Grey,

The why-fors and where-hows are necessary for our brains to stay sane. That is to say, so that we can live with ourselves and our actions. l tend to agree with the school of thought that says... first we decide, then we work out why. Sometimes we act before we work out why. But the reasons are, in my mind, incidental to the deed.

'Then why act? Why complain. If there is no right or wrong (i.e. no way something 'ought' to be) then why act at all?'

By all means, act, complain, think, rationalise, laugh, cry. We need not be rendered mute, nor dictated, by the abscence of the absolute. Notwithstanding that doing nothing is in itself an act.

My position is that the motivation to act is a function of existence. We live. We do.

And we compete with each other for every breath of air. We are symbiotic and parasytic in nature. We feed off each other and on each other. To my mind, that is where absolutes like right and wrong break down.

Might is neither right nor wrong [you prolly saw that coming ;)].
It just is. l may not like it when words and reasons aren't enough to stop my competitor cracking my back. But crying for justice won't straighten me out. Nor will transcendental meditation or prayers. Either l raise my fist or someone else does it for me. Or l live under the whip.

Grey, with logic like yours - "all nouns have attributes. All labels have attributes. Therefore all nouns are labels" this quickly becomes pointless.

I can only assume you are writing in order to see your name in print. That's sad.

BLINDNESS ABOUNDS.....
When someone like the author speaks of 'SELF DETERMINATION' of a country like IRAQ (full of Kurds, Shia and Sunni, not to mention Assyrians and others), as in "without the benefit of occupying troops".. I really wonder what planet he is from !!!!

The ONLY kind of self determination will be that of the best armed ethnic/religous group. (which of course will in reality be a proxy for some external power that has made trade arrangements pivotal on the aid/arms they supply) Up to this time, it has been the minority Sunni's under Sadaam.

What drugs is Tim Martyn ON ??????????? that he can now bemoan the lack of self determination just after they have had an ELECTION !!!!
I think Tim actually dwells in some dark corridor of a leftist monastry where he has taken a vow of blindness and 'never watch TV or listen to news or surf the interenet'.

IAN... well said mate. 'claps and cheers' as IF.. societies are anything BUT a conglomeration of various competing interests.

Does anyone really give this guy (the author) an ounce of credibility after such a stupid statement about international law and blah blah ??????

Its either abject stupidity or willful blindness or hapless naivity in the extreme ad absurdum or all of the above.

Bozzie.. u get a clap and a cheer also "Shrieks of illegal..says who"..exACTLY !!!!

PERICLES.. bozzie was being sarcastic about "Cuba- that beacon of the left'. I'm surprised u did not tweak to that.

GREY.. u almost rule :) ! Your analysis is commendable in my opinion.

I want to add one more label to Left, Right. "Christian Social Democratic". Which would be a centrist, principled approach avoiding the extremes of both Left AND Right, based on 'stewardship' of the planet and the social order.

Boaz wants to know what drugs Tim Martyn is on???? Tim Anderson, the author of this essay, would probably like to know what drugs you are on Boaz.

Boaz also demands to know how Tim can bemoan the lack of self-determination in Iraq just after they have had an election. Don't be so naive Boaz. Here is a posting of mine from another forum that addresses the question directly:

With the "oversight" of the american occupying forces, the interim governing council in Iraq signed a law providing that everything in Iraq is to be privatised and open to full foreign ownership or leasehold for the next 40 years. That includes the oil resources, and all amenities and public services, including health and education. Any new "democratic" government in Iraq that attempts to repudiate this "law" will undoubtedly meet with forceful retaliation by the american occupying forces and the "coalition of the willing", including Australia..

This is a US right wing web site that is often a source for the Australian newpaper this is a recent art about the Iraqi elections.
http://www.techcentralstation.com/021505C.html

Great link and a good laugh, thanks Kenny