"No man is free who is not master of himself" Epictetus -- RBESRQ I like that quote very much. It is when we keep wanting and cannot find wholeness in ourselves that we become a slave to meeting that need and risk our freedom. Needs are another thing, being essential to survival. Does not our interdependence to meet our needs in some ways threaten our freedom every day?

It makes for better movie, doesn't it? Meaning freedom with danger than slavery with peace.

Man is condemned to be ever vigilant to be free may be a sideline to this quote. Freedom is never a given and must be protected. It is innate that man be self directed and resists domination. Those who attempt to overcome another is always met with resistance and violence. But then is there any creature that does not prefer to be free, and would do the same like a fish on a hook or any feral mammal.

The problem is whose belief is "correct". Both or all believe they are right, and that their beliefs are more valid than the other. How do you (or I) know that we are right when we have not had the full experience and knowledge of the other? I never could tolerate people who were absolute in their declarations of absolute knowledge about something or the other. Because of their thunderous exclamations, I always tend to question them, or their motives for their stated belief. Then sometimes people try to bluff that they know when they know they do not know.

By the way, Elena Sassower is an attorney, as well as is her mother, both of whom work together to try to improve judicial accountability. http://www.judgewatch.org/

Some judicial activists try to make judges accountable for the unlawful decisions that come out of their mouths in their courtrooms. One organization's leader Elaine Sassower had been jailed for asking for clarification, attacked because of her beliefs that judges are not the Constitution and cannot be above the law, although some have loudly proclaimed they are above the law. Unfortunately judges now make decisions without entering conclusions of law and matters of fact, so that their decisions cannot be appealed. This is happening more and more. The judges are out of control, and have no one who will hold them accountable.

Little difference between the two parties, both seem conflicted in their allegiance to money and power, and the people. The same of attempts at splitting folks into factions, the ole "liberals" blame game going on here which is so non-productive. Bush lied to get us into a war which has tripled and more our national debt, so blame that on the liberals too. And as far as policy making restricting our rights (allegedly under liberalism) just doesn't explain the Patriot Act designed by Bush Administration even prior to 9-11. Are these slugs against someone else who thinks differently than you intended to stop the dialogue sidetracking it into a hate game. This gets so old or maybe it is the old who cannot look at the world in any other terms. Off the blame game, it has been evident to me working for government that it often is kingdom building. Once someone gets into a nice job they want security and create a kingdom and new policies around them to assure their job security.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4923173 Just happened on this today under the Common Cause website regarding how many corporations, number decreasing steadily, own the use of our "public airways", for their private use by the way. Thanks Kalamazoo for your input.

Rush Limbaugh thinks if he says it over enough times he can convince all his listeners that he is right. Repetition and distortion by the Oh So Right "Conservatives" unfortunately gets repeated by the news media giving it more punch. Ever wonder why so much discussion about what Limbaugh or Robertson says on the major networks on TV. Although they seem to contest the content, they appear to purposefully repeat it every half hour to make sure everyone has heard it. They give it more strength by giving more press to the statement. I can see through it and wonder how many more people do. They sure aren't repeating what the left "Liberals" are saying nor even giving it much press if any. Elliot Spitzer's Editorial to the Washington Post just before he resigned in disgrace held a strong message for the public about predatory lending and the part the Bush Administration played in preventing enforcement of laws to stop it, but it did not get repeated, nor reprinted even though I asked our paper, The Albuquerque Jornal to reprint it. It is actually not so easy to find now when Google is used. Censorship is happening so many different ways, jailing dissidents who demonstrate at political meetings, maintaining lists of citizens who do not agree with illegal wars", "loss of privacy" through the Patriot Act, "public option health care for all who want it" etc. Corporate welfare is not disputed by the "Conservatives" but the "Liberals" find it just as unconstitutional as the Righties find Public Option unconstitutional. Mind you, it is the Conservatives who have the money to throw at the issues to print or not print. They own the media. Isn't money contributing to censorship since you don't hear from the other side. Keeping candidates from Presidential debates because they are not one of the two controlling parties is censorship. It is my belief that the internet is increasingly controlled so that information about opposing opinions isn't so easy to find through Google as it used to be. Jim, you have to admit that the conservatives control the information and present mostly one view, except for excellent journalism as on Democracy Now, and Link TV.

Indeed, look at the increased militarism of our country, increased defense budgets, increased involvement in non-declared wars on sovereign countries, 20,000 troops in Haiti another (but not new) occupation that is unwarranted, spending my tax money on imperialism throughout the world, and increased spending on nuclear weapons, and loss of privacy through government surveillance and increased weapons to disperse civil non-violent protests of these conditions tell me that we are not free but living on the edge of tyranny. People in this government have very little control anymore. Our liberty is dependent on our being silently compliant.

If you apply this to insurance, having worked for the Michigan Medicaid program and for Washington state Blue Shield, I am firmly and significantly in favor of government control over private greedy insurance companies. Government did it better, cheaper and with conscience.

America allows over one million legal immigrants a year. How can we assimilate such a crowd? A Canadian fellow told me more than 20 years ago that our problems stems from trying to absorb so many people into our towns and cities. Almost the flood that the pilgrims caused the Indians. As an aside, the Indians have some advantages in that they own their houses on the res. and cannot be taxed out of their own homes and property.

You already have your proof of a God. Look around you. How is it that in this solar system, that we have everything we need right here, the Garden of Eden. How long since you looked at a flower? The fact that we are here with such awesome complexity as the Steven Hawkins quote by RBESQ. A Public Radio discussion between scientist I listened to many years ago about whether God existed, the scientist agreed that science will eventually prove God exists. A much Higher Intelligence, thank heavens, is there but whether humans are a part of any longer term design is questionable since humans are prone to creating hell.

