Skip to comments.
Our Republic and Our Free Republic
9-6-02
| Joe Phillips
Posted on 09/06/2002 8:17:16 AM PDT by BADJOE
History teaches some very good lessons. They are hard to learn but our forefathers did a great job.
From the beginning of time man has overthrown one form of centralized government only to re-establish another one in its place. Our forefathers understood this far better than anyone ever had. They said governments are the eternal enemy of free men. They said that in order for man to remain free it would take a bloody revolution every other generation, unless you bound down (bastard) government with the chains of the constitution.
On another site this week a poster asked if anyone else hated government as much as he did. I replied to him
"Hell !! I thought you were not a good American if you didn't love our country and hate our government.
At least that is how I have always felt about it"
I think our forefathers had the same attitude that I have now. And I think it is inherent in the average Americans attitude to distrust and have disdain for any government, including ours. One of the hardest conclusions I had to arrive at as a young man, after having been a product of the public school system, was that our government was not on our side. As James Forrestahl, former secretary of the Navy, who suffered a mysterious death, once said about our State Department's foreign policy, " Stupidity is never a mark of consistancy. If they were merely stupid, they would occasionally make a mistake in our favor".
Newt Gringrich put it in a humourous manner when talking about the attitude of Europeans. He related the following story. If you go to Europe and drive on the Autobahn, you feel pretty good cruising down the highway at 100 mph when some some German passes you doing 140 mph. Now he said if the Bundestag passed the 55mph speed limit law, every German would dutifully obey that law, untill the next election. They would vote the 55 mph crowd out of office and the no speed limit crowd in. In America Newt said "A speed limit sign is a benchmark of opportunity.
It is obvious that Yankees and Euros have entirely different attitudes about government's edicts. There are darn few Americans who do not break the speed limit laws everyday.
Now we come to the Free Republic. Once a free wheeling, joyful site for news and discussion of politics, economics, philosophy, ethics and morals. I could not understand the transformation that has taken place in the last six months. Camaraderie, the sense of family, and cooperation seems to have disappeared. Are the Freepers exhibiting the same disdain for the new FR as Americans have for our government?
TOPICS: Heated Discussion
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 1,021-1,040, 1,041-1,060, 1,061-1,080 ... 2,801-2,806 next last
To: FreeTheHostages
I love these contest threads! Thanks to whoever started this one. Only on Free Republic. ~8-O
To: ArneFufkin; BluesDuke
i've no idea, actually.
i tend to just bop in here a couple times a day on coffee breaks,
make a smartass comment or two, post a bandwidth wasting graphic,
shake my head at the daily increasing absurdity of the world, and go back out to the shop ...
oh, and during the season, occasionally marvel at the duke's encyclopedic knowledge of the game.
i'd contribute more, but smoked too much reefer in another life, and my memory sucks ...
To: ArneFufkin
"Aqualung, my friend, don't YOU start away uneasy."
________________________________
Two bits you can't explain away THAT line, fufkin, -- without putting down the bottle.
To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
You know, so many have missed the obvious choice for a mod... ME ME ME!!!!!
To: TigersEye; Mudboy Slim
Me, me, me. I thought 9/11 was too close for us not to have some kind of pretty bonding here. I must say that Mudboy Slim, whose cyber acquaintance I just made this week, jumped forward with both feet and put the Coulter book in the kitty. He's almost a complete stranger to me, but there he was helping out.
Conservative solidarity. Don't let anybody in this post fool you: America IS a great country.
(And Lynne Cheney's book is great -- lots of details, it really has some stuff I don't know either. Not just for kids.)
To: Miss Marple
Aw, thanks! Just your friendly, neighborhood GOP shill at your service.
To: rintense
You know, so many have missed the obvious choice for a mod... ME ME ME!!!!!Hey, don't feel bad. I think you were on one of the lists I saw. Think of it: All the intimidation power with none of the responsiblity! ; )
To: tomkat
scratch that reefer comment - it's an ugly lie.
actually, it's the Sometimer's kickin' in
To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
I would so not want that job. I think everyone should go out of their way to be nice to Admin Moderators.
