Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: quidnunc
Very impressive article. I think her view of why American society is - or seems - so violent in comparison to its European counterparts is very perceptive.

Nevertheless, and it may be naive, or it may be that it really is a simple truth that will stand long after the cynical and the "sophisticated" have faded into impotent irrelevancy, I state without qualification that freedom is, in fact, the natural condition of man and woman, and that given a taste of it and an understanding of how precious it is, these will die for it as we are willing to die for in on others' behalf. I shall go further and suggest that anyone who cannot appreciate this is less than alive. For them I feel sorry, but it does not excuse their refusal to allow that chance to others simply because they consider themselves too sophisticated to fall for such a simple, naive idea.

3 posted on 05/25/2004 5:59:33 PM PDT by Billthedrill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: Billthedrill
But whatever the delusions and mistakes, the American experience has produced one important truth: the two conditions most conducive to peace and prosperity are liberal, democratic government and free-market economics.

The two most potent weapons we can deploy in the War on Terror.

Regrettably, most Europeans wouldn't understand...

8 posted on 05/25/2004 6:15:33 PM PDT by okie01 (www.ArmorforCongress.com...because Congress isn't for the morally halt and the mentally lame.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies ]

To: Billthedrill
I state without qualification that freedom is, in fact, the natural condition of man and woman, and that given a taste of it and an understanding of how precious it is, these will die for it as we are willing to die for in on others' behalf. I shall go further and suggest that anyone who cannot appreciate this is less than alive.

Very well spoken. However I believe that there are two natural desires of the common man: to be free and to be secure. A merchant in Bagdad is probably willing to give up some of his freedom for security and as long as its the other guy who gets put into the gulag. A thriving democracy requires not just people are willing to fight for their own freedom but also to fight for those who are unwilling to fight at all. Those people are exceptional and are the greatest among us.

So the key question is whether Iraq has enough of those people to create a democracy.

11 posted on 05/25/2004 7:03:45 PM PDT by PMCarey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson