It's me! It's me! It's me! Ernest T . . . paine.
Oh, tpaine's alright. Badly misguided, but at least he hasn't slinked off to anti-FReeperville. At least not recently. He has honor.
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?
It's me! It's me! It's me! Ernest T . . . paine.
Oh, tpaine's alright. Badly misguided, but at least he hasn't slinked off to anti-FReeperville. At least not recently. He has honor.
Me .. I'm still recoving from Cold Meds
What is your perfect date?
Awwww...thank you, Southie. That was very thoughtful and sweet.
Is that a not-so-subtle way of saying you're a moderator? Or am I
Just being,
Deliriously happy! Good to see you, wimpy!
You're not! Are you? YOU POOR THING.
No forum, anywhere, allows the language, subject matter and cranky characters that FR does. Nowhere.
The real problem the malcontents have is that they are wanted, accepted and abided NOWHERE ELSE in the world but here. They can't go anywhere, they're thrown out of every other established forum within a day, and they cannibalize each other when they try to set up their own home. They need FR, it's a testament to the generosity of this proprietor that they last as long as they do. They'd be smoked from every other community, cyberspace or REAL, on Earth.
That's the angst and passion underlying this foolish tussle for power. They need FR desperately.
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