The challenge before us (and we are failing)

[Willence]

Alexis de Tocqueville was a true visionary of the heights and depths a nation can endure in the pursuit of freedom. The "speech is violence" cancel crowd is on the march right now. It may seem deserved in light of events of this week but when we surrender such power to others and entities, we enable them for future endeavors as well. We have entered such incredibly dangerous waters now. If you do it, we should all pray for our nation in this difficult time. Those playing the heroes are as much the villains as those we have our fingers pointed toward in utter disgust. The events of this week are a mark upon all of us for the climate we have created and the feelings we have aired.

“Tyranny in democratic republics does not proceed in the same way, however. It ignores the body and goes straight for the soul. The master no longer says: You will think as I do or die. He says: You are free not to think as I do. You may keep your life, your property, and everything else. But from this day forth you shall be as a stranger among us. You will retain your civic privileges, but they will be of no use to you. For if you seek the votes of your fellow citizens, they will withhold them, and if you seek only their esteem, they will feign to refuse even that. You will remain among men, but you will forfeit your rights to humanity. When you approach your fellow creatures, they will shun you as one who is impure. And even those who believe in your innocence will abandon you, lest they, too, be shunned in turn. Go in peace, I will not take your life, but the life I leave you with is worse than death.”

-Alexis de Tocqueville

“Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom, socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”

-Alexis de Tocqueville

God save us all!

 

[yoshi121374]

Alexis de Tocqueville was a true visionary of the heights and depths a nation can endure in the pursuit of freedom. The "speech is violence" cancel crowd is on the march right now. It may seem deserved in light of events of this week but when we surrender such power to others and entities, we enable them for future endeavors as well. We have entered such incredibly dangerous waters now. If you do it, we should all pray for our nation in this difficult time. Those playing the heroes are as much the villains as those we have our fingers pointed toward in utter disgust. The events of this week are a mark upon all of us for the climate we have created and the feelings we have aired.

“Tyranny in democratic republics does not proceed in the same way, however. It ignores the body and goes straight for the soul. The master no longer says: You will think as I do or die. He says: You are free not to think as I do. You may keep your life, your property, and everything else. But from this day forth you shall be as a stranger among us. You will retain your civic privileges, but they will be of no use to you. For if you seek the votes of your fellow citizens, they will withhold them, and if you seek only their esteem, they will feign to refuse even that. You will remain among men, but you will forfeit your rights to humanity. When you approach your fellow creatures, they will shun you as one who is impure. And even those who believe in your innocence will abandon you, lest they, too, be shunned in turn. Go in peace, I will not take your life, but the life I leave you with is worse than death.”

-Alexis de Tocqueville

“Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom, socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”

-Alexis de Tocqueville

God save us all!

America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

That's my favorite quote from Toqueville. I would submit that Trump and Trumpism has certainly not been good.

 

[firegiver]

I do not agree with censorship. Fortunately for me censorship is not whats going on here.
I abhor removing people from the public discourse. Fortunately, that's not whats happened today.
If Trump wanted to speak to Americans, he could call a press conference right now and do so. This hyperbolic nonsense suggesti g otherwise is trying to play the victim. For years and years I've seen many people banned from social media platforms for breaking the terms of service. Trump had the longest leash ever and it broke when he incited violence.
A man shouting fire in a theater isn't subject to free speech privileges because of the lives he puts in jeopardy.

 

[BionicTiger]

Alexis de Tocqueville was a true visionary of the heights and depths a nation can endure in the pursuit of freedom. The "speech is violence" cancel crowd is on the march right now. It may seem deserved in light of events of this week but when we surrender such power to others and entities, we enable them for future endeavors as well. We have entered such incredibly dangerous waters now. If you do it, we should all pray for our nation in this difficult time. Those playing the heroes are as much the villains as those we have our fingers pointed toward in utter disgust. The events of this week are a mark upon all of us for the climate we have created and the feelings we have aired.

“Tyranny in democratic republics does not proceed in the same way, however. It ignores the body and goes straight for the soul. The master no longer says: You will think as I do or die. He says: You are free not to think as I do. You may keep your life, your property, and everything else. But from this day forth you shall be as a stranger among us. You will retain your civic privileges, but they will be of no use to you. For if you seek the votes of your fellow citizens, they will withhold them, and if you seek only their esteem, they will feign to refuse even that. You will remain among men, but you will forfeit your rights to humanity. When you approach your fellow creatures, they will shun you as one who is impure. And even those who believe in your innocence will abandon you, lest they, too, be shunned in turn. Go in peace, I will not take your life, but the life I leave you with is worse than death.”

-Alexis de Tocqueville

“Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom, socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”

-Alexis de Tocqueville

God save us all!

“people don’t see that if you encourage totalitarian methods, the time may come when they will be used against you instead of for you.”

 

[okclem]

“people don’t see that if you encourage totalitarian methods, the time may come when they will be used against you instead of for you.”

I think everyone saw that playing out in real time on Wednesday. Get your bullshit platitudes out of here.

 

[BionicTiger]

I think everyone saw that playing out in real time on Wednesday. Get your bullshit platitudes out of here.

Someone read spark notes when they should have been reading Animal Farm.

Maintain some perspective and stop being so fragile. A few thousand idiots with trump flags and maga hats and a couple deaths isn’t totalitarian, nor by definition is a lame duck president stripped of his real power at this point.

 

[okclem]

Someone read spark notes when they should have been reading Animal Farm.

Maintain some perspective and stop being so fragile. A few thousand idiots with trump flags and maga hats and a couple deaths isn’t totalitarian, nor by definition is a lame duck president stripped of his real power at this point.

Says the idiot who thinks Trump losing twitter access is a bigger deal than Trump inciting a literal white supremacist coup attempt 4 days ago. I am genuinely in awe at how disingenuous and shameless you are.

 

[BionicTiger]

Says the idiot who thinks Trump losing twitter access is a bigger deal than Trump inciting a literal white supremacist coup attempt 4 days ago. I am genuinely in awe at how disingenuous and shameless you are.

I am literally in awe at how bad your reading comprehension is. That isn’t remotely close to what I’ve said in my posts.

Peace and unity, though!

 

[Willence]

I am literally in awe at how bad your reading comprehension is. That isn’t remotely close to what I’ve said in my posts.

Peace and unity, though!

He is hopeless. I banned him from my world with ignore. His account is permanently suspended for inciting mass stupidity in the name of his culture war.