  to  return  to  his  home  planet  tells  the  representatives  of  this  world's  communities  that  peaceful  coexistence  needs  to   be  mandatory.   This  is  not  a  drill.   There  are  no  prizes  for  second  place.

I like the hybrid rose analogy, Bert.

It also points out the losses associated with the process. Smell a rose at a florist... nothin'. Because the rose most certainly is insect resistant and long-lasting and cold hardy. But something is lost along the way. Something that just didn't seem that important to the breeder. But it is something that made the rose a rose.

Sure the roses in my garden are pocked with bug bites, and perhaps I can't grow all the varieties that someone in a warmer climate can (and visa versa). But they are more "real," more "rose" than the more perfect, Barbie doll roses sold in the shop.

This discussion came up a while back under "homogenization" of the world's cultures... interesting that the concerns come back around.

Both the trajectory and ultimate destination of mankind is essentially tragic, since no external forms can alter the essence of what we carry inside us.  The 14th Book of Bokonon is titled, 'What Can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experience of the Past Million Years'.  Kurt Vonnegut (in Cat's Cradle) says: "It doesn't take long to read The Fourteenth Book.  It consists of one word and a period. This is it: 'Nothing.' "

kristina! excellent!!! give me old roses everyday and anyday....the "perfect", if only in theory, rose is only visual.  the soul of the rose is removed by "breeders".  the scent is from the soul.  no nazi roses in my garden.  one size does not fit all.

An interesting mathematical exercise:  Between two nations, how many wars can erupt?  Answer: One.  Between three nations, how many wars can rage?  Answer: Three.  (Put some dots on a piece of paper and see how many lines can connect them.  Each represents a war.) And so on and so on.  Given the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the fact that each generation says that war is obsolete (and then goes on to wage 'just one more'), it should be interesting (to the survivors) to see what, when, where, etc provokes the next use of nukes.  Given the fact that one nation goes nuclear every seven years (nine nations in 64 years), we can project that in 50 years some 16 nations will have nukes.  I'll leave it to the mathematicians among us to calculate the total number of wars that 16 nations can generate, but the number is in the hundreds for sure.  Since I can guarantee that there won't be any 'world government' coming down the pike in the next 50 years, and since we can expect the probabilities of nuclear warfare are growing exponentially (well, again, I'll leave the matter of second derivitives to the math majors among us.....), then we come back to Bokonon.

beside hybrids can't reproduce themselves by themselves. they're sterile.  for good reason.

If ya'll haven't read 'Cat's Cradle', I highly recommend it.  It is at the root of how I became a Bokononist even as I was shedding the snakeskin of my Roman Catholicism.  We live in a world where Ice-Nine is already here..... but since I'm planning on dying (and I'm sure I'll acheive THAT goal!) it may not be relevant.

The only way a democracy can work
is if there is a willingness to share power. To willingly step down and hand
the key over to your political adversary. 
This is why some countries can function as a democracy and others
cant. 

            It is not
voting, It is what happens after the voting.

            The US survived
the election of 2000 because we are willing to trust in government by law. 

            The
only way a world government could work is if most of the population is willing
to hand over the keys.  What is China
now ¼ of the population? 

Final post which will probably infuriate those who have 'hope'.  Big governments grow by promising safety and security.  They (frozen structures composed of bureaucrats stacked in immobile relationships) succeed in fits and starts.  The problem is that they attract sociopaths and psychopaths who take over the mechanism and then use the bureaucracy to work out their own mental quirks (cf Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Saddam Hussein, etc, ad nauseum).  So, after a period of peace, safety and security comes the concommitant: wars, concentration camps, ethnic purges, gas ovens, gulags, etc., also ad nauseum.  In addition to reading Vonnegut, one might read Kafka.  So, if world government ever succeeds, expect it to be a horror.  And likewise, should we not have world government, expect different horrors.  I hope I'll avoid the whole thing by spending billions and billions of years being safely and silently dead.  Good night, children :-)

