Posted on 12/01/2008 7:55:58 PM PST by jazusamo
Most people on the left are not opposed to freedom. They are just in favor of all sorts of things that are incompatible with freedom.
Freedom ultimately means the right of other people to do things that you do not approve of. Nazis were free to be Nazis under Hitler. It is only when you are able to do things that other people don't approve that you are free.
One of the most innocent-sounding examples of the left's many impositions of its vision on others is the widespread requirement by schools and by college admissions committees that students do "community service."
There are high schools across the country from which you cannot graduate, and colleges where your application for admission will not be accepted, unless you have engaged in activities arbitrarily defined as "community service."
The arrogance of commandeering young people's time, instead of leaving them and their parents free to decide for themselves how to use that time, is exceeded only by the arrogance of imposing your own notions as to what is or is not a service to the community.
Working in a homeless shelter is widely regarded as "community service"— as if aiding and abetting vagrancy is necessarily a service, rather than a disservice, to the community.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
I have to remember this for future conversations.
Excellent piece by Professor Sowell.
He states the essence of bigotry so well as do you with the g/l black issue. The g/l movement has done much damage to their cause over the Prop 8 fiasco. I believe many who were sympathetic to their movement have reevaluated their sympathies.
Yes, I think Dr. Sowell’s writings are so effective because PC is not part of his makeup.
However, and some may disagree with me, I believe that community service, of some kind, is something everyone should be willing to do. It's a 'service' to your community.
There are many kinds of service. Picking up trash on the side of the road, shoveling your elderly neighbors walkway, doing something should be a thing that everyone is willing to do.
No argument there! The key is “service” and it should NEVER be manditory.
I’m currently reading Jonah Goldberg’s ‘Liberal Fascism.’
Oh. My. God.
It is an AWESOME read; I recommend all Freepers buy/borrow a copy; he is right on the money and we will NEED his insight in the next four years to battle the creeping fascism of the Left.
God Help Us!
“When conservatives have the upper hand on a cultural issue, liberalism is all about ‘solving problems’ for the Average Joe, about paychecks and health care. But on OFFENSE, it’s about racial quotas, mainstreaming of gay culture, scrubbing the public square of Christianity, and a host of explicitly cultural ambitions.”
Fasten your seat belts, FRiends. It’s going to be a bumpy ride! (And I am NOT in favor of seatbelt or helmet laws. I’m no fascist, LOL!)
“There are many kinds of service. Picking up trash on the side of the road, shoveling your elderly neighbors walkway, doing something should be a thing that everyone is willing to do.”
I have a wonderful Father In Law. He truly rules our family with an iron hand inside of a velvet glove, LOL!
A number of years ago he told us that we were knocking off the “consumerism” of Christmas and getting back to basics.
What we have done for 5 years now is to pool our money as a family and any of us can give a little presentation on Christmas Eve at his house as to where we want the Christmas Cash to go.
In the past years we have built a water well in Africa, donated cash for everyday supplies needed at my SIL’s rural Nursing Home which gets little state funding, donated it to Disabled Veterans, and the year one of the Grandkids was diagnosed with diabetes, we gave it to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
On top of that, he REQUIRES us to give him an accounting of what charitable works we performed in the community in the past year.
It works for us, and has also taught the concept of year-round and everyday Community Service (a great idea that the dirty Left has co-opted, IMHO) to our kids...and to a few ADULTS in our family who needed to open their hearts and wallets a little bit, LOL!
Thanks, Diana. I’ll add that to my must read list which is getting long, I’ve got to get with it! :-)
The best way to instill and enforce Christian traditional values is to remove all the gov’t alleviation of consequences for behaviors.
The Judeo/Christian “law” “just happens” to be the best way to live a good life without dire consequences that occur due to other behavior choices.
When you’re done, read “Road to Serfdom” (FA Hayek).
“Liberal Fascism” is written about modern “progressives”, “Road to Serfdom” is about “progressives” (fascists) in the 30’s.
Same people, same ideas, same ideology, turns out...
That answers a question I had-I was wondering if the students get to choose what community service they will do (within reasonable parameters), such as volunteering at a center that counsels women on options other than abortion, such as adoption. I would guess “no”, from what you say.
I agree-seeing Europe as an example, I’d say that if we don’t actively fight for traditional Judeo-Christian principles, we will lose them. Islam understands this, although to say the very least, true Christianity opposes the means by which they fight to preserve (and spread) their values. Europe’s laissez-faire attitude towards Christianity and tradition led to the cultural vacuum which Islam is filling. And now, Christianity is actively opposed in most sectors of life-it’s now considered something to be kept “in the closet” of the church walls.
Even if we actively fight for the preservation of the Judeo-Christian principles upon which our country was founded, I don’t see any danger of the US ever becoming a Christian theocracy-the constant push-pull of the culture war would prevent that from ever happening. But the left wants these principles completely cast out from public life, though it’s no more unreasonable for Christian values to inform a Christian’s politics than it is for those of any other “special interest group” to inform theirs.
Very well stated, mrsmel. It is not just the left we are now up against but Islam, radical or otherwise if there is an otherwise, we must fight to retain our traditional Judeo-Christian principles.
Palin/Sowell for 2012.
Bookmarked. Thanks, MrB.
“Same people, same ideas, same ideology, turns out...”
What annoys me most is that WE don’t have a ‘plan.’ We don’t have some sort of ‘Reverse Communist Manifesto’ that tells newbie Conservatives what we’re all about and makes them want to leap on board!
Why does EVIL have a plan and we do not? *Scratches Head*
It’s not so much a “plan” as it is a worldview.
Read Sowell’s “Conflict of Visions” as well.
Leftists sincerely believe that humans and society can be perfect if the right institutions are in place. This means that the “right” people with “enough” power need to be in positions of power.
Any problems (little things like tyranny, enslavement, genocide) along the way are well worth the final result of achieving this perfect society.
“Read Sowell’s ‘Conflict of Visions’ as well.”
Bookmarked. :)
I think you are right.
Of course there’s a difference between politicians who are Christians, and a government of Christian politics.
The government is not the answer for America’s Christian deficit. I’ll add the government, however, should not be punishing Christians or providing favor for other religions.
A Christian politician doesn’t need to wear his Faith on the sleeve in order to be an effective leader - a leader whose applied values are compatible with Christianity.
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