Wil Wheaton is not like most of the rest of the actors. He admits that he is a true geek, running Linux, enjoying programming, playing lots of computer games. Many of you will remember Wil portraying “Wesley Crusher” in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” TV series some years ago. Wil will reprise his role as Wesley in the “Star Trek X: Nemesis” movie, the tenth installment of the Star Trek movies, which is set to be released two days after the second “Lord of the Rings” movie, at the end of this year. In the interview following, Wil talks about his favorite computer games, the computers used on TNG, the future of computing in AI, his favorite Linux distros, PHP and more.1. Wil, tell us what is your choice of operating systems and which applications you are mostly using?
Wil Wheaton: Well, my choice of Operating systems would be Linux, probably something easy to install and configure like Red Hat or Mandrake…I realize that it’s not the “coolest” flavor, but I’ve installed and run both of those in the past, so that’s what I’d use. I’m currently reading “Rebel Code”, and with the turn of each page my sense of guilt and shame over using Win2K grows…but the sad, sad truth is that most of the things I rely upon only run on Windows, so that’s what I’m using.
2. I know that you learn web programming just a few months ago. What web technologies are you studying lately in your free time?
Wil Wheaton: I’m learning more and more about PHP, specifically using PHP with MySQL to build a database-driven website. My site is built using the same table, repeated over and over, with php includes for the content. What I’m working on is getting it optimized, and building my own content management system. I really like PHP, because it makes sense, and is really easy to understand. I’m also always working on making sure my site doesn’t suck, so I’m finally learning the actual W3C guidelines for CSS1 and CSS2, so I can get rid of all the font tags and other uglies in my source.
3. Have you ever used alternative operating systems? What were your experiences with them?
Wil Wheaton: The Mac 128 was the first “real” computer that I owned, and, unfortunately, it really arrested my programming development at an early age. Up until I got that, in 1984 or 1985, I had been using computers like the TI 99/4A, and the Atari 400…they weren’t powerhouses, by any means, but, in order to make them do cool things I really had to at least understand some flavor of BASIC. Once I got that Mac, though, it was all point and click from there on out. I had various types of Macs up until I got my first PC in 1996, running Windows 95. Until recently, I dual booted Linux and 2K on this machine, and, as soon as I can spare the hard drive space, I will be doing that again.
It will probably warm the hearts of nerds everywhere to know that the super genius from Star Trek has a really shitty computer: a Pentium 233.
| Wil in 1988 | Wil in 1992 | Wil today |
4. Starting with TNG, the computer interface used in Starfleet’s starships was L-CARS and it has since inspired lots of artists and User Interface designers. Tell us, were these screens/monitors we see on TNG real computer screens that could somewhat interact with the user, or were completely “dumb”? Do you think that an L-CARS display system would practically work as a user interface in today’s operating systems?
Wil Wheaton: Well, I know that this is going to shatter some people’s lives…but they were just colored gels, lit from behind by incandescent lights. We tried to have some interactivity, using touch-sensitive sensors, especially in the transporter room, but we could never quite make it work. The cool thing about the computer graphics, though, was that they were designed by guys who really cared about the logic of the layout, as opposed to people who just wanted to make something look cool. As soon as Wesley was promoted to driving the ship, I sat down with those guys, and asked them what button did what, and how the computers worked, because I wanted to honor their ideas. They told me what their ideas were, and I did my best to use the LCARS system in a consistent, logical way.
Yeah, I’m a dork.
5. What is the configuration of your current computer(s)? (CPU, graphics card, memory etc)
Wil Wheaton: Oh, yeah. Well, you see, the thing about that is, I’m so embarrassed about how crappy my computer is, I’ll just say that it was so bleeding edge in 1998, it was scary. If not for the generosity and help of my smarter-than-me brother, it wouldn’t even be able to run Eudora. I’m working on getting a new one, but it’s strange how having a wife and children takes precedence over upgrading the computer. Of course, now I can’t even play Unreal Tournament, so “get new, faster computer” just moved way up on the priority list. 🙂
6, Do you think that someday computers will actually have the horse power (holograms) and capabilities (artificial intelligence) that we see on Star Trek?
Wil Wheaton: Yes. I think that if, as a society, we put as much time, energy and funding into education as we do into bailing out corrupt corporations, we’d be seeing them already.
7. I read on your web site that you recently started presenting a new TV show, reviewing computer games. You get to play games all day and then write & present them. Sounds cool. Tell us about your experience with the show so far.
Wil Wheaton: I can’t. It’s all top secret.
8. What is your favourite game these days? Do you prefer playing games on a console (which console?) or on a PC?
Wil Wheaton: Well, the experience on the PC is really different than the experience on a console. Working for G4 Media, I get to play all the newest games, on PCs and on consoles, and they are completely different experiences. The main difference is that the PC games tend to be more complex, and cerebral, while the action games on the consoles are really amazing. I think that Microsoft is really bridging that gap with the Xbox, mostly because it’s little more than a PC dedicated to gaming, complete with it’s own Green Screen of Death. My favorite console games are Tony Hawk 3, and Grand Theft Auto 3, both on PS2. My favorite PC game is currently Day of Defeat, with Nethack running a close second (hey, I like the classics).
9. After almost 10 years away from Star Trek’s cast, you will now return as Wesley Crusher at the ‘Star Trek X: Nemesis’ movie, the 10th installment of the Star Trek movie series. How did it feel to get back with the old gang? Are you still in touch with the rest of the TNG fellow actors?
Wil Wheaton: It was just amazing. I am working on an in-depth report about my experiences working on Trek X, which I’ll be posting soon on my website at www.wilwheaton.net. One of the best things about working with the old gang again was that I was able to relate to them as an adult for the first time. I don’t see them nearly as often as I’d like, but each time we do find the time to get together, it’s always like no time has passed, at all. I adore
them.
10. What did you think about the new series, Enterprise? Berman seems to try to present, in contrast to TNG, DS9 & Voy, a non-utopian quadrant, don’t you think?
Wil Wheaton: I love Enterprise. I think it’s the best Star Trek since the 4th season of TNG. The thing I love the most about it is how the crew is in *real* danger each week, and there’s this sense of wonder and discovery in all of the characters. And the captain has a freakin’ *beagle* for crying out loud. I don’t think it gets much cooler than that. I’m really hoping that I’ll get to do some sort of cool guest shot on Enterprise, maybe as Wesley’s great, great, great, great grandfather, who nails T’Pol.
11. Which is the one role you would like to play at some point in your career? Is there a specific character that you would go into great effort to secure the role?
Wil Wheaton: I’d like to play a role that would break me out of the types I’ve always played: the nice guy, the too-smart kid, the earnest young idealist…I mean, that’s who I am in real life. I’d like to play a really, really bad guy, or someone who is very tortured and agonized. I would camp out on the director’s lawn to be in The Watchmen, if they ever make it into a movie.
“I’d like to play a role that would break me out of the types I’ve always played: the nice guy, the too-smart kid, the earnest young idealist…I mean, that’s who I am in real life. I’d like to play a really, really bad buy, or someone who is very tortured and agonized. I would camp out on the director’s lawn to be in The Watchmen, if they ever make it into a movie.”
Hence http://www.farkman.com/“>Evil ?
I’ve seen a whole bunch of stuff that had featured Wil over the years, but I didn’t even know it at the time (“Young Harry Houdini? Oh, okay…”). Although I can’t remember them very well (so I can’t even recall if I hated Wesley or not), I’ve decided that Wil is my favourite actor. Why? Because of his personality, intellect and wit off camera. Since late last year, I’ve been hooked onto http://www.wilwheaton.net/“>his like a remora on a shark. I am sooo looking forward to seeing Nemesis now.
One question, Wil (if you’re reading…). What do you really think of the host of The Weakest Link? You said that she was totally different off stage. I am not surprised: she looks so fake on the TV! I’m an Australian, and I thought the host of the Australian version was bad… But that US host blows her out of the water with her poor, poor acting! Is she really British, and if so what is a Brit (or a fake one) doing hosting a US programme? It makes no sense.