THR:    I  don't  think  we  have  to  transfer  absolute  power  to  accomplish  the  mission,  and  solve  our  problems.  Good  grief,   I  really  don't  think  that  America  needs  or  wants  to  micromanage  every  governmental  decision  in  China,  and  I'll  bet  that  they  don't  want  the  hassle  of  doing  the  same  with  ours.    Somehow  we  need  to  retain  local  control  for  local  issues,  while  simultaneously  giving  exclusive  jurisdiction  to  a  common  governmental  authority   for  limited  purposes.   We  do  this  now  in  America,  under  the  concept  of   Federalism.   The   independent  states  each  retain  control  of  local   issues,  whereas  certain  common  issues  wherein  common  solutions  make  sense  are  given  over  to  the  government. Government  is  our  representative  system  of  democracy,  as  well  as  the  agencies  set  up  and  empowered  by  government.   Government  constantly  requires  vigilance  by  the  people.  We  peacefully  do  this  via  the  election  of  our  two  houses  of  congress.   It's  not  perfect,  but  it  sure  outshines  the  alternative  systems  of  other  countries.  That's  my  story,  and  I'm  sticking  to  it.....lol

The way I see it, any World Government would have to, if it wanted to survive, be a very small and limited government. With that many different people and diverse beliefs, social dictates would only lead to constant rebellion. Basically, they would be limited to roads, police, and diplomacy between local areas.

The laws would be simple.
Law 1: Do what you want, as long as you don't hurt anyone.
Law 2: Pick up your litter.

TWICE our host refers to human failure as something that (at least by implication) will magically disappear when we have One World Government.  Funny, it only seems to be magnified with each layer- more human frailty added from local to state to regional to National.  How on earth would we have a larger government with LESS humanity- and if not less humanity, how less human failure / failings?  I can't think of many governments ( any, really) that have solved all of their problems on a local basis. In fact, I can't think of many governemts that have solved MOST of their problems on any basis.                                        Good Luck with this one.

I'm w/ RY- a one world weiner w/ relish & mustard- preferably Hebrew Nat'l-all we are saying is give weiners a chance....
 
No school, no Star Trek, snow in the south, raisin toast- what more could a girl want???

Hey ladies,
If any one of you have ordered the orange/red bead ethnic necklace- let me know your opinion of it. I'm really craving it.

Willlie, I think I heard you say government can't solve our problems and  with the other posts today including Berts example yesterday using LA's fate there is quite a background choir behind you.  I couldn't agree with you more... Amen.  I think if got a scale and a stack of pennies and threw a pennie on each side for things government has solved -v- problems they have created, you will clearly see at elementry level government is not the answer to world peace...not saying it is the problem....my for sure it is not the answer.  Doc I am adding your book to my reading list.  It is a Cats Cradle, and the mind of Kurt Vonnegut, could preove interesting for a different persprctive...I am sure. 

Paul  Murphy:    Kurt  Vonnegut  combined  his  mastery  of  the  written  word  with  Albert  Einstein's  haircut.   His  fairly  recent  death  was  unfortunate.   Doc  is  correct,  the  book 
has  merit.   Whether  or  not  it  is  exactly  YOUR  cup  of  tea  is  anybody's  guess,  only
you  can  decide  that.  

RIGHT BERT .......  All Pigs Here Are Equal, Only Some are More Equal Than Others ...
 
 
And Now ... For Our Corporate Anthem .......  (Which turns out to be, Stuck In Lodi Again)

I'm curious, bebe, what's your quarrel with Star Trek?

CYNDY- I really am just goofy & happy to be off of work today, but I really don't care for sci fi & I really don't like the very few episodes of Star trek I have been forced to watch- actually not even whole episodes, but bits & pieces. They seared my soul w/ a hatred for sci fi.
 
My husband e-mailed me this article a few months ago- the woman who started the whole Star Trek fan club Trekkie conventions had died & they had this article on her & the trekkies.I had really expected the majority of women to be total dorks - sort of dungeons & dragons chicks, but I was pleasantly surprised. Obviously my own prejudices of trekkies coming thru.
Sorry to ramble.

No problem, bebe . . . I am a long-time fan (and I do have some dorky tendencies!), and I'm constantly amazed at the number of older (50s up) women who are fans.  I would never have attended a convention, however; many of the people who do are strictly over the top.  Sorry you were forced to watch -- you may want to see the new Star Trek movie.  Many non-fans enjoyed it.  Strangely, speaking of conventions, I almost attended a Twilight convention with my granddaughter!  Luckily for me, she found someone else to go with her!

If each of us has our own idea of what, say, a perfect day entails, it doesn't seem like there can ever be any consensus on what one perfect world government would be.
 
Reminds me of these wise words: don't do unto others as you would have them do unto you; you probably don't have the same taste.
 
 
 

"Stuck in Lodi again..."
 
too funny, Ivan!

