Sunday, January 21, 2018

Quotes of the Week

Enlightened insights taken from the past week’s reading:

"Those who are determined to be ‘offended’ will discover a provocation somewhere. We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics, and it is degrading to make the attempt."
Christopher Hitchens

"War sends the current of purpose and activity flowing down to the lowest level of the herd, and to its most remote branches. All the activities of society are linked together as fast as possible to this central purpose of making a military offensive or a military defense, and the State becomes what in peacetimes it has vainly struggled to become - the inexorable arbiter and determinant of men's business and attitudes and opinions. The slack is taken up, the cross-currents fade out, and the nation moves lumberingly and slowly, but with ever accelerated speed and integration, toward the great end, toward the 'peacefulness of being at war,' of which L.P. Jacks has so unforgettably spoken."
Randolph Bourne

"The powers that be are fond of pointing to the worst government abuse historically on Earth and making claims of moral superiority, but in the end, while the Communist and National Socialist governments in the twentieth century may have harmed their respective populations and those they subdued through war, at least, we have the moral high ground.   Of course, this is much like a getting an Underachiever Award at a serial killer convention.  The entire system of governance is based on violence and nothing else no matter how noble it is portrayed or how many rose petals litter the dais of the King."
Bill Buppert

"View any football game or any other sporting event to see the hatred of individualism and dissent. Consider the collective reverence given to the state, its flag, or other state symbols. Consider the unadulterated worship of the military and war. Consider the state of the Fascist economy, a house of cards waiting collapse due to Keynesian (Fascist) economics. Consider rampant nationalism. Consider the love and loyalty by the people of the corrupt and criminal political system, a two party system where only one immoral agenda is sought. Consider the promotion of racism by government forces through its politics of division. Consider 'crony capitalism,' the power and influence of corporate America, and the partnership with government at every level."
Gary Barnett

"The only hope for the restoration of Texas liberties lies with Texans demanding independence from the behemoth that is D.C.; it is the only option left for holding Washington to account for it’s desperate squandering of the future. When we Texans recall our sovereignty from Washington, once again reasserting ourselves as an independent nation, we will have a chance to right the mistakes that are making a shipwreck of America. With control of our government brought closer to home, the president and congress of Texas will always be facing Texans everywhere they go, a constant reminder of where their loyalties belong. Representation will be brought back to realistic and accountable levels, tax dollars will be spent on Texas concerns, and we will control our own money supply. It is not a guarantee of success, but it is a chance, which is more than you can say for reforming Washington."
Jesse Newberry

"As you know I don’t believe in democracy, I believe in personal freedom. Democracy is workable enough in something like a cohesive city-state. But absolutely not once voters get involved in economic issues—the poor will always vote themselves a free lunch, and the rich will buy votes to give themselves more. Democracy always devolves into class warfare.
In ancient Greece, if you weren’t a landowner you weren’t respected. In the U.S., voting rules were determined by the States, and originally, everywhere, you had to be a landowner. That meant you had something to lose. But that’s not the case anymore."
Doug Casey

"The Constitution is an immoral document. It explicates a litany of conditional privileges, subject to modification at any time. That this is done in an orderly manner, via 'constitutionally' prescribed mechanisms, does not make the doing of it morally legitimate.
It merely legalizes it.
Theft remains theft.
Slavery, to whatever degree, remains slavery."
Eric Peters

"Western cultures emphasize the future; view work as a blessing rather than as a burden; promote individuals based on their merit; value education and frugality, are philanthropic, identify with universal causes, and have higher ethics.
In static cultures, individuals tend to be fatalistic rather than future-oriented; live for the present or past; work only because they need to; diminish or dismiss the value of education, frugality, and philanthropy; are often mired in nepotism and corruption; and promote individuals based on clan and connections, rather than capabilities.
'I am because we are' is how one wag encapsulated the cog-like role of the individual in African culture. In advanced cultures, on the other hand, the individual, and not the collective, is paramount...
Magic wins out over reason; community over individual; communal ownership over private property; force and coercion over rights and responsibilities; wealth distribution over its accumulation."
Ilana Mercer

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