tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post8984550815071350361..comments2023-10-17T08:19:58.196-04:00Comments on FreeThinke: FreeThinkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-8490747713030576932015-02-05T05:36:42.813-05:002015-02-05T05:36:42.813-05:00It's easy to lie with statistics. It's eve...It's easy to lie with statistics. It's even easier to lie without them.jeznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-77652797993261328552015-02-05T03:01:41.198-05:002015-02-05T03:01:41.198-05:00It's not productive to judge the standards of ...It's not productive to judge the standards of the past by those of the present.<br /><br />What most of us regard as immoral, outrageous, inhumane, barbaric, etc. was at one time an accepted norm.<br /><br />Also, standards and mores differ greatly among peoples of different ethnic, religious groups and geographical locations.<br /><br />Our species is still evolving, and we still have a long way to go.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-38170448831204342782015-02-04T17:01:15.449-05:002015-02-04T17:01:15.449-05:00Only dolts fail to understand there is more truth ...Only dolts fail to understand there is more truth in poetry than in any dry, dispassionate recital of facts and figures. <br /><br />"Lies, God-damned lies and <i>statistics</i>," don't you know? ;-)FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-6494031939762609882015-02-04T04:22:53.372-05:002015-02-04T04:22:53.372-05:00I haven't noticed the term United Kingdom beco...I haven't noticed the term United Kingdom becoming any more or less prevalent in my lifetime, but bare in mind I can't remember the '70s.<br />I did find this: http://www.mespot.net/passport.jpg<br />A passport from 1915, note the opening remarks "We, Sir Edward Grey a Baronet of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, ..."jeznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-83258470887230105052015-02-03T16:19:59.909-05:002015-02-03T16:19:59.909-05:00Interesting about the term United Kingdom. Thanks ...Interesting about the term United Kingdom. Thanks for adding to my scanty store of knowledge, but won't you admit the term didn't become <i>de rigeur</i> until recent years? <br /><br />I was very pleased when the recent effort to achieve Scottish secession failed. May I assume you were too, or didn't you care very much one way or the other?<br /><br />As a self-identified Anglophile -- an evaluation to which several English and Scottish friends -- and one Australian lady -- from my past would attest -- I have always felt a warm appreciation for the considerable differences among the Welsh, Cornish, Scottish and Irish inhabitants of the British Isles. I love hearing the different dialects spoken, although some strike me as more attractive than others. I would hate to see these unique cultures disappear altogether, although I think the efforts to "restore" Erse-Gaelic-Irish, whatever it's properly called, as THE official language in Ireland is absurd, and certainly doomed to fail. I might say the same for the efforts to preserve the Welsh tongue. I'm not unsympathetic to these efforts, but I see them as vastly impractical. How do you feel about it?<br /><br />Being a person who favors cosmopolitan -- as opposed to <i>multicultural</i> -- values I revel in "difference," unless it becomes bellicose and unduly competitive.<br /><br />I'm an American mutt. Half of me stems from Cornish-Scottish-Anglo-Saxon blood, but the other half is Roman-Italian. ;-) Perhaps the two halves are in fact united because of the ancient Roman conquest of Britain? Who knows? Anything is possible in this crazy world.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-49294658827971588222015-02-03T13:48:10.151-05:002015-02-03T13:48:10.151-05:00Prefer "British" because my choice of em...Prefer "British" because my choice of emphasis is the Union. I rarely need to distinguish between English and Scottish etc. It doesn't help that "Englishness" has been hijacked in decades past by thugish, racist football supporters, but I feel that association less keenly in the last few years.<br /><br />Actually, the term "United Kingdom." It is neither new nor mysterious: it was introduced by whomever drafted the Acts of Union in the 1700s. If you want to get nerdy about it, the UK includes some small territories which are not within Great Britain, so the two terms are not merely synonymous.jeznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-71213850232996580472015-02-03T11:59:44.175-05:002015-02-03T11:59:44.175-05:00I am glad you still regard yourself as English, Je...I am glad you still regard yourself as English, Jez, but why "better yet" British?<br /><br />The name UK bothers me, because it's another of myriad unnecessary, essentially meaningless (as I am happy to see you admit!) changes that have been forced on the world by mysterious, unnamed, unaccountable influences at whose identity one may only guess.