I'm writing this entry in Wiki-style, so those of you who haven't ever used a Wiki before will understand how simple the markup is. The particular style of markup I'm using here is a close variant of DEBUG: Wikipedia*Wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page!UNIMPLEMENTED_NAMESPACED_LINK!'s , which is my inspiration. It's not exactly the syntax that I'll use, I'd bet, because I don't have it quite figured out yet, but it's close. Hopefully I'll have it closer to being done soon, so I can move to it and show you all, it being the next version of POUND.

I took the political compass quiz again, and, not too differently from when I identified as a Libertarian, I again scored as a left-libertarian. It goes to show how different their notion of libertarian is from any I've known. Because, despite my best efforts otherwise, I seem to be in the mood to enjoy taking quizzes nowadays, I'll go over my choices on the quiz and explain them all. It is worth noting that I'm not too far from the Green party of England, the way the site sees things.

The quiz breaks down into 6 pages of questions, with Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, and Strongly Agree.

===Global===

• If economic globalisation is inevitable, it should primarily serve humanity

rather than the interests of trans-national corporations.

Strongly Agree. The interests of corporations and those of people often

differ strongly. Society should use corporations like a pack animal when necessary, not like a master.

• I'd always support my country, whether it was right or wrong.

Strongly Disagree. I'm my own moral agent.

• No one chooses his or her country of birth, so it's foolish to be proud of it.

Strongly Agree. Nationalism's hold on people is for bad reasons, and its form

is disgusting.

• Our race has many superior qualities, compared with other races.

Strongly Disagree. Races don't differ very significantly. Cultures do.

• The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Disagree. It can be helpful to make alliances, but not to lose one's

perspective on one's values.

• Military action that defies international law is sometimes justified.

Agree. Sometimes. It's better to work with internationals when possible.

• There is now a worrying fusion of information and entertainment.

Agree.

===Economy===

• People are ultimately divided more by class than by nationality.

Disagree. Both are significant, but nationalism is as dangerous and divisive

as classism

• Controlling inflation is more important than controlling unemployment.

Disagree, unless there is enough of a safety net. People should not starve

ever.

• Because corporations cannot be trusted to voluntarily protect the environment,

they require regulation.

Strongly Agree. They cannot be trusted to voluntarily do a lot of other

important things too, and need to be regulated there as well. Or, perhaps they need a basic redesign.

• From each according to his ability, to each according to his need is a

fundamentally good idea.

Agree, I guess. Some people have crazy needs.

• It's a sad reflection on our society that something as basic as drinking

water is now a bottled, branded consumer product.

Strongly agree. Consumerism and branding are bad.

• Land shouldn't be a commodity to be bought and sold.

Disagree. However, land rights should not be considered absolute.

• It is regrettable that many personal fortunes are made by people who simply

manipulate money and contribute nothing to their society.

Strongly Agree. Salaries of executives are ridiculous -- they need to fall

from power.

• Protectionism is sometimes necessary in trade.

Agree. Economic protectionism is a duty, and occasionally protectionism may

serve a necessary regional interest, but the second reason cannot be a long term strategy.

• The only social responsibility of a company should be to deliver a profit

to its shareholders.

Strongly Disagree. Corporate structures need to be reworked.

• The rich are too highly taxed.

Strongly Disagree.

• Those with the ability to pay should have the right to higher standards of

medical care

Agree - the difference between the standards (none versus everything) is

presently obscene, but those who contribute more should probably have better care. Our present monetary system does a poor job of judging contributions.

• Governments should penalise businesses that mislead the public.

Strongly Agree. Perhaps more than penalise.

• A genuine free market requires restrictions on the ability of predator

multinationals to create monopolies.

I agreed, but honestly I don't know what to make of this question. I can

imagine two systems that might call themselves free markets that would differ on this. Further, I have no interest in free markets to begin with. I want a mixed market, and eventually a communist system of production when/if we figure out how to make it work well.

• The freer the market, the freer the people.

Strongly disagree. Free markets enslave people, and even the wealthy, who

are freer than most along some lines, are still their slave.

===Personal Social===

• Abortion, when the woman's life is not threatened, should always be illegal.

Disagree. Apart from threatening of the mother's life, before the brain

develops significantly, abortion is ok

• All authority should be questioned.

Agree. We should not accept authority for its own sake, but it is often

based on good reasons.

• An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Disagree. Well, actually pretty neutral.

• Taxpayers should not be expected to prop up any theatres or museums that

cannot survive on a commercial basis.

Strongly disagree. Capitalism is an interesting judge of social value, but

not one I'd care to agree with.

• Schools should not make classroom attendance compulsory.

Agree. Students who don't wish to attend school make it worse for those who

are there to learn.

• All people have their rights, but it is better for all of us that different

sorts of people should keep to their own kind.

Strongly Disagree. These kinds, and the efforts to protect them, often end

up causing tension that turns genocidal.

• Good parents sometimes have to spank their children.

Disagree. Its not necessary, but may be helpful.

• It's natural for children to keep some secrets from their parents.

Agree. It's human nature. Good parents need to strike a balance between

safeguarding their children and allowing them necessary autonomy to mature.

• Marijuana should be legalised.

Strongly Agree. Respect autonomy.

• The prime function of schooling should be to equip the future generation to

find jobs.

Disagree. Schooling is for a lot of things.

• People with serious inheritable disabilities should not be allowed

to reproduce.

Agree. It's better for society. Making these kinds of judgements is very

difficult, but it is useful for societal good.

• The most important thing for children to learn is to accept discipline.