Enough ranting, I’m off to bed. Good night everyone
Thanks for the interview Eugenia. I enjoyed hearing from Wil
Man that Wesley Crusher character used to anoy the hell out of me!
He seems like a decent guy though
Anne Robinson is British: She hosts our version of the weakest link (the original version
too and has been on TV here for years. She is definately acting on that show. I guess the makers of the US version couldn’t find anyone they liked as much (little?) so got her to do it for them too.
I’ve also been reading his site from time to time, and realized quickly how much cooler he is as a person, than the simple character most thought they knew him as from TNG.
I think he’s given a lot of geeks inspiration in either role though, through his honesty, integrity, and dedication to the geek arts.
Yes, I’m a TNG fan. Can you tell?
Good interview Eugenia. Great job…
About time they got Will back into the series – Yeah, back in the day it might have been a little strange to have a kid on the command deck of a starship, but that was before we found out about Picard’s woody for Dr. Crusher! Can you blame the guy for humoring Wesley in order to get some brownies with the good Doctor? I thought not! I blame the writers and director for this glaring plot mistake!!! Wesley’s character really got interesting towards the end of his run on the show… If at that point he has been intro’ed as a new young ensign… who knows how his impact on the show might have changed. But I digress, Will, keep up the good work – but I would watch the T’Pol comments in case the wife trolls osnews, Dude! If she does, you are SO busted!
Thanks for the great work on the series,
Steve
http://www.stsmith.net
[email protected]
Wil won’t stop touching me.
And when I say talent I am not just referring to his acting. He has a certain way of putting us complete strangers at ease and helping us relax after a bad day at school. He maybe a really talented handsome actor but he is also just a person…but ohh! what a person he is!
That http://www.protest.net/“>protest STINKS!!!
>>The war against terrorism threatens to be an unending war yet we see little progress in addressing the actual causes of terrorism, violence, and war. The Taliban are being replaced by the Northern Alliance which is also a brutal, fundamentalist, and anti-women. After Afghanistan the US has it’s sights set on Iraq, after that who knows. We must stop this war and start addressing the real causes of terrorism.
Dude that’s beyond young idealism…, you have a nice website except for that freackin’ shit.
Wil, glad to see that your political views are so open minded. DO NOT HEED THE WORDS OF PEOPLE WHO CAN NOT SPELL THE WORD “COMMUNIST.”
URGENT! Please come to Cincinnati Sunday, April 7, the one-year anniversary of the police shooting of Timothy Thomas. We are under assault by a police department run amok. Your voice and resistance
An Evening in SOLIDARITY WITH ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS IN THE US
Teach-in on political prisoners in the US, prison-industrial complex
Show your support for the best politician ever, Stockwell Day, while you meet with all your right-wing, gun-loving, gay- hating, racist amigos. Be there or be normal.
On Friday, March 1, 2002 activists from the A.C.D.P.A, Homes Not Jails, the Anti- Capitalist Convergence, the Mobilization for Global Justice, School of the Americas Watch, the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House and others engaged in a Critical Mass Bike Ride through the United States Capital to express solidarity with the people of Colombia and Ecuador and their outrage against the US sponsored civilian targeted warfare in the Andean region in Latin America.
Wil, you looked like a cool guy, that “comunist” shit of yours is very very sad. Get smart.
HH00 go home
Altair, you are apparently one of those narrow-minded individuals that brand anyone who doesn’t agree with them as communist. Hell, you probably don’t even know what that word means. Amazing to find people so quick to judge without thinking or understanding (or worse, not even trying to, being ignorant isn’t wrong, but being indifferent to your ignorance is). He is, I think everyone else can ses, OBVIOUSLY not a communist. If he happens to disagree with some of the things the government does, then excellent! That’s what makes democracies strong, many minds looking at the same problems and coming up with different solutions, until the best one is found.
