Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia
in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. Improvident habits, slovenly
systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of
property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded
sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its
dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must
belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or
a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam
has ceased to be a great power among men."
"Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the
brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die. But the influence
of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.
No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund,
Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytising faith. It has already spread
throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were
it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science - the science
against which it had vainly struggled - the civilisation of modern Europe might
fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome."
-- Winston Churchill
visited 30 states (60%)
Create your own visited map of The United States
I've lived in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia, California, Florida, and Praia da Vitoria, Illa Terceira, The Azores, Portugal (where my daughter was born).
I've visited Juarez, Mexico; Toronto, Ontario, Canada (to tour the Algonquin Provincial Park by canoe); and our de facto fifty-first state of Puerto Rico.
There is a difference between a libertarian and a libertine.View results from: Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
[lib-er-tair-ee-uhn]
noun
1. a person who advocates liberty, esp. with regard to thought or conduct.
2. a person who maintains the doctrine of free will.
adjective
3. advocating liberty or conforming to principles of liberty.
4. maintaining the doctrine of free will.[Origin: 178090; libert(y) + -arian
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.You say "BTW, libertarianism doesn't make sense," yet Our Founding Fathers were libertarian. That is where I got the idea.
From Wikipedia:
The term libertarianism refers to a political philosophy maintaining that all persons are the absolute owners of their own lives, and should be free to do whatever they wish with their persons or property, provided they allow others the same liberty and avoid harming others by abusing their liberty.Doesn't that sound like the Golden Rule applied to Adults? "Your freedom ends where my nose begins."
Would you care to parse that statement and tell me I'm not the absolute owner of my life? That I should not be free to own my property?
If I had to tag myself, I would say I am a Goldwater libertarian conservative Republican.I'm not at all out of line with the values of this forum. Look at these words from the Republican Liberty Caucus:
Liberty Compact: A Candidate's PledgeI seem to remember in 1964, Barry Goldwater was the political founder of our modern day Conservative movement when he wrested control of the Republican Party from the liberal Rockefeller Republicans and paved the way for every Republican President since.The Liberty Compact is a written pledge inspired by the words of the late Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) in his book, "Conscience of a Conservative," which promotes the belief that government isn't the solution, but all too often, the problem. The pledge reads as follows:
"I, (insert name), pledge to the citizens of the State of (insert state) and to the American people, that as their elected representative I will work to: Restore liberty, not restrict it; shrink government, not expand it; reduce taxes, not raise them; abolish programs, not create them; promote the freedom and independence of citizens, not the interference of government in their lives; and observe the limited, enumerated powers of our Constitution, not ignore them."
I suggest you chide me for something else, being "small ell" libertarian is no vice.
I joined the Libertarian Party in disgust the moment after the Federal Budget Crisis of '98,, when Congress lead by my own Congressman, Speaker Newt Gingrich, caved in to that President Bill Clinton, and sent him a revised budget instead of forcing him to shut the government down. In the case of all previous Budget Crises our Republican Presidents have given in to Congress.
I haven't given dues to, or been to a meeting of, the Libertarian Party since just after 9/11 when I saw the schism building between those in the Libertarian Party that saw attacks by Islam as initiation of force (thus requiring a principled libertarian response), and those that thought the use of force by Islam was retaliation for transgressions by the the US (Paulists, etc.). I will not support those LP pacifists ever again.
There you have mea maxima culpa. I'm not very ashamed of it.
posted on 04/28/2007 2:42:45 AM EDT by higgmeister (In the Shadow of The Big Chicken)
Queen Victoria had over thirty years still to reign. We often hear of old men that father children and wonder what
kind of lives those hapless children might have with an older parent, but there is a broader consideration.
I never knew anything about my paternal grandfather because he died of old age many years before I was born. My
paternal great grandmother died in 1881. It is almost surreal to me then, that I can clearly remember all four
of my maternal great grandparents.
My Dad was un-varyingly parochial and dogmatic, which is quite understandable when you realize he was raised by a
true Victorian father, born less than five years after the Civil War.
Yet, when I think about it further, my daughter never knew her grandfather(my Dad) because he died of heart disease
less than a year after she was born.
Ah well, ...such are the patterns of our lives. I will continue to take my pills and visit my doctor regularly so that
my granddaughter and her potential siblings will have no difficulty remembering me a half a century from now.
I just had an odd realization. My paternal Great Grandfather died within four months of my maternal Grandfather's birth.
You know, I was half way through listening to The Talking Heads song "Once in a Lifetime," from the 1980 album Remain in Light again and realized that I was probably one of the very few individuals who have seen water flowing underground. When I was about twelve years old I lived in Huntsville, Alabama, "The Rocket City!" I went on a Boy Scout camping trip with Troop 378 or 379 (I can't remember which) spelunking down into one of the vast limestone caves that cover Northern Alabama. After a long hike down and going deeper down with ropes a couple of times, we stopped by a fast moving river with the water as clear as glass. We unrolled our sleeping bags and slept the whole night a few feet from the water in pitch darkness. "Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground" Note" Regarding the the Scout Troop, it had grown so big that they had to cut it in half and a successive number was assigned. I cannot remember if the cave spelunking trip was before or after the split.
I was reminded of something regarding Ed White's space walk in the Gemini 4 mission. My Dad worked for GE at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Our family just happened to be visiting the museum there, when a voice came over the intercom saying that they had just received the raw film of the Space Walk and they would be showing it in their little theater (maybe thirty seats) in a few minutes. I was one of the first civilians to see the whole raw footage including the glove floating into space. RIP Colonel Ed White.