OnLine Dangers - A Paradox

Posted by jalibah 11 years, 5 months ago to Philosophy
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Galt chose to fight the establishment by removing himself and his ideas into seclusion in the Rocky Mountains. He did not share his ideas, he looked for others who believed as he did and help them reach the logical conclusion of their thinking. We, on the other hand, are openly advertising ourselves to a coercive government who spies on us and targets us with retribution by the IRS. Are we not doing the same as Dagny and Hank in helping extend the life of failed liberal policies? Does this not make us part of the problem?


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  • Posted by khalling 11 years, 5 months ago
    Think about it like this. What if you posed this same question to Ayn Rand herself? She may answer this:
    "History is made by minorities—or, more precisely, history is made by intellectual movements, which are created by minorities. Who belongs to these minorities? Anyone who is able and willing actively to concern himself with intellectual issues. Here, it is not quantity, but quality that counts (the quality—and consistency—of the ideas one is advocating)." Philosophy who Needs It.
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    • Posted by j_IR1776wg 11 years, 5 months ago
      So maybe the task of Galt's Gulch Online is to act as a constitutional convention and begin to craft a new constitution, open to Producers only, using the principals of the the original plus those AR espoused in AS?
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      • Posted by 11 years, 5 months ago
        The constitution is not the problem - it effectively limitied government power until the 20th century . . . longer than Ben Franklin thought it could endure. The problem was the group of folks who figured out how to vote themselves goodies at the expense of those producing the goodies and the group of folks who pandered to non-producers in order to wield power since they were incapable of producing in their own right
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        • Posted by j_IR1776wg 11 years, 5 months ago
          Agreed! The Marxists' greed for power and control knows no limits.

          However, I believe that if the original had given the citizen the absolute right to own property and had denied the government the power to tax absolutely, the SOBs would have been greatly slowed down for the past 100 years.
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      • Posted by $ Mimi 11 years, 5 months ago
        I’m with you. There’s nothing wrong with a little intellectual exercise. Personally, many groups that support ideas that I also support lose my involvement because they parade the Constitution like it some type of divine meme. Besides isn’t this the same document that started out with a 3/4 clause?
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        • Posted by 11 years, 5 months ago
          you must look at the Constitution in light of the times it was written in. Slavery was legal in every country and in every religion. the 3/5th compromise was our Founders' acknowledgement that they believed the institution was wrong. There was also a provision that ended the slave trade in twenty years. Having a constitution that everyone could agree on was very important. Dealing with slavery and other flaws was provided for in the original document.
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          • Posted by $ Mimi 11 years, 5 months ago
            Yes, the 3/5 clause. Thank-you for catching that error. :)
            More than a flaw, it was an abomination--to degrade a man to a lesser value than that of another man. It alludes groups today that referring to the founders as “our founders” in itself is exclusive. The founders didn’t seem fit to deem the black man as a citizen.Doing away with the slave trade only encouraged breeding programs for another sixty years. In fact, it wasn’t till the fourteenth amendment that ex-slaves could count themselves as “one of us” Then, we had this weird interpretation of equal but separate in society. How should those groups view the founders? I feel blacks and latinos or any minority american group deserves respect, which we can show by being reasonable in our examination and adoration of the founders. In light of the time it was written...exactly. We live in the modern world. The Constitution is a wonderful framework, but the minds of men must be free to forge new agreements as the times dictate. A great country produces great things, like the Constitution, but it is not the last word. Unless, people suggest we stop creating and reaching for greatness.
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            • Posted by j_IR1776wg 11 years, 5 months ago
              The six southern colonies wanted to count their slaves as full citizens for the purposes of Congressional representation.The seven northern colonies did not want to count them at all.. The north compromised at 3/5 to keep the southern colonies from allying with Great Britain which purchased almost all of the cotton they produced. Had this occurred, it probably would have doomed the new USA. The decision was a little more complex than it seems on the surface.
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              • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 11 years, 5 months ago
                Hello j_IR1776wg,
                I am in agreement with your argument. The 3/5 clause was an unfortunate compromise necessary at the time in order to form the union and have any chance of future abolition. The amendment process provided opportunity for correction and realization of equal opportunity for all when the political atmosphere allowed. It should be noted that the U.S.A. did abolish slavery while many nations still accepted the barbaric process.
                That shortcoming of equal opportunity now corrected, after many adjustments, leaves little of the original Constitution and Bill of Rights if observed with respect to original intent, needing revision. If there are any places that stand out as a point which could use some tightening/ reinforcement it would be in the areas where abuse of the commerce clause or the "general welfare" phrase have occurred. This is already handled if proper respect is given to the ninth, and the tenth amendments.
                It is my opinion that the document's perceived deficiencies are less important than lack of adherence to it's letter as well as spirit.

                Respectfully,
                O.A.
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                • Posted by j_IR1776wg 11 years, 5 months ago
                  An excellent post OA

                  Your last sentence "It is my opinion that the document's perceived deficiencies are less important than the lack of adherence to its letter as well as spirit." perfectly frames the daunting task we face; namely, how can we best reclaim rights lost for ourselves and our posterity? The solution, I think, lies in two key areas; private property and public education.

                  The success of Marx's and Engel's ideas implemented over the last 123 years leading to the confiscation of the former and the total control of the latter has been breathtaking in its scope. An evil plan well executed is nonetheless evil.

                  The major assaults and injuries to private property began with the Sherman Anti-trust Act, passed through the 16th Amendment and concluded, most recently, with Kelo v New London. The rights we were granted to control our businesses, our income, and our homes taken with barely a whimper and made worse by the assent of the voter.

                  But no matter how despicable the taking of property, the destruction of the minds of children in the public education system ranks with the worst of evils ever visted by humans against humans. Here I will cede to AR in her articles titled "The Comprachicos" and point any interested reader to an excellent delineation of the core of the problem of our current public education debacle; The NEAs implementation of John Dewey's educational philosophy. See in this regard

                  http://www.crossroad.to/Excerpts/chronol...

                  The reason I'm planning to edit the constitution is my attempt to pass onto future generations the most perfect political document ever written without its deficiencies. The reason I choose to so in the Gulch is that so many like-minded people will happily note and limit my errors in logic and judgment.







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            • Posted by 11 years, 5 months ago
              We have lost the original thread about open debate versus silent opposition. This talk of the history of slavery is interesting, however, if we understand AS, it will not be long before we are all slaves to the state. They take half our money, tell us what kind of toilets and light bulbs we can use; what kind of speech is acceptable; force us to buy govt approved healthcare . . . . Now the govt has the capability of spying and arresting those who disagree with their agenda. How much more does it take before we are no longer considered free (I contend that though we have some freedoms, we have not been free in decades)? Do we continue to support the system and allow it fester; do we continue to debate openly and mark ourselves as targets (Galt had to hide to survive); or do we band together in secret and oppose quietly?
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              • Posted by khalling 11 years, 5 months ago
                ultimately, this is an intellectual battle-so completely hiding is never going to win. However, protecting your safety by removing yourself as far as possible, has a long and rich intellectual history, including DesCartes, Einstein, Rand, etc. They left, however, continued the intellectual battle. Galt hid in plain sight.
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