They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story
Re: They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story -- Lysander Spooner
| Posted by SnM ® , Sep 23,2003,11:32 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
"It's not just the reporter calling this an 'experiment in democracy' - he or she is claiming that the voters call it an experiment in democracy."
The reporter is likely paraphrasing a spokesperson for the movement. Your statement that "Probably someone said 'freedom' and the reporter substituted 'democracy' as if they were the same thing" reveals far more about your ignorance and prejudice than it does about the intelligence of a reporter you don't know. Can't accept that? Check out Michael's quote from the movement's website, which suggests that yes, they are indeed indulging in an experiment in democracy."Honestly, this borders on slander":
No, it doesn't, and you're statement goes way beyond the border of ignorance; it's asinine and completely off-base, just as MTE pointed out, albeit more politely. "Most reporters I've talked to neither understand nor care about distinctions such as this."
Either you haven't talked to many reporters or lack an understanding of the distinctions you reference. Based on the evidence you've provided, the answer appears to be both. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, though.
Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from
Re: They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story -- SnM
| Posted by Lysander Spooner ® , Sep 23,2003,15:00 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
or even having a clue that they exist has caused people to become confused as to the origins of their rights and inconsistent. If your natural right are not part of our being, then all this talk about justice, freedom, and what have you are merely words with no meaning or purpose.
Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from
Re: Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from -- Lysander Spooner
| Posted by mte ® , Sep 23,2003,17:02 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
Man, Constitutional fundamentalists are just as wacky as Christian fundamentalists.
Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from
Re: Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from -- mte
| Posted by jfm ® , Sep 23,2003,19:43 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
I wouldn't call LS a Constitutional fundamentalist; he's always going on about illegitimacy of any and all governments, which is pretty far afield from the Constitution. He thinks documents like the Constitution actually hinder our enjoyment of rights. Which, I suppose, would be why people in countries without such an enforceable document (the Congo, say, or Iran) have so many more rights than Americans.
Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from
Re: Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from -- jfm
| Posted by mte ® , Sep 23,2003,23:07 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
OK. I just noticed the remarkable symmetry between his argument that if civil liberties aren't "natural," they're meaningless, and the argument of Biblical inerrantists that evolution undermines the whole Bible. I guess he's just a Constitutional fundamentalist about the income tax...
They come from the Rights Fairy?
Re: Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from -- Lysander Spooner
| Posted by Michael ® , Sep 23,2003,16:17 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
I'm guessing that along with preserving your "natural rights," you're also very concerned with your precious bodily fluids, too. Right?
~m.
Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from
Re: Basically the failure to understand where your natural rights come from -- Lysander Spooner
| Posted by SnM ® , Sep 23,2003,16:10 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
For someone who's anti-drugs, or anti-pro-drugs or whatever you think you're blathering about, you certainly seem to do a lot of them before you post.
They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story
Re: They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story -- SnM
| Posted by Lysander Spooner ® , Sep 23,2003,14:57 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
Based on the principles of democracy, your rights are based on whichever way the wind blows. The expression "a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for dinner" is pretty accurate. In a republic, In a republic, your rights are inalienable and can't be blotted out in spite of attempts to deprive you of your rights. Your natural rights are part of your inherit being.
They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story
Re: They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story -- Lysander Spooner
| Posted by mte ® , Sep 23,2003,10:58 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
"Libel" would be the word you're looking for. But even if the reporter did mismanage the distinction between "freedom" and "democracy," that falls far short of the standard for libel.
They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story
Re: They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story -- Lysander Spooner
| Posted by Michael ® , Sep 23,2003,09:35 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
From the FAQ atFreeStateProject.org: "We are a legal, peaceful group with legitimate views, exercising our democratic rights."Sounds like an experiment in democracy to me.
~m.
They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story
Re: They're not looking for the truth; they're looking for a story -- Michael
| Posted by jfm ® , Sep 23,2003,11:05 |
| |
MetroBlab
|
I sure as hell hope it's an experiment in democracy. If it is, it'll be interesting to watch, preferably from a distance. If it isn't, then that means they're contemplating some method other than democratic means to bring about these changes in school systems, drug laws, etc. In which case, I'd be curious about which means exactly Mr. Spooner prefers to democratic ones. Lynch mobs? Targeted assassinations of local officials? What's interesting is that a group like this could eventually make themselves as effective on a local or national scale as, say, the Christian Coalition. And that wouldn't be a bad thing. I don't agree with their entire agenda, but there are some good ideas there. And of course, it would be fun to watch ideological libertarians get into office and discover that somebody, somehow, still has to make sure the garbage gets picked up and the creeks don't get poisoned and children do actually need some kind of care and instruction. There are alternative ways of doing all those things, and possibly better ones, but they would take an awful lot of work -- and probably some government, too.
|