CYNDY- my husband loves it & I did hear that the new movie is really good. Maybe I will extend my boundaries this year. By the way I did not go far enough -the women in the photos were really great looking, beautiful.
 
You are a good woman for even thinking of attending the Twighlight convention.

bebe:  a corn dog?
 
 
 
 
(in answer to what more could a girl want)

OWG, or One World Government, makes me want to think about food.
 
Italian Beef, specifically.
 
 
I want a sandwich, but our sled is in the shop.

Park4: that would be a plus of a one-world government: We could import more foods from different parts of the world!

Bebe:  Not so much a good woman as a doting grandmother!

Bebe-------Snow days are better appreciated by us teachers than the students, I do believe!  I'm relishing mine (relish sans hot dog, that is, by the way--altho' I do agree w/you and RY on the weiner issue)

I just had left over Italian beef on a pesto pasta...with a side of colwslaw....perfect way to launch into the afternoon of snowbound proposal writing.  I must say some things are better the second day warmed up.  So far about an inch an hour has fallen since 10:00 AM.  Still nothing compared to my Minnesota days. Kindlee...I work in world aviation organizations there is a coming together in all the ways you describe and it gives hope. What is always interesting is when a citizen is cited for a violation of a law that the host country has yet to adopt.  Where does litigation begin and when does the government step in and interviene?  Oddly enough I am reading The Secret History of Free Masons where the notion of society coming together around "trade organizations" rather than countries was forging its way with and without the aid of the Templar Knights.  Seems King Philip of France (once again) didn't like his toes being stepped on in his own realm.  So we took a journey down our future towards national identity that saw its climax in 1919.  After a 22 year break America was once again dragged from its mores of the Monroe Doctrine and Splended Isolation.  And we have yet to look back.  IS it possible that the thinking of the Middle Ages was pretty good...and is that thinking considering our Founding Fathers are said to be Free Masons that if we limit government and promote the unions of business in hte way of their trades...we'd be all set.  That said maybe what you are proposing is that not ONE WGO but a multitude of world organizations working in an area they are best suited to make proper regulatory decisions be the ticket. 

I suppose it's obvious to everyone but me but if there were one world government, it would have to be a dictatorship.  Look at all the counties, some of which have disintegrated, that brought together extremely diverse populations under one umbrella.  Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, China, even.  To maintain order over a huge land area and a diverse population, a dictatorship is the gubmint of choice. 
 
I hereby volunteer for the job.  Benevolent, of course.  And I already have a number of  Eyesters selected as cabinet ministers.... 
 
Seriously, I think any mother could do it....presiding over a bunch of people who firmly think their way is right AND want everything for themselves.  The more I observe political parties and special interest groups, the more they all seem to behave like petulant toddlers.  (ok, I really wanted to use another descriptor but wanted to be mindful of social conventions on decency) 
 
As Willie says, good luck with this one.   

bebe - sorry about the hot tea incident!

SHANDONISTA- it was totally worth it!b

CAROL- I used to believe when I was young that my teachers were so upset about snow days- we were missing work, etc.- then I became a teacher & I realize ALL teachers love it more than the kids!! Enjoy your day!

Kindlee, you raise many excellent points, but please do not ignore the Sam Walton Empire, General Electric and his fellow officer, the soon-to-retire Gen. Motors.  (Or the much more widespread General Dissatisfaction, come to think of it.  There have been large worldwide governments before, or at least governments that believed they ruled the Known World. And they have gone away.  Granted, there is nothing so special about the US that its own influence ( or relevance ) will persist- just ask the aristocrats of England or that Roman Senator's Great Great Great Great Grand daughter who pops up sometimes in the Peterman Manual Disco scenes.  But I am not so certain we will live to see a single world government either per se or otherwise.                                                                                                                        Heck, there is no single electric unifier or even one standard for watching movies, much less cell phones.  Even the WW Web is mostly worldwide and look at all of the opportunities it affords for miscommunication and lack of understanding.                                                                                                                                                                                     If Shandonista is going to be dictator, I want to design the army uniforms...

Bert

I am using the example of the US. 
Our Federal system puts ultimate power in the central government. All
the big stuff is there, civil rights, money, war powers.

Look at the EU.  Europe has fought out its tribal issues for a thousand
years and still the EU to day is the closest they have come to sharing power
and that is the continent with the highest level of education, development, governmental
structure in the world.