<br /><br />I see no valid point whatsoever in renaming the British Isles "The United Kingdom," so why do it? The same is true of the change in pronunciation from Keen-ya to Kenn-ya, and "official" name changes such as Siam-Thailand, Peking-Beijing, Rhodesia-Zimbabwe, Ceylon-Sri Lankha, Bombay-Mumbai, Burma-Myanmar, and God knows what all else. That the motive behind these changes must be geo-political, and an obvious slap-in-the-face toward Britain's profound influence in shaping the modern world and a desire to obliterate the memory of it as much as possible seems patently obvious. <br /><br />The same is true in the USA where distinctly regional -- not to say "peasantine" -- pronunciations of place names are now being forcibly established as the new "correct" pronunciation, and formerly standard pronunciations are being discarded as evidence of undesirable "elitism."<br /><br />In other words, because of some bureaucratic, "educratic," socialistic determination to create a LEVEL society by government EDICT implemented via the MEDIA, <b>it is no longer "correct" to be CORRECT</b>. In fact one is often mocked today for BEING correct.<br /><br />I find it maddening to say the least. <br /><br />The same is true of Feminaziism's all-too-successful determination to force the linguistic abomination called "inclusive language" upon us.<br /><br />I, of course, see these attempts at achieving "equality" by fiat as nothing more or less than the deliberate VULGARIZATION, and the DEBASEMENT of a culture so attacked by militant intellectual insurgency.<br /><br />These changes are yet another way to put an Establishment, seen as "outmoded," "unfair," or otherwise inimical to "progress," in its place and sweep it into the dustbin of history.<br /><br />I mentioned babies and bathwater above. In my view by adopting these annoying, often confusing, yet entirely superficial changes the new Establishment has achieved nothing of value and done a great deal of harm in its blatant attempt to cut us off from our past debasing our language while heaping nothing but disrespect and derision on our once-proud history, mores and customs. If that isn't a prime example of throwing the "baby" out with the "bath water," I can't think what would be.<br /><br />Yes, Empire's day has come and gone, but merely to denigrate it, and expect present generations to bathe in guilt over it, as though it were all a tragic error, and nothing good had come out of it, and the descendants of those who brought it about and administered it are morally obliged to make "RESTITUTION" is as absurd as demanding a return to Eden with Genesis replayed without eating that God-damned apple. ;-)<br /><br />Or, as my father used to say jokingly when the headlines got too depressing, "We might as well give it all back to the Indians."<br /><br />Sorry. No can do. <i>" ... What's done is done and cannot be undone ..."</i>FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-49388440441041273942015-02-03T07:53:11.512-05:002015-02-03T07:53:11.512-05:00I aspire to the very same thing (skeptical without...I aspire to the very same thing (skeptical without being cynical). Maybe we aren't the best judges of each other, but I'm afraid it looks to me like you're loosing the battle against the cynicism, FreeThinke.<br /><br />I don't know what you mean about this UK vs England business. I'm quite happy to be identified as English, and happier still to be identified as British. I don't consider those developments recent enough (our union is largely unchanged since the 18th century, give or take Ireland's secession) to count as progress. I consider relinquishing Empire to be progress. I consider freedom of movement a necessary condition of modernity. I consider cooperation within the EU infinitely preferable to the millenium of interminable war which preceded it.<br /><br />I like to use a country's treatment of her minority citizens as a handy indicator of her general moral condition. Using that test (which I admit is informed recent history), it wouldn't have taken long for me to reject 20th century fascism.jeznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-55055861924345668982015-02-03T01:10:19.055-05:002015-02-03T01:10:19.055-05:00I believe I self-sacrifice for the sake of others,...I believe I self-sacrifice for the sake of others, but not in martyrdom. <br /><br />Life is for living not dying. Death will come soon enough. Deliberately courting it strikes me as the heart of foolishness.<br /><br />However, <i>"When Duty calls and says, Thou must," the Youth replies, "I can."