Thursday, November 8, 2012

A Facebook exchange.

I am not going to name names, but I stole this from a friend of mine on Facebook. He perfectly articulates the American experiment in limited government and the principles of economic freedom. If we could have found just ONE politician that could present it this well, we might have won the White House instead of sitting around rubbing our butts from the ass-kicking we just got.

A friend elsewhere stated:

"As a citizen of the People's Paradise of Europe, aka the EUSSR, I am so thrilled with this truly historic victory of Provider Obamarx II of the United States of Eumerica. It took you guys 250 years--and I don't mind admitting that many times we Europeans despaired of you and your "old stale ideas", but finally you are getting your act together. Bravo. But …. FORWARD is the way!!! Now, let us all work together towards the establishment of ONE global United Nation!, one single family of comrade-citizens forever living happily together on the face of dear old Mama Gaia. A goal more noble there is not."

My friend's reply:

How come you don’t opinionate more often? That’s good stuff. That's how I feel.

Although I despise the socialist nanny EU, Europe is the cradle of American civilization. Yes, we adopted a few of our own ideas. But “our” ideas were also your ideas to a great extent. We took the best the Dutch had to offer, the best of the Scots, the best of the British — and I think even a Frenchman had a good idea or two — (and the Germans brought the beer) and we made a country founded upon the principle that all men were created equal, that the point of government was to secure our rights, and that the land would be devoted to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The proper American outlook is not particularly ideological, other than the ideology that life should be lived at the level of the citizen and that the purpose of government was to secure our ability to do so (and that therefore government, by necessity, be limited in function and size). Government was not to be a surrogate church, Cathedral, or Big Brother.

The business of America, as they say, is business. What that means is that Americans don’t typically get caught up in Hatfields and McCoys type of Hundred Years Wars because we don’t exist to be a Master Race, to preserve the bloodlines of a King, or to forward any particular tribe.

This idea has been undermined, of course, by decades of identity politics from the Left. But being an ideological zealot is definitely not the business of America. The business of America is making a living and being able to improve your lot. And I think we got this trait in large part from the Dutch. And it is not at all an immoral trait. Nothing is more moral than a person (short of stealing) taking care of himself and his family through hard work, industry, and producing some product or service that is of use to other people.

The opposite is where we are heading now where we have more moochers than producers, where those who work hard and actually create something are demonized while the deadbeats are honored as “victims.”
 
 
 

11 comments:

  1. I knicked this and postd it to my FB, with the header "Lifted from a friend's blog, who took it from a friend of theirs FB page". Two friends have already liked it within half an hour.

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    1. This guy writes really well and he is PRODIGIOUS in his writing. Always putting out stuff.

      I should steal stuff from him more often. He's good.

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    2. And then my mother posted this:

      "I can't bring myself to make a coherent reply to this."

      I asked her what part of the non-snarky reply she had problems with. I'm not expecting an answer. Or else I'm going to get the whole bit about how only Republicans ever use identity politics, and the only people who ever have their hands out are the corporate big-wigs (my younger sister pulled that on one of my husband's posts).

      I'm eating a *lot* of chocolate and I seriously think it's time to go back on the Prozac for a bit until I can get things under control. It's pretty bad when your impending financial situation can only be handled by lots of drugs, and all of your blood relatives think you are totally unhinged, and everything is just fine and dandy.

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    3. Wow. I'm sorry.

      My sister and I don't speak because of wildly divergent ideas of what is real and what isn't. She LOVES Obama. So there you are.

      I know how hard that is. It makes me very sad and I would gladly leave politics out of it, but she responds almost manically to ANY mention of ANYTHING. And yet, feels it is perfectly fine for her to make comments. You are only supposed to agree. She doesn't allow a discussion.

      I finally just gave up. And that does make me sad.

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    4. Yes. You can stop believing in reality; but you can't STOP reality.

      Reality is that which, when you refuse to believe in it, it doesn't go away.

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  2. "You are only supposed to agree. She doesn't allow a discussion."

    Oh shit yeah, I come up against this attitude so often. Fortunately it doesn't take long to suss these types out. Once I know they're just an emotionbot I just cut them off - there's no way I can have any kind of intelligent argument about the facts with this type. They are just not interested in reality. The only 'reality' that matters to them is their version of it. Sorry guys, there IS absolutes in truth and reality and just like that great gif over at Rachel's, its going to break down your door and hit you with the force of "I don't care if you don't believe in me - I'm here anyway!"

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  3. Someone commented on my posting of my facebook exchange with Sis, that her friends must be very emotionally immature if stating a commonly held political belief leaves them in tears. Apparently thinking abortion is a bad idea, even if the woman was raped (and yes, I know someone who did get pregnant from a rape; she had the child and has never regretted it) is utterly beyond the pale, and just not done. You have to read sister's phrasing. And all her friends are "nice people". I find it interesting that they aren't good people, they are nice people. Hitler was a nice man, and so I believe was Ted Bundy. I hope no one ever feels that the best thing they can say about me is that I am/was "nice".

    But yes, they have no reality except what they want it to be. It's part of what is driving me nuts. Family keeps telling me I'm over-reacting and the things I fear will come to pass never will. Except that the last five things they've assured me will never happen, have. But this time, for sure, they'll be right! A batting average of about .005 and they are still seeing only roses ahead.

    Sigh.

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  4. And all her friends are "nice people". I find it interesting that they aren't good people, they are nice people. Hitler was a nice man, and so I believe was Ted Bundy.

    Dennis Prager makes this point frequently. That being GOOD requires a deliberate effort to abide by the laws of God and to behave in a moral and just way. Being nice is easy and don't mean shit.

    A batting average of about .005 and they are still seeing only roses ahead.

    Over on David Thompson's blog, which is FABULOUS and you should read BTW, he quoted a post modern professor once years ago who said, "Post modernism means I no longer have to be right. I only have to be interesting."

    I believe that this "inexactness" about what truth is or isn't has permeated our entire culture. How many times have you heard someone say, "Well, that may be truth for YOU....!"?? I want to just wring their necks. Jane, you ignorant slut, as Chevy Chase would say.

    Truth is truth. And it's the same for ALL of us, or it wouldn't be TRUTH, you retard. The trouble is discovering it.

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    1. Maybe we need to make all these "the truth is what you want it to be" folks drive on bridges designed by post modern engineers, in cars designed by the same people, while living in high rises designed by post modern architects. Oh yes, and eat only food raised or grown by post modern artists.

      Which would take care of the problem pretty quickly, as long as those of us who believe that there is a "truth" which is constant, no matter who sees it, nor through what lens, can stick with our hard math folks who believe in those facts over "feeeeeliiiiingggs!".

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  5. Well said, I might have to mooch that and repeat it elsewhere - I wish my parents would read it and understand, but they are consumed with a different vision of Amerikkka that is just sad.

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    1. Steal away. What's mine is yours. And this isn't even mine. So what do I care?

      HAHAHAHA!

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