I thought I would share this info found in my e-mail this morning...
About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior.
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage."
Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:
1. Population of counties won by: Gore: 127 million; Bush: 143 million;
2. Square miles of land won by: Gore: 580,000; Bush: 2,427,000
3. States won by: Gore: 19 Bush: 29
4. Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Gore: 13.2; Bush: 2.1
Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was mostly the land owned by the tax-paying citizens of this great country. Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off government welfare.âÂÂ
Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some 40 percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.
Knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our freedom, we should all take note!
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Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.
Sir Winston Churchill, Hansard, November 11, 1947
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Never knock on deaths door... Ring the doorbell and run away, death really hates that!
Edited: Sat September 09, 2006 at 5:36 PM by Karl Hofmann
Russell,
Wasn't too interested in Olson's comments but rather the interesting and thought provoking "history repeats itself", democracy and apathy issue.
Only 30% of registered voters are voting regardless of whether they are living in a purple state or a purple state (does it really matter). This is apparently less than the number of people voting for the singers on the "American Idol" TV show.
You and I have differing views but we both care and are passionate about our involvement. Is there anything that can be done about the complacency?
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In order to combat the current apathy in America concerning our government, we must first understand its origin.
Our government no longer exists to assure the safety and welfare of the american citizen. It's sole purpose now appears to be ensuring the profitability of american business. Not little family owned businesses like AMA, corporate america.
Just guessing, I'd say that AMA has never donated $10K to the election campaign of any senator, nor has HECAT.(Not to pick on you guys, but I have to use someone real that everyone here can relate to) General Electric, Macdonald Douglas, Northrop, Boeing, ect., ect., ect........on the other hand, have probably contributed to every political race in all 50 states, for the last 80 years. Who are these politicians indebted to, and for whom will they legislate in order to assure their own survival?
With the rise of the Reagan administration came the fall of the American worker. Business profits grew through tax reductions and incentives for business. But at the same time, hourly wages and worker benefits began a slow steady decline. Not to say that wages have not risen in 25 years, but they have not risen on a scale equal to corporate profits. The cost of a refrigerator for instance has risen over 400% in the last 50 years. The same for food and clothing. What person making those same refrigerators can say their wages have grown at the same rate?
Top corporate executives now make in annual yearly bonuses amounts equal to what 10 average American workers make in a lifetime. They live in mansions owned by the corporation and vacation and travel in company jets while the workers lose their health insurance benefits.
We stood by helpless as dozens of these men manipulated out stock market and plundered their employees retirement funds. They held little fear of reprisal.
Lobbyist in Washington outnumber our "representatives" 20 to 1. More and more of our legislators are being caught boldly establishing their own enterprises within our government. Whether it be construction contracts being let out without bid, or start-up minority companies being granted huge contracts to represent the American people overseas. Need to build cell towers in Botswana? Johns cousin can set that up!
Why does the american government spend more money on it's military than the next 50 industrialized nations combined? Could we possibly have made that many enemies since 1918? If so how? If we had invested just a fraction of that money in power plants and agriculture instead of tanks and planes in the middle east would we still be facing the hatred of those who feel oppressed in the mid east?
We put the Shah of Iran on the throne in 1953 to re-open those rich oil fields to American and British exploration and keep the Russians out. We traded american weapons for cheap oil, thus keeping him in power and enabling him to enslave his population and keep them poor and starving in the desert while he built lavish palaces. He was a favorite puppet of the Eisenhower administration. When his people revolted near the end of the Carter administration, we switched our support to the regime of Saddam Hussein under the guidance of Ronald Reagans administration.
We supported Saddam Hussein, and turned a blind eye as he used weapons of mass destruction (again provided by the United States) against our new enemy the ayatollah Khomeine and the people of Iran. Again trading weapons for cheap oil, we sat on the sidelines as he ruled his own people with fear and oppression.
We have backed the nation of Israel against countless United Nations sanctions for acts of aggression against its own people and her neighbors. Again, were it not for american made and provided weapons this could not have happened. Again we do this s to protect american interests in a foreign land. To provide stability in a region where, were it not for our interference, there would be no instability. The Iranian government we toppled in 1951 had no quarrel with Israel at the time. They had merely nationalized their oil industry and threw out the western formed Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (BP) which had been keeping 85% of the profits of Irans fields.
This is where we get our news...http://la.indymedia.org/news/2003/04/47530.php
Please pay particular attention to who's presidential campaigns they have contributed to, and how much.
The Fox news channel is now the most watched news in America. Fox is owned by a rich Australian family and a Saudi prince. Its chairman, CEO, and president Roger aisles is a former aide to Richard Nixon, consultant for Ronald Reagan, and worked for George H. W. Bush in his 1988 election campaign. How could this ever produce "fair and balanced" news?