</i><br /><br />The story of Horatius is likely apocryphal -- or at least highly exaggerated through centuries of Oral Tradition, but the nearly complete lack of regard for heroism, sacrifice, virtue, loyalty, principle, and love of country I see when out and about today frankly disgusts me. That is why I posted this nineteenth-century romantic view of heroism in the ancient world. <br /><br />I read it the other day after not having had any contact with it in at least half a century. I was astonished at the sudden flood of emotion that came over me. I did not expect an epic narrative poem about an act of war to be so moving, but it was.<br /><br />You can see from the mostly ridiculous response it has drawn how far removed we have become from a world where appreciation of courage born of noble sentiment was still possible.<br /><br />I don't hate every aspect of pop culture, but learned long ago that because life is very short, even if we reach old age, there's not much point wasting time away from the finest things left to us from the past -- vast storehouse of inexhaustible wealth that only grows more fascinating -- and more meaningful -- with the passage of time. FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-90758250873525134722015-02-02T23:44:25.116-05:002015-02-02T23:44:25.116-05:00Believing human bondage to be immoral, as immoral ...Believing human bondage to be immoral, as immoral as any war we ever waged that was not in response to aggression against our nation this is a tough one. Only because human bondage in America officially came to an end.<br /><br />Politically whether the North had the right to go to war to forcibly keep the South in the Union is another matter. Therefore your point is not lost on me. Arguing the case for southern seperation from the Union would not be difficult.<br /><br />But Gandolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-74590174984114497232015-02-02T22:03:15.618-05:002015-02-02T22:03:15.618-05:00And you think you have nothing in common with pop ...And you think you have nothing in common with pop culture FT, but this very poem was featured in the movie Oblivion with Tom Cruise, well not all of it mind you but a goodly portion, the most prominent being:<br /><br />"To every man upon this earth, death cometh soon or late; <br />And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, <br />For the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods, <br /><br />And for all those condemning Horatius' valiant act, you obviously aren't from the defended side of the bridge. Keep also this in mind, if you have nothing worth dying for, you have nothing worth living for either.Finntannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09234170229108668040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-5499793471776419312015-02-02T21:22:38.116-05:002015-02-02T21:22:38.116-05:00If you'd been following me for any great lengt...If you'd been following me for any great length of time, Gandolf, you would know that I have consistently denounced our participation in every military endeavor since the end of WWII as deliberately calculated exercises in futility.<br /><br />In the strictest sense, we could categorize our very presence on these shores from its inception as hostile aggression against innocent people who had done us no harm, but, as Lady Macbeth said, <i>"What's done is done and cannot be undine."</i><br /><br />In my never humble opinion the worst act of aggression ever perpetrated by the United States of America was Lincoln's War of Northern Aggression. I will not bother to justify that opinion. Either you see it, or you don't, but the MYTH we've been systematically fed about Lincoln's "greatness" is the most outrageous LIE ever dreamt up by "Liberals."FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-72631129121034924962015-02-02T21:11:21.186-05:002015-02-02T21:11:21.186-05:00I'll buy you a one way ticket to Syria or Iran...I'll buy you a one way ticket to Syria or Iran -- your choice. You'll have to parachute in, of course.<br /><br />HAPPY LANDINGS, Mrs. NOOSUNCE!FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-30408865689231076472015-02-02T17:40:28.210-05:002015-02-02T17:40:28.210-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Free Twinkieshttp://twinkietoes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-89681153780855047112015-02-02T17:30:29.807-05:002015-02-02T17:30:29.807-05:00By the way and for the record: I am SKEPTICAL of E...By the way and for the record: I am SKEPTICAL of EVERYTHING generic Man has devised for himself, but I refuse to become CYNICAL.<br /><br />And I most certainly do NOT believe it is EVER a good idea to throw the proverbial baby out with the proverbial bathwater.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-13668368258649404902015-02-02T17:26:54.278-05:002015-02-02T17:26:54.278-05:00A SEPTIC sort of "scepticism" no doubt. ...A SEPTIC sort of "scepticism" no doubt. I'm fairly certain had you been of age and in a position of influence back in the day, you would have gladly turned Britain over to the Germans before a shot was fired, apologized profusely for having the unmitigated gall to have been born British, and studied earnestly forthwith to make the Tongue of the Hun your own.