It is all a matter of degrees

Post #29,144 by screamer 2/20/02 10:28:18 PM Reply	It is all a matter of degrees isn't it. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to bitch. I guess that it is necessary to move somewhere east or west of anarchy, but I think my biggest problem is with just "who decides" and are they being influenced by altruistic societal interests or by the prevailing political wind. Just from your posts here, over the years, I know that you too are keenly interested in America's War on Itself... The usurping of individual rights to the collective has been a steady process through most of my adult life and you are correct, I don't expect that I will be given any additional priviledges, as much as I want to "clear the road" with two trucks doing .0111834 MPH difference with my personal hood mounted LAW... I know it's no big secret to you, but I have very little confidence in our system of checks and balances or in the altruism of the Congress, the White House or the Supreme Court. I'm not paranoid enough to think there is a vast conspiracy and based on my experience with the government, I doubt that they could ever coordinate such a major conspiracy. :-) I am disappointed though. I am now getting old enough (2 score) to realize that very little actually changes and that true political change seems to move at a glacial pace. In a sick way, though, I still have hope. Just a few thoughts, Screamer "I'll tip my hat to the new constitution, take a bow for the new revolution, smile and grin at the change all around, pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday..." P. Townshend "Nietzsche has an S in it" Celina Jones
Post #29,151 by Ashton 2/20/02 11:57:42 PM Reply	Unless you think Shakespeare missed something important (?) ought you to be surprised at the repetitive nature of human folly.. or more recently, B. Russell's little cartoon + quip, Since the beginning man has never refrained from any folly of which he is capable. Upthread a bit - we have The Ox's link to a nicely iconoclastic description of how we've Bowdlerized even our concept of male/female and built a culture to prevent anyone from realizing just how screwed up we are - on the most basic of levels. (Hey! at least the lady had the balls to take a shot at Mr. M. Chauvinist Pig hisself! Oughtta be worth as many kudos as the Rambo icon, no?). Checks & Balances. Pondered that one. Given the (obviously declining) attention span du jour, the equally declining individual experience of ever reading.. a variety of 'histories'? and other retrograde indications: Why would you imagine that 'checks & balances' are anything other than .. Me! and Thee! regurgitating the Obvious, to the Unwilling and often comatose... however ineptly, given we aren't Will S. or Bertie R. ?? WE = new people all the time! ARE ALL we ever get of Checks & Balances. Fall asleep for too large a % of a generation, and what you get are: A Scalia, a Rhenquist; a Dan Quayle, a Dubya ... and recently: GOVERNMENT er "Faith-Based" subsidies and a Calvinist Ashcroft - offended at a STATUE !! (maybe if he has 2 kids, he's fucked twice - and still regrets the shameful experience with such a Godless harlot who would permit it. Oh the Evil Temptress!) There will be no Final Solution to the forgetfulness of our species; ditto IMHO - no one has yet collected better ingredients for living despite our idiocies: than the US Constitution, product of prodigious minds AND hearts. We are all Sisyphus here. Best get ready pushing that stone Up the hill from whence it rolled.. in response to the debilitating effects of the Least Common Denominator of homo-saps: the Bone-lazy Opportunist, driven by puerile greed. Toil + cheers, Ashton
Post #29,189 by screamer 2/21/02 9:57:10 AM Reply	So, is ya a Libreel or ain't ya? Sound and fury. Walking shadows... You even threw in Ecclesiastes for me up above in yonder threads... I spose your favorite movies are "The World According to Garp" and "Harold and Maude"? Two of mine... I posted to this thread merely to get the opportunity to bring up the name Adlai Stevenson, someone who died when I was 4, but I've admired for as long as I can remember. The Danofesto is will need a few more years while I try and sort out what I "really" think. In the meantime, I just try and plagarize some of your festos? K? Just a few thoughts, Screamer "I'll tip my hat to the new constitution, take a bow for the new revolution, smile and grin at the change all around, pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday..." P. Townshend "Nietzsche has an S in it" Celina Jones
Post #29,221 by Brandioch 2/21/02 11:41:43 AM Reply	"Altruism"? You make me laugh! I know it's no big secret to you, but I have very little confidence in our system of checks and balances or in the altruism of the Congress, the White House or the Supreme Court. The same lack of confidence was enshrined in our Constitution. The government will, because of human nature, seek to control every aspect of people's lives and remove every personal freedom. Now, the only way I can see to stop this is to cut through the rhetoric and jingo and blah words that pass for "political discussion". If we can take each right / responsibility apart to its basic components, we can have an actual DISCUSSION. We can also illustrate how the rights and responsibilities of the individual and the society are linked. I'm not paranoid enough to think there is a vast conspiracy and based on my experience with the government, I doubt that they could ever coordinate such a major conspiracy. No real conspiracy. Just human nature. People with a psychological need to control others finding their way into governmental positions. And the cycle continues. The rights we lose through bureaucracy will only be regained through revolution. Or, there MIGHT be another way. >IF< enough people are educated on the process and willing to put the effort in, the laws removing the rights can be repealed. The rights can be codified. The only problem I see is that the process will take actual effort. Effort spent >THINKING< instead of restating current slogans. Effort spent writing the laws and pushing them through the legal system. The sheep will believe whatever tripe is fed to them by the government (populated by people seeking to take their rights). Well, they'll believe it as long as they can be kept warm, fat and happy (ignorance is bliss). And, yes, most people are sheep who can't even name their congress-critters. I won't even go into world history or even US history or international politics. Jingoism appeals to emotions. Discussion appeals to intellect. We can change the situation. If we want to and if we have the dedication to do so. Or we can sit back and let whatever will happen, happen.
Post #29,687 by Ashton 2/25/02 9:32:59 PM Reply	The Founding Mothers were so prescient that, they anticipated your last conclusion! and enshrined it for all time, in the pithy sentence Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. Whenever we forget the regular, unfailing 'action' implicit in that principle - we'll trade citizenship for the label consumer; replace vigilance... with indifference, shopping and - Tee Vee infotainment. The Watchtower (religious) Society got One thing right, *Awake!*

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