Reston has got it right. I fianlly agree with Ayn about something, "the right to strike". The rest as Reston said is mindless. What is ethics if not some commonality concernig the way to do things together, thus the so called "state" or "society". What civilization would exist if each and every individual had a different ethics and no commonality. Ayn Rand was a blowhard, low life writer.

I'll take a relativistic approach to this one. For sure knowledge increases one's choices and direction in life and thinking. But who is to say that an "undiscovered" (by us that is) and "uneducated" Amazonian tribal member or tribe is not free. As for Channing he was a great early writer and thinker in the Unitarian Church. His essays are interesting. For further study watch the film "Educating Rita". She lost her free spirtied cockney language and character and became a slave to the straight jacketed higher education and knowledge of Cambridge and Oxford. Education and knowledge often requires a discipline. Thus a question "Does freedom equal discipline?"

Now we know why silent Cal stayed silent most of the time and he should have done so this time also. What a sad philosophic outlook. His dictum has found full fruition on the current TV show American Greed, in the likes of Bernie Madoff etcetera. This statement flies in the face of the high ideals of the founding fathers. Doesn't "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" sound like a little bit of a larger concept that his robotic view of the human being this statement expresses. Now business is important and doing good in business is fun but hell it is now the end all of existence.

I only give it a three because this is not an opinion about philosopy or politics but it is the truth, the absolute truth. Corporations in this country are now free to do the same thing and they do statistically generally supporting so called conservatives/Republicans to the detriment of the individual and freedom, and the concerpt of one man, one vote, and of government by the people.

Why is it that when government complains about the media, corporations, and advertisers controlling people and children no one listens. Why is it only government that does these things. US Taxes are the lowest among the industrialized world, so what country is he talking about. This high tax thing is the greatest propaganda going. US taxes are the lowest they have been since the early 1950's. It is not that the government is into mind control, the scary thing is the number of people that will believe any lie or half truth that comes down the pike, LIKE THIS ONE. Where is his proof that taxes are high etc. Don't accept this BS, oops I forget you guys alreade have! So sad it is!

The principles and founding philosophy of the United States of America are universal ones. If we do not promote them universally they have no meaning for us individuall and on our own shores. You can call it meddling if you wish to but those are the cards we have been dealt my our founders and our Constitution. We hold these truths to be self evidient that all men are created equal was not written as just a selfish broadside to remove ourselves form our British overlords but as a basic political philosophy for all men everywhere. The greatest thing we and our government can do is promote this "manifestor" worldwide and universally. We and our goverment should ever be activist in this regard. I make no apology for that I am proud of it.

Yes and thus parents should raise their children to know the value of study, work, industry and creativity and we should make the greatest form of welfare illegal, that being the god awful practice of INHERITANCE.

Yes and since no one can truly pass their life as they please (at least not without consequences) no one is free. Loughner was free on Saturday morning and passed his life as he pleased for an hour at the Safeway Mall now he is on death row. As far as Palin's pronouncements concerning political rhetoric she is right, political rhetoric does not kill people. Hitler never killed anyone and he did not break a single window during Kristal Nacht (that is Crystal Night).

Thanks GunnyCee for seeing my point. Based on Eric's quote last November the Democrats in the House went from bing majority liars to minority truth tellers. You are exactly right Gunny and the sad thing is all of the "Starry Eyed" guys above don't even get it, especially Mike, Jim K, and Carlton.

The only reason for a government service is in order to create the neighborhoods, cities, towns, states, nations, and world community that we desire to have. The community of the uviverse will come later as we keep traveling in space. Anonymous appears to be unaware that the states and local communities especially Palin's socialist Alaska lean hard on the Feds to fund their state projects. He apparently has never heard of earmarks, How can that be!

All you folks nailed old Franklin Roosevelt when he exercised his freedom of speech and freedom of ideas as being unconstitutional ones. What freedom do we really have when you guys yell unconstitutional to any idea you disagree with. You guys are or would be the real dictators that would put us all in a Constitutional Straight Jacket.

and so it is through his enlightened leadership and those of others who have gone before and after we have ended horse and buggy things like segregation, where some people could not travel and get lodging and food enroute. We have started and continue to attempt to clean up air and water, the benefits of his thinking goes on and on and yet others and you know who you are only claim that eliminating such "horse and buggy" practices is an affront to your liberty.

