BASICS:

The Low Golden Willow (phoenix@ugcs.caltech.edu)
Tue, 13 May 1997 17:27:59 -0700 (PDT)


Having just flamed Erik Moeller, I should be fair and chew out bad
supporting arguments.

On May 13, 7:51pm, ShawnJ99@aol.com wrote:

} economies speak for themselves. The real bottom line is a matter of rights -
} Who's right is it to tell anyone else how to live? The answer is - noone's.
} Having any form on government is ludicrous, especially a communist one.

It takes a fair bit of chutzpah to call all of history ludicrous. And
most people accept the right to tell their children what to do, at
least, and usually the right of a majority, especially when they feel
they are part of the majority. The real bottom line is which society
makes people who can do something about being unhappy happier.
Anarchist theory looks very nice but is rather short on solid evidence.
Freer societies, good; no government, never been tried. Why not?

} Thieves are the lower scum, while politicians are the higher scum. They are
} still scum. Without governments, war cannot happen. Case solved. (I know

War --> organized military activity. If gov't is needed, anarchy can't
defend itself. If gov't isn't, organizations in an anarchy can wage
war. Unless effective defense can be broken up and individualized --
like runaway space colonies, a la the Culture. But that doesn't look
like Earth.

And this list may not be the place for such debates, but once you have
picked up this debate, baldly asserting that "politicians are scum" will
convince no one of anything. Showing how politicians have hurt people
more than they have helped might do something. Name-calling won't.

} I'm not familiar with a-albionic, but I do agree with you that the media
} isn't free to print just anything. They are very regulated. Try to put
} Extropian ideas sincerely reviewed on the first 5 pages of the LA Times.

"They are very regulated"? By their private owners, perhaps. You know,
the same institutions of private property extropians claim to support?
Or do you think the owners and reporters of the LA Times are chafing to
cover Extropy, but hindered by FBI agents? Hah. Most of them (owners
and reporters) haven't heard of us, and probably think we're kooky if
they have. Especially if they'd ever seen a statement like yours.

Merry part,
-xx- Damien R. Sullivan X-) <*> http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~phoenix

...description of a shimmering form that he had just seen flutter past
the end of the street, closely pursued by a priest brandishing what
appeared to be a giant butterly net.