I heartily encourage everyone else to be nice and to count their lucky stars they don't have that job. Remember, it's leftists who want power for power's sake.
To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
Well it all fits, you know... my secret position with AOL and mod of this forum. Next thing you know, I'll want to be a senator from New York!
To: All
CONTEST, CONTEST!!! WITH ACTUAL REAL WORLD PRIZE!! CHENEY BOOK AND COULTER BOOK
Me and Mudboy Slim here sponsoring a contest in this thread. Person who wins gets me to mail them a copy of Lynne Cheney's new book, "America: A Patriotic Primer." And Mudboy Slim is adding to the kitty a SIGNED COPY OF ANN COULTER'S NEW BOOK. Gasp: can Mudboy be serious about parting with such a thing? Apparently so! Well, all I can guarantee is that I am perfectly serious about mailing the book to the winner. And Cheney’s book is a real winner. So here's all you got to do to win: Come up with the best top ten list (and be sure to ping me with it) of
TOP TEN REASONS WHY (and here you have an option of themes)
(1) I'm Still Posting in This Thread
(2) I'm Still A Happy Freeper
(3) This Thread Scares Me
Contest closes at 5 p.m. EST Saturday, winner to be announced by 10 p.m. FreetheHostages and Mudboy Slim are the judges. FreetheHostages has final say if we don't agree. But we will.
Remember, this is a top ten list contest. Humor counts.
The judges remind participants that we will accept bribes gladly. I do say, however, that bribes will not affect our judging. (To which Mudboy Slim says: “Speak fer yerself, mi amigo.”) So far, we have as entrants posts nos. 1037, 1013, 965, 954, 887, 886, 870, 764, 762, 752, 738, 736, 724, 680, and 667. FREEP ON! There is still plenty of material intermingled with these top ten list entries to give you food for thought! (Wow, is it ever. Wish they’d tone it down a little: people, people, we’re trying to run a contest over here.)
This is not an official contest of Free Republic management. It’s just little ‘ole me and, if Mudboy’s serious and I *think* he is, Mudboy too, we’re running this contest. But there *will* be a winner, publicly announced, and the prize is *real.*
No consolation prize, although I will pray for the souls of all who have posted in this thread.
To: FreeTheHostages
I would so not want that job.Oh my gosh, me neither. If I took the abuse those people do, I would have thrown my badge in the dirt a long time ago.
To: Miss Marple; Roscoe; Texasforever; Cultural Jihad
MM ... you aren't one of the "Gang of Three". I'm peeved, myself. Texasforever? I'm way more bootlicking, obsequious and reverent to fascist central state power than he will ever be? Roscoe ... give me a break. I was spying on True Consevatives for International Conspiracy Cabals when Roscoe was only dreaming of manning Iron Curtain-like Government identification check points here in the U.S.
C.J.? No, she runs the jackboot "Teenzine" and Internet "Fan Club" ... she's in.
I'm quitting, that's it.
To: TigersEye
To all Niconazis...have a cigar!
To: All
What about the concept of personal property and a man's right to do with it as he sees fit? Would you allow another person's demands you felt were against the direction you wanted for your company to take control? What happened to conservative values? If a person disagrees with the policies of a business, walk away. I don't patronize Sears or buy Tyson Chicken or Hentz Catsup for those very reasons. If Free Republic becomes something I'm not interested in, or start to disagree with the policiy, guess what, I'll leave. It's really a simple concept. There is more to life than a web site. Until then, there are 280 or so million people in this country, we haven't even scratched the surface towards winning over the middle.
To: rintense
I'll start a rumor that you were once in Skull & Bones (co-ed now, you know) and that you have aspirations of becoming POTUS. May as well think big, you know.
To: ArneFufkin
Is that was this is all about???
1,057
posted on
09/06/2002 6:34:26 PM PDT
by
Mo1
To: Miss Marple
To: tomkat
All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't blame the reefer
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain
We can be like they are
Come on tomkat... Don't blame the Reefer
To: Miss Marple
I knew you'd break down and play. You just cannot resist an intellectual game!
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 1,021-1,040, 1,041-1,060, 1,061-1,080 ... 2,801-2,806 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson