What the Hell am I? by AnthonyT

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

What the Hell am I?

POSTED BY: ANTHONYT
UPDATED: Friday, September 16, 2011 12:18
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VIEWED: 1723
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 6:06 PM

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

Recently, my continuing evolution of thought has brought me into conflict with my ideals. Some years ago, I settled on 'Libertarian' as a good definition of my belief system: Maximum freedom possible, guaranteed by the minimum government possible.

However, niggling feelings of doubt have been