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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
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To: BADJOE
"For anyone not to realize that our early American west lacked all governmnet control is to deny the historical facts."

Maybe in the explorer phase, but once the western territories drew settlers, town constables, sheriffs, city councils, governorships, and other forms of "control" sprang up overnight. Virgil Earp, himself, outlawed guns within the town limits of Tombstone. Even the early mining camps had their "controlling" ordinances backed by the peace keepers, as minimal as it was.

Time for some steak? Our treat.

2,681 posted on 09/20/2002 3:58:17 PM PDT by A Navy Vet
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To: justshe; VaBthang4
Man. That is one seriously great rant. Absolutely GREAT.
2,682 posted on 09/20/2002 3:59:56 PM PDT by DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
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To: justshe; VaBthang4
Bravo!! Well said!
2,683 posted on 09/20/2002 4:10:37 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
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To: BADJOE; justshe; Jim Robinson; Poohbah; deport; Torie; kayak; Sungirl; GVgirl; MJY1288; Mo1; ...
""The A team is doing a fine job of pointing out the idiocy of voting for republican socialists.""

That is an hyperbolic, inflamitory[sp?], traitorous statement if your goal is a return to real American values.

Libertarians or Constitutionalists arent gonna get it done by themselves and planning on some citizen revolt is simply adolescent. It wont happen. Too change things you have to do it from the inside...this government is simply to entrenched.

The first rule of warfare is Divide and Conquer. You serve to do this very thing for the Liberals with statements like that.

Good job.

2,684 posted on 09/20/2002 4:35:31 PM PDT by VaBthang4
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To: VaBthang4
Sorry...."to change".
2,685 posted on 09/20/2002 4:36:39 PM PDT by VaBthang4
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To: VaBthang4
Sorry...."too entrenched".
2,686 posted on 09/20/2002 4:39:01 PM PDT by VaBthang4
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To: VaBthang4
The first rule of warfare is Divide and Conquer. You serve to do this very thing for the Liberals with statements like that.

Yeah, but they get to feel so SUPERIOR.

2,687 posted on 09/20/2002 4:59:40 PM PDT by Amelia
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To: Jim Robinson
You deserve a bravo, too, sir. VERY well said.
2,688 posted on 09/20/2002 5:00:36 PM PDT by DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
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To: BADJOE
Frankly my dear I do not give a damn what the majority thinks.

The majority are sheep who do what they are told. The rest of us can think and choose, to a greater or lesser degree, between wolf and sheepdog.

2,689 posted on 09/20/2002 5:06:18 PM PDT by balrog666
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Do not chase the false third party utopian dream. The vast majority are not going to follow.

And I would hope that after the Perot mistake...people remember what voting for the third party actually does! We end up electing someone who almost completly destroyed the country.

2,690 posted on 09/20/2002 5:09:37 PM PDT by Sungirl
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To: Sungirl
BINGO!!!!!!
2,691 posted on 09/20/2002 5:22:58 PM PDT by justshe
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To: BADJOE

And frankly BADJOE why should anyone give a damn what you or the minority think? Same reasoning as in the statement you gave above..... makes a lot of sense doesn't it.

This country left the 'buggy whip' days long ago when we were isolated even from state to state and has grown into the world where we have almost instant communications and travel anywhere in only a fews hours.... the days and times aren't the same and never will again be.

So live with it and learn to change the things from operating in todays enviornment rather than wishing for things that were but will never be again. Get control of a little piece of this government and change it and then expand outward from there. Otherwise it will never be even remotely changed in the direction you wish it to be.

Civil uprisings or change will never happen again in this country. The government has the power, money and manpower to subdue any uprising before it gets very far...

Just my opinion, so have a good one.

2,692 posted on 09/20/2002 5:24:38 PM PDT by deport
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To: Sungirl
And I would hope that after the Perot mistake...people remember what voting for the third party actually does! We end up electing someone who almost completly destroyed the country.

This argument that Perot almost destroyed the nation is as bad as those who blame Jeffors for all the GOP's ills. Perot didn't almost cost us a nation the sitting house and senate who REFUSED to address & bring Clinton to justice for his acts nearly destroyed the nation. Like it or not that is a fact. Just as much a fact as the next Justice Department turning a blind eye as well. Yes that does include some GOP. With the Congressional Houses operating in Constitutional Order you can put Shakes the Clown in the White House and the nation be none the worse. That is why our founders made Congress the Peoples House.

Now for Jeffords who all GOP loves to hate and blame for all it's earned failures. Hey Blind Sheeple you sit here on this very forum screaming for all to vote for many more RINO's like him them have the gall to flame third party voters? You vote for and endorse RINO's so don't blame them when the RINO breaks away from the rest of the circus. You knew it was a untrained one you chose to elect. Don't blame the RINO for he is just that a dumb RINO. Blame yourself for keep electing and re-electing them. Congress and Government will not change till we elect a higher caliber of candidate. You will not get better candidates till you stop supporting the RINO's. BTW for the record I did not vote for Perot.

2,693 posted on 09/20/2002 5:31:57 PM PDT by cva66snipe
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To: Jim Robinson
Splintering the right only ends up empowering the left.

One has to wonder how many of these malcontents wouldn't as easily go out and vote for any of the other leftist 3rd parties anyway, such as Greens or Socialist Workers, since they all advocate the same "liberty" issues of pro-drug abuse, pro-pornography, and pro-sexual perversion.

2,694 posted on 09/20/2002 6:00:15 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: deport; BADJOE; Kevin Curry; Texasforever; Roscoe; VaBthang4; Boot Hill
Didn't Henry David Thoreau write that famous pamphlet entitled 'Civil Insurrection, and How To Whine About The Consequences of Following One's Conscience"?
2,695 posted on 09/20/2002 6:04:47 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: cva66snipe
I didn't say Perot almost destroyed the nation....I said CLinton almost did......
and I know we would of been better off with Shakes the Clown in office instead of Clinton the Clown.

Don't waste your vote on a third party....you only help liberals.

2,696 posted on 09/20/2002 6:19:24 PM PDT by Sungirl
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To: Sungirl
Don't waste your vote on a third party....you only help liberals.

No I don't help Liberals. Nor do I always vote third party. However my U.S. Senator Frist-R has no problem supporting them. Why not write him a letter and ask why he contributes money to DEM's?

2,697 posted on 09/20/2002 6:31:05 PM PDT by cva66snipe
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To: balrog666
"The majority are sheep who do what they are told," balrog666 bleated.
2,698 posted on 09/20/2002 6:59:55 PM PDT by Roscoe
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To: justshe
BTTT
2,699 posted on 09/20/2002 7:01:50 PM PDT by Roscoe
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To: Roscoe
The Little Forum must be up & running again...they seem to have gone away for a while.
2,700 posted on 09/20/2002 7:58:12 PM PDT by Amelia
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