Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - American conservatives are preparing for an armed revolution

Baraka_Guru · 08-17-2009, 05:45 AM

I see this little thread I created has found new life while I was a Canadian urbanite touring touristy areas of the lovely communist Cuba. (You must see Old Havana; it's a delight.)

I also see we've come down to a common denominator: What is freedom?

This is good. Freedom cannot be compartmentalized into a single idea or thing. Freedom is a complex state.

In Canada, I believe I have many freedoms. I would argue that I might even have more freedoms than many of my American counterparts.

I have no guns, and it's very hard for me to own one. And if I do wish to own one, there are only a select few types that aren't illegal here.

What is the source of my freedom? Oh, let's see: a government set up to ensure these freedoms. One that functions and survives only when these freedoms (and other things) are upheld and kept chugging along. Unlike the U.S., the Canadian government can fall in a day at any time whenever a "motion of confidence" fails. When we lose faith in our government, we're off to the polls to engage in our rights in freedoms through an election. We don't have to wait out any terms or such, though it's nice when government plays ball and terms are fully served.

But where are our guns? Where is the threat of violence?

They aren't necessary. We have a system that works. And if it doesn't work, we press the reset button and we have another go at it. The threat is a threat of political failure—a loss of political power.

Not all aspects of democracy are good. But certain democratic systems (in this case, Canadian democracy) make living under good or even mediocre governance a valuable and cherished thing. Both conservatives and liberals (oh, and socialists too) take all of this quite seriously.

08-17-2009, 05:45 AM	#166 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	I see this little thread I created has found new life while I was a Canadian urbanite touring touristy areas of the lovely communist Cuba. (You must see Old Havana; it's a delight.) I also see we've come down to a common denominator: What is freedom? This is good. Freedom cannot be compartmentalized into a single idea or thing. Freedom is a complex state. In Canada, I believe I have many freedoms. I would argue that I might even have more freedoms than many of my American counterparts. I have no guns, and it's very hard for me to own one. And if I do wish to own one, there are only a select few types that aren't illegal here. What is the source of my freedom? Oh, let's see: a government set up to ensure these freedoms. One that functions and survives only when these freedoms (and other things) are upheld and kept chugging along. Unlike the U.S., the Canadian government can fall in a day at any time whenever a "motion of confidence" fails. When we lose faith in our government, we're off to the polls to engage in our rights in freedoms through an election. We don't have to wait out any terms or such, though it's nice when government plays ball and terms are fully served. But where are our guns? Where is the threat of violence? They aren't necessary. We have a system that works. And if it doesn't work, we press the reset button and we have another go at it. The threat is a threat of political failure—a loss of political power. Not all aspects of democracy are good. But certain democratic systems (in this case, Canadian democracy) make living under good or even mediocre governance a valuable and cherished thing. Both conservatives and liberals (oh, and socialists too) take all of this quite seriously. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 08-17-2009 at 05:48 AM..