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Our Republic and Our Free Republic
9-6-02 | Joe Phillips

Posted on 09/06/2002 8:17:16 AM PDT by BADJOE

History teaches some very good lessons. They are hard to learn but our forefathers did a great job.

From the beginning of time man has overthrown one form of centralized government only to re-establish another one in its place. Our forefathers understood this far better than anyone ever had. They said governments are the eternal enemy of free men. They said that in order for man to remain free it would take a bloody revolution every other generation, unless you bound down (bastard) government with the chains of the constitution.

On another site this week a poster asked if anyone else hated government as much as he did. I replied to him

"Hell !! I thought you were not a good American if you didn't love our country and hate our government.

At least that is how I have always felt about it"

I think our forefathers had the same attitude that I have now. And I think it is inherent in the average Americans attitude to distrust and have disdain for any government, including ours. One of the hardest conclusions I had to arrive at as a young man, after having been a product of the public school system, was that our government was not on our side. As James Forrestahl, former secretary of the Navy, who suffered a mysterious death, once said about our State Department's foreign policy, " Stupidity is never a mark of consistancy. If they were merely stupid, they would occasionally make a mistake in our favor".

Newt Gringrich put it in a humourous manner when talking about the attitude of Europeans. He related the following story. If you go to Europe and drive on the Autobahn, you feel pretty good cruising down the highway at 100 mph when some some German passes you doing 140 mph. Now he said if the Bundestag passed the 55mph speed limit law, every German would dutifully obey that law, untill the next election. They would vote the 55 mph crowd out of office and the no speed limit crowd in. In America Newt said "A speed limit sign is a benchmark of opportunity.

It is obvious that Yankees and Euros have entirely different attitudes about government's edicts. There are darn few Americans who do not break the speed limit laws everyday.

Now we come to the Free Republic. Once a free wheeling, joyful site for news and discussion of politics, economics, philosophy, ethics and morals. I could not understand the transformation that has taken place in the last six months. Camaraderie, the sense of family, and cooperation seems to have disappeared. Are the Freepers exhibiting the same disdain for the new FR as Americans have for our government?


TOPICS: Heated Discussion
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To: deport
One would think that was Jim's choice, but apparently people still seem to think that this is a democracy... it's not... the sooner they deal with THAT fact, the better off we will all be...
1,221 posted on 09/06/2002 7:48:18 PM PDT by Chad Fairbanks
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To: Texasforever; Miss Marple
Oh, yes....she IS outstanding!
1,222 posted on 09/06/2002 7:48:23 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: justshe
tpaine...
Jim Robinson has a message for you. See Here
_________________________________

Seen it. Lets discuss it after the election.

I prefered the one about "unclean hands", anyway. Had a certain panache. JR is good on irony.
1,223 posted on 09/06/2002 7:48:45 PM PDT by tpaine
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To: Miss Marple
Doh!
1,224 posted on 09/06/2002 7:49:22 PM PDT by Texasforever
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To: Texasforever
It was a good idea, though... :0)
1,225 posted on 09/06/2002 7:50:32 PM PDT by Chad Fairbanks
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To: Texasforever; one_particular_harbour
I will nominate you.

SQUEAL!!!!!!!!!!!

You will???

This makes me so happy! I mean it!! LOL

Okay, I will nominate one_particular_harbour, but only because he's a lawyer and I know he would do the list proud. Eeeeek!! No hard feelings if I don't win. [Heart beating...]

1,226 posted on 09/06/2002 7:50:40 PM PDT by DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
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To: Amelia; Texasforever; Roscoe; Kevin Curry
Are you saying that hundreds of longtime FReepers pulled their monthly donations specifically because of these two moderators? Can you prove it? (and how would these FReepers know which moderators they were unhappy with?)

Those are excellent points. We're not dealing with very rational people to begin with. If you go read the ludicrous and paranoid posts of these self-banned members on the AF libertinepost websites, they invariably call Roscoe, Texasforever, Kevin Curry, and/or me moderators.

1,227 posted on 09/06/2002 7:51:24 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
I'll second your nomination... even though I'm jealous... ;0)
1,228 posted on 09/06/2002 7:51:35 PM PDT by Chad Fairbanks
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To: FreeTheHostages
Why I'm Still A HAppy FReeper

by Harpo

1) I can be all that I want to be.
2) I can post pictures.
3) I can post words.
4) I can read words.
5) I can see pictures.
6) I can learn things.
7) I can laugh.
8) I can reach for the cybersky.
9) I can swear.
10) I am free.

1,229 posted on 09/06/2002 7:52:05 PM PDT by harpo11
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To: Texasforever; Miss Marple
Okay, okay...I'll calm down. Rats.
1,230 posted on 09/06/2002 7:52:16 PM PDT by DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
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To: 11th Earl of Mar

B...B...B..Bennie And The Jets

Hey kids, shake it loose together
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the weather
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around
You're gonna hear electric music
Solid walls of sound

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they're so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets
Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful
Oh Bennie she's really keen
She's got electric boots a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
Bennie and the Jets

Hey kids, plug into the faithless
Maybe they're blinded
But Bennie makes them ageless
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along
Where we fight our parents out in the streets
To find who's right and who's wrong


1,231 posted on 09/06/2002 7:53:36 PM PDT by Willie Green
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To: Chad Fairbanks
Thank you SO MUCH! : ) I won't forget you. LOL (I'm not sure I'm officially nominated yet though; there seems to be a problem with some photo shoot I did when I was...oh wait, nevermind.)
1,232 posted on 09/06/2002 7:53:50 PM PDT by DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
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To: Miss Marple
Sort of reminds me how Tom Daschle is always shooting himself in the foot.

That's why liberals hate guns so much.

1,233 posted on 09/06/2002 7:53:53 PM PDT by rintense
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To: Howlin
What an onslaught of totally useless energy, eh?

I am so, so happy that JimRob is free from that crushing litigation he faced the last two years. Yessir. He's got to be sitting back in a pretty peaceful and bemused place right now.

Hey, Jim is a smart cookie. He knows that you have to control the Senate to control the tenor of our Federal Courts. It's a simple objective ... win the Senate. That's a conservative goal.

The losers here consider that some betrayal. They're baboons playing with their diddies all day. Just white noise.

1,234 posted on 09/06/2002 7:54:35 PM PDT by ArneFufkin
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To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
I demand to see the evidence, then, just to make sure everything is on the up and up, before I confirm my seconding of the nomination ;0)
1,235 posted on 09/06/2002 7:55:12 PM PDT by Chad Fairbanks
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To: Chad Fairbanks
LOL
1,236 posted on 09/06/2002 7:55:44 PM PDT by DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
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To: dubyagee
great reply

and see? 100% accurate.

1,237 posted on 09/06/2002 7:56:01 PM PDT by Sandy
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To: Texasforever
No, I was comparing BADJOE to Tommy D. He is the one who started the thread.

You, on the other hand, have a sense of strategery. :-)

1,238 posted on 09/06/2002 7:56:25 PM PDT by Miss Marple
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To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
Goodness, that was embarassing!
1,239 posted on 09/06/2002 7:56:48 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: Willie Green
Watch out, one of the second year law school students at AF will sue FR on behalf of Bernie Taupin.
1,240 posted on 09/06/2002 7:57:20 PM PDT by ArneFufkin
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