One Nation, Slightly Divisible

Alantic Monthly -[forum]- ^ | 11/24/01 | David Brooks [Sage Stossel]

[tpaine]

"Tolerance is the virtue of a man with no convictions."

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???? - Makes no sense to me.

My convictions about the constitution make me the target of many intolerant freepers.
Go figure that, - on a site dedicated to restoring a free constitutional republic.

[meadsjn]

To one who values and cherishes the Constitution, tolerance of those who threaten or act to dissolve our rights to life, liberty, and property would be a sin indeed.

The intensity on both sides in the last election demonstrated that there is more than minor differences of opinion between the Red and Blue Zones, and it doesn't necessarily fall along party lines. Although the dead weight bovines in the middle constitute a large block of contested voters, the voters moving away from the middle in both directions are growing in number and noise.

Conservatives could probably tolerate the leftists much better, if the leftists would only stay in their decaying urban sewers and not steal the land and capital from the Red Zone.

The left will tolerate conservatives only if the conservatives are completely disarmed and subjugated to the leftist welfare state, which also includes stealing their land, relocating them to the urban sewers, and destroying their culture, livlihood, and families.

We experienced a short period of "unity" during the first few days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but here just a few weeks later, the mouthpieces of the left have fully embraced the terrorists as their spiritual allies, and are once more in full attack mode against the lives, liberty, and property of the right. And the RINO police-state facists are actually pursuing the same goals as the leftists, whether they realize it or not.

These gentlemen (Brooks and Stossel) would have to be in a very insulated environment to believe all is peachy-keen among the masses.

[1stMarylandRegiment]

I attempted (apparently none too clearly) the point that the one thing that unites all Americans is our citizenship. Classifying us by artificial boundaries such as employment, majority vote in a county, skin color or anything else mis-classifies large numbers of us.

While it is important to identify tendencies, correlations and other results of statistical models, it is a false leap to ascribe universality to those conclusions.

[tpaine]

And the RINO police-state facists are actually pursuing the same goals as the leftists, whether they realize it or not.

These gentlemen (Brooks and Stossel) would have to be in a very insulated environment to believe all is peachy-keen among the masses.

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Thanks for your clarification. We essentialy agree.

But I would stress, that growing up in a small town does make you more tolerant [in a 'civility' sense] of your peers.

[tacticalogic]

Okay, so there's a handful of malsentients whose lot in life seems to be limited to distilling concoctions of bile, venom and crap down to it's vital essence, and hurling great, vapid handfuls at anyone who threatens to upset their narrow little view of the world.

Illigitimi non carborundum.

[tpaine]

Thanks, - I get you now.

Regards

[tpaine]

I've got the article at home. Good read.
Brook mentions he was almost finished with it before 9/11, and was a bit surprised that the attack didn't really make much difference to his conclusions. He says that 9/11 rallied people and neutralized the political/cultural leaders who tend to exploit differences. --- "Americans are in no mood for class struggle or a culture war."

Too bad we can't say the same about many on this forum.

22 posted by tpaine

---- Okay, so there's a handful of malsentients whose lot in life seems to be limited to distilling concoctions of bile, venom and crap down to it's vital essence, and hurling great, vapid handfuls at anyone who threatens to upset their narrow little view of the world.

Illigitimi non carborundum.

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Me thinks the 'Illigiimi' are grinding a bit to close to edge, once again. They may remove needed supports, and end up in another xmas stew.
[if you know what I mean, & I bet you do]

[healey22]

Blue zones are crime infested. Liberal Elites who live in these areas are smart enough to live behind gated communities with security systems - let the poor peasants fend for themselves. Would you feel safe taking a walk through Washington DC or Franklin County Pennsylvania at night?

[meadsjn]

growing up in a small town does make you more tolerant [in a 'civility' sense]

I've heard that folks once were able to engage in civil discourse with their enemies before and after gun battles with them. Perhaps packing larger populations into smaller geographic areas has diminished the capability or willingness of people to put forth such effort. I must admit to major shortcomings in the diplomacy department in the last decade or so.

[tacticalogic]

[if you know what I mean, & I bet you do]

Like watching them crawl out on a limb and then start hacking it off behind them.

[tpaine]

Yep, a good portion of reason the american rich 'upper class' support all these socialist schemes, imo, is to simply buy off the troublemakers among the poor.

The vast middle income taxpayers pay for the schemes anyway.

[tpaine]

I experienced that in high school. Some of the biggest fights & foes, turned into adult friends.

The class weasels are still scorned by all.

[XBob]

bttt

[walden]

Very little tolerance on FR? That must be why I get in so much trouble!

I am a true hybrid of red and blue-- educated, relatively affluent, read a lot of books, interested in art and ideas. On the other hand I live smack-dab among the church-goers and Little League, and I very much appreciate my small town on beautiful Clear Lake, next to Galvaston Bay. We have become a suburb of Houston (where I was raised) but I would be quite pleased to never have to drive into the city again-- I only do it to see a couple of friends, and attend a few art events, or shop at REI. I used to buy all my clothes at SAKS and Marshall Fields, but now I prefer Target (although I can still afford SAKS, I just don't feel like it's worth it anymore. I did that already!)

I don't think the divide is all that large between the big city and the small town-- it's difference of degree, not type, and most of us know how to bridge the divide. My most urbane friend is really from a small town in Wyoming, and she still knows how to go home. :)