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Entry: Jeffrey Epstein, Pervert Link: http://www.takimag.com/site/article/jeffrey_epstein_pervert#6470 Post contents: Andrew, yes now I see. And if Taki was the one who said it to Epstein then I'd consider it perfectly good manners. A gentleman is one who never offends unintentionally. As for leaving London yobs for New York snobs and pervs, I reiterate: I find Western Australia to be incredibly unpolluted ecologically AND socially. With all due respect to my native country, I've never cared much for its jingoistic national anthem's lyrics, a celebration of the bloody stupid War of 1812 in which the British (or rather, Canadian) burning of the White House was payback for the American invasion of Canada and burning of Toronto, then called "York." (The anthem's music, however, is the melody of an 18th century English drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heaven".) "Land of the free, home of the brave?" Sounds more like Switzerland. More agreeable to me is Australia's unofficial anthem, celebrating a poor vagabond sheep-thief who chose death instead of prison, "You'll never take me alive, said he!" A further digression while I'm at it: "Waltzing Matilda" was set to the tune of an 18th century song about a typical British Army grunt, who enlisted because there was no opportunity for him in England: "Take the King's shilling for Marlboro and me. Take the King's shilling. Take the King's shilling. Take the King's shilling for Marlboro and me... ...``Now I,'' said the young man, ``have oft endured the parish queue. There is no wages or employment for me. Salvation or danger, That'll be my destiny. To be a soldier for Marlboro and me.'' http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk-song-lyrics/Marching_Through_Rochester.htm During the Napoleonic wars the lyrics were updated to, "for Wellington and me." Then in the depressed economy following those wars, many of the economically ruined, discarded veteran Tommies who fought for King and Country moved to Australia (willingly, not just the transported criminals.) I think this legacy might account for the relative lack of jingoism among the otherwise very patriotic Australians, and the essentially modest hedonism of the "Australian Dream" - the people who settled this country didn't regard themselves (like so many Americans) as any "Chosen People" with a Divine mission, but rather as "the Damned" who yearned for, and finally found, a fair go and a decent life. I think Americans ought to learn more from the Australians, how a prosperous and incredibly free "new world" country doesn't need to regard itself as any shining "city on a hill" or representative of a New Order of the Ages, in order to be an extraordinarily decent and enviable place to live. And I think, maybe, what has saved Australia's soul in the long run has been its original condition as a country whose first settlers regarded themselves as sinners rather than saints. I mean, the American superstition of "American Exceptionalism", the belief that America is somehow a sinless, or Divinely ordained/appointed nation, does not exist in Australia, and Australia is a lucky country for that. In light of which, I'm beginning to think many of the anti-Lincoln writers and commenters here have a good point. I cannot imagine an Australian Lincoln, and I can't imagine Australians having a Civil War and convincing themselves that it's part of any Divine Plan, or writing anti-christ hymns like the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." I'll take "Waltzing Matilda" over "Glory Glory Halleluiah", any day. Sent at: 2008 07 04