What’s the point in having freedom of speech if apparently we are all supposed to agree anyway?
hooray for space nerd wil wheaton
Hey Rodrigo, you are the ignorant one. When Altair used the word communist, he was referring to the protest.net link and site, not wil wheaton directly. Protest.net is clearly a left-wing, marxist site, so using communist isn’t “narrow-minded”. Communism has no single, simple definition. I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw an article on protest.net explaining why the Soviet Union wasn’t a true form of communism. In short protest.net is ran by marxist scum and wil wheaton is suspect for linking to them. But my guess is that wil wheaton has no coherent ideology, he’s just being trendy.
“the boy is within firing range!”
hehe take that will.
/me waits for this to de-evolve into a flame more than it already has
*sigh* i guess the more OSnews readers there are, the more we can expect this…
I never really got the Wil bashing on http://www.fark.com but it has been pretty funny. His politics are wierd, i dont for the life of me understand why http://www.lp.org did an interview for him saying He is a Libertarian. HE stated he was Libertarian but voted for nader! From reading other things about him he is a socialist. WIL WHEATON AND BILL MAHER ARE NOT LIBERTARIANS!
wil wont stop touching me either
I am right leaning but even I’ve got to admit if communism was a workable system we’d all be better off. But because of human nature its not (greed baby, thats what seperates us from the animals). btw I agree whole heartedly with Wil’s saying he’d like to nail t’pol (or however you spell it), I’d also like to nail that asian communications chick (wow a post about politics and nailing star trek babes on the net, I think if I mention computers I’ll nail the geek trifecta) computers are cool
Eugenia: How come you forgot to ask Wil about his time at NewTek (makers of LightWave, Video Toaster I+II, etc.)
… and how cool the Amiga was back in the time?
)
Up here in Canada we don’t have a “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” mentality. Then again, we’re not one of the most hated nations on the planet.
Go CANADA Go!
We RULE HOCKEY!!!!
hehehehehehe
<blockquote>Altair, you are apparently one of those narrow-minded individuals that brand anyone who doesn’t agree with them as communist.</blockquote>…sounds like something a communist would say…
Wil is pretty damn cool, I must say.
(and yeah – he doesn’t stop touching me either)
It’s great to see a interview with one of the persons[geeks] from one of my favorite series, and even greater to see he doesn’t use BeOS he would be thrilled by the simplicity, hack why didn’t you ask him about that Euginia?
well i am looking forward to the new movie as a real ST geek does.
Grts
T.
Resistance is futile
BeOS will asimilate you…..
one day
I don’t know if I like religious, political, license or OS flame wars the most, but they are all amusing (although a bit predictable).
– Mikael
> he doesn’t use BeOS he would be thrilled by the simplicity, hack why didn’t you ask him about that Euginia?
I did ask. The original question I sent him was:
“3. Have you ever used alternative operating systems? (Linux, BeOS, Mac etc) What were your experiences with them?”
I don’t frequent this site, so I could be totally off base here, but “Ian Stuart”, is that your real name or is that a reference to the famous neo-nazi of the same name?
If that’s a reference to the neo-nazi musician Ian Stuart, then I think your opinion about whether or not Wil Wheaton is suspect for linking something to his website is pretty much moot.
Sorry if that’s your real name – it just jarred me to see it on there.
And it seems that Altaire was directly referring to Wheaton, since he used the subject line “Wil are you a comunist?[sic]” It’s hard to get more direct than that.
Neo-Nazis and Communists have more in common than you probably know, Joshs. They both share their hatred for Democracy, and try to avoid it with all kind of sundry pretexts. As Bill Clinton said, referring to the recent attacks: “They have made the United States their adversary precisely because of what we stand for and what we stand against.”
