“Only one thing is certain: dictatorship cannot take hold in America today. This country, as yet, cannot be ruled — but it can explode. It can blow up into the helpless rage and blind violence of a civil war. It cannot be cowed into submission, passivity, malevolence, resignation. It cannot be ‘pushed around.’ Defiance, not obedience, is the American’s answer to overbearing authority. The nation that ran an underground railroad to help human beings escape from slavery, or began drinking on principle in the face of Prohibition, will not say ‘Yes, sir’ to the enforcers of ration coupons and cereal prices. Not yet.”

Ayn Rand wrote that in 1971. (excerpted from “Don’t Let It Go” — chapter 18, “Philosophy: Who Needs It”)

Read that second sentence again.

I’m convinced that her first stated condition is no longer true, but the second one still is, now, for the reasons stated in the rest of the paragraph.

Naw, I didn’t think you were saying anything against the Jews, good sir.

I hear you on the issue with the atheist libertarians and Christianity. In my opinion, the whole simplified maxim of live and let live regarding libertarianism is akin to the Golden Rule, a fine way of going about your business no matter what tree you sit under.

I often have arguments with my father (and other Christians who are important to me) about the finer points and he says there is no way I can be Catholic and a libertarian as well. To me, it’s quite simple: if one takes away the ability to do what is considered sinful, then there is no freewill to be exercised and then you have no choice but to be good or suffer the consequences. There is no choice to make when morality is legislated. I have always been skeptical of the idea of God not wanting us to be robot and choosing the path for ourselves. When there is one path laid out before you, what are you but a robot? He rolls his eyes at me when I say legalize them all (vices), half the people indulge in what is considered sinful behavior because they are told not to. The natural rebel in us all then takes over. I guess I’m the only one who understands what I think and talk about most of the time but then again, I am also the guy who thinks that evolution and creationism aren’t mutually exclusive so what does that say about me? You should hear the discussions I’ve had about that.

Anyway, I think being a true Christian is all about living by and through example (not that I would be one for folks to emulate, that is for sure) and not making an example of those we think don’t adhere to principles of morality set forth in the guidelines of our belief system. This can be applied religiously across the board. It’s a great big world out there with many paths to heaven. One just needs to choose one and stay on it as best they can and hope for the best.

And now that I have sufficiently confounded you and others who may have decided to read my drivel, I will retire for the weekend and bid you a happy Friday.

Also, the only issue with libertarians and Christians is that there seems to be quite a few atheist libertarians so you can see why they might not ‘mingle’ so well.

Christians are supposed to be completed Jews.

My bad.

A point that I have striven to make clear on various ‘leftist’ blogs…and received pointed ‘radio silence’ about…or been castigated for.

They become especially incensed when you point out that this occurred during the so-called ‘Progressive Era’. And that their inaction on examining the laws, divining their inherent racism, and then failing to see how those laws are causing enormous damage to their political base via voter disenfranchisement courtesy of drug law violations (which did not exist prior to the ‘Progressive Era’). And by failing to do so and act upon that, it’s partly why future national elections can be expected to be fiercely contested issues instead of exercises in ennui.

But…they don’ wanna hear it.

Ah yes, but it was non-alcoholic wine, Mike. This will come as no surprise to most of us here but it should be noted that there are those of certain religious persuasions that actually believe this. It’s bollocks, of course, but their reasoning is that the Lord wouldn’t give them something that would harm them. They never say something that could potentially harm them. For then they would have to get in a big debate over their concepts of freewill . . . which invariably uses their own logic to defeat their arguments. And they just can’t have that. They are quite ignorant of the true reasons why they have an absolute ban on alcoholic beverages and willfully so.