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?
Ok .. sorry for jumping on you and yes I am happy here also
No worries. Let's expamd to a thousand :-)
Howdy Joe...good to see you, my FRiend. I know they are only questions, but I construed them to be questioning whether or not JimRob has sold out his personal integrity in exchange for some sort of financing from a political party. Either that or else these two moderators I've seen you question previously have sold out their objectivity to the GOP. If it's the first allegation, I think JimRob would be breaking some sort of laws for 501(c)3's and you know how careful Jim's gotta be about staying on the straight and narrow after the LA Post/Washington Post imbroglio. If it's the second, well, I reckon JimRob should try to insure that those two Moderators are not compromised in such a manner.
"I'll take all the heat if it puts this site back together again."
I guess I don't see it as broken, but yer obviously welcome to yer opinion on that...I sure would like to see a lot of my favorite FReepers reinstated, but I think we could accomplish that without raising the possibility that JimRob's a "SELL-OUT" unless you actually believe that's a viable possibility.
"I have been reading. I have not perused any other sites, and frankly don't give a damn what they have to say."
I know what yer talkin' about, my FRiend...I don't have enuff time to catch up on my FReepin', how the heck could I find the time to get involved with folks who's greatest joy in life appears to be to lurk on FR and scurry back to their little AFer sites to bitch, moan, and whine!!
FReegards...MUD
doesn't look like that's gonna be much of a problem ...
But when a person with some responsibility lays in a pit with a bunch of vipers, he has to have some of the same characteristics lest he get bitten himself.Are FreeRepublic forum members "a bunch of vipers"? Is that all, or just some?
If a person I disagree with is zealous, but not overstepping the bounds of the forum any more than I or some on my side of an issue are, does that make them a "viper"?
Is the critical mind that was so necessary in rooting out corruption and wrong doing in the Ruby Ridge / Waco / Vince Foster / Whitewater / Impeachment / Elian / Gore-Election Thievery Attempt now no longer acceptable because of our own promenance and association with a mildly conservative elected executive branch official in office and a percieved ability that the Forum itself would have more political traction if we could just be more mainstream?
Network activism can have all sorts of compromise in how it formulates its platform, stance and goals. If the FreeRepublic.com forum is an embarassment, or a nest of vipers needing cleaning, wouldn't it be a lot simpler for the Network to have a disassociated name and membership?
I'd hate to have the forum I enjoy be an embarrasment to anyone.
No, but I see yer still an ASS.
Quite Sincerely...MUD
My sympathies, man.
Beckie, now you have a reason to stay. . . AWAY.
Not when there is blood around
Mind you, that is not an inclusive list. I can give you many more examples should you require them.
LOL and FReegards...MUD
If you really want to run off more of your paying members, keep talking that way. It's starting to look as though the "Free" in Free Republic is just for appearances. It wasn't always that way, and it's very sad to see what it's becoming.
Well said.
LOL! That's more like the Wrath of G-d than anything else. Thank Him, I have never been so afflicted.
I do have a bad case of continental drift, however.
Ain't that the truth! :)
Fred had a 1 hour time out to cool down from what I could tell .. he was not banned
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.