One of the most known cases is the one of the all American communist guru Noam Chomsky. He has published in french neonazi magazines (in collaboration with Robert Faurisson, a furiously antisemitic nazi that explicitly denies the jewish holocaust), in the USA he likes to collaborate with the antisemitic Institute for Historical Review, and publishes with a famous neo-nazi related editorial, Noontide Press. “Mein Kampf”, “White America”, “International Jew”, “Dachau: Reality and Myth”, …, “The Middle East Crisis and the Threat of Nuclear War” (by N. Chomsky). New books <a href=”http://www.noontidepress.com/newbooks.html“>here.
These extremist leftists like Chomsky and the ones at protest.net try to disguise themselves as ‘libertarian socialists’, seems like ‘communist’ is not hype and fancy anymore after The Wall felt. Take a look at protest.net and sincerely tell me that their *violent* rage against the free will of the American people and its elected institutions have anything to do with Democracy.
Wil Wheaton links on his website to protest.net, this is an interview about him, isn’t it? He is suspect of supporting the worst, furiously violent totalitarian communism, this is not ‘trendy’ at all, it really worries me. I’m surprised, I honestly thought he was another kind of guy, one full of humor, tolerance and insight. I would like to know if he has any reason to support such communism.
I guess that, as Ian Stuart pointed out above, Wil doesn’t really have a coherent totalitarian ideology, he might rather be on the young&rebel radical side. But he is already an adult with children, so he could try to explain his unexplainable link to communism.
Call it flame if you will, but America is under attack, Canada fortunately is not.
I applaud Wil’s effort to question the US govt. and to speak out about it. Just because the guy isn’t the typical American Ass-Hole doesn’t mean he’s a communist. The US would just be another entity of the Commonwealth of Nations if it weren’t for our tenacious attitude towards freedom, and now you want us to just forget all that and let people like GWB tell us what to do?
Being an advocate for freedom obviously isn’t easy. On the one hand we’ve got the military protecting our physical properties, and on the other we’ve got scholars and politicians managing our right to live free. Without protest groups to guide the latter, it would be impossible for this country to be where it is today, and we’re not even in that good a position.
How about the unions? Why don’t you go down to a local office and start calling them a bunch of communists. Like those damn liberal teachers always trying to get better pay, right?
If anyone is the red communist it’s those who’d attempt to discredit sites like protest.net by using a word like communist to describe it. If you can come up with a cogent argument as to why protest is bad then you should move to a small weak country where you can help install a government that’s more up your alley. Until the US Constitution is thrown out the people at protest.net will be the true federalists, and YOU will be the ALWAYS be enemy.
>I applaud Wil’s effort to question the US govt
I agree. You should always “check” what the government and the people you vote for do for you. Do they do the right thing? Do they do the wrong thing? You see, there should always be someone who “watches the watchers”.
In Greece, there are two things people love fighting about and critisizing publicly all the time, when they are together with their friends or even between strangers in the cafebars: football and the political parties (all of them
Good work Eugenia, but…
Every Star Trek made after 1969 is soooo lame. The more recent they are, the worse they get. I couldn’t even stand to watch them (from full beginning to end) anymore after the early 90’s.
X-Files rules. Sorry. :]
Have you ever read anything the man has written? He isn’t antisemitic, from what I have read. I admit, I’ve only read a “reader”, a brief overview of his writings, but everything I read seemed to support the idea that his is not racist in the slightest.
As far as him being anti-american, he even says in the text that I read that he thinks america is a good country and is glad to have been born and still lives there. He criticizes what he feels is wrong with it, but isn’t that what freedom of speech is all about? Being able to do that? In a communist state, you cannot criticize the government. Since Mr. Chomsky is a well-know proponent of free speech, it seems unlikely he would be a supporter of Communism (as it has been practiced, not some hippie ideal of Communism that doesn’t exist).
And, yes, Chomsky has (I gleaned this from reading I did on that link you provided) made statements about how neo-nazis should have the right to say what they want. I agree, everyone should have the right to voice their opinion. Again, this is what free speech is about. I think it’s good to let people like neonazis speak their minds in public. If you try to censor their speech, then people will start to wonder “maybe they are onto something… what is the government trying to hide?”, where as if you let them talk, people will hear them and realize they are misguided and wrong.
