The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Politics & RKBA => Topic started by: fightingquaker13 on November 13, 2010, 02:14:37 PM
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Sometimes, I get depressed at how we seem willing to fall for idiots of both the left and right. Pat Robertson and the Religious Right telling us that "Jesus loves us, but he can't stand you", or BHO and Nany Pelosi saying "We're from the government and we're here to help" and actually meaning it. :P Still, I sometimes find an honest man. A cynic, who understands the world. H. L. Mencken has restored my faith in humanity before. He did it again today. Here is a quote from The Minority Report:
"The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it." From "Minority Report" (If you haven't read it, you should).
I'll post that without comment and let the board chime in. I'm curious as to the responses.
FQ13
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Mencken was an out there a little bit type of guy, but a realist.
"The fact is that the average man's love of liberty is nine-tenths imaginary, exactly like his love of sense, justice and truth. He is not actually happy when free; he is uncomfortable, a bit alarmed, and intolerably lonely. Liberty is not a thing for the great masses of men. It is the exclusive possession of a small and disreputable minority, like knowledge, courage and honor. It takes a special sort of man to understand and enjoy liberty - and he is usually an outlaw in democratic societies."
H.L. Mencken, February 12, 1923, Baltimore Evening Sun
My favorite Mencken quote:
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
I think Mencken sounded like David Hume, unlike John Stuart Mill, or Heinlen, or even Thomas Paine, even Orwell who invoked even a violent alternative to encroachments of liberty.
Than again:
"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true."
:P
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Mencken was an out there a little bit type of guy, but a realist.
My favorite Mencken quote:
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
Oh Happy day! We've seen it twice in less than ten years. :'(
FQ13 who really hopes the people will decide to elect someone they genuinely believe is BETTER than them, not someone who is just like them. I mean, I like myself just fine. I'm reasonably smart, sometimes funny, and a loyal friend. But, if anyone suggested I should be President? I'd give them a Leroy Jethro Gibbs head slap! There's a difference between someone you want to have a beer with, and someone you want to take orders from. Hopefully, the American people will grow up and realize that before its too late. :P
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Oh Happy day! We've seen it twice in less than ten years. :'(
FQ13 who really hopes the people will decide to elect someone they genuinely believe is BETTER than them, not someone who is just like them. I mean, I like myself just fine. I'm reasonably smart, sometimes funny, and a loyal friend. But, if anyone suggested I should be President? I'd give them a Leroy Jethro Gibbs head slap! There's a difference between someone you want to have a beer with, and someone you want to take orders from. Hopefully, the American people will grow up and realize that before its too late. :P
I understand where you're coming from, FQ, and you may be right....but, we might be better off with the type of guy who knows what it's like to have callouses on his hands from a long days work but has worked his way up into not having to have those callouses because of his intelligence and common sense....they type of guy who can keep his affairs afloat without bouncing checks all over town, the guy who has taken his kid to the ER with appendicitis at 3 AM and knows what it's like to struggle to pay the hospital bill (but gets it paid anyway).......the type of guy who would gladly shoot the SOB that raped his daughter, but decides to let the courts serve justice so he can stay and tend to his family....the type of guy who readily would slap the sh!t out of someone for insulting his wife......hell, I don't know......just seems the reason we are in such a mess is that the powers that be have lost touch with the 'common man' and think they know whats best for us.
I don't want someone who is better than me in the White House.......I want someone who has walked a mile in my shoes at some point in his life and understands me.
Of course, there's one big flaw with my thought process, and that is, as I've said before (and probably will again), we will never have the 'right' person in the White House again....because the types of folks with the right mix of sense and intelligence for the job are smart enough to not want to get mixed up in the foulness that is DC politics in the first place.
Of course, I am probably wrong...but right now I blame the Darvocet and muscle relaxers I took a few hours ago. ;D
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I get where you're coming from Peg, and the last thing I want is a cult of the "Dear Leader". Madison put it best. Democracy (the republican sort), is designed to be a filter, not a mirror. You don't elect people who are like you, you elect the people you admire. Distilled to its basics, you should treat every election as a job interview for who you hire to be your boss. We don't want (at least most of us) to be in charge. We just want someone who knows what they're doing to take care of business. To me, electing a President is like hiring a plumber or a doctor, or an attorney. Its a dirty job. I don't want to do it, and don't know how, but I want someone competant to do the job. I guess I'm saying that "elitism" isn't a dirty word if the "elite" are elite for the right reasons. I'd offer Washington, Jefferson and Eisenhower as examples. If I'm going to hire my boss, I would want someone I would respect enough to say "You're fired" and trust that they were probably right. :-\
FQ13
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That isn't elite, that is a subjct matter expert. In this case, a LEADER.
