Comments on: UPDATED: Liberty’s Civilizational Dimension

By: CM Collins

CM Collins — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:23:16 +0000

Thank you Mr. Malic.

And our host.

By: Mark F.

Mark F. — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:20:02 +0000

Ilana, it seems to me that when someone is blaming gays for many of the ills of the world, wants to kick them out of government jobs, is going on and on about how sinful homosexuality is, and refuses to even consider giving gay couples the same sort of tax advantages heterosexual couples enjoy, and wants to dictate marriage law to the states, that person is not exactly gay friendly.

I think Middle America is coming around toward a more tolerant and accepting attitude towards gays with the Bachmanns and Santorums becoming a minority.

By: Roy Bleckert

Roy Bleckert — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:04:26 +0000

Ron Paul Ad: Staying on the Right Path

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f_qBSow4FrE

By: Nebojsa Malic

Nebojsa Malic — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:56:58 +0000

@ CM Collins: I believe Paul would neither pretend jihad doesn’t exist, nor seek to use jihadists as a weapon of Empire, as he would (at least try to) dismantle the said Empire.

By: Dan Jeffreys

Dan Jeffreys — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:46:41 +0000

In my daily 10 minutes of state run media per day I can stand, the Today show managed to do an entire story about how Newt was falling in the polls in Iowa without ever mentioning who was first. Here http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/12/newt-gingrich-wants-you-to-stop-the-negative-ads/ is a written version of his whining (isn’t it amazing, different network and it’s almost word for word the same story). Again, note in the article, “In an obvious swipe at Mitt Romney, who has pulled even with Gingrich in latest Gallup poll…” you would think they were both vying for first place. There is no mention of who is leading in Iowa. I cannot believe there is anyone left out there with a brain who gets most of their news from these clowns.

By: CM Collins

CM Collins — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:10:39 +0000

Mr. Malic,

Just to be clear, do you mean Paul would not take up the project of ‘pretending that jihad doesn’t exist’ so as to ‘use [jihad] as a weapon against traditional nation-states and regional rivals’? Or something else?

By: Eric Zucker

Eric Zucker — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:05:06 +0000

I will add to what Michel said.

Democracy is a system under which control of the most dangerous institutions in society is determined by a popularity contest between charismatic demagogues.

If the US is ever to change course and begin moving toward freedom, individuals will have to decide on their own in significant numbers to refuse to cooperate when possible with their own enslavement. That could overwhelm the resources and diminish the legitimacy of the Federal parasite. I’ll offer one strategy in another post which has the advantage of significantly benefiting the people who practice it whether or not it leads to a change in the government.

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:58:54 +0000

To be clear, Reagan’s 11th commandment is as follows:
Thou shall not speak ill of another Republican after the primaries are over.

The primaries are still on. The commandment wasn’t broken.

By: Michel Cloutier

Michel Cloutier — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:54:02 +0000

I find this post as entertaining as it is depressing.

Folks, please, let’s all agree we’re just spectators in this vast theater called ‘democracy’. Act one is called ‘The electoral campaign”, where hired actors pretend to be candidates in a spectacle called an ‘election’. Act two is called “Election day”, where everybody will pretend power can actually change hands from one clique to another. It’s all theater, of course. The same elite hires both sides in this theatrical play. The masses are happy, secure in the conviction they can actually influence events. Business goes as usual.

By: robert

robert — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:12:37 +0000

“A certain establishment-endorsed libertarianism is currently being touted on the Fox News and Business channels as the only legitimate brand of libertarianism. This life-style libertarianism, or libertarianism-lite, as I call it, tends to conflate libertinism with liberty, and appeals to hippies of all ages, provided they remain juveniles forever.”

Ilana,
I suspected Mr. Paul was doing well after watching the Fox News Juveniles bemoaning negative campaign ads in Iowa and claiming the Paul campaign was in violation of Reagan’s admonition to never speak ill of a fellow republican.

As you have always instinctively surmised, self defense is a “necessary precondition against aggression but it is far from a sufficient one” for civilizations. You write well and speak truthfully.