“Frankly, in terms of gritty realism, I’ll put my belief in the power of market competition to restrain business against their belief in the power of democratic majorities to control the state, any day of the week.”
Kevin Carson
“When considering that such an overwhelming consensus is so seldom reached in today's political arena (consider both Britain and Australia's recently hung parliaments), it is little wonder politicians rank marginally below economists on popular opinion polls. What is incredible, however, is the fact that so many people are content to simply cast their vote and to take the consequences on the chin, believing all along that they were a vital part of the process and that one must take the good along with the bad, and even the ugly.
Self government, through individual and collective acts of voluntary cooperation, therefore, seems to be the only philosophically consistent, defensible form of government available to man. The state, with its various forms of coercion, shrouded in the cloak of good intention and peddled by forecast-mongering central bankers, be damned.”
Joel Bowman
“Rather than being a problem, apathy when it comes to political stuff is fantastic. The idea of a world where people don’t spend time thinking about how to control and manipulate other people seems great to me. Isn’t that exactly where we want to go?”
Mike P.
“Just as the economy is not some elephantine life form capable of being tweaked or of concerted movement in any one direction, the state is not really an institution itself; more precisely, it is a category of human action, distinguished not by ornate buildings or volumes of Byzantine legal code, but by the initiation of physical force. And, it is important to remember, this initiation of force is undertaken by people, real, flesh and blood like you and I, not by gods, angels or neoclassical monuments in Washington. The state, then, is no more than an abstraction we use to represent these existing individuals who act in this particular way, and who do things that, if attempted by anyone else, would not enjoy the same presumption of legitimacy.”
David D'Amato
“The best kind of individualism has a broader social element to it which could be labeled solidarity. The pursuit of maximum individual liberty suggests the benefit of promoting the maximum level of individual autonomy – taking steps to reduce dependence on people who try to control others. This is where cooperation and competition both enter the picture. Recognizing the mutual benefit of cooperating for greater autonomy, free people work together in solidarity. Viewing one arrangement as less conducive toward individual flourishing, free people create competing arrangements and advocate for them.”
Darian Worden
“The cerebral narcissism and smug self assurance that are the hallmarks of elitism causes elitists to look upon those not considered elite with disdain. This isolates elitists into small groups of like-thinking members. This self-imposed isolation, results in a loss of diversity in their thinking. Just as a lack of diversity in isolated gene pools results in genetic deformities, the lack of diversity of thought in isolated intellectual thought pools results in deformed ideas. This form of group think is nothing more than intellectual inbreeding.”
Bob Shoup
“The war on Iraq was never about ‘blood for oil,’ or at least not just that. It’s always been about blood for armored humvees, blood for ‘smart’ bombs, blood for no-bid contracts to build and operate bases, blood for jobs (and votes) in your congresscritter’s district, blood for campaign contributions, blood for ever-expanding political power and for never-ending access to your wallet."
Thomas L. Knapp
“The small respites from government growth build false hope in the government process. In reality, the government can change no more than can the Bloods or Crips. The king will throw a bone from his table to placate the masses, but don’t expect him to give up his seat.”
Vedran Vuk
“The men who led us down this path, the presidents who presided over our wars, the military figures and secretaries of defense, the intelligence chiefs and ambassadors who helped make them happen, will have libraries to inaugurate, books to write, awards to accept, speeches to give, honors to receive. They will be treated with great respect, while Americans – once we have finally left the lands we insistently fought over – will undoubtedly feel little culpability either. And if blowback comes to the United States, and the first suicide drones arrive, everyone will be deeply puzzled and angered, but one thing is certain, we will not consider any damage done to our society ‘collateral’ damage."
Tom Engelhardt
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From the Darkness:
“The competitor is our friend and the customer is our enemy. The only place you see a free market is in the speeches of politicians.”
Archer Daniels Midland CEO Dwayne Andreas“For globalism to work, American can’t be afraid to act like the almighty superpower that it is. The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist. McDonald’s cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the U.S. Air Force F-15. And the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley’s technologies to flourish is called the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.”
Tom Friedman
"No mosque in Murfreesboro. I don't want it. I don't want them here. Go start their own country overseas somewhere. This is a Christian country. It was based on Christianity."
Evy Summers, Murfreesboro resident, on a new Islamic center to be built in her town.
"It is a religion — and here is the deep, dark, dirty secret of Islam — it is a religion that promotes pedophilia... sex with children."
Dr. Robert Jeffress, head pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas
"Nothing is more important than saving ... the Lions, Tigers, Giraffes, Elephants, Froggies, Turtles, Apes, Raccoons, Beetles, Ants, Sharks, Bears, and, of course, the Squirrels. The humans? The planet does not need humans."
James J. Lee, deceased environmentalist
"America should do something. If the Treasury Department will guarantee that everyone will get their money, maybe that will work."
Mahmoud Karzai, Kabul Bank's third-biggest shareholder, begging the U.S. to guarantee deposits at Afghanistan's largest bank to stop a developing bank run fueled by fears of fraud.
"Everything is pointing to the need for more spending. Even aside from the need to stimulate the economy, when the federal government can borrow very cheaply, that’s probably a good idea to get some projects started."
Paul Krugman
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