When did the leading news story EVERY MONDAY become which movie made the most money the previous weekend, and why? Why is the latest winner of a game show our new idol and star? Who has decreed that these are newsworthy events, and why? Why is it national news that Mel Gibson was arrested for DWI and acted like a drunk, or that Brittney Spears or Tom Cruise had another baby?
These things became news worthy when the actual news was no longer something our government wished us to know. These are the things now considered newsworthy. This is the new "opium of the masses".
When we again become concerned by taxation without representation, government oppression and basic human rights for all, we can begin to overcome the apathy.
Right now, we don't even acknowledge that it exists.
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The difference between liberators and conquerors is the liberators go home.
Simple answer to this apathy is that we in the West have become soft, fat, lazy and deccadent. We are far more concerned in our own personal comfort than in the greater good.
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Never knock on deaths door... Ring the doorbell and run away, death really hates that!
WE HAVE LOST OUR "COMMON SENSE" !!!!!!!!!
We mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin or a sun lotion to a student; but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
You can choose to remember him and his teachings. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
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Nor do you care to read and aprehend my previous statement. If you had you would know it was Eisenhower, not Reagan that backed the Shah. When DID you start paying attention? Last week?
Reagan was the prick that played politics with the lives of the hostages taken when the Shah was overthrown, he traded their safety for even more guns. But I'm sure he's another one of your heros so you'll deny he did anything wrong also.............. Remember Iran-Contra?
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The difference between liberators and conquerors is the liberators go home.
Edited: Wed September 20, 2006 at 4:36 AM by Russell
I really could not believe the utter garbage I was reading from Russell in response to the accurate and articulate post from HECAT. What I find so hard to believe is how anyone can hate their own country so much, and the principles it was founded upon.
As an African-American (it's obvious from your recent post, your hatred of Reagan making it even more clear), you should kiss the ground you walk on. You tell me what African nation offers blacks more liberty, freedom and economic opportunity than the United States? In many African countries, slavery still exists, but you donâÂÂt hear a peep about it from any of the so-called civil rights activists. All we hear about is how racist America is. That is a bunch of CRAP!
Your bias is also clear in how you only mention and assign blame to Republican administrations, but are totally silent on Democratic administrations, which created perhaps the most catastrophic blunders.
Our government never existed to assure the safety and âÂÂwelfareâ of its citizens. Our government was formed to assure the freedom and liberty of its citizens, and the sovereignty of the individual states. Read the Declaration of Independence. Ensuring the profitability of American business is what America is all about. Priovate property rights are specifically enumerated on our Constitution, and economic freedom was the basic premise of the Revolutionary War. Remember the Boston Tea Party?
Your statement âÂÂwith the rise of the Reagan administration came the fall of the American workerâ is so completely asinine I donâÂÂt know where to begin. You tell me how the American worker benefited under Carter, when unemployment was nearly 10%, inflation was 13.5% and interest rates were on an unprecedented rise, reaching a 20.5% peak. All that changed under the Reagan, thanks in large part to those tax cuts you wail about. In fact, African Americans were among some of the biggest beneficiaries of ReaganâÂÂs policies. Too bad many are too stupid to figure it out. A rising tide lifts all boats.
If things are so bad for the âÂÂAmerican workerâ how come home ownership is at a record high? More âÂÂAmerican workersâ have achieved the American Dream of home ownership than ever before in history.
Corporate executives make what they make because they increase shareholder value. If you find a way to increase shareholder value, you too will be rewarded as well. I do not have a problem with this. This is what capitalism is all about. Would you rather shareholder value be destroyed, just so a couple of dollars can be saved on executive compensation?
Maybe you âÂÂstood by helpless as dozens of these men manipulated out stock market and plundered their employees retirement fundsâ but I, and many others, certainly did not. By 1997, I sold off 2/3 of my individual stock and mutual fund holdings, and by 1999, I sold off another 1/4 more. And by late 2000, and through most of 2002, I profited immensely through the market decline. If you stood by helpless, youâÂÂve got no one to blame but yourself. By the way, most of the plundering and corporate scandals occurred when your guy Clinton was in office. Where was the oversight by his SEC?
Military spending is Constitutionally authorized, and yes we need it. Sending money over to the Middle East for social projects is ABSOLUTELY not, and they would hate us just the same. Most of the wealth in the Middle East is derived from oil, much of which we helped them get and are the largest consumers of. And yet they hate us. Besides, it is not our problem why they hate us, but it is the obligation of our government to provide for the national defense to ensure their hate will not lead to our demise.
And NO we did not put the Shah of Iran on the throne in 1953. You really need to get a clue. The last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was the ruler of Iran from 1941-1979. The Iranian monarchy goes all the way back to the Persian empire. From 1500 until the Iranian Revolution in 1979 (when Iran was transformed into an Islamic Republic) it did not change very much. And who did CARTER back during the Iranian Revolution, despite the writing on the wall? Hint: It wasnâÂÂt Ayatollah Khomeni. The meddling by Carter into Islamic affairs planted the seeds of hatred in the Islamic world against the West, particularly the US.