Last time the people wanted an ordinary guy like us, we got Carter. :(
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I thought this was a timely quote:
Knowledge, learning, talents are not necessarily connected with sound moral and political principles. And eminent abilities, accompanied with depravity of heart, render the possessor tenfold more dangerous in a community.~Noah Webster
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F*ck all that, I want some one who has killed men for insulting him, like Jackson ;D
Paintings don't show it, but he commanded the battle of New Orleans with his arm in a sling, he had surgery to remove a bullet from his shoulder , IIRC, it was put there by his ADC Thomas Hart Benton.
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F*ck all that, I want some one who has killed men for insulting him, like Jackson Grin
I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this early day of its successful experiment that corruption has been imputed to many members of the House of Representatives, and the rights of the people have been bartered for promises of office.
Andrew Jackson
If the Union is once severed, the line of separation will grow wider and wider, and the controversies which are now debated and settled in the halls of legislation will then be tried in fields of battle and determined by the sword.
Andrew Jackson
Our government is founded upon the intelligence of the people. I for one do not despair of the republic. I have great confidence in the virtue of the great majority of the people, and I cannot fear the result.
Andrew Jackson
Peace, above all things, is to be desired, but blood must sometimes be spilled to obtain it on equable and lasting terms.
Andrew Jackson
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Good point Tom.
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I get where you're coming from Peg, and the last thing I want is a cult of the "Dear Leader". Madison put it best. Democracy (the republican sort), is designed to be a filter, not a mirror. You don't elect people who are like you, you elect the people you admire. Distilled to its basics, you should treat every election as a job interview for who you hire to be your boss. We don't want (at least most of us) to be in charge. We just want someone who knows what they're doing to take care of business. To me, electing a President is like hiring a plumber or a doctor, or an attorney. Its a dirty job. I don't want to do it, and don't know how, but I want someone competant to do the job. I guess I'm saying that "elitism" isn't a dirty word if the "elite" are elite for the right reasons. I'd offer Washington, Jefferson and Eisenhower as examples. If I'm going to hire my boss, I would want someone I would respect enough to say "You're fired" and trust that they were probably right. :-\
FQ13
How do you reconcile that flowery prose with the vote you cast in 08?
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How do you reconcile that flowery prose with the vote you cast in 08?
It's a 12 step program..... ::) I think he's on step 5 or 6 at this point.
Inner conflict relates to a Star Wars analogy, where Luke is dealing with Darth. The hope & change is a crashing and burning train wreck.
Yoda: Stopped they must be; on this all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now - if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did - you will become an agent of evil.
Yet the timing of GWB's book is simply fantastic.
I'd Rather Be Waterboarding!!!!!
"Damn Right"... ;D
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How do you reconcile that flowery prose with the vote you cast in 08?
Four words. He (McCain) sold me out. I loved MacCain in 2000. Then, there was McCain Feingold. Then, he was W's boy after telling us the guy was a bungler. Then he went and kissed ass with Jerry Falwell and the religious right who he labled (correctly) as agents of intolerance. And then he chose Palin, knowing that he was old and in ill health. Look, I don't want to refight old battles, but please understand that I gave McCain $500 I really couldn't afford in 2000. I lobbied hard for him then. But I didn't recognize the guy in 2008. And that my friend, is the God's honest no BS truth. Take it for what it worth, but its true.
FQ13
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Four words. He (McCain) sold me out. I loved MacCain in 2000. Then, there was McCain Feingold. Then, he was W's boy after telling us the guy was a bungler. Then he went and kissed ass with Jerry Falwell and the religious right who he labled (correctly) as agents of intolerance. And then he chose Palin, knowing that he was old and in ill health. Look, I don't want to refight old battles, but please understand that I gave McCain $500 I really couldn't afford in 2000. I lobbied hard for him then. But I didn't recognize the guy in 2008. And that my friend, is the God's honest no BS truth. Take it for what it worth, but its true.
FQ13
All that being said, if you REALLY believe what you said in the first post, you'd have voted for NOBODY.
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All that being said, if you REALLY believe what you said in the first post, you'd have voted for NOBODY.
And that might have been the better choice. But, just like every year, I showed up and voted for what I believed (rightly or wrongly) to be the least bad option. I have serious buyer's remorse about BO. But you know, I've never had a single moment where I've said "I wish McCain were President". That's kind of sad given how enthused I was about him 10 years ago (note to the board, if FQ backs a candidate, 6-4 odds you don't want to). :-\ I still stand by what I said earlier. I just haven't had a President I wanted to vote for Since GHW Bush in '88.
FQ13
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All that being said, if you REALLY believe what you said in the first post, you'd have voted for NOBODY.
TT, You know that wasn't going to happen. Personally, I voted for Palin and that old baggage she dragged with her.
