The Imperious Leader is a True Believer™ - Updated


Amazing! He does believe his own rhetoric!
Well lookee here, the Imperious Leader is a True Believer™.

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Apparently MSNBC doesn't like my code. The video sometimes shows above and sometimes
does not. Here's the site I got the link from, watch it there if it doesn't show above.

Some times it's too easy.

But the one thing that I have found in all True Believers is an absolute belief that their particular book, method, faith, interpretation, or silly hat is The Only Acceptable Choice.  They will ignore anything that anyone else does if it doesn't adhere totally to The True Way.  Worse, they will overlook mistakes and abuses made by the people on the correct side, even as they violate the principles they hold central to their belief.

Or as the old Genesis song goes, "Do as I say, don't do as I do."

I often call True Believers fundies because it gets the point across.  At least, to most people.

Lately I've seen a disturbing trend.  Both the "right" and "left" have their extremists, but it seems that the leadership on the left is made up mostly of extremists.  Most moderates and conservatives seem to be willing to sit down and talk over differences, but that doesn't seem to be true on the "progressive" side.  It's a lousy observation to make, but by golly, that is what I see. The "leadership" of the "left" wants to exclude any other possibilities.
— True Believer Rant

It's like global warming all over again. You're not allowed to question the assumptions and dissent is unAmerican. The Crisis is happening right now and we have to ACT to keep things from getting worse.

I've heard this all before. And so have you.

That is what allows an ever expansive government to exist.

Government does not look out for your best interests. It tries to shape you to fit the best interests of government.

Government does not solve problems. It takes credit for solutions started by somebody else.

Government does not create wealth and power. It tries to divert your wealth and power.

Mainly this happens because government is reactive. Leaders are proactive, but they are rare. It's even rarer that they are in a position of power.

Pick the crisis of your choice. Civil rights. The Great Depression. The Korean War.

In every case, government reacted, usually badly. If there were workable solutions, those solutions came from outside government only to be adopted later by "those in charge." Don't expect that to change.

The Medicare Drug Benefit. Social Security. Hurricane Katrina.

I'm not anti-American. I'm pro-American. I'm anti-government. I believe very strongly in the human spirit. I believe in the power of free individuals choosing to embrace their strength and changing the world.
— I do not trust in the wisdom of governments

Why doesn't the President want debate?

Could it be that he's afraid you will find a choice that doesn't involve the benevolence of government?

In America today, we don't have a free market. We have a mixture of regulation and opportunistic capitalists who are convinced that the only way to get ahead is to influence government. As it is, the laws and regulations are structured so that almost any company could be found guilty of something if someone just looked hard enough.

The corruption is not because of the free market, but because government couldn't let the market be free.
— Free - Updated

We can't let ourselves be stampeded. The free market can fix itself if we can just keep government's tentacles out of it. It's our freedom and our lives that are on the line. The politicos just want more power. We have to ask ourselves which way of life would we prefer?

Not which government is best. Not which system is superior. But which would I rather have? Which system would bring me the most fun?

I knew it wasn't the system we had in the United States. There were too many people arguing too many way to control and not enough freedom.

I won't deny that there were some religious issues too. I knew I couldn't exactly call myself a Christian anymore, but I wasn't sure what I was. I did know that conservatives who weren't Christian weren't exactly welcome in many parts of the country.

When I started reading the essays of Isaac Bonewits, particularly his one on dualism, that is when it all fell into place. I started working from there and discovered the Advocates for Self-Government and the World's Smallest Political Quiz.

That is when I knew I was libertarian. Small "l," not part of the party. The third choice.

That is when I realized that liberty is really all about choices and the responsibility that those choices bring. Anything that increases choices usually means more freedom.

I spend a lot of time explaining what liberty really is and why it demands responsiblity. That manages to piss off both the die-hard conservatives and the die-hard modern liberals. The Quiz is still one of my favorite tools, I keep three versions on hand for various situations. And of course, I keep this blog.

Is any of it effective? I don't know. I do get to talk with some fascinating people. I'd like to think that maybe something that I said or some book I pointed out will explode in their head a few years down the road. I've found that the Internet is a wonderful way to connect and to paint a neon target on your back. I've found that you can't be popular after you dismiss dogma, but sometimes people remember that you were right even as they hate your guts. I've learned some of the value of honor, even if it costs you.

Even with all that, I still believe that my best hope for freedom is to make sure that people have as many choices as possible, understanding that they will be held responsible for those choices.
— Dreaming of liberty

That's how you fight a True Believer™. Liberty and the right to make your own choices.

There is no other way to make government smaller than absolutely necessary.

Obama offers a bigger government and less freedom.

The free market rebellion offers you choice. We'll be talking about that more in the days ahead.

Remember that KYFHO is the goal.

UPDATE - Fixed "Free" post and the quote from that entry here on this post.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Sun - February 8, 2009 at 01:12 PM  Tag


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