Shanda...I like your idea, let moms rule the world.  It seems they rule households.  In my house that saying if mom ain't happy no one is....is firmly rooted. And on hte heels of her Italian beef and pesto pasta...you have no complaints from me.  I was once with a mother friend describing to her an incident I had with a beligerent teenager.  When I described how I handled it she taught me that I did it all wrong.  She said you star with a brisk question WHO'S YOUR MOTHER???.  Then immediatly whip out your phone demand WHATS HER NUMBER IM CALLING HER RIGHT NOWW!!!!!.  No one wants their mom coming down on them.  I told her that coming from a mother would have dramatic effect.  I think I could practice those lines all day long and not have perfected them and delivered them like she or any mother could.  I almost gave he my moms number....just to get on her good side.
  

Thank You PARK4 .......   I must be the only CCR Fan in the Village .......

Unfortunatley the problem with a loosely knitted "overseer" government is the same one we had with the Articles of the Confederation- all the states were happy but the federal government couldn't get them to do anything.

Do  we  have  a  gathering  in  the  club  car  tonight?   A  little  live  music  might  cheer  us  up,  even  if  it  is  only  an  unaccompanied  harmonica.     I  would  really  like  a  preview  of  the  menu,  and  perhaps  a  show  of  support  for  a  cocktail  before  dinner.
 
This  is  a  great  day  to  remember  Robert  Frost,  who  in  his   simplicity  gave  us  so  very  very  much  complexity  of  feelings:
 
     The  woods  is  lovely,  dark  &  deep
     But  I  have  promises  to  keep
     And  miles  to  go  before  I  sleep
     And  miles  to  go  before  I  sleep

bert, that was lovely. A perfect verse for this day.
 
I'll see if I can add anything to the evening's entertainment/menu and so forth.
 
A lone harmonica is melancholy...do we really want to go to that end of the spectrum?

John Fogarty for Emporer 'cos no one can belt out the new anthem the way he can.

I have found TWO SNOWFLAKES EXACTLY THE SAME..and since that is a scientific impossibility,they are all being recalled for inspection. But owing to the enormity of the task,it may not be completed untill sometime mid--July.  Another example of big government ineptitude.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH_PIS1NzNk&feature=related
 
I found some Blues harmonica that's not one bit melancholy...

One World Government?  

There would probably be a ten year war before the new logo could be decided upon. And then, there is all that stationary that would have to be recycled. And all those cars with the steering wheel on the wrong side.

It sue would have been simpler if we just started out like that.........

peace out

RY:  hilarious! 
 
RY for Chairman of the OWG.
 
Because a great sense of humor will be required and RY's got one. 
Slightly bent, a bit tilted, tongue stuck in his cheek.
You're perfect for the job, RY.
 
 
But are you willing?
 
 

Park4:   Do  you  have  any  musicians  in  mind,  on  short  notice,  who  can  get  here  on  time?   I  guess  a  kazoo  does  not  count  as  an  official  musical  instrument,   although  if  you  can  hum  you  can  play.  
 
Peter  Lake:   Park4  is  concerned  that  my  harmonica  is  too  melancholy  for  keeping  up  our  spirits.   I  like  your  John  Fogerty  idea,  either  with  Creedence  Clearwater  Revival,  or  by  himself,  or  perhaps  best  collaborations  with  another  great  musicians.   Like  Springsteen,  perhaps  doing  "Fortunate  Son."    Somewhat  topical  to  today's  world  government  debate,  isn't  it?

I use to always laugh when I'd say to my children "Listen you are a unique individual...just like everyone else"....and it reminds be of one of the reasons why I am on to my current book The Secret History of Freemasonry by Paul Naundon on page ix of the preface he writes "nothing can be examined in complete isloation, in abstract.  Life is unity in diversity"....I am always known to be a fan of ours hosts notion that of ONE.  And I full appreciate that in our oneness does not require sameness as long as we live and let live. CCR....yeap was my group of the sixties....must say though I've moved on.   On that note I am movin on

Willie Trask~ I don't see a one-world government happening in my lifetime, or even that of my children, but I believe the evolution of human society is heading toward that destiny.

Also, I did not mean to imply to anyone here today that I think the road along the way will be paved with yellow bricks, nor will it ever be an ideal life reminiscent of the Emerald City, no matter which road we choose to travel. Humans are imperfect beings and I think, therefore, incapable of flawlessness. However, that should not be used as an excuse to keep us from aiming at perfection.