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Personally, I voted for Palin and that old baggage she dragged with her.
As did I.
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As did I.
Ditto.....
As with this election cycle, I just yanked the proverbial "R" handle a the polls. It did little good though, not a single Republican was elected into a major position in CT or MA. Yes, there were several State level thrashings but nothing at the Congressional level and it makes absolutely no sense to me.
Einstein correctly said, it's insane to continue to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results but these Northeastern bone heads do it year after year...
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Einstein correctly said, it's insane to continue to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results but these Northeastern bone heads do it year after year...
At least your not alone, Kalifornia had ALL incumbents re-elected.....Since their track record is so good, 28% approval for Gov. Arnold, 16% for State Congress, and Fed.
They decided to keep the same ol' same ol', including ma'am Boxer, Pelosi, and the new/old Moonbeam Brown, the patriarch of what "f" up Ca. 25-30 years ago.
They will also be looking for a Goldman-Sachs, AIG "bailout" when they run out of options......
Just look at the super model Michigan, and Detroit....Frankly,,,,,Mexico can have CA. back....
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....Frankly,,,,,Mexico can have CA. back....
Um, in case you haven't noticed, they already do. They've just been too polite to serve papers. :-\
FQ13
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Um, in case you haven't noticed, they already do. They've just been too polite to serve papers. :-\
FQ13
Papers? They don't need no steenking papers!!!!
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Read a report that says Latinos are now over 50% of the students in CA. What pissed off the (liberal) writer was that 40% of the parents were 'not eligible' to vote (gee, wonder why) and had no 'say' in their child's education.
And CA wonders why they're broke?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/13/MNIG1GBD0C.DTL&tsp=1
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Mexico has had too much control over California since the 60's! In the early 70's there was a push to make English (they even used a specific edition of Webster's College Dictionary as the benchmark). It was the Mexican lobby that stopped it. They didn't even need the ACLU!
Note that I use the title Mexican. It was not Latino or Hispanic. It was straight out Mexicans!
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We need to anex mexico and make it a state, and while we do this , kill all the drug dealers.Some nice beaches and Beaotches too. ;D
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The breakdown shouldn't be by race unless you are trying to make it seem like the issue is one of race rather than legal residency.
The breakdown should be by if the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the student entered this country legally.
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In-state tuition for illegal immigrants is preserved with California Supreme Court ruling [Updated]
The California Supreme Court decided unanimously Monday that illegal immigrants may continue to be eligible for in-state tuition rates at the state's colleges and universities rather than pay the higher rates charged to those who live out of state.
In a ruling written by Justice Ming W. Chin, one of the panel's more conservative members, the state high court said a California law that guarantees the lower tuition for students who attend California high schools for at least three years and graduate does not conflict with a federal prohibition on giving illegal immigrants educational benefits based on residency.
California is one of several states that permit illegal immigrants to take advantage of lower college tuition for students who attend high school and graduate in state. About 25,000 illegal immigrants are estimated to receive in-state tuition rates in California.
A group fighting illegal immigration challenged the California law on behalf of U.S. citizens who pay the higher tuition as out-of-state students. The group won in lower court, and the state appealed.
The lawsuit contended the California law usurped a federal prohibition on giving educational benefits based on residency to illegal immigrants but not all U.S. citizens.
College students who are in the country illegally are barred from government financial-aid programs. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected eventually to decide whether the lower tuition rates also violate federal law.
--SNIP--
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/11/undocumented-students.html
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In a ruling written by Justice Ming W. Chin, one of the panel's more conservative members, the state high court said a California law that guarantees the lower tuition for students who attend California high schools for at least three years and graduate does not conflict with a federal prohibition on giving illegal immigrants educational benefits based on residency.
All I can say is.....................................
WTF?!?
Oh yeah.........Granola State.
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Actually, that was rightly decided by a STATE Supreme Court. They upheld the wording of their state Constitution and the autonomy of their legislature over an issue (education) that has historically, with the exception of segregation, been considered to be a state, not a federal perogative. Its up to the Feds to decide whether federal pre-emption applies. I hope a federal court does just that. I disagree with the result, but the legal reasoning is sound.
FQ13 :-\
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Mexico has had too much control over California since the 60's! In the early 70's there was a push to make English (they even used a specific edition of Webster's College Dictionary as the benchmark). It was the Mexican lobby that stopped it. They didn't even need the ACLU!
Note that I use the title Mexican. It was not Latino or Hispanic. It was straight out Mexicans!
Anti spanish stuff has been passed by the people several times over the years. it generally lasts a few years then loses in court.
the reason we have brown is the same reason we have obama. If the GOP had put up a decent person, they would have won. McCain and wittmen were basicly the same. Neither of them had a chance in hell of winning.