caroljane

Oh I'm sure someone here has called Hitler "scum" or some such. --Brant let me God damnit I knew you would say so if I did not add a rider, in fact I did about tyrants and murderers and even thought of Hickman - they all got psychologized at least - but I deleted that part - you know what I am saying.

So we should bomb Germany because Germany is killing German Jews and Gypsies and homosexuals and..... It wasn't so Heh in 1941

I have seen such dehumanization of the dead, indeed of the living, on O-sites in the three years I have participated, but never before on OL.

The exploitation of Trayvon Martin has now reached a nadir, with Moralist declaring him scum and patting himself on the back for not raising scum himself. But perhaps someone in his family did,

A pet theory of elders in my youth was, everybody is liberal when young and turns conservative when older. I think it is the opposite now , Many more young people are libertarian in "glad confident morning" (for Gulch's sake let's hopeso!).

Good one Baal. Everyone has their pet theories, or prejudices if you like. Eg, All Russians are Gloomy. Does anybody know if it was Wodehouse who gave this concise description of "The Russian Drama"? Act 1: The family Anybodykov sits around the farmhouse kitchen looking glum. Act 2: They sit around the kitchen looking glum. Act 3: They sit around the kitchen looking glum. Youngest brother runs in the door and announces that Grandfather has hanged himself in the barn. Last auto saved: 3:02:11 PM Curtain.

Prominent thinker Shayne Wissler hev writ a book and is engaging in friendly discussions on it and other topics with the current leading intellectuals on Solo. He just called his present interlocutor a poor reader and helpfully advised that he appears to be a troll and a dolt. He certainly seems to have mellowed since his OL days.

No Know

Isn't there an OL member who lives in Thailand? I wish he could weigh in here.

While you debate the nature of collectivism (btw ND is right) let us consider the comparatively short history of America (and yes, Canada) into which immigrants have poured or trickled as they have been allowed, been discriminated against by the earlier immigrants, and begotten children who within one or two generations absorbed the surrounding culture in their own individual ways, became Americans, and changed America less than America changed them.

Just a note, Michael, in all of Asia there is a widespread preference for "fair" skin, and a prejudice against dark skin, often caste and class related. I do not know about Thailand except for two teachers (Canadian, black) who went there to teach English and were often told that various schools "did not hire blacks".

ff, only the roundest head could find Cromwell charismatic. Resolute, yes. John Wesley might be a better example. Caroline Jacobite

Actually, Greenspan is known as being very charming, persuasive and interesting. One doesn't have a career like his without being a master of persuasion. J For me, at least, he has never come across that way on a TV screen--and I'm not speaking of his appearances before Congress. How do you know these are "essential"? I'm including "leader" in my question. --Brant I suppose there may be an exception or two, but all great social movements of the past were spearheaded by a leader who was charismatic and resolute in purpose. Love them or hate them, they include Jesus, Martin Luther, Cromwell, Napoleon, Lenin, and M.L. King. The American Revolution is a perfect illustration of the key role that persuasive leaders play in changing the course of history.

It is a threat like the SDS was, to Richard Nixon.

Yes. Your country is 200 years old and has weathered a regional rebellion and a change in national policies.

Ahem, St Paul already saved us. Who needs luck?

Stop the presses, Doug has been sufficiently begged to reappear and he is back complete with phony name and photo. Well done SOLO!

That America the country of Tomorrow, of innovation and exploration and hope, is now so focused on the past and second-guessing the Founding Fathers , is frankly inexplicable to me.

The New Deal was indeed the watershed of how America perceived itself to be, and repealing and reversing it continues to be the main goal of a growing number of Americans.

But Brant, I cannot envisage you as Zimmerman, or shooting anyone you could not identify correctly, as an individual.

What I fear is the "stand you ground" mentality in which even an armed police officer, surrounded by 22 other officers, can claim that he felt mortally threatened and was justified to kill. Our government is very friendly with the NRA and an acquittal in this case would be a boon to the industry.

Xray, this is being played out in different context here, see the Forccillo streetcar murder case. Not just citizens, but what cops should do, will be adjudicated in Crown vs Forcillo.

Good arguments always fly, notice how they recycle in space.

\In my uninformed opinion the whole case will hinge in the unreleased TTC video, showing Yatime;s actions with the knife in the seconds before Forcillo shot him. \Was he preparing to throw it and instantly kill an officer? Or to put it down as he had been yelled at to do? Or keep waving it in the chaos of his own mind?

Forcillo's lawyer is all round excellent. Yet his wins in the past have relied heavily on pre-trial manoeuvres and SOP . It will be interesting to see how he game-changes in this so scrutinized case where technicalities do not automatically tip the balance, with a little help from his friends.