On Aug 17, 2008, at 2:55 PM, Doug Pensinger wrote: > Good stuff, some of which I've been saying here for years. I nearly > stood up and applauded when he praised Carter's malaise speech. > > How prescient Carter was when he said: > > "We are at a turning point in our history. There are two paths to > choose. One is a path I've warned about tonight, the path that leads > to > fragmentation and self-interest. Down that road lies a mistaken idea > of > freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. > That path would be one of constant conflict between narrow interests > ending in chaos and immobility. It is a certain route to failure. > > All the traditions of our past, all the lessons of our heritage, all > the > promises of our future point to another path, the path of common > purpose > and the restoration of American values. That path leads to true > freedom > for our Nation and ourselves. We can take the first steps down that > path > as we begin to solve our energy problem."
I'm just about to finish "Whose Freedom" by George Lakoff, so my head is full of comparisons of the (neo-)conservative world view and its "stern father" definition of "Freedom" and the progressive world view and its "nurturant parent" definition, so the timing of both the Bacevich interview and the reminder of Carter's "Malaise" speech is spot on for me. The third sentence in the Carter quote above is a clear depiction of the conservative form of freedom from any restrictions on grasping as much for oneself an advantage over others. Since (conservatives understand) the free market system is nothing but pure competition, and winners deserve what they get, because they earned it through their discipline and hard work, there is nothing wrong -- in fact, there is everything _right_ in grasping advantage over others. They are losers. They deserve nothing. Thanks for the links, Dave _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