The national deficit increased from $5.6 trillion when Bush came into office, and was $10.5 trillion when he left office. What does one call that?

Wonder who her God is? That would be telling.

Idealistic. Right isn't might, unfortunately. Yet, if one can hold steady to your ideals when standing alone in a field of idiots and innocents, one is free. It takes an independent resolute person to find comfort in that ideal. Waffler was apparently successful in winning over authority and felt justified in the effort.. Perhaps management didn't have much to lose and let him have that one. When your whole being is at stake and you are up against ruthless foe, better to make sure what the risks are and that you can live with them. Dying is easy, as it is soon over, not to diminish M. Brown's quote.

You men sound like a good old boys smoking club, smoking cigars that is. No one new dare provide input because one must agree with you. What is all this leftest and rightest, liberal and conservative talk? It is merely labeling to make it easier to argue one's limited point of view. Yes, I am the nurse who had the audascity to accept food stamps my last semester of nursing school. Yes, I let the public help support me and my children. Yet, I have worked overtime taking care of your parents who were too much trouble and irritating to handle with their dementia, and I was expected to do it at a rate of pay an hour below what you MEN receive. There I go labeling Men. It would be interesting to know your ages, probably mostly over sixty years old. Try to think out of the box and see people as having varying points of view and stop trying to simplify issues with labels. I have many points of view along the spectrum, and I am 65 years old now.

Right on Chitty. Sure it would be better to not pay taxes but they could be put to better use, such as keeping interrstate road and highways in good condition, keeping bridges repaired and safe, etc. Taxes are supposed to go back to the people, the states, but more is spent for defense than any other area, something that the people do not approve. Lies to enter war and bankrupt a nation and cause our soldiers to die, or be physically and psychologically crippled is inexcuseable and not pardonable. Taxes are hand outs to corrupt leaders who do not do the will of the people.THEY always turn it around and put us on the defense. Reagan was another puppet.

Unforntunately, John F. Kennedy was assassinated over this in part. He hoped to eliminate the Fed Reserve and had ordered the government print it's own money as the constitution delegated. The presses had already printed some money at the time of his death, but of course it ended very abruptly. Yes, it has been a big farce, a sham, a pretense, a tragedy played upon overly trusting citizens. This is a lesson. Government is not mommy and daddy. Do not trust government. The future outlook is indeed very disturbing.

Cnsider for a moment whether he is talking about the development of Naziism and the inability of the mass of Germans believing in the unification of faulty ideals led to imposed unification and enormous discord. There m ust be room for variation and innovation. If we all think the do the same often it can stiffle the innovative in that persons with new ideas are often rejected by the masses.

For whomever wrote 'we should repeal all laws made by Bush,' you can be sure he has written much more dangerous Executive Orders which are determined as laws but have little exposure to the public in the media. If you donate money that has been determined to have activities that you did not know about that is considered by whomever, since there is no definition of terrorist, to be terrorist activity, you could have all your property confiscated by the government, and could be placed in jail, without protection of habeas corpus. Bush is the most frightening president we have ever had but then consider where his grandpa made his money. From laundering money for Hitler in a New York Bank. Bush is a traitor of the worst kind and should have been charged and thrown out of office years ago. But why hasn't he. That is one of the next most frightening things about him.

Indeed most people would prefer to not hear the truth or they would go mad and could not sleep at night. It would prompt them to act, buy alas we are all sedated with flouride or whatever it is they sprinkle in the contrails in the sky. I do think that fantasy is preferred over the truth. Let the next generation worry about it. And yes, it makes me mad as hell that people are not hearing and processing what they hear. Play the devil's advocate and you shall be aware.

As long as it is someone else's blood, the congressperson, i.e. politician, will jump through hoops, and bend over backward, to get the feast for him/herself. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Case in point, in NM we have a senator Domineci who has dementia, and they will let him vote on life effecting bills until the next election. He has had it for several years. He has the Federal Courthouse named after him, and he isn't dead, in the real sense, yet. How the heck does that happen? One big jump by another flea. Thank you Mark Twain for giving us some humor in a sick world.

They are idiots of the worse kind. They are ruining this country. They do not care if they pass laws that are not constitutional, even though they take an oath to uphold the constitution. Anyone who cannot do their job without hanging onto their scruples are the worse kinds of idiots. Mark Twain has a way of envisioning the uncomfortable reality with a bit of humor. Ron Paul is not an idiot, nor is Kuchinic, but the rest fit right in with Mark Twains quote which lightens up reality, to a small degree. God save America from idiots, and the press.

Sorry, Mike, but to make your children sleep in a car because you are too proud to accept assistance that is available sounds like child neglect or abuse. Maybe you should have turned them over to the church to care for until you were able to find gainful employment to care for them yourself. To make your children suffer was not a good lesson for them. There are many lessons in life but they do not have to be taught in a cruel manner. Incidentally, as long as I have been gainfully employed, often in two jobs at once, sometimes to care for my children as many people do now and then, social security was a required deduction, not voluntary. I am not going to play the game with the federal government about whether my taxes are legal. The consequences are more than I want to pay as most people do not win, so my taxes have been paid in full every year. No games to avoid paying them. Listen, I do not get away with anything. Got pregnant the first time I had sex. I was eighteen and engaged at the time, but what a lesson in 1961 when it was not fashionable to be single and pregnant. WE all have our experiences of difficulty but to deny assistance and condemn a loan that I paid in full, and scholarships for studying hard and getting good grades is not a condemnable act.