You have answered your own question Mike. The members of the so called "Soverign Citizens" sound a prosyeltize just like your comment above.

He is intimating here that life and learning are tentative things, and I whole heartily agree. Those absolutists, those who say for example "the US is a Republic not a democracy" do not understand, do not comprehend, and are absolutist in their judgements. When you are absolutist it is impossible to learn or think.

I was watching "60 Minutes" last night. They did an article or expose on a group or tribe called "Soverign Citizens". What remains of them anyway, it seems many of them have been caught shooting and killing cops and have been killed in return. Anyway most of them sound just like Mike of Norwalk, Interesting quote!

I have known and grew up with transferee to public high school who came from chruch schools and home schooling. They were generally bored in their former schools and loved the diversity, freedom and sense of fresh air in the later environment, rather than being controlled by a Nun or Parent.

By "government" he means the considered values of the people in any society, be a farm village, city, or suburb. That is what these "governmental" or societal subdivisions have school borards. Folk have been educating the offspring of the villagers like this for a millenium or more. In short we the village our the government.

Villages everywhere try to get kids up to speed in order to make their own choices and lo and behold that is what we do here also in this our country. To expect every kid to be a spended intellect or student is a compulsory single minded, and just plain dumb expectation and/or attitude.

Mike you could have said and seen the quote this away. State schools require attendance and try to instill a love for and a way forward for children to develop study habits and desire for knowledge. That some fail to develop a love and desire and that others do is a mark of our free and democratic society and its' great school system. The fact that some fail and don't develop the desire is also a positive mark for our society. Those who seek a forced type of education be it public, private or home schooling are on the wrong track. Giving children and people opportunities is what true education should be about in my opinion. Those who expect every one to succeed splendidly in such an endeavor our smoke some strong stuff.

BS! Thank God for government, National Parks etcetera. Yeah like individuals (swamp drainers, clear cutters, river polluters) don't impose prices on all of us. The quotes were particularly shallow today.

Wrong, wrong, wrong! I guess this guy nevre heard of Ceasecu, Saddam Hussein et al. The freedom of dictators and the enslavement of masses in non democratic societies is legend. Also capitalist can and do serve the same purpose, raping the environment and the masses in turn.

And we know that we all hate a "mob" also. How do they treat a non-ruling intelligensia. Hitler burned the intelligensia's books. So what is this guys point really!

Thanks Greg we need a break in the usual rhythm here. Read all these comments, don't you get it. Cal thinks States but not Feds should do this. California is the 10th largest economy in the world bigger than most so called "nation states". Once states start doing all of the "do gooding" guess what? Cal will say let the counties do it. The quote is great and some men are also great. When LBJ became Prez he did what he though was right and good and did what no state would do and many resisted following his leadership. He told a trusted friend "that it is wrong that an American citizen cannot drive from Texas to Washington, and get a meal or a room simply because of his skin color" and he said "I am going to change that". And he did. Now that is the spirit of this quote and that is what Manhood is all about. Ask Mike where were all of these "individual" do gooders then. Many of them were against doing good and just sat on the sidelines watching dogs attack human beings. Again Greg thanks for a new rhythm.

I don't know what government folk here refer to. All the ones I know of, on the North American Continent, are hot beds of opinion, various views, debate, desension, etcetera.

Sounds a little like "openmindedness" to be. The Republic crowd seems to think every thing was absolutely perfect at the founding at that the founders were some kind of mistake proof gods.

I suugest a nuanced interpretation, that is that the love of knowledge and/or education is what freedom is about. No one is ever fully or completly educated. It is a life long process for the free individual. Never being to old to learn somehting new should be our mantra.

The so called "Republic" purists don't believe in learning by example or otherwise. They believe not unlike communists that every thing is written down by someone at one time and place and is to be followed ever after. What does such a mentality as that have to say about the love of liberty and freedom?

I think you missed the message Reston. The "poem" is simply talking about the power of people, individuals, silently influencing our daily lives by our acitons and our words. I wonder how J likes the part about Social Activism. The is really about democracy all over again and how free individuals can change their world.

I like your comments Byron!

ARCHER....I chimed in where you asked me to on the Paul Laxalt quote concerning the IRS.

I do not believe that it is nazi-esque to enforce the law. I believe that tax cheats are contemptible. If we take all of the cashiers and grocery checkers out of the supermarket and just let people pay tally and pay for their order themselves do you believe the store would get all of their money. Why do we have grocery checkers anyway? If you can answer that then you may be able to proceed to the question of why we have IRS people, cops, etcetera. I mean this is not rocket science people. And IRS folk are just simple people but who are able to add and subtract just like grocery checkers. Gunny Cee is on the right track.

Blah, blah, blah. Nice quote but given the real choice he lived in a beautiful home surronded with slaves and died leaving a large amount owing for the stocking of his wine cellar.

In some societies people with knowledge will lord it over people without knowledge. In some societies maybe aborignal ones every one is equally free. The quote sounds good at first but I think it breaks down given enough careful analysis. But yes knowledge is a good thing.

The financial problems of our country could be solved by cutting back the military like in Europe and put those qualified personnel into the IRS. The IRS is the only Agency of the government that does not cost anything. IT PAYS!. Evert dollar paid to them brings back $10 to the Treasury. Thus a reduction in military spending and a boost in Tax Enforcement would come back in excess of ten fold. A 100 billion dollar defense and a 100 billion dollar IRS increase would result in an excess of 1 trillion dollars a year to the Federal Budget and pay donw of lthe 14 trillion dollar debt. McCain said during his campaign that he new how to fix social security, and I believe he does, if he would only tell us. And these guys know how to fix the deficit/debt problem. We need men of courage honesty and guts to manup and get it done. Carlton you ain't helping at all.

Reston has got it right and has identified you J completely. Liberty has nothing to do with living in lies or in an intellectual desert such as yours.

Ha! Ha! Ha! what a great quote. Remember all of those guys who testified before Congress in like 1987 about how bad the IRS was. Well many of them after their testimony continued to be pursued and were brought to tax justice or at least into compliance with the tax laws.The Federal Reserve is a bank and is owned by banks, yes for once Carlton is correct, private companies owning a private company makes the Fed a private company. The Fed is however the bank of choice of The US Treasury. I assume the US Gov could switch its accounts to Citi, or Bank of America if it desired to. Anyway The IRS is an agency of The Department of The Treasury. It is not an agency of the private bank called The Federal Reserve. Get the rest of your facts straight J. But congratulations on a start by calling The Fed a private bank, there may be a glimmer of hope for you yet.

J what if anything does your last comment have to do with what I said about the Koch Bros and their Cato front org.