Just look for the minority opinion all of the time and of course therefore you will always have the truth. How do square the concept that the minority always has the truth with the concept of "common sense". If sense is common that is held by most people then obviously the minority which holds a different idea of sense is not common and must be wrond, mustn't it be, therefore. What are guys smoking today, anyway?

Carlton take note "we are not free to take the money that by law belongs to the government" aka taxes. Under tax law a portion of virutally everything we make belongs to local, state and federal government. We are not free to deny them their due.

Guys like Carlton using phrases like "tax tyranny" to define our freely and democratically enacted tax laws is what the problem is with our country. Let us start talking intelligently.

For the perfect example see Eric Schaub quote above.

What the hell Eric why is not the minority party part of "every party". Why the hell would a minority party resort to truth. I think your quote fits Martin Luther Kings dictum exactly.

Maybe but still a powerful position.

His fears have found complete fruition in Fox News. I am not afraid to name Fox and Roger Ailes and Company as a politicla propaganda organization parading around as a news organization.

Sorry for the protracted comments. Think of it like this; there are only two rules to operate a democracy or We The People Government. 1) The People are always correct. 2) When the people are incorrect see rule 1. The people and thus are government has been incorrect/correct for a decade running up 13 trillion worth of debt. Until the people and thus the government become correct/correct will things be better for them, the government and the nation.

Go ahead break the computer despotism of "control, alt, delet" and shut down using "shift. comma, backspace" maybe that will make you fell free of the scandalous theocratic despotism.

How iit is that Archer said I proved the quote is beyond me. I said that democracy assumed No Correctness just a compromise. Compromises are seldom "correct" but just a gemerally accepted way of doing things in the public arena. In computing we long ago accepted "control, alt, delete" as a way to crash or turn of our computers. There is nothing correct about that just an accepted way of doing it. Tell me of a place where there is not these norms of practice, policy, or procedures for public interaction and law. The stupid "correctness" is winked at and gone along with until someone tries to get a mjority to change it. So there is no despotism or theocracy.

Archer don't get it. Those who abhor democracy do so generally because they "want their own way", so do dictators. Oh yes it takes a load of patience to put up with democracy, that is, put up with your fellows opinions but the oppoite I say is either dictarotarship or the rule of the few. Carlton is on to something however with his complaint about corporatism etc all aided and abetted by right wing think tanks funded by guys like Scaife et al whose sole attempt like the Stalinists of old is to rob the average guy of his opinion by blatant lying propaganda a la Fox Network. GunnyCee delves into liberalism which is nto the same thing as democracy. Democracy allows liberals, conservatives, moderaters, and everything else to have a say, a voice, and a vote. I think Gunney has shown the hand of him and others who mistakenly consider democracy to be liberal but in their mistake and hatred for democracy they turn to totalitarian and minority forms of thinking rather than to the idea of We The People in totality.

The quote is blatantly wrong. Democracy never assumes correctness just reliance on current consensus, this current consensus changes and is always in flux. When elections are held the current consensus changes more dramatically. The only assumption of correctness that democracy has is that it believes that this fumbling along, seemingly incherent, try this approach and then try that approach, changing and fickle MAJORITY RULE is the best over time. As Churchill said. "It is the worst governemnt of all except for all of the others, which are worse.?

His last statement is true. Governments must be wise and measured and represent their people. The references to 9/11 and rest is food for thought but generally BS. Wulff, you highlighted very well how wise and measured the US has tried to be.When you big and strong sometimes you must be gentle and slow. Look how we and our South Korean friends handled the attack and killing of civilians recently over their as well as the sinking of a S. Korean sub. Clinton and Bush gave The Taliban every opportunity to hand over Ben Laden before and after 9/11 but they refused. Hornberger needs more facts in his file.