Dave's review of 2004

[joeking27]

Its nearly the end of the year, and I normally look back and see what has happened this year. Here’s my thoughts:

 

Iraq has been a major issue this year, with the conflict still on going. More people are dying every week. This looks like its going to continue for a long time.

 

Back in March, there was the Madrid train bombings, followed by the surprise election result. This saddened me at the way the terrorists were able to affect the lives of so many people, so far from the blast sights.

 

The Olympics came and went. Kelly Holmes kicked *albatross*. Paula Radcliffe was IMO over hyped. All the problems Greece seemed to be having in the run up were sorted before the games started. One less nice thing was in the men’s marathon, where the leader of the race was barged off the road by a guy in a kilt.

 

Only this morning a bus has been taken over by gunmen in Athens. However a favourable outcome looks likely, the Greeks have been training for this for a while…

 

Beslan sounded like a cock up by the Russian forces. Earlier in the year Akhmad Kadyrov was killed in a bomb attack in Grozny. Another conflict, more dying.

 

Bush won the election. No comment.

 

The West Bank is facing an uncertain future following the death of Yassar Arafat. Maybe it is time for a change, not much progress has been made for while now.

 

Band Aid20 was released. It has made me realise that we are almost living in a bubble. In 20 years, very little has changed. The main purpose behind the original Band Aid, and Live Aid, was to get governments to take action about poverty. So far they have done nowhere near enough. Queen kicked *albatross* at Live Aid btw.

 

1st December every year is AIDS day. This is another issue that I believe is ignored when it shouldn’t be. With the current attitude towards it, you ARE going to be affected by it in your life, whether its you or some one close, it IS going to happen. There is no cure, so prevention is the only option, use a condom.

 

So my closing thoughts are:

 

Do something. Go and buy Band Aid20, its £4. The new version may suck, but its got the original, and a recording of from Live Aid. Lobby you MP about what he is doing for a particular world crisis. Just do something, and maybe we’ll have a world to grow old(er) in.

 

and use a condom.

 

Dave

[JaredLeto]

Or maybe, don't have sex 'till marriage? Sounds reasonable to me.

[Phoenix]

Or you could be like me and be utterly undesireable to women everywhere.

[Duff Beer]

Lobby you MP about what he is doing for a particular world crisis.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I think you will find Joeking that lobbying your MP is (sadly) a waste of time. Before I continue I would like to make it clear I have no political affiliations, I read Politics and International Relations at University so this is my thing.

The Labour party voted on whether they would support Tony Blair in his war against Iraq. This is all well and good as long as the MP's represent the views of their constituencies. It is well known that the public were not in support for the Iraq war, and as a result it would seem logical that the MP's would also vote against the war. This was not the case. The whips went into action before the vote and it was made very clear what the longevity of an anti war voter would be in the Labour party.

My point is this. If an MP can defy the members of his constituency on an issue like war, what makes you think that he will take any notice of AIDs which is far less of a political agenda in Britain?

I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to make a change. I fully support the theory of a strong opposition to ensure democracy, but it must be realised that currently the most effective way to make your point heard is to vote for someone else.

[Longhairedhippy]

i tend to agree with jaredleto. I can dig it.

[night hunter]

This year went by pretty fast. I suppose that the American election was the main event.

[alark]

Why wasnt AG2004 mentioned?

 

not been that much of a great year but hey... could have been worse i s'pose

 

*AL*

[HaVoC]

Good point.

 

WE WANT ARNIE-GEDDON!

[destrukto]

Or you could be like me and be utterly undesireable to women everywhere.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Amen...

[joeking27]

Addition at the request of the masses:

 

There was some, quite small airsoft event, Arnigeddon or some such. Didn't get to go to this one. Some very strange things happened, and as this is a PG13 board they can't be discussed here...

[HaVoC]

That'll do - it was a better description than those given by people who attended the thing

[Longhairedhippy]

anyone interested in starting up an American Arnie Geddon? I can see the slogan. "It's British Airsoft.....The American Way" with Arnie's blessing, of course.

[destrukto]

As long as it's in Michigan

[Sledge]

If anyone wants to pay our air fare, hotel costs, etc, R22 and me would be happy to come organise it.

[smores]

Yeah, about AIDS...

 

I was pretty young when both my Aunt Barb and Uncle Steve died of AIDS. My aunt was a heroin addict... and she passed it to my uncle. It was sad and I didn't understand at the time, but it's a very real threat.

 

Also, I think 2004 was a huge disappointment. After all my hard work campaigning in Pennsylvania and Maryland, Kerry won those states, but sadly ignorance has cast its dismal spell on the majority of the American public and... well...

 

However, I was in the Army and recieved a medical discharged before I would have had to go to Iraq, so I guess it's not all bad. Aside from the facts that I dropped out of school again and I have no job or money or a life.... oh well...

 

2005 is just around the corner. I'm working for change, maybe it will come

[Kosac]

COme on 2004 was Arniegeddon