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?
That's the way it happens, I've had my brilliant bon mots and street smart profanity rejected and I've been thrown in the cooler when I was too nasty and warlike with other Freepers. Like anyone, you feel injustice at that time and place, but upon reflection its all for good cause, and ultimately for the best interests of the group. Ongoing Flame wars between individuals are BORING to the rest of the community, and they shouldn't be permitted.
This entire AM crisis is absolutely contrived, and it's an attempt by really disliked and unwanted folks anywhere else on the Web to bully their access into here. If they jibba jab in a bar on the subjects, and in the way, they do here, they're going to get ostracized at the very least, and most likely have their teeth knocked down their throats for their efforts. Don't call me a Nazi or fascist in a bar or on the sidewalk if you want a nice evening, but people do that in here to me all the time.
I heard he ran off with a moose.
Not to mention the rest of us. I don't know if I respect her anymore now that I know that. [EXTREME SARCASM]
On the one and only discussion of stem cells thread I ever went on (before Bush made his decision), I was told flat out by one of those "true conservatives" that my sister, who died of ovarian cancer, had "lived long enough" and didn't need stem cell replacement, period, even though the "true conservative" never let me get in the fact that she used her OWN stem cells.
Well of course not, Silly. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't stoop to your level; subterranean, right?
Nope.......not Amelia. Won't be happening, Pain.
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.