Giga years? WTF? And then, of course, you go on to use billion years later on in your post..

In what version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory does Mr. Bucket get another job? He just loses his job and then pretty much doesn't show up until the sequel..

Or maybe you're just cold-blooded.

He promised more openness and accountability. Not absolute openness and accountability. He implemented it in some areas, and not so much in others. He may even have done the opposite in some area. Maybe when Americans, 'thinking' or otherwise, stop having wild expectations of their politicians, and, regardless of who they elect, criticise them (not constructively) whether they actually do what they say or not, then maybe the politicians wouldn't be so much stuck in between a rock and a hard place and would be more realistic and straightforward with their voters. So much for 'alternative views'.

People get the government they deserve. Nowhere is that more self-evident than in the US.

A 'representative republic' is a democracy. It may not be a 'pure democracy' but it's a democracy nonetheless. No country is a 'pure democracy'. It's just ludicrous word-games masquerading as intelligent analysis and fabricated history. It's part of the problem.

There's no panacea to fix all the world's problems in one fell sweep either. Or even just to fix the USA's problems.

Try reading less demagogic opinion and more actual analysis.

I lived in Dubai for four years (2001-2005) and just used a HTTP proxy. Everyone knew about them. I've gone back since then and Etisalat (the telecoms monopoly, they now have 'competitors' but they're all state owned too through a bunch of holding companies, so it amounts to the same thing) seems to have blocked them but when I was there last summer I managed to use Tor to get around it.

It is very clever. It depends on their size, military might, and many, many strategic and other factors. You're always at risk of doing something wrong. However, handling them all in the same way would be very stupid.

Oh, and News Corp. can rot in hell.

Does this mean they'll have fixed the problem in new iPhones by September? I've been waiting to buy one because of this. Wondering if I should wait a little longer..

Guess you are naive enough then.

Moderation doesn't work because people mod down bad comments?

ah, 'tarnishing reputations' and 'corrupt' judges, the excuse for tyrants everywhere to censor and suppress freedom. I'd trust a judge over a politician almost all of the time.

Do you get paid to astroturf or do you spread propaganda for free? (Surely you can't be naive enough to believe it?)

Quite right, he gets away with it by passing laws and amnesties, and statutes of limitations. Hardly an 'exoneration', he just makes himself look more and more guilty with his blatant lies and nepotism.

Opposing the government is bad?

Just a few of the countless allegations Berlusconi has faced would be enough to cause someone to resign in most other developed countries, never mind lengthy court cases or 'exonerations'. Sadly, Italy is on the lower end of the scale for the first world when it comes to corruption and transparency.

http://www.transparency.org/content/download/47601/761851/CPI+2009+Regional+Highlights+EU+and+Western+Europe_en.pdf

Italy gets 4.3, only slightly less corrupt than Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. Greece is the only other Western European Country that's worse, and look where they are now. Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia are all less corrupt than Italy, and they're much less developed. Globally, Namibia, South Africa and Oman are some of the countries with a better ranking than Italy, which ranks 63rd, just above Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. ( http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2009/cpi_2009_table ).

Italy comes joint 17th with Brazil on the Bribe Payers Index, again below South Africa and just above India, Mexico, China and Russia. ( http://www.transparency.org/news_room/latest_news/press_releases/2008/bpi_2008_en )

http://www.transparency.org/content/download/43788/701097

69% of respondents think the current government's actions to fight corruption are ineffective. Political parties get 4.1 out of 5 as an index of corruption.

I suppose that's all the opposition left-wing's fault?

I have a hard time believing anyone could be worse than Berlusconi.