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?
What do you mean? If there's something wrong with the funding, don't be coy; spit it out.
I happen to agree that too many FR posters are GOP lapdogs, but is the party is behind the transformation of FR? Hell, Joe, they don't even know we exist. We're a bug on their windshield.
As for the lamented Good Old Days, I'll tell you something. When I joined up, about 4 years ago, I almost immediately took a leave of absence and didn't return for a long time. Reason? I was just too disgusted by the stupid, groupthink posts from what seemed an undifferentiated, mindless rabble whose one capacity was for inchoate anger. We've always had that sort here; I just feel I've made some progress in learning how to avoid them.
Oh, I wouldn't say that. Outright deep-fried Bush-bashing is tolerated on this site, to say nothing of legitimate criticism. Check out the Arabian Nightmare thread.
BADJOE should definitely settle these issues privately. Public displays like this are counterproductive.
However, that said, there is an issue w/ FR lately. I don't believe any of the tinfoil stuff, but there is a moderator- and owner-supported move towards the Republican Establishment.
I disagree. Many of those departed wacko libertarians were pratically turning this site into an open air drug market.
tomkat, In the interests of unity, as you mentioned in a later post, I'll give this a bump........
...also because I agree with you in your quote above, despite any past disagreements we've had in the past.
BADJOE, as far as any censorship goes, I'd say that only happens when people start acting like jerks.....and that goes for everyone, Bush and anti-Bush. After all, look at this thread, pushing 100 and still hasn't gotten the boot.
The exceptions prove the rule. I have seen a lot more of the cheerleading and mob-rule than the other. However, yes, I will concede that there is relatively little direct censorship.
There is, however, trend-encouragement.
much to our collective detriment ...
I submit it is not 'agenda', but bad judgement.
I trust there always will be an assortment of curmudgeons, spirited and principled who'll question any authority who oversteps the bounds of justice or truth.
That doesn't bother me nearly as much as the suck-ups.
If I were Jim Robinson, all the ass-kissing around here would give me the creeps and suggest to me this had become some kind of Sycophant City whose support of the President's every Clever Compromise where ESCR, the environment, the War on Terror, the Patriot Act, CFR, etc. etc. is unsettling to say the least.
I find it passing strange a "conservative" site that allegedly champions the individual, his rights and his obligation to follow his conscience (even if it means swimming upstream) seeks always to ostracize anyone who doesn't lockstep.
Who cares if Badjoe blows off a little steam and asks questions? And what does it matter if it happens on the eve of that terrible anniversary the media and our government look poised to use like a chain to yank us into a collective of nationalism and renewed support for the War on Terror from here on out year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year?
(I chose roughly 30 years since that's the minimum folks like Hackworth see this War on Terror lasting -- of which our as yet unfinished "win" in Afghanistan was only Round One.)
Thanks. I get a lot of comments about it.
And that's called dealing with humans as some thrive on group think...so what's your point?
disintegrate
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