"In a democracy (‘rule by mob’), those who refuse to learn from history will be the majority and will dictate that everyone else suffer for their ignorance."
Before I insert the meat of the post (you may groan now; you certainly will once the pun hits you :-)), a question: has anyone asked about the effect of HHS rulings about Obumascare requirements on Muslim health organizations? Or are they exempt? And who would care anyway?
The Parable of the Kosher Deli, as told by William Lori, the bishop of Bridgeport, CT, in testimony before the House Oversight Committee, February 16, 2012
It’s a tough question. If you’re unfamiliar with the reference, take some time out. I’ll wait. Meanwhile, I’ll leave this here for interim consderation:
Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.–Napoleon Bonaparte (ascribed)
There is such a thing as human evil. I’ll allow no argument on that point, because any argument otherwise is simply either stupid* or evil. Period. So, accept as axiomatic that human evil exists. Is it then stupid or evil to look human evil in the face and see good? (I’ll allow a third option: insanity.)
Examples abound:
Idiots who defend Islam as a “religion of peace”. Stupidity or witting enabling of the evil hate cult of Islam?
People who assert that America is an unjust society, because we have people they class as poor? Evil or stupid? Consider this:
Ahhh, I’m tired of this already, and my BP is starting to climb… *sigh*
So, are those who are enablers of the hate cult of the Butcher of Medina evil or stupid (or both–likely, IMO)?
Are those who seem to be actively attempting to destroy our society via such activities as encouraging the kleptocratic “gimme” culture evil or stupid (or both–likely, IMO)?
And when do we stop ascribing destructive behaviors to stupidity alone and start calling it malice?
Yes, I aborted a bunch of stupid/evil material ranging from “pro-choice” (which is really, “Deny ANY choice to the unborn”), “Edumacation”, the Thugs Standing Around program of full employment for goons and petty tyrants, and “feddle gummint” tyrannical meddling in citizens’ lives while actively enabling outlaws to The Cult of Anthropogenic Climate Scare-ism and numerous points in between. One can select any issue dominated by the lies of the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind, politicians *gag-spew* and Academia Nut Fruitcakes and plug it right into the “Stupid or Evil” matrix for consideration.
*I include in my use of “stupid” acts of witting, deliberate avoidance of facts. Witting, deliberate distortion of facts is evil–slander against truth.
I’m baffled by self-described libertarians who defend the idea of a “culture center” celebrating jihad’s most visible victory being installed a few hundred feet from round Zero in NYC. The “Cordoba House” (and doesn’t the very name say it all?) would be a celebration of everything libertarian thought supposedly despises: a hate cult that has for a millennium and a half expanded by means of violent imposition of its philosophy, offering only death, slavery, rape and pillage to those who refuse to submit to its hate cult.
But then, in my experience of the breed, most self-described libertarians are just wimpy crybabies anyway, concerned only when they see such tyranny attempt to impose itself on them. Watching a hate cult begin its campaign to impose itself on others is just fine and dandy by them. Every tyrannical cult in history has depended on people who say, “I am not my brother’s keeper.”
Voted for Obama? Go elsewhere for medical care.
Of course (I say, “of course” because, well, it’s a Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind organ citing an Academia Nut Fruitcake, so, of course), the linked article misses the point, with one “professor of bioethics, law and medical professionalism” misstating the doctor’s notice as simply a free speech issue vs. medical ethics, when rightly the issue is also–and more importantly–one of free association. As one writer, speaking normatively, has put it,
That the Constitution guarantees freedom of association to each of us does not mean that we may each associate with anyone we choose. It means that we may associate with whoever also agrees to associate with us.
Exactly.
WaPo reports that “more than three dozen states” have some sort of measures either passed or in the works in opposition to the “feddle gummint” takeover of health care:
States opposing health-care legislation
As President Obama prepares to sign the health-care bill into law, Republican legislators in more than three dozen states are seeking to challenge U.S. government authority. They contend that the bill will infringe on state sovereignty and individual freedoms. Many constitutional scholars are skeptical of the challenges: They say federal law and precedents are clear.
Idaho has said not only “No” but (in effect) “H3ll no!” (I think I’ll let that typo stand :-)) In other cases, states’ attorneys general are mounting legal challenges based on 10th Amendment and Commerce Clause issues.
Let’s see… the House “passed” the bill with about a 50.6% majority. What’s 36 out of 50 (or even 60, if one were to use The Ø!’s campaign math)? Hmmm, that’s 72%–why! that’s almost enough right there to ratify an Amendment to the Constitution! (Using The Ø!’s math, 36/60 it’d still be 60%–considerably more than the House’s lame 50.6%.)
It’s about time for the Third American Revolution to reclaim some of the rights and liberties of the First American Revolution that were lost in the Second American Revolution (also known as The Great Unitarian-Baptist Shootout, Mr. Lincoln’s War, The War of Northern Aggression, and to those who have little interest in historical accuracy or honesty, the American Civil War).
Audi. Touched a nerve. Made me want to avoid their products.
Yep. greenie weenies dreaming of a new dark age.
The Armed Geek linked to this Whizbang! post, and it’s worth passing along and commenting on, I think:
“There’s a trend emerging in American politics. I don’t think it’s a new one, but it’s growth is disturbing to me. And it’s the amazing hostility to the common people.”
Go read it. Now. I’ll wait for you to come on back. Go.
