This is what's behind the forces calling for 'exiting' the political boundaries of deception and lies.  Establishment politicians' rhetoric and their actions have rarely matched.  Thus Trump, Brexit, and other nation-centric political movements.  The lies of the Clinton's, Obama's and Bush's just cannot stand the test.  Actions speak louder than words.

I often wonder what Jefferson would say of the US today?  The US has re-adopted many of the systems of monarchy and aristocracy that regulate the common people as 'subjects.'

What about far-left atheistic fundamentalism?  Any fundamentalist unwilling to re-examine their sacred cows is practicing ignorance.  Those unwilling to admit when they do not know are their own worst enemies.

Protecting people from the truth, is a CON.  And it works because people do lie — why?  Who do the lies protect?  The one lying!  Many do believe that some lies are necessary for the 'security' of the one being lied to.  B.S.!  Look at the 'intelligence community' — lies, lies, lies — that is their job to keep us 'safe.'  From what?  Reality?!  No, they lie to protect themselves.  Lying to ourselves forges our own chains even as we believe our lies will keep us safe.  Imagine a culture in which honesty and forbearance were foundational principles?  Liberation does not come from government, it is a paradigm shift from being a passenger in life to being the driver.  If you don't like where you are going, turn around.

Spoken like a true government-educated drone.  Talk about ignorance.

Yet we elect them year after year ...  It appears only those with the best 'act' are worthy of representing us.  An honest man is a flawed man who does not try to appear as something else.  When we start to value truth over appearances, even when it is unpleasant, that's when things will really shine.  If the truth sets us free, what do lies do?

Not everyone thinks like a collectivist.  Some are repulsed by groupism, some are secured by it.  How the individual answers the question 'who am I?' is what it is all about.  The liberated want liberation for everyone, the collectivists want collectivism for everyone.  Each have their costs and benefits.  And through it all, freedom of choice rises to the top.  Voluntary association, respecting the rights of others, is a powerful force — which is why the power-grabbers seek to control groups with rules and laws, so that the collective power can be used for for the "regulator's" profit.

'Sacrifice' has become a mantra of the authoritarians whether religious or secular.  It's the word used to excuse every power grab that enriches the ruling elite at the expense of the common people.

Ignorance and hypocrisy help fuel the delusion.  It isn't long thereafter that crimes are committed in the name of justice.

Interesting, Ron, but where does one find this?

Playing God is as popular as ever. ;-)

To be ignorant, Waffler, is to ignore, which is your forte, not mine.  Al Gore has positioned himself to make billions in the carbon tax racket.  He already cashed in on the banning of incandescent light bulbs in exchange for mercury-filled (!!) fluorescent bulbs.  He is not the most knowledgeable legislator — he is an insider and a crook, like his pals the Clinton's.  He does not care about the environment AT ALL otherwise his lifestyle would reflect that.  He is for POWER.  The entire 'climate change' global agenda is to centralize power.  Global average temperatures are the same as 100 years ago, ocean levels, too.  The Earth has been warming for the last 12,000 years birthing human civilization.  Don't worry, the next Ice Age returns like clockwork every 100,000 years or so, and we are due. 

Get a grip — humans do not control the weather, nor should they!  Stop trying to be God — you're not smart enough.

Blecch.  No facts at all, Waffler, pure BS.

Explains my youth to a tee.  Like trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole.

The "fanatical zeal to improve the lot of mankind" historically results in war, individually and collectively.  The Democrats are not democratic and the  Republicans are not republican.  The classic liberal has been replaced with the progressive authoritarian.  The same corruptions of the old Catholic Church have occurred in the secular state governments, leaving the founding principles of Liberty behind.  American 'liberals' are among the most intolerant of all.

God forbid humankind ever learns how to live for 200 years — it will be a long slavery for most.  The quality of life is more important than its length.

The fact that half the world has been conned into believing in human-caused 'climate change' is a perfect example.  The goal is the total regulation of the use of energy by people — ultimate power really.  CO2 is already being treated as a pollutant (!!) when it is in fact a powerhouse for life.  CO2 levels in the air could quadruple (as they have been in the distant past) and life would be teeming.  Every model predicting the rising global temperatures and ocean levels has been wrong.  There is no proof at all, only theory.  The facts themselves discredit the theory.  All one has to do is look at the proposed solutions to understand why.  Politicians are poised to make billions on carbon credit schemes.  Al Gore is responsible for replacing incandescent lights with mercury-filled fluorescent lights, and has made a fortune in the new market.  He's also ready to cash in on the carbon credit market.  These are schemes for funneling more power and wealth to the ruling class, nothing more.  Not a one has cut back their own energy-hogging life style, Al Gore included.  When individuals think for themselves they make themselves unfit for the mob.

I like the distinction Rappoport is making about treating people like stimulus-response machines rather than self-directed people.  The proposed solutions to society's ills are almost always programs to get people to react — the goal then is to try and figure out what stimulus will cause the desired reaction.

Which brings us back to 'why are we here?'  Is there a purpose to/in life?  Who says?  In a way it is a war between the enlightened and the self-deluded, but the battle is within each of us to 'wake up' out of that hypnotic dream that has been cultivated by our would-be masters.  When I answer the questions 'who am I' & 'why am I here?' how much of that answer is really mine and how much is simply parroting what has been drilled into me for years?  How to sift through all that?  Discovering who I am is more of a discovery of what I am not and then finally and simply declaring my intentions.  "Know thyself."

When was this? ;-)

Truth is ever-present, its origin from the mouth of Nature's God. ;-)  I think what Astor means is the realization of the truth rests with the individual.  This shift may set new precedents and be the beginning of a new tradition (until the next big realization).

I like the distinction!

Why throw pearls to swine? ;-)

I like it, but government is not to be the helping hand, because that's what the people are to do.  The government is to protect people's right to the fruits of their labors, not steal from them to give to a favored class of voters.  Every time the government tries to offer a new public 'service' it puts that service into the hands of government exclusively.  Charity precedes a government, it is not a function of government.  If the government takes over charity, then people will be less charitable and come to expect it as a right from the government.  Thus delusion and demise due to socialism.

Open censorship, yes, only increases the attention — look at Alex Jones, he is more popular than ever.  But, most censorship goes unnoticed.  I'm happy there is all this attention on 'fake news' — you know, it has been fake for a LONG time, before the internet took over.  Censorship is common practice, but only 'works' if people don't know about it.

Not the kind of society I wish to empower.  The reason for most people's suffering is due to identifying with one's image rather than one's substance.  The populist masses vote for the one with the best act — an honest man will bring down the whole thing.