Galt's Gulch

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  • Posted by Hiraghm 11 years, 10 months ago
    "Edmund Burke, saying that “true patriotism” means loving your country not because it’s yours, but because “it’s good.”"

    And thus gives the progressives and leftists validation of their anti-American screeds. "America is *not* good, therefore you mustn't love it".

    Wrong. I love MY country because it's MINE. it's up to ME to make it good. "Good" is often in the eye of the beholder, and nowadays, it's often in the mind of the brainwashed.

    How does one define "good"? Good as in "the public good"? Good as in sacrificing and altruistic? Good as in productive, self-sufficient, and protective of the rights of its individual *members*?

    I no longer care if America is or ever was "good" in the global arena. America, as a country, has a mandate to protect and promote the prosperity of its members... and to hell with everybody else. A noble ideal of being "good" to foreigners at the expense of the citizenry or nation as a whole I find repugnant.

    Is it in the best interest of the U.S. to be honest in its dealings with foreigners, and keeping its word? Only so far as those same foreigners are honest and keep their words.



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    • Posted by Abaco 11 years, 10 months ago
      Thank you. I was thinking the same thing. I don't view us as "good", in terms of the role we've played in the world. We do great things. But, we should be more careful about how we use force - both foreign and domestic. We could spend more time (and less money) teaching others how to fish, vs. blowing them up.
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      • Posted by khalling 11 years, 10 months ago
        What good is there in teaching the peasant to fish if the king owns all the ponds?
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        • Posted by Abaco 11 years, 10 months ago
          Who is the king? Is it us? I honestly am not sure. We have the ultimate power to use force. You raise a good point... For me, personally; my default has always been to teach them to fish. And, I don't really see that as altruism, either. Whether dependend on us or a king, either way sucks.
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          • Posted by khalling 11 years, 10 months ago
            we are not the king. we promote freedom. I always love the line "you can't force freedom on people!" what nonsense. no, my point is really to the government setup. what use are skills if property rights aren't enforced. That's why you see all sorts of infrastructure work and aid going to african nations and things don't progress. you have to get rid of the "king" first.
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