Herr Ashcroft Sells His Tyranny
Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Fri, 22 Aug 2003 12:00:00 GMT
Four Dots Optical Illusion - very neat. [birdman]
John de Rosier at the Albany NY Times Union - 8/22/03 - cartoon commentary on Ashcroft's speeking tour supporting the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act. Hehe.
Bill Whittle - Responsibility - Excellent, as usual. I don't like his glorification of Lincoln, but then, that's one of the primary differences between conservatives and libertarians.
I suspect that there are really only two schools of political thought, and these are based on competing theories of how the human creature is constructed.
Again, a caveat about the ever-changing quicksand about labels. But with that said, it appears that people we generally group as 'the left' are convinced that society is responsible for pretty much everything that happens in our lives, that group responsibility trumps individual responsibility because they see the forces of the group -- culture, history, economic background -- as overwhelming determinants to individual outcome.
Those on the other side see individual responsibility as the final arbiter of human behavior. The United States of America is, without question, the most individual-centric nation in the history of the world. We have enshrined in the structure of our culture impressive guarantees of individual freedoms, and because of that, we see an enormous spectrum of behaviors -- some noble, others...shall we say, 'colorful,' and some completely vile and disgraceful -- that are the natural outcome of allowing people a great deal of personal freedom. Such a society will produce a US Constitution, a Bill of Rights, a Voyager probe...and unlimited episodes of COPS and The Jerry Springer Show.
We all profess to be in favor of more freedom. Freedom is the Platinum Visa card. We alllll want one. Responsibility is the credit rating. Not so much enthusiasm for the kind of discipline needed to earn one of those.
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Those on one side see individuals as rafts on that river of culture, swept along inexorably downstream, perhaps capable of a weak paddling, displacing our paths a few feet from side to side. I on the other hand, and others like me, see human potential as a powerboat, a nuclear-powered hydrofoil, one capable of cruising side to side at will, as easily able to race against the current as with it. I don't believe people are rafts adrift in the destiny of their culture. I think all people have propellers, whether they use them or not, and rudders too. And rather than commiserating with people about the rapids that they endure and the battering that is their lot in life, we should be teaching them how to start those engines, take the wheel of their own futures, and steer themselves wherever they damn well please.
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Reality has receded far from the front porch in modern America, and in those isolated towers of law offices, bureaucracies and faculty lounges, all manners of thought inversions can grow and prosper. I read recently of a woman who sued a car dealership. It seems her son had stolen a car from said dealership, gone on a joy ride -- drunk, of course -- and gotten himself killed. The woman claimed that if the dealership had maintained adequate security, her son would not have been able to steal the car and he'd be alive today.
This is madness.
Responsibility. Freedom. Common sense. Let's take a few snapshots of society today and see how these three essential elements come to bear.
Libertarian Party Press Releases - Why America should celebrate Ashcroft's tour to defend Patriot Act - because it illustrates that Mr. Ashcroft knows it needs defending because Americans recognize it as tyranny incarnate. [lp]
"While Ashcroft will preach to the law enforcement choir, he is afraid to take questions from ordinary Americans -- the very people whose freedom he is trampling," Seehusen said. "But if the Patriot Act is really worth defending, why won't the attorney general defend it in a public forum?"
The truth is that Ashcroft understands that there's a mini-rebellion underway against the Patriot Act -- and he's trying to counter it with a few speeches and photo opportunities, Seehusen said.
"The good news is that the more Americans learn about the so-called Patriot Act, the more suspicious they'll be of pro-government extremists like John Ashcroft.
"If resistance to this law continues to spread, perhaps Ashcroft will kick off his next road show in a location more receptive to his anti-freedom message, such as Iran, Cuba, or North Korea."
