It is heartening to observe these words regarding the need for reform in Italy, what should be transformative and a cause for healing the grief come from both the abuses and return of individuals whose manipulation of public opinion and trust is indicative of the extent to which people are willing to delude and, consequently, enslave themselves to regimes that are inherently unjust and false. It is tragic that Italy has been lured into forfeiting its soul by way of politicians who cater to privilege presumed and the indiscrete appetites of an occupation come from those who would seek to subordinate further the blessing it should be to be Italian -- to be seen as the bearer of peace, the shining light of civilisation that illumines the places where rotgut practices seek refuge, the voice of a conscience undiminished by famine and plague.

Many thanks for an informative and illuminating forum. May your efforts to seek actively the internal transformation of Italy, an ongoing work, be rewarded in every way.

It is heartening to observe these words regarding the need for reform in Italy, what should be transformative and a cause for healing the grief come from both the abuses and return of individuals whose manipulation of public opinion and trust is indicative of the extent to which people are willing to delude and, consequently, enslave themselves to regimes that are inherently unjust and false. It is tragic that Italy has been lured into forfeiting its soul by way of politicians who cater to privilege presumed and the indiscrete appetites of an occupation come from those who would seek to subordinate further the blessing it should be to be Italian -- to be seen as the bearer of peace, the shining light of civilisation that illumines the places where rotgut practices seek refuge, the voice of a conscience undiminished by famine and plague.

Many thanks for an informative and illuminating forum. May your efforts to seek actively the internal transformation of Italy, an ongoing work, be rewarded in every way.

"It is just this lack of connection to a concern with truth -this indifference to how things really are- that I regard as the essence of bullshit."
"On Bullshit" Harry G. Frankfurt

I understand Beppe's rage at Rutelli's video. Few things wound the soul more than bullshit. And if this is the age of anything, it is the age of omissions, fast lies and false promises: or the age of bullshit "for a lack of a better word". Huge quantities of bullshit are produced everyday by Corporations, TV, newspapers, politician and religions of all kinds. One can't get away from it. In fact we're in it over our heads and we've been in it for so long we no longer notice. And the bad news is that we've learned to unconsciously love it; we love it so much that for the next five years we're allowing Mr. Bullshit himself to rule Italy. But, really, what is bullshit? A Princeton philosopher, Harry G Frankfurt, wrote an essay on it: "On Bullshit". Essentially he defines bullshit as a person indifferent to truth. Dante hated indifference and non-caring people. He placed indifferent people deep in his Hell. Yet, today, bullshit is being processed on a universal scale by the most "honourable" people in our midst: politicians, journalists, religious personnel, CEOs. Take Rutelli on that video. His flippant, lazy justification for an incinerator in Rome, based on a dated visit he made to another incinerator in Frankfurt is pure bullshit. He told viewers he visited it in 1993, (as if it was yesterday) conveniently forgetting to tell them that said incinerator was shut down in 2004, due to serious technical and costly problems. "Mispoken"? (another bullshit word) No. He simply didn't care whether what he conveyed was true or not. Had he cared, he wouldn't have mentioned that meaningless experience made so long ago, or he would have offered a more recent contextual explanation about his ideas on Rome's need for an incinerator. But of course, he is a professional politician and, like most politicians, he is not too concerned about the ways things change or are in reality. In fact, as if the incinerator bullshit was not enough, he confirms himself as a bullshitter when he says city dumps can be turned into wooded areas. His example? New York's Central Park. No, onorevole Rutelli, Central Park is not a good illustration of a dump transformed into a park. Central Park was built on land inhabited by Irish and German emigrants eventually evicted by city politicians to make room for Central Park. (And guess who was hired to serve the 1600 eviction notices? That's right, one of our countrymen.) Could Rutelli be showing an honest moment of ignorance in this case, or is he bullshitting again? I think he is at it again. He is bullshitting. Why? Simply because, had Central Park been topping a city-dump, chances would have been it was toxic-free. In the early to mid- 19th century chemistry, like America, was still innocent and dump sites were not the deep dishes for toxic soups they are today. Wouldn't you think Rutelli capable of exerting this kind of thinking and reach the conclusions above mentioned? But of course he can. So why did he bullshit us the way he did? As Harry G. Frankfurt explains: bullshitters "are unconnected to a concern with the truth. It is just this lack of connection to a concern with truth -this indifference to how things really are- that I regard as the essence of bullshit." he says. Nevertheless, Rutelli is a second-grade bullshitter compared to Mr. Bullshitter himself.

I think you are the last fortress of this corrupted system, you support the BoBe and are directly, personally responsible for their electoral triumph, since you had an undeserved Trust Equity and you vanished it.
I argue this in a dialectic, sincere analysis in my tonight's blogpost:
http://enzofabioarcangeli.wordpress.com/2008/04/24/vaderetrogrilllecchino/
A sincere vaffa to Vaffa2. See you to the next
fabio

I think you are the last fortress of this corrupted system, you support the BoBe and are directly, personally responsible for their electoral triumph, since you had an undeserved Trust Equity and you vanished it.
I argue this in a dialectic, sincere analysis in my tonight's blogpost:
http://enzofabioarcangeli.wordpress.com/2008/04/24/vaderetrogrilllecchino/
A sincere vaffa to Vaffa2. See you to the next
fabio

Beppe if you gave people the possibility to sign your petitions in other occations that just the V day you could reach many more people and increase your chances of reaching a critical mass that could have an impact on the system.
Personally I will not be able to attend your V day but I am strongly in favor of your proposals.

Do not let my voice (and those of many others) go unheard. Give us the chance to sign in other occasions.

Ciao.

Enrico.

Are we still complaining? Is this a democracy or what? Did the majority of people vote for the right? Well if this is what the Italians want this is what they get! Unfortunately tough shit (excuse the french) if like me you didn't vote for them and now we're stuck for another 5 years! Lord help us!!I'm so depressed that as soon as I see politicians on television whatever right or left I change channel and thank god for Sky!!

If Italian people won't stand up for their rights this time, then they well deserve what they've got!

Funny picture :) More, more!

The way Italy works at home is reflected in the weight Italy has in Europe!