Do not take this harshly Eugenia, but in the USA there is a much longer, well established and *continued* tradition (1789) for “checking” what the Government and politicians do than in Greece (1974?). The ‘checking’ is done in many ways, specially every four years, since looooong ago before you were born (1974-5?). Football is another tale.
You really doubt protest.net raging communism? The protest.net site is absolutely full of communist references, they do not try to hide it, they take proud of it, I know that many of them are affiliated. This is about their perpetual motto: “Converge Against Capitalism: Organize to Build Dual Power, and the Culture of Resistance”. Who the hell you think Dorothy Day was?, guess which is the favorite affiliation of the Anti-Capitalist Convergence movement. You doubt that the terrorist FARC-EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People´s Army) which protest.net explicitly supports aren’t communist??? It doesn’t get more RED than that.
The Topic/Issue of their violent protests usually is “Fascism & Imperialism”, and guess who is in that fascist list, the USA. They go as far as to accuse the USA Administration of conspiracy in the WTC massacre, …”Cheney isn’t trying to hide the Enron meeting records for the reasons we think, he’s trying to hide his meetings with the Taliban and Enron over the pipeline deal…”
The “US prison-industrial complex”… Constantly spitting on the USA Army and Police, “…the one-year anniversary of the police shooting of Timothy Thomas. We are under assault by a police department run amok. Your voice and resistance…”
Peter that is not questioning the ‘US govt.’, that is seeking to destroy it. “Until the US Constitution is thrown out the people at protest.net” will not rest, and YOU, Peter, and all those who cowardly concede will ALWAYS be the enemy.
>>The US would just be another entity of the Commonwealth of Nations if it weren’t for our tenacious attitude towards freedom, and now you want us to just forget all that and let people like GWB tell us what to do?
What a pile of nonsense, “to forget all that?”, to forget what is the USA greatest Alliance?, are you nuts? And don’t have the elected “people” ‘something’ to say in a Democracy?
Just what do you think freedom is, promoting violent disorders and destroying property as the protest.net mobilizations fancy?, applauding terrorism as they do with the Colombian FARC? Looking for the ultimate causes of a massacre everywhere but on the perpetrators???
And you resume all this totalitarism as “Wil’s effort to question the US govt”, which of course “you applaud”. Wil Wheaton and some of you too, should spend a paid vacation in the not so hype South Colombian forest to learn what’s freedom and what’s not. Wil links to communism, question that.
Russia is no more communist then the US is democratic. Money talks, so get your head out of your ass.
“Then again, we’re not one of the most hated nations on the planet.” Of course they’re not, in order for anyone to feel anything about them Canada would have to do something of its own accord not on cue from the us or mother britain. The only 2 contributions Canada has made to the world at large are hockey and to show that socialised (sic)medicince doesn’t work. And about “ruling” at hockey realize canada went 50 years without winning a gold, in a sport they invented no less, while the only time the us has lost in basketball (our equivilant) in the last 50 years is that robbery by the soviets (72 if I remember right, but I’m not great with dates right now). So shove your, attack the best just because they’re better than you, supporting attitude up your agreeable, football stealin, crappy bacon eatin ass Captain Canada (aka Private America Jr.).
Yes he WAS!….Sometimes….
Sometimes the writers made him a bit cheesy, but there was plenty of times later in the series when he was truely cool! The Traveller series, etc…
So BLEAGH! If a kid had to grow up in Star Fleet as Wesley did – he probably would be a lot like the Wesley character.
Just admit it…HE’S COOL!!!
~Your friend Tocci!
I agree. I never understood why everyone hated wesley, and thought he was annoying. What was it exactly? I never had anything against his char. Although I was always more fond of data and geordy (sp?)
Before anyone else reveals their ignorance by implying or stating that Chomsky is anti-semitic, i would like to point out CHOMSKY IS JEWISH! CHOMSKY IS A JEW! HIS PARENTS WERE HEBREW SCHOLARS! Anybody who thinks he is anti-semitic or thinks that he likes fascism and Nazis or Neo-Nazis obviously have not done their homework.