<br /><br />THE most distinguishing hallmark of leftists seems to be their ardent desire to be on anyone and everyone's "side" but their own both historically and contemporaneously.<br /><br />Psychology might call it a "Reaction Formation" towards all traditional objects of authority and veneration -- either that or genuine SELF-HATRED.<br /><br />Of course now that you're a UKITE, there's no longer any need to defend England anymore. To all intents and purposes "England," as such, has ceased to exist.<br /><br />I suppose YOU think of that as "PROGRESS." I think of it as a TRAGEDY.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-40400184184164577612015-02-02T15:37:57.045-05:002015-02-02T15:37:57.045-05:00...and WAR is NEVER the A.N.S.W.E.R. to a properly......and WAR is NEVER the A.N.S.W.E.R. to a properly formed and phrased question.Mrs. Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11798130360322844818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-68722874926559035252015-02-02T15:33:29.222-05:002015-02-02T15:33:29.222-05:00You, of all people, should be supporting me in my ...You, of all people, should be supporting me in my crusade against WARMONGERS like Mr. FreeThinke, for evidently, he has never met a war of DEFENSE he didn't like. Especially if, ala Horatio, it involves returning over a bridge of no-return! What DUPLICITY! He probably believes that we were ATTACKED in the Gulf of Tonkin, or that we didn't STARVE the Japanese into attacking us at Pearl Harbor! It's disgusting the length an apologist won't go for war!<br /><br />No WAR is EVER "justified".Mrs. Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11798130360322844818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-7372387269873650082015-02-02T14:58:23.208-05:002015-02-02T14:58:23.208-05:00Hey Twinkie Dink,
Of course you know about despic...Hey Twinkie Dink,<br /><br />Of course you know about despicable racists... You're a leftist.<br /><br />Democrats have done more to keep minorities down than Hitler!Fred Baronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-68211990294777475812015-02-02T14:23:17.180-05:002015-02-02T14:23:17.180-05:00I Think That You Are a Despicable White Supremacis...I Think That You Are a Despicable White Supremacist, The Most Despicable Life Form I've Ever Seen., and Trust Me, I Know a Bit about These ThingsFree Twinkieshttps://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJS6bkPyTe023u1z4GI0BClypEYWLBVCgKM_-YnYl2QSlD8aY-xgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-33505215180638511692015-02-02T14:09:05.433-05:002015-02-02T14:09:05.433-05:00Mrs. Grundy you dear old women, have you grown se...Mrs. Grundy you dear old women, have you grown senile?Gandolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-32525145969044840952015-02-02T14:08:10.172-05:002015-02-02T14:08:10.172-05:00And your mischaracterization of the gentle peace-l...And your <a href="http://youtu.be/AbgmzFTyxuE" rel="nofollow">mischaracterization</a> of the gentle peace-loving defenders of the Palestinian and other oppressed people has been duly noted!Mrs. Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11798130360322844818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-12516434228803226092015-02-02T14:03:36.733-05:002015-02-02T14:03:36.733-05:00On this we more or less AGREE.
However, when stud...On this we more or less AGREE.<br /><br />However, when studying the Spanish American War, WW I, Korean Conflict, and Vietnam War in particular, it leads me to the conclusion most wars the USA were involved in were not in self defense.<br /><br />When my nation is attacked, just as if my family were attacked it becomes self defense and becoming a killing machine in the act of defending family and nation is wholly justifiable. In fact it becomes a necessity.Gandolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-31408271622301156802015-02-02T13:18:32.512-05:002015-02-02T13:18:32.512-05:00You would threaten to turn me over to ISIS? I wou...You would threaten to turn me over to ISIS? I would EAGERLY throw myself upon their MERCY rather than have to rely on YOUR displaying any GRACE towards your fellow man!<br /><br />Warmonger!Mrs. Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11798130360322844818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-90474874998848340592015-02-02T13:02:35.622-05:002015-02-02T13:02:35.622-05:00That ought to do wonders toward dispelling the acu...That ought to do wonders toward dispelling the acute biliousness that characterizes your unfortunate disposition.<br /><br />Good GOD, woman! you sound worse than Ema Nymton -- and that IS an insult, believe me.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.com