You are really sick chastising Israel. Tell me when an Israeli strapped him or herself with a bomb and blew up a market. Even if Israel did not exist, there STILL would not be stability in the Middle East. What about India and Pakistan? What about Indonesia? Look around the world, almost every single world conflict involves Muslims unable to get along with their neighbors. These people hate each other, and have been killing one another for thousands of years. The only thing they're united in is their anti-Semitism and soon anti-Christian hatred.
Your media arguments are even more superfluous. What about CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, PBS⦠not to mention the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News And World Report⦠the list is endless. And youâÂÂre worried about ONE SLIGHTLY conservative news station? What a joke!
About the only thing I can agree with you on is taxation without representation⦠the rest is CRAP.
Bottom line is we are clearly at the âÂÂcomplacency to apathyâ phase HECAT noted. There is no question about it, but it has little to do with the items you mentioned; quite the contrary.
Joe
Well Russell has always pointed out he wanted to kill the Jews. He loves to live off this country. Yet hates it at the same time. Maybe he should move over to Venezuela and be pals with Hugo Chavez!
Joe you could not be more right on the stock market. While I feel some did some very poor things with other's money. People need to take responsibility for the loss also. The daily reports on the price of a share was still being published. So why anyone would just sit there day after day and watch it crash is there own fault. This reminds me of the New Orleans issue. Was watching the HBO deal the other night and all the Gov and Mayor kept saying is "we just waited for the feds'. I don't think these type of people can take a crap without being told when to do it.
Is it not amazing we allow a person like Ahmadinejad into this country to speak. When his people want to slice the head off the Pope for his remarks. This muslim issue is going to explode in the next 10 years. If you think the fighting now is bad! Wait until your children have to fight these people on the streets of North Mexico, I mean America! This will become a us or them issue in my opinion. I have no issue with them if they would not kill me for believing in something else. Problem is they are not willing to do that!
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Why have I not heard Russell yelling and screaming about this oil issue.
The Venezuelan strongman spoke of his alliance with Cuba, a country he said had "been choked" by the U.S., and of his close friendship with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Chavez said their cooperation had improved the lives of Cubans and Venezuelans alike.
The event, one of a series designed to boost the Venezuelan leader's popularity in the U.S., was organized by Citgo, a Houston-based energy company that is owned and controlled by the Venezuelan government.
Citgo, in partnership with Citizens Energy, a program run by former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy II, sells and distributes discounted home heating oil to low-income families.
Maybe because a Kennedy is involved?
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JJM......................I'll respond to you when I am through laughing!
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The difference between liberators and conquerors is the liberators go home.
Tim, it always amazes me just how penny wise and pound foolish people are. No one would give a total stranger $200 to go out and buy them groceries, but when it comes to their life savings, that's EXACTLY what they do! People will drive around looking to save 5â a gallon on gasoline, or 50â on a package of toilet paper, but when it comes to their retirements, they don't put in nearly as much effort.
I always laughed at all the fools uttering the four most dangerous words on Wall Street: IT'S DIFFERENT THIS TIME. Once I started seeing books like "Dow 36,000", stock market commentators acheiving almost celebrity status, and everyone talking stocks instead of sports in the late 1990's, where cops and grocery stores clerks were investing/speculating, I knew the top was in and it was time to be ready to take big short positions. Too bad I wasn't even more aggressive.
What was also ironic is almost no one uttered the word "CRASH" in 2000 when Clinton was President, despite the NASDAQ losing 49.6% of it's value in 9 months. Thw 2000 crash was one of the most widely under-reported stories of our time. Remeber the Crash of 1987 and how that was such a big news event, despite it being much smaller. Of course, a Republican was President!
Russell, what a thought provoking reply... but if you want nationized oil companies, why don't you move to Venezuela? I was there a few times in the early 1990's. You complain about wealth disparity here, you ain't seen NOTHING when you see how things are inside then outside of Caracas.
Joe
Joe your comments remind me of the people that think getting a tax refund check back each year is a good thing!
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... when it comes to bashing your own country (the US is your country, isn't it) you certainly have no shortage of words. But when someone calls you on it, your response is "laughing" an act as if you've been read Miranda warnings. What's the matter, cat got your tongue?
Joe
Damn JJM..........Sorry, but I took a short (5 week) vacation and when I returned I had forgotten all about you. (and the piss ants in the backyard)
Using the same type of infallible logic as yours (when you determined I am black) I have made some determinations about you also.
I can tell by your support of the bush regime and republicans in general, that you are a closet pedophile with homosexual tendancies. Do you have interns in your place of business as well?
As for our history in Iran, I suggest you get someone to read it to you since you are incapable of understanding it yourself.
http://www.iranian.com/Opinion/2002/June/MM/index.html
The real people of the united states have spoken and voted 51 of your cronies out of office.
Now.....call me Makacka!
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The difference between liberators and conquerors is the liberators go home.
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