Paul Murphy~ Oddly enough, I've been reading the book "Secrets of the Freemasons" by Michael Bradley. My interest in the book came about primarily because my grandfather was a Mason, and I wished to learn more about him. I think you have an interesting concept if you are referring to the early civil system of commercial guilds; without the inclusion of Speculative Freemasonry, complete with its deeply held religious beliefs, interpretations, and rituals.

William of Occam the orignator of Occam's Razor thought it vain to do with more what can be done with less.   Buck, Jack London's canine hero in Call of the Wild, discovered that the comfort of California was no comparison to the adventure and freedom of the Klondike where he found his own undiscovered self. That image and Thoreau have led me to the conclusion that no Government can ever do that for us.  

Park4~I am as qualified as anyone else that has the badge, the one that signifies the leadership abilities necessary to rule the entire population.   .   a bellybutton

Michael said it first and said it best: There will always be someone who wants a bit more than someone else. Because of greed, capitalism, social caste, conspicious consumption, etc, there will never be a world government -- that and religion. Money & Religion is what keeps us separate and what will continue to keep us separate. Once money and religion no longer exists, only then can we have a World Government which in turn would be indictive of a Utopic Society, which will unfortunately, bring about the end of history and the end of time. At that point everything should reverse itself and we'll go right back to violence inspired by faith and greed, forever stuck in a perpetual cycle of evil to good and right back again. 

Bert - Ask and ye shall receive.... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaRePSZmIKo

PARK4 - I've shoveleled and plowed twice already but it looks like the real fun starts tomorrow.  Be warm and safe ..... you too Stoney!

'The American astronomer Carl Sagan captured the mood well when a picture of Earth was taken from space in 1990 by the Voyager 1 spacecraft at a distance of 3.7 billion miles.

In this picture, the Earth appeared as a "pale blue dot" surrounded by the vastness of space, like a tiny mote of dust caught in a sunbeam.

"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives," Sagan said in 1996.

"Our posturing, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves."

And so it took catching sight of our own place in space to realise that the Earth is the only home we have, and we had better look after it...'

...with persistence and dogged determination! There will forever be people, in this world, on this planet, who will be a detriment to a peaceful existence, but, as long as there are those who refuse to give up or give in, I believe there will always be hope...

2 plowings so far, and I just plain gave up on the front walkway.  It's too long, or I'm too short, but either way, it's going under.  Not to be seen 'till spring.
 
I haven't watched or read the weather since this a.m. and I thought we manage to escape the snow -- but now you say tomorrow?
 
Oh well.
 
Long as we've got firewood and food and no place to go, let it snow.
 
You too PeterLake, and Stoney, and Eli, stay warm, stay home.

PARK- You are quite funny & yes a corndog is always a good thing...
 
JALOPKIN- I used to like CCR & then one day I heard them & they got on my nerves & I can't even listen to them now. It was weird, but true...
 
No school tomorrow, homemade ravioli ( my first attempt) for dinner, a good book, my sweetie is still home & the animals are all snuggled asleep.
 
One World Government- Like one size fits all- it doesn't. Some people will look fabulous & others should be locked in a closet w/ no mirror.

Turkey soup with roasted root veggies. Sweet potatoes,gooey and warm,salad with everything in the iceaboxa,and beans,and avacadoes.  Hot tea.   .   Why would I want to go out? To try out my new snowshoes?   .   I think I will try out my new reading glasses instead.

dinner over.....post dinner coffee, too (post dinner means a few drops of whatever...tonight it was peppermint schnapps and Starbuck's Liqueur). still hunkered in against the cold.  And what's keeping me awake?  The caffeine?  Nope.....the image of RY's campaign button...here we have the elephant....there the donkey (or is it really an ass?!).....and there?  there?  a navel???  

RY- I think you will need a crane, not snowshoes after that delicious dinner...

kindlee,  I just finished the chapter on Compagnoneges...on our One world topic this group of Masons invlved a state of mind, a bond, and a means by which workers sharing a profession could recognize one another.  Certainly something that I can look closely at.  Both the church and the crown found nifty ways to own both the church and state and left the Compagnonnages on the outside....looking for another shore????  Everything in their tennents smak of right to assemble....and did not exclude lobby groups...such a nasty word today...infact the kings and churches outlawed the precicely because they held so much voice of the people  uuuhhhhmmmm  I haven't connected the dots, but this surely sounds consistand to our founding fathers....and a far cry from this administration.  Over a cyber cup of coffee...we should compare book notes.