Disagree. It's one important thing to learn, but there are many others.

• There are no savage and civilised peoples; there are only different cultures.

Disagree. Savage and civilised are difficult judgements to make, but they're

worthwhile. If we discard the concepts, we suggest that our own could not be made more civilised or better, just different. It is important to note that cultures are complex beasts, and that modern western culture has aspects of it that need a lot of work, including some areas where other cultures may be better. It's hard to do everything well.

• Those who are able to work, and refuse the opportunity, should not expect

society's support.

Agree. Ideally though, eventually work will be largely done by machines and

people will not need to work.

• When you are troubled, it's better not to think about it, but to keep busy

with more cheerful things.

Disagree, but don't understand how this is a political question.

• First-generation immigrants can never be fully integrated within their new

country.

Disagree, I guess. Not really sure. I'm also unsure how this is a political

question.

• What's good for the most successful corporations is always, ultimately, good

for all of us.

Strongly Disagree. The ends of corporations are only similar to ours when

viewed in a very narrow light. In many ways, their ends are harmful to society.

• No broadcasting institution, however independent its content, should receive

public funding.

Strongly Disagree. Media consolidation and restriction of availability to

the largest of the large corporations is very harmful to society because the domination of dialogue gives them power they should not have. ===Social Politics===

• Our civil liberties are being excessively curbed in the

name of counter-terrorism.

Strongly agree. It's knee-jerk legislation that enables the conservatives

to do what they've been wanting to do for a long time.

• A significant advantage of a one-party state is that it avoids all the

arguments that delay progress in a democratic political system.

Disagree. Kind of. If it is agreed what progress is toward, then the

arguments could delay progress, but even then, they may also help prevent folly by exposing errors in the design of the law. Getting agreement is tough though -- not everyone agrees what progress should be towards, and the democratic process helps build consensus towards that and helps redirect the dissent of the losers in a political struggle back towards themselves.

• Although the electronic age makes official surveillance easier, only

wrongdoers need to be worried.

Strongly Disagree. We have a lot of laws that are put in place by

conservatives that I'd just as soon be unenforcable. I'd rather them not be laws though..

• The death penalty should be an option for the most serious crimes.

Agree. It's good to be quite sure though, and I'm not all that certain if

we can be sure enough in many cases.

• In a civilised society, one must always have people above to be obeyed

and people below to be commanded.

Strongly Disagree. The less structure needed of this sort, the better. The

current class structure needs to be demolished.

• Abstract art that doesn't represent anything shouldn't be considered art

at all.

Strongly Disagree. I'm not sure what I feel though about the details of the

social policy this likely refers to (funding of the arts).

• In criminal justice, punishment should be more important than rehabilitation.

Agree. Rehabilitation is important too though.

• It is a waste of time to try to rehabilitate some criminals.

Agree. It's important to give everyone a good chance though.

• The businessman and the manufacturer are more important than the writer and

the artist.

Strongly Disagree. People who just move money around and handle paper are

a necessary evil, like janitors. Manufacturers are useful, but as technology advances, are going to be a smaller part of what society makes. The arts and sciences are the highest callings of humanity.

• Mothers may have careers, but their first duty is to be homemakers.

Strongly disagree. It is up to each couple to work out their handling of

children, should they decide to have any.

• Multinational companies are unethically exploiting the plant genetic

resources of developing countries.

Disagree, I guess. Information should be free, and the multinationals, like

everyone else, should not be able to use "intellectual property" to gain exclusivity, but there's nothing wrong with simple use.

• Making peace with the establishment is an important aspect of maturity.

Disagree. Sometimes making peace is warranted, sometimes it is not. Maturity

is not simply learning to submit, although learning when to submit is part of it. ===Nature of Reality===

• Astrology accurately explains many things.

Strongly disagree. It's wishful thinking and bs.

• You cannot be moral without being religious.

Strongly disagree. Religion is an impedement to moral thought. It leads people

to mistake the product (a moral system) for the process (building a moral system) and leads people to try to accept a moral system that doesn't reflect their moral values.

• Charity is better than social security as a means of helping the genuinely

disadvantaged.

Disagree. Charity is a great thing, but it can't be the only thing.

• Some people are naturally unlucky.

Strongly disagree. Some people don't understand statistics/game theory, and

take unwise gambles, but it's all about chance and understanding.

• I would not wish to send my child to a school that did not instill religious

values.

Strongly disagree. I would not wish to send my child to a school that did

install religious values. Religion cripples the mind. ===Sex===

• Sex outside marriage is usually immoral.

I strongly disagree on this. Unwise in some circumstances, for emotional and

health reasons, but not immoral in my moral system.

• A same sex couple in a stable, loving relationship, should not be excluded

from the possibility of child adoption.

Strongly agree. I see no reason they should not be adopting.

• Pornography, depicting consenting adults, should be legal for the adult

population.

Strongly agree. This is a civil liberties issue, and I see no good reason to

intervene. Porn is healthy.

• What goes on in a private bedroom between consenting adults is no business

of the state.

Agree. I see no good reason to intervene, and many good reasons not to.

• No one can feel naturally homosexual.

I disagreed, but in all honesty, I only picked it because there's no don't

know option. The genetics of homosexuality are not yet known. Frankly, I think there's nothing wrong with homosexuality, and so whether its genetic, social, or a mix of both doesn't concern me -- its origin is for me a scientific question, not a political one.

• It's fine for society to be open about sex, but these days it's going too far.

I disagree. I think prudishness is unhealthy and prevents people from handling

the topic sanely.