Archer I have my secret places but I intend to keep them that way!

I think Gorby was correct about the interdependent part. Socialism well I don't think we even know what it is. The Chineese "Communist-capitalists" are now almost our best friends. I have often thought that if Mark could come back he would have admired America for its wide distribution of business ownership by the people through the mechanism of corporate stock. Are employee owned businessess socialist businesses. I think an honest answer would be "yes". Some bemoan the use of feelings over the use of thinking. I think and feel that is an oversimplification. Feelings can be a first intuitive reaction to a stimulus that then triggers thinking and expounding to relate the feeling and thinking to others. I agree that it is hard to relate feelings or intuition so they must be translated into logical thought. Many of you know that from my beginning on this site I had strong reaction (feelings) against several things that were said, not once but repeatedly. They still cause me chagrin. The first is the statement "The US is a republic not a democracy" my initial reaction was based on feeling or intuition and it took me some time to think through and relate my thought and feelings. Eventually I did get a correction and agreement that America is at leats "a majority ruled" society, which after all is my definition of democracy. The second oft repeated phrase "the soveriegn individual". Again I had and still do a somewhat violent emotional reaction to this almost oxymoron. I have to then think through and try to understand why I have these feelings. So feelings, intuition is a good starting point for thinking and analysis. Sovereign means "One who possesses supreme authority, especially a person or body of persons". To claim that in America all individuals possess this quality I think is an absolute sham. If we had this quality then when told we are under arrest we could just fire the cop. We do have rights under the common law and under the Bill of Rights, we do not have sovereignity. Their are some political theorist dreamers but they are far removed from reality. Any way FEELINGS, INTUITION is an important stimulus to incisive thinking.

It has been human nature since time immemorial to control ones environment, homeland,etcetera in ever widening arcs. Tamerland and Ghengis Khan, Alexander etc. All have tried to expand their hegemony into the unknown. They did it by terror. Humans are a bit ego centric. We see it everywhere. Cities compete against each other for factories, jobs, the arts and culture. The fact is that the unknown barely exists anymore. The world is one, like it or not. The live and let live and leave them alone stance of Brazil towards their "lost tribes" is refreshing but I wander how long it will last.

Had generally known that Stalin was an evil man and this shows him to be also hightly intelligent and incisive. For him to want to collapse healthy bodies is sick indeed. I disagree that he was prophetic, after all it is his empire that crumpled not ours and I guess from the grave he would admit that it was Americas healthy body of patriotism, morality, and spirtual life that did him in.

You never get it or listen Archer. In the case of my own experience I was the "moral minority". The trashers of the national forest were the "immoral majority" or the "irresponsible individuals". The government and concerned groups are the "moral minority" trying to bring some sense to the irresponsible ones.

Would you rather live in a world of "good intentions", "bad intentions" or "no intentions" (I guess that would be a couch potatoe)? When the actions inspired by good intentions are successful nothing is ever heard about what the intent was. It is just failed good intentions that people bitch about. HELL we would not have the beautiful and inspiring Leaning Tower of Pisa, if it were not for good intentions. And I cannot believe that the poor failed architect/engineer has gone to hell for the failure of his good intentions.

The reason for these groups and government is because of the lack of INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY! If you had ever spent three weeks in a national forest as I have and picked up 21 five gallon buckets full of beer, sardine, and vienna sausage cans on each day of your morning walk you would have some understanding of how much of this vaunted individual responsibility exists. This is part of the refuse of decades of hunters abuse. It just may be that it was I who was the responsible one and the beer cans represented the actions of the individually irresponsible homo sapien pigs. But being ever optimistic I will stick with the groups and government to educate or aprehend and incarcerate these folks until they get it, only if because I can think of no other choice.

Right on Joe about the big 3 Reagan, Bush the First, and Bush the Worst. Why do so many people ignore this important issue? These guys and now McCain (Bush III) run for election by saying "Read my lips no new taxes" and all the silly suckers fall for it while the rich by the bonds that put us into debt.

Thanks Robert for the support. Jim always thinks the point is just one way, and that is his way. If there is not the ability to mull over, digest and discuss this stuff why don't we just elect a right wing fascist no dissent dictatorship and have done with it.

A mixed message quote. In two sentences he seems to lump all actions by two or more interested people to be a repudiation of personal responsibility. The right of free association is fundamental to American social and political culture. Only my organizing do we get anything accomplished, whether it be a business enterpirse for profit or a non-profit philanthropic effort or for that matter a government effort. Government is after all nothing more than organization.

We should stop borrowing from them and start taxing them. The USA is the world leader and has the greatest command and control structure. I think it is safe to say that Europe wanted NATO and American presence as does Korea and Japan. We don't have to borrow from them we could tax them and raise our own taxes on the top 1% of Americans who have 90% of the wealth and who are also getting a nice war dividend on the bonds they have bought with their Bush tax refunds. A higher tax on these folks and a reduction on middle class taxes will spur the economy. The middle class will spend the money on products from which the rich stock holders will reap dividends and capital gains.

An obvious attempt by religious straight jacket types to keep others from originality, innovation etcetera. People should be allowed to make mistakes.

Sometimes success take time. Melville was a failure in his time. His genius was not recognized until after his death. Same with Proust who was manuscript was at first rejected now considered one of the most amazing things in literarture. Maybe success depends on who is judging it.

Yeah Ken that is waht Nietsche said!

Best quote yet! Nietsche had something interesting things to say about this also. Apparently we have had few great men run for public office.

Be yourself, let your it shine be beware of jealousy.

I once wrote a song for a guitar lesson. The teacher said why did you put in that note "it seems our of place". I said "it was what I wanted". He said, "that is originality". Uniqueness is nice sometimes.

Sovereign means absolute authority. No individual in this country has absolute authority. Only THE CONSTITUTION is Sovereign, thus all of the hot air on this site about the "sovereign individual" is just that hot air.

Have made it my intention to visit art museums as I do my retirement travels. This winter did DMA (Dallas Museum of Art) and the Nasher Museum of Sculpture right nest door, a littel museum in Brownsville, Texas and the Atlanta High Museum. Yes I agree with Oscar art is exhilarating and mentally challenging. Would like to share something I heard this week with y'all that is apropos to this concept of disturbing monotony. It was said that a healthy mind is made stronger by varying routine. Sit in a differnent chair. Walk a different direction, use your "opposite" hand for tasks. These practices exercise the brain. The propagandistic mantra breathing contributors to our wonderful blog site might take note.

Sounds like a Democratic Party Big Tent approach.

Mike you are right! We are in this country slaves to the constitution, except we also have power to also change the constitution. If you don't like the constitutional system I believe it in effect makes you a "man without a country" which is what I think you are really looking for anyway. Freedom of choice is a form of liberty or freedom Mike. He may still be a slave but he has obviously more freedom in his slavery.

The quintessential example of the relationship between, "individual soveriegns", the "public sovereign" and the "public servant" was demonstrated in the movie high noon. First of all individuals are not at liberty to jerk around or tell public servants what to do. In fact it is the other way around. Public servants are entrusted by the public to tell individulals what do via rules, regulations and law enforcement. In High Noon Gary Cooper who had taken the oath of office of Sherriff in the end was left entirely alone to fulfill his duty to the high calling of the public good. The "individual soveriegns" just kind of slipped back into the wood work. They gave up their soveriengity to this man and he did his duty. Warren Hebrews puts it this way and I paraphrase, "Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus" in other words think like Jesus, "who lowered himself to be a servant to man."

I have learned to take it Warren to be a lesson on how man is to relate to man. So Archer you believe Jesus is/was an anarchist or what? He even had a tax collector as an apostle, and when it was time to be taxed his parents went to their home town tax base. So apparently his parents were law abiders also.

Archer the Liberty-Tree thought cop always picks on me. I stopped reading him as soon as he mentioned my name. Lysander said "a man is none the less a slave". I called him a liar not because a man might still be a slave to some system, the system of the constitution for example, but he is certainly more free than he is under a dictatorship. I wish Chitty would chme in here because there is nothing in this quote to really know what the hell Lysander is talking about. A slave on a plantation that could choose his master would certainly be more free than the one on the next plantation without this choice. It is sad that Archer cannot understand that democracy and freedom are the same thing except for the factor of numbers. The ultimate freedom of course is in a world of one person. Adam was thus the only totally free man. Eve cramped his style a little bit. Our style is now cramped by the number 300 million. So pure freedom is a function of smaller population but the most realtive amount of freedom in a large population which considers each individual equally free, if not absolutely free, is democracy which is one man/woman one vote. If someone can name an election in which we had "quality" candidtes I would like to hear from them. If they think being President of the United States is about being qualified they have been asleep for a long long time. There is only one qualification other than the Constitutional ones and that is: get the votes and win the electoral college. Archer claims to love the Constitution and here wishes to subvert it by apparently inserting qualifications of his own, totalitarian that he is.

Isn't it Jesus who said, "You are not going to wash my feet but I will wash yours." I have often thought this to be the greatest example of humilty and service to others. And these public servants need our support when they are arresting, prosecuting, indicting, legislating etcetera. Those who constanly attack public servants and service by broadside attacks on "government" do us a disservice. And those who exhort the concept of the "sovereign individual" also have to ponder the concept of "sovereign public".