Hear Here, PETER LAKE .......  CCR is my all time favorite Group ... Fogarty, the child of a Creole woman and an Irish Daddy who couldn't get out of town fast enough ... ended up working off his debt(Bar bill) and knocking up a Creole Girl who worked for the Owner of the place ...
 
 
BEBE:  I cannot imagine how that could happen ... You must have been stuck in Lodi ....... That would piss anybody off .......  Lodi's most famous citizen was, Sonny Kicklighter ... World Famous Bad Boy Biker Bandit, who had one wooden leg, and could still ride his Knucklehead like a Mad Man .......  Helluva Fine Fellow, actually ....... He was the guy that the Character Kaiser Szose was patterned after ... Looked nothing like Kevin Spacey, but more like a thin Wilford Brimley ....... And now Bebe, you have another clump of useless information, unless you run across a Hells Angels Crossword Puzzle Book .......

We all take the nation-state for granted.... that is, a geographical area having a single power structure (a bureaucracy) collecting taxes and supporting a variety of functions over a population which accepts this state of affairs.  BUT this concept only took off after the Treaty of Westphalia in 1659.  [Yeah, this stuff is a bit dry, but it gets more interesting!] We now have a variety of challenges to the nation-state.  First, trans-national corporations which operate everywhere and evade the power(s) of states by simply offshoring when needed.  Also, they can shift folks from place to place, close their factories in a specific nation, shuffle gains/losses around to evade the taxation of a specific nation-state, etc.  Corporations are bureaucracies NOT attached to specific geographies!  Transnational corporations operate 'legitimate businesses' (oil/gas, auto production, communications, etc) which have legitimacy in the eyes of the public.  Second we have the 'dark side' transnationals are so-called criminal organizations (yakuza, Mafia, Mexican cartels, etc) who engage in satisfying markets that are not considered 'legitimate' by most humans.  Again these organizations have no specific control over geographies.  They are 'floating crap games' existing anywhere they can and moving fluidly from place to place.  Third, we have power structures based on religious and/or ideological imperatives, using both actual violence and terror (making people afraid) to exert their control.  Sometimes these movements (al Queda, more extreme Christian sects, etc) gain control over geographic territories.  Sometimes (as happened to the Roman Catholic Church in 1870) the turnover is from church (Papal States) to state (Italy).  Other times it goes in reverse (the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 1996).  In short, the classical 'nation-state' is only one of a variety of contending forms of governance, and many observers think it is reaching the end of its lifespan.  Dinosaurs don't survive well in environments of very rapid change....  We shall see.  It is hard to see organizations as incredibly incompetent as the U.S. Congress, the European Parliament/Council of Ministers, U.N. Security Council/General Assembly, etc. surviving against the onslaught of tightly-run organizations like trans-national corporations, crime syndicates, religious movements, so-called 'terrorist organizations', etc.  Again, we shall see.  What's certain is that change is in the air.   If I were a Czar or a King in the current nation-states, I wouldn't plan on spending a lot more time in the Winter Palace or Versailles.  Again, dinosaurs don't do well in periods like ours.......

I haven't had enough coffee today to even breach the subject. Plus, I'm not that interested but I do smell something brewing in the world of writing and books and movies. Something new but old. The same but clearly different.

The same human psychology that makes "nations" a sustainable social construct will need to be invoked before we can ever have a "world government". Nations persist because there are politicians adept at using the "Outsider" as a boogeyman; the United States has always been good at creating the boogeymen that it needs at any given time: native Americans, the French, the Spanish, the Commies, and now the entire Middle Eastern world. It's how we roll.

[Now... have you beat me to the punchline?]

SOOOOOOOO, once we make contact with an extraterrestrial species, we will have our ultimate - literally, our last - essential boogeyman, and world government will immediately and seamlessly ensue. But until we meet E.T., the idea of world government is too early. The necessary condition is inoperative.

I have spoken.

But, J.I.~what if the 'visitors'want to be in charge?

And they don't have   .   Bellybuttons?!?

Well, that sure is a possibility, I suppose. If humans start getting rounded up into pens for processing, some will think it a just come-uppance. The rest of us will put up a pretty respectable fight, because that's just how Daddy taught us. As for bellybuttons, unless there's tequila, salt, lime wedges, and hot sun involved - well - HELL I'M ALL FOR THEM.

Doc,  Spot on and in fact the Masons and Freemasons could be viewed as our first corporations as you described before Westphali.