BOHICA! Weiner's Bill to Restrict GA

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only
exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the
public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the
candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the
result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed
by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred
years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from
bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from
courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to
selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy,
from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage. "

Alexander Tyler - Circa 1780 - discussing the fall of the Athenian
Democracy.



I'd say we're about at the complacent stage.....



jf

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
k.net...

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
online.com...

Unfortunately, our Constitution is not self-limiting. That is, if we
pass
an amendment which makes the US a theocracy, a theocracy it will be.

The only real protection we have is that the threshold for passing an
amendment is set relatively high.


Doesn't matter. We can just ignore the Constitution or declare it to mean
something other than what it clearly states.

"Jeff Franks" wrote in message
...
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only
exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from
the
public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the
candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the
result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed
by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred
years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from
bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from
courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to
selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy,
from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage. "

Alexander Tyler - Circa 1780 - discussing the fall of the Athenian
Democracy.



I'd say we're about at the complacent stage.....

I'd vote for apathy.




jf

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
k.net...

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
online.com...

Unfortunately, our Constitution is not self-limiting. That is, if we
pass
an amendment which makes the US a theocracy, a theocracy it will be.

The only real protection we have is that the threshold for passing an
amendment is set relatively high.


Doesn't matter. We can just ignore the Constitution or declare it to
mean
something other than what it clearly states.

Jeff Franks wrote:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only
exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the
public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the
candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the
result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed
by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred
years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from
bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from
courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to
selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy,
from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage. "

Alexander Tyler - Circa 1780 - discussing the fall of the Athenian
Democracy.

Snopes (the Urban Legend site) lists this as probably a fictitious
quote. See http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/tyler.asp for details.

Dave Stadt wrote:
"Jeff Franks" wrote in message
...

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only
exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from

the

public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the
candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the
result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed
by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred
years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from
bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from
courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to
selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy,
from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage. "

Alexander Tyler - Circa 1780 - discussing the fall of the Athenian
Democracy.



I'd say we're about at the complacent stage.....


I'd vote for apathy.


Apathy was killed by the Disco Fever in the 70's.

Did you not hear the wailing and nashing of teeth when they cut
welfare/job training to TWO YEARS. Poor seniors will all starve to
death if we dare cut into social security (ignoring the fact that
there's no way we'll be able to keep paying for it). And what are we
going to do if the FEDERAL government doesn't send money to teach little
Johny how to read?

Sorry. We're way into the dependancy zone, and with all the people
willing to give up every basic civil right to win some protection from
'terrorist' and 'drugs', I'd say we're falling over into the bondage region.


--
http://www.ernest.isa-geek.org/
"Ignorance is mankinds normal state,
alleviated by information and experience."
Veeduber

In rec.aviation.homebuilt Bryan Martin wrote:

The entire concept of marriage was created for the primary purpose of
defining the legal and social responsibilities associated with the care and
raising of children. All the other the other trappings of marriage are
secondary to this primary function.

Ah. So those hetrosexual couples who can't/won't have children need to
turn in their licenses?

"Peter Gottlieb" wrote in message et...

"W P Dixon" wrote in message ...
Does anyone else see a pattern
with the Democratic Party.
Seems they preach and preach about freedom, but always do their best to
take it away from us against The Constitution. It's frustrating!



Stop with this garbage about the Democratic party. Those wanting to take our freedoms and everything else from us
come from both parties so cut the crap and be prepared to defend those rights from assault no matter which party they
come from.



I saw this on a bumper sticker:

Under the Republicans, man exploits man. Under the Democrats, it is just the opposite.

"Peter Gottlieb" wrote in message . net...
"W P Dixon" wrote in message
...
Does anyone else see a pattern
with the Democratic Party.
Seems they preach and preach about freedom, but always do their best to
take it away from us against The Constitution. It's frustrating!



Stop with this garbage about the Democratic party. Those wanting to take
our freedoms and everything else from us come from both parties so cut the
crap and be prepared to defend those rights from assault no matter which
party they come from.

Problem is that the Dems are constantly fighting so hard to try to
remove from us one of the most important means by which we can defend
our rights. And yes, I *AM* referring to the RKBA.

Doesn't matter. We can just ignore the Constitution or declare it to
mean
something other than what it clearly states.

Which is just about wtf it has become -- a constitutional republic in name
only and in which the leaders have no inkling of the meaning of the
Constitution or the Federalist Papers. In 20 years I have watched in alarm
as courts redefined basic terms of law to mean something entirely different
from the definition intended. Both the left and right wing courts and
politicians are very clever and adept at it.

That's the reason why the creep flight surgeon who has made out the farcical
papers we have to sign to apply for our medicals has required us to say
whether we've been convicted of affray at 15 or joyriding at 17, or had to
attend driving school to get points off our driver licenses. And yes, the
Patriot Act is a misnomer. It's more appropriately called the Jackboot
Act.

"Rutger" wrote in message
om...
RKBA.

I'll probably be sorry about asking, but what is the RKBA?

"Peter Gottlieb" wrote in message
. net...

"Rutger" wrote in message
om...
RKBA.

I'll probably be sorry about asking, but what is the RKBA?

No you won't.


He's talking about the 2nd Amendment. The right to keep and bear arms as
expressed in the 2nd Amendment has been translated by Scotus as not
absolute. The right has been tied to the state militias as not an
individual right. Of course, I agree with Jefferson's interpretation of
the right to bear arms, being as the government always moves to get too big
for its breeches and should sometimes be made to look down the business end
of a gun barrel. However, I don't think Jefferson anticipated that the
barrels of the people's guns are puny and minuscule compared to those of big
brother.