While a reverence for the “wisdom” of the common man is silly, even more silly–and dangerous–is the self-reverence our political masters engage in and the complete disregard and disdain for the views of those they supposedly represent. It is “They” who are the real problem in these (dys)United States nowadays. And I’ll tell you who they are, plainly.
We all know who the “They” of the Whizbang post THINK they are–those who deem themselves our political masters, our social and intellectual betters. Instead, “They” are themselves the scum of the earth, little minds wearing other peoples’ shopworn and discredited ideas with pseudo-intellectual pride, the self-enstupiated, self-absorbed glitterati whose entire lives are all hat, no cattle; all sizzle, no steak. “They” are the Beltway elites deafened by their own echo chamber, the vacuum-headed Hollyweird script readers and the Mass MEdia Podpeople. “They” all fluff each other in a never-ending circle jerk of self-congratulatory rape of our liberties.1
There is no way to dehumanize this “They” that “They” have not already claimed as their very own by their empty, bobble-headed, vile, venal2 behaviors.
And now that I’ve listed their good qualities…
*heh*
But still, remember this:
“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time… the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin them.”–Thomas Jefferson
Or, in Randall Thompson’s presentation of Jefferson’s thoughts on liberty, from “Testament of Freedom”:
[audio:http://www.thirdworldcounty.us/Media_Files/The-God-Who-Gave-Us-Life.mp3]Or, for those not using Flash,
The bastards may destroy our lives, but apart from taking our lives, “They” cannot take our liberty… without our cooperation.
Don’t let the bastards wear you down.
Lastly, despite the destruction wrought on our society by the appeal to the lowest common denominator (I typoed, “demoninator” there. Freudian slip?) by the “They” seeking (apparently) to enstupiate the common man with toxic cotton candy (the end result of The Revolt of the Masses *sigh*), this:
[audio:http://www.thirdworldcounty.us/Media_Files/fanfare-common-man-excerpt.mp3]And again, for non-Flash users,
Fanfare for the Common Man–excerpt
Despair is a deadly sin. Again: don’t let the bastards wear you down. “Rage, rage against the dying of the light,” as Dylan Thomas put it.
1BTW, the couple of vulgarities–verging on the obscene–I included in my indictment of “They” are just that: vulgarities. In the past, I’ve had some object to vulgarities such as that as “profanity” or some other subliterate appellation (“cursing”? *feh* Save me from burgeoning enstupiation and subliteracy!). I chose the specific vulgar comment consciously, because the very least, most inoffensive behavior of “They” is so far beyond the most offensive vulgarity I can imagine that it was just about the mildest way I had available to describe “They’s” obscene, evil, “…iniquitous, nefarious, sinful, vicious, wicked… ” etc. nature. Blame them, not me.
2“venal” is used here as shorthand for “mercenary; crooked, cutthroat, dishonest, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous; corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, dissipated, dissolute, perverse, perverted, warped; bad, evil, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, sinful, vicious, wicked, etc.”
Anti-“blasphemy” regs trump the First Amendment. What part of “shall make no law” is unclear to The 0!? Just more “Sit down and shut up” from The 0!’s White House.
While attracting surprisingly little attention, the Obama administration supported the effort of largely Muslim nations in the U.N. Human Rights Council to recognize exceptions to free speech for any “negative racial and religious stereotyping.” The exception was made as part of a resolution supporting free speech that passed this month, but it is the exception, not the rule that worries civil libertarians. Though the resolution was passed unanimously, European and developing countries made it clear that they remain at odds on the issue of protecting religions from criticism. It is viewed as a transparent bid to appeal to the “Muslim street” and our Arab allies, with the administration seeking greater coexistence through the curtailment of objectionable speech. Though it has no direct enforcement (and is weaker than earlier versions), it is still viewed as a victory for those who sought to juxtapose and balance the rights of speech and religion.
Hmmm, if The 0! is serious about pushing this, expect an effective nullification coming here in the U.S. of
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Coming soon to a court room near you:
The Founders viewed government as a necessary evil that needed to be hedged and curbed with great barriers to restrain its encroachment into the liberties of the People. Our current “feddle gummint” views the liberties of the People as a great danger to be hedged and curbed with great barriers to restrain the People’s encroachment into its power.
(h.t. to Ray Bradbury for the post title)
What a wonderful world (h.t. Bob Thiele and George David Weiss via Louis Armstrong). Yeh, just sitting here contemplating one small aspect of the wonderful world we live in. Despite the machinations of politicians *spit*, Mass MEdia Podpeople and Academia Nut Fruitcakes, we have available to us such a massive amoiunt of knowledge, our own means of fact checking and many, many eyes to do the checking on the lies, damned lies and worse perpetrated in the name of “news” and “education” that instead of accepting the lies promulgated by such as Walter Cronkite (R.I.P.) about the Vietnam War*, we can actually–easily–fact check sources of information and come up with a closer approximation of truth than is available from traditional sources.
Thank God for the resources made available via the internet. And God bless citizen journalists on the internet.
*By any rational analysis, “America lost the War in Vietnam” is a disingenuous meme on the order of the ancient Egyptian attempt to erradicate all historical record of the Hyksos or the hagiography of that greatest of presidential violators of the Constitution, Lincoln (so far: The 0! is attempting to give him a run for his money). Just saying. Do your homework and you’ll see.