This was a fictional book. Lets get a life.

The quote seems stupid to me but communities get together and exercise all of the time. Have you never heard of Country Clubs, Gold Gyms etcetera. Kids must take gym class when I went to school. I just went to a communal pow wow. Community and communal is as old as the planet, I mean get a life over the idea of community.

This depends upon perspective. I have know many in authority who have exercised it with grace and humility. It is generally only those over whom authoirtiy holds sway who resent it. And we are beset with authorities at every turn, from inanimate traffic signs to parents, teachers, experts in every field to police, magistrates etcetera. It is childish people who cannot relate to, handle or respect authority. More than likely all of the above 5 star folk are authorities also. I know no one who tries to sound more authoritative than does Mr. Archer.

Liberty is a moral issue and our politics and those we elect should be of that moral persuasion and support and enhance that moral position,

And you should know a parrot Mike.

I think it is absolutely a moral growth which our politics should enforce. Because he did not say "absolutely" I give it only a four.

Sorry Jim K that you do not feel free enough to do what you think is correct. Ken was able to give it four. He seems freer and more thoughful than you Jim. The quote is cute, poetic doggerl so I will give it five myself but not because I must but because I want to.

PS: and destroying the evnironment even against the advise of the moderate Al Gore.

I say Clinton was a moderate, bill paying leader and the Dogmatic favor the rich inmoderate non-bill paying policies of W has caused the latest debacle. Republicans hate moderation but love their dogam, guns, selling bonds to the rich etc.

Moderation whatever happened to moderation. I know it was destroyed by Republican right wing dogma and idiocy.

No you don't Mike, you just show that you don't have an open mind and that you don't understand freedom or more accurately are not free yourseld but in some type of lock step.

To Howard and aa,hb any original free thinking person is an idiot. I love being thought so by the general run of sheep and lock step camp follwers who post to this site. The only thing they seem to agree on is Washington is bad. A shallow group if I have ever heard one. Thanks aa though for standing up for my rights, and welcome Howard and stay tuned. I would love to have some more audience to educate.

Statement is true but America (or Amerika as Mike would spell it) is I think the freeest of all societies. In Arabia one must be Muslim, in much of the world at one time one had to be Catholic etcetera. Now I believe that the American (or Amerikan as Mike would say it) model is increasing and state religions such as Anglican and Lutheran are on the wane and freedom is expanding in the realm of religion. Western style freedom of the press etcetera is and has increased substantially from the old days and old formulation of thought and practice. Otherwise most of the comments and responses are true, we are in a sense a victim of our upbringing.

What is a left handed person suppose to do. As far as the Love idea expressed above yes that is more powerful probably than the gun in the end. Was it not some form of love that rescued Europe and Japna when guns fell silent at the end of WWII and was it not the lack of love that runied the south after the Civil War and Lincoln's assassination. I have read that the reconstruction of the south by the north was a much worse occupation of a defeat foe than was the two mentioned above. You guys geve everything five stars, how about nuancing your star awards, with a few two, threes, and fours

Again a three. RBESRQ is adding something to this conversation. Even Adam may have been created "free" but he was forbidden to do something or to suffer a penalty. We have all been suffering penalties for using our freedom to its full. We are restricted in our freedom every which way we turn, by roads that do not go the way we want to go (get a map), by all kind of obstacles and by othe human beings like Adam was restricted by Eve. So maybe we over state this idea of freedom. It is definetly a relational, societal concept at best.

I give only a three because while he meant well I don't totally get the physical health concept analogy with the more ephemeral and conceptual liberty line of thinking. I use to live in a town seemingly named after this guy, that would be Bolingbrook, Il.

What it can vote on is decided by the 51 percent, quit changing the subject. Everything you said after your second sentence (I did not read anything after the second sentence) is irrelevant because the issue we are discussing is the 51 percent. Get a grip Mike and get honest about the 51 percent then write something again.

That's funny I can not think of a less eotistical politician than Barack Hussein Obama, if you have ever listened to his Philadelphia speech about race or his Nobel Prize acceptance speech I cannot see how you would ever describe his as egotistical. That he has had a way about him ever since Harvard Law School and that, President of the Harvard Law Review thing, and that he is aware of his ability to be liked and thus advance his political stature I believe is true. As far as his poll numbers they are ephemeral. The stock market is taking off, health care reform is upon us, and he courageously said the other day, and I paraphrase, "let us do the right thing and worry about the election later". That is not the words of an egotist.

Anonymous, that was my thoughts exactly before I ever read your comment. When several see the same thing from different perspectives it just may be true about our delightful blogger Mike from Norwalk.

Great to see your are still politcally philosophising Logan. Waffler is speaking of his own self knowledge and mental analysis. He knows that his powers of observation and analysis are just as good as any man who has lived and while he learns from others he does not kowtow to Locke-Kant or any other, like some Chineese coolie or slave. As far as Locke who blew it several weeks ago when he showed his disrespect and disparagement and discrimination towards male youth.

Absolutely True. A free and intelligent man ways facts and forms his own opinions. He also should listen to the opinions of others and analyse whether or not they are based on fact or prejudice or superstition or some form of group think. Then he will like RBESRQ throw the likes of Limbaugh, Beck, and Hannity and their syncophant slaves (and they know who they are) into the trash bin of opinion. We need a lot more and bigger trash cans.

You are to dense to understand my enlightened mentality Messur Mike.

Mike the Constitution provides for the Senate and House to vote. The side having the largest number or percentage of the total wins. Now what exactly don't you understand about this Tonto!

Mike you are full of it. The Constitution provides for Senators and Representatives who can vote in a system that the side of the issue with the largest vote wins. Now what part of percentage don't you understand.

If the standard of living means free speech, free worship, and the rest of the First Ten I agree. There is more to the standard of living than moola. Thus I give it a conditional five. To my knowledge the First Ten are not about money or excellence and material stuff.