RE: How best to spend US$200 billion? RE: `twisted ethics prevalent on the extropy board'

From: matus@matus1976.com
Date: Fri Jun 13 2003 - 17:50:00 MDT

  • Next message: matus@matus1976.com: "RE: How best to spend US$200 billion? RE: `twisted ethics prevalent onthe extropy board'"

    > --- Samantha Atkins commented, regarding Michael
    > Dickey:
    >
    > > You are out of your mind on this one.
    >
    > Six words tells the whole sad story.
    >
    > The next time you are tempted to respond to Michael
    > Dickey, (or Ron h, or Max Plumm), concerning matters
    > political (Have they ever offered another kind?) ask
    > yourself this, "If, while walking down the street, a
    > dog behind a fence starts barking at you, do you get
    > down on all fours, nose up to the fence, and proceed
    > to engage said dog in a barking contest? Supposing
    > the answer is "yes", do you regard this as a rational
    > exchange?
    >
    > Best, Jeff Davis
    >

    Coming from the man who said "the good guys won" about vietnam. 4 million
    deaths and 30 million enslaved people later, you still think 'the good guys
    won'

    I note on the extropian principles 3.0 that it states:

    "Supporting social orders that foster freedom of speech, freedom of action,
    and experimentation. Opposing authoritarian social control and favoring the
    rule of law and decentralization of power."

    Since the opposite of what this particular entry in the extropian principles
    is an accurate description of the current communist government in vietnam, I
    wonder how you can both consider yourself an extropian and have considered
    the 'good guys' to have won in that conflict. Perhaps you do not consider
    yourself an extropian? Or, another option, perhaps you do feel that the
    vietnam communist government fosters free speech and opposes authoritarian
    social control?

    If you can not defend your political viewpoints to criticisms, either dont
    make them, or dont attack those who feel they deserve criticism. Opposing
    points of view deserve an audience.

    Additionally, I have made contributions non-political to the extropy list,
    but even if I had not, so what? Politics only discussers are not forbidden,
    and there is no quota of non-politcal discussions required, nor any criteria
    required to meet. Do you suggest that matters of politics not important to
    extropian interests? I would argue that they are far more important than
    90% of what is discussed on this list (e.g. what would you ask god if you
    saw him) And when people of this list endorse ethical principles that are
    certainly NOT extropian, or consider governments that could not be any more
    anti-extropian as 'good guys' I feel it vitally important to make my
    political points.

    Interesting to note that those who tend to disagree with you are the ones
    you draw the analogy to a dog barking loudly on all fours. Coincidence?

    Further, Jeff, I wonder if you consider anyone to have the *right* to be a
    dictator. I suspect you, just like everyone else, will refuse to answer.

    Michael Dickey



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