I thought I read in a graphic novel (or saw or heard or something) that wesley turned out to be a q (well maybe not a q but something similar). Anybody know what book/movie/season of the series I read/saw this in? Or am I delusional? btw yes I’m only a very casual fan of the shows, I don’t go out of my way to watch them but if I come across one I most likely won’t change the channel.
Man, you’re the one who needs to take a trip Columbia (along with your visit to the local union office to tell them what a bunch of bastards they are and how they’re tearing apart the US). Why are there so many women fighters with the Colombian FARC? The whole thing stinks from FARC’s relation with cocaine to the US sponsoring a totalitarian army. I would rather see FARC win because if you’re on coke it’s your own damn fault. To sponsor a totalitarian army in the hopes that things will turn out okay for the people of columbia is living in just as much a fantasy world as someone on the drugs that are supposedly the cause for our sponsorship.
Why don’t you explain this fear of communism? You just look so fucking stupid. Judging by your writing you’re not even a citizen of the US so WTF do you even know about anything? You think GWB is in office because the people of the United States wanted him there? You’re so fucking WRONG, it could not be more untrue!
Look at this one, perfectly legit:
http://Protest.Net/view.cgi?view=2311
Sure there’s questionable stuff on Protest.Net, but there are also many reasonable and just concerns expressed there. People with real issues that need attention need a place to express themselves and therefore Protest.Net is good.
Well anyway, it’s not worth the effort, you’ve obviously got something to hide or you wouldn’t be so scared in the first place. Either that or you really are just a lost sheep.
Last I check most implementations of communism were forms
of totaltarism, something FARC supports. Something you seem to claim
your opposed to Peter. Ironic huh? Yes the current
governemnt in Colombia as well as most other South American
countries isn’t the best but its still a Democracy and in fact
one of South Americas oldest democracies. It would bad news
if the drug traffiking FARC were to gain control of Colombia for
both the inhabitants of the US and Colombia.
As for GWB he is in office because our Constituion actually worked the
way it was suppose to and has as far as I can tell. Its a good
thing hes in office as well. This countries success in Afghanistan
can be attributed to good, old brash GWB and his cabinet (as opposed to Clinton
who feels a few Tomahawks and a little butt kissing will do the trick).
He has the guts to tell people when their full of sh*t and actually stand up to
maurading bastards like the Taliban/Al-Quida. So who gives a damn if a few UN
members get their panties in a knot over it. You have to remember that these
are the idiots that admitted Sudan onto the UN Human Rights Board *L*.
http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/05/unvote0503.htm
Wasn’t it your good friend W in office when that chinese air force plane rammed a us spy plane in international air space, forcing it down in chinese territory? Didn’t he just bend over and take it in the ass so that his buddies in big business can continue to open up china and make money? Didn’t he even apologize for the death of the chinese pilot? As for standing up to the taliban didn’t wasn’t vice president cheney in a meeting with enron’s vp, some oil company snakes and the taliban not a month before 9/11? Doesn’t that make him a giant tool? Your right it doesn’t, it makes him a giant tool who can’t even eat a pretzel properly.
Your name says it all. If Clinton would have had a good enough excuse to attack, i.e. the WTC, then he would have done so. W is in office because the majority of Americans are unwilling to figure out who should be President and then to go vote for that person.
I guess I can’t say that Pastrana isn’t trying, I just disagree with the financing of the Colombian army or any other army than our own. Blowing the fuck out of FARC isn’t helping anyone. I can’t recall the exact figure but the percentage of women fighters is *very* high. These are some pissed off ladies. If we dumped so much money into developing more productive activities for these people to do they would have no reason to fight. Yesterday Bush said this is what he’s going to do, and I hope he’s serious.
When I heard Finland charged the CEO of Nokia over $100,000 for speeding, I applauded. Yeah, that’s wildly expensive, but he still gets to have the finest of everything, so fuck him. The US should adopt this policy ASAP.