Interesting and thought provoking. Not true or universal all of the time. He wrote this in 1899 so what society was he referring to? American life is now and has ever been known for its social mobility, freedom, and its free flowing social and cultural change. Completly opposite to what he describes here. Anyone who feels oppressed in America just ain't doing something right! The psychological profile he descrbes reminds me of the misfit murderer in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment who took out his societal frustrations at being "no body" by robbing and murdering a little 70 year old lady. His desires to be somebody and lack of respect for any and ever thing led him to his heinous crime.

A nation of know nothings and rednecks will seldom elect an egg head to high office. Al Gore was derided for being intelligent, logical and scientific. The erudite Adlai Stevenson went no where. A gift of gab helps and thus Clinton and Obama sneaked in to an otherwise lackluster cast of Presidential Characters.

I think the quote is correct as concerns my own life but I agree with you from Reston that public life and world events are still confusing. As far as Carlton's statement he obviously has not read much history about governments and revoulutions and differences of opinion down thru the ages, stuff like The Glorious Revolution in England, The French Revoulution, The American Revolution, The Civil War da da da da. We don't have to be older to understand things just sometimes study more.

I have heard marriage described as an unending conversation. When one partner dies the other usually says. "I had so much to say to him or her." The same here guys many take their hardened views or opinions but the wise ones are the ones who keep talking and keep listening. It is hard to do sometimes but bigger evile is if we give up on each other and the search for truth.

Mike think for a minute think! Your concept of United Individuals and my word of society is simply and absolutely the same thing. There are for example clean water societies, save the planet societies etcetera or United Individuals as you would have it. Your penchant for disunion, disharmony, desire for conflict and apparent armageddon of the individual against the rest or vice a versa the rest against the individual just does not have to be. Stop thinking in black and white my friend and you will be FREE and for once at LIBERTY to think and express yourself more elegantly.

Whatever the mind can dream it can create. And collectively (sorry for the lousey word) societies can create a wonderful world and a great environment. Dreaming totally alone in this overpopulated world just is not practical much anymore.

Have you heard of the theory of Gaia which states that "the earth is a living organism". Say what!

Warren tell it to Bush or Orrin Hatch, I am just repeating what I heard. I understand that it is hard on your ears to hear it. Jim K. as the earth warms and water evaporates there will be more and more rain and storms in some parts of the world and droughts in others. The heavy rain and snow is the result of two much moisture in the firmament. Think man think! Don't be just another Warren from Olathe.

Yes J.B. and none other than the Ranking Repubican Senator form Utah the glib Mr. Orrin Hatch expained the reason for our kowtowing to China just two days ago. He said, "Back in 2006 when Bush was President we never asked or cared how we were going to pay for things, we just borrowed it." Bush signed a defit busting prescription drug bill with no idea how to pay for it, Obama will sign a deficit reducing Health Care Bill. Bush put in tax cuts in 2001 that have destroyed our national accounts and fought wars without paying for them. Thanks to the vote get Mr. Obama we are getting back onto the right track that Mr. Clinton had left us. Surpluses and debt reduction as far as we can see, but it will take time. Bush gave us eight years of profilgatcy which will be hard to men.

Like I said Mike the immorality of religious folk is well known.

Bass in my lake love bicycles that are thrown into the water. Gives them great cover and the fishermen get all hung up on the spokes and stuff.

Today Orrin Hatch said "Back in 2006 during the Bush years it was standard practice not to pay for things". Thus the 12 trillion dollar debt. This is the wisest and most profound political statement ever made.

Existentialism says it all when it says "you are the meaning and purpose of life" and by extension "I am the meaning and purpose of life". And I guess there is no meaning and purpose outside of :"self". Sounds selfish but it really isn't since it applies equally to all "selves".

I think George was sheltered in this regard. The immorality of religious folk is rampant. Between pedophile priests and the immroality of the so called moral Taliban and al Quaeda types etcetera. I have even know atheists to be "moral". I guess it is how one really defines "religious principle".

The so called "statist theocracy" that Mike refers to is perhaps the same one that stopped on the racist, nazi like parts of society that were and are always ready to stomp on our rights. You can call enforcng the law of the land "statist theocracy" if you will some others may choose to call it freedom.

Jefferson like many others respect. admire and revere Jesus and his teachings and admie Him as one who did God's work on earth. Jesus as we know was both human and divine or at least we know he was human and the divine part we must take mostly on faith including the Virgin birth. To me the important part is like Jefferson, the humanity and teaching of Jesus. I tell people that I really don't know about heaven but I would like to be where ever Jesus is. If he is dead and in the grave that is okay for me also. Heaven is here now on earth if we live by the teachings of Jesus, I believe. As the song Supersition tells us "When you believe in things you don't understand you suffer." Taking Jesus' promise of heaven is a faith based experience, taking his teachings for living is a tried and tested and proven method of living that has proven effective and good for millions. Now pedofile Priests might believe in the heaven part but obviously don't practice the living part, go figure.

Ya got to love Jefferson and you know he wrote the 4 Gospels into one account. He spoke adoringly of Jesus and his teachings but yet he speaks of freedom. I am not sure Mike really gets it.

Al Gore gets persecuted for truth all of the time.

Wow! Archer Wow! Never thought you and I were on such a same wave length. There are Chrisrtian sects that teach love and tolerance. And some apparently like yourself who have come by it on your own or through your experience.

Good stuff Archer, Peace On Earth and Goodwill towards men, that is all men and this is a Christian sentiment.

Thanks Mike for having your eyes open to at least one perception. The Norwegians, Germans and much of Europe had and in some cases has a at least still has a deeply routed cultural tradition of the State being hand in hand with the Church. Luthers in Norway and of course Catholic in the latin countries. My German exchange student says that all Germans pay a tax that goes to the church. The taxpayer designates Lutheran or Catholic. Unbelievable my exchange student who said he and his parents were non-believers or atheists paid the tax also and he said it was inconceibale not to do so. Sooo I guess we should just be happy for the neutality of our governent because that is really what everyone came here for.

We have the greatest proliferation of church and godliness and religion in the world, I think. I have been told by at least two European friends 1) "There are so many churches in America maybe that is why you are such a happy people" this was said by my Hungarian sister-in-law, 2) "In America the people run the churches!" this was said to me in a manner indicating surpise and awe of the stated fact by a Norwegian foreign exchange student. Now of course the world is made of opinion but it is sometimes interesting to see ourselves from the outside or as other people see us. I firmly believe that the neutrality Mike fails to see is exactly one of the forces if not the major force that permits us to be the among one of the most relgious and at the same time one of the most irrelgious at the same time. You can get it all in America,.

Does this mean we should welcome the Muslims, the Atheists and all the rest?. I think so, I think the Christian thing to do especially at Christmas time is to embrace all. (This is not to infer that we should not keep a sharp eye out for the radical Muslim - that is a horse of a different color,)

You are correct Cal. Many people can not relate to an intellectual. Adlai came off that way and Al Gore is one. thus we have J Carlton's and Jim K's dilemma in a nut shell but sometimes we should even give intellectuals and people who know stuff a major break.

The J's (JC and JK) are fascinating enigmas. They give the quote five stars and then directly contradict its dictum or sentiment. They give it five stars and then say in effect that they are not free or they do not value the pursuit of knowledge. I truly have felt that they are not free all along but now they have admitted it. JC and JK you have at least made the admission or confession that you are not free and that is a start to becoming an AWARE and open minded person. Now if you can get Mike of Norwalk to wake up we will have made some real progress on this site. This is a great day, a great day indeed, EUREKA!