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?
P is for poo-poo, that's good enough for me...
P is for poo-poo, that's good enough for me...
P is for poo-poo, that's good enough for me...
Oh, poo-poo poo-poo poo-poo starts with pee...
The Republicans are paying us, you know.
To: one_particular_harbour*************************
"...I don't like unusual generosity exploited then dishonorably smeared. Anywhere, anytime in my life. tpaine needs a slapping, he's the worst of the worst people I've ever encountered. He adds nothing to the brew, he's a destroyer and ingrate."
# 1415 by ArneFufkin
Is ArneFufkin's comment against tpaine a violent personal attack?
And in case you didn't notice, this thread started OUT as garbage.
Perhaps YOU should go back to one of your drug threads.
Well excccccccccccccuse me!
"People suck." That was the name of one of the tunes from the "Up up With People" tour if I recall.
Pathetic.
That could be taken in a way you probably never intended. At least in San Francisco or Greenwich Village.
Didn't you get the memo? I checked 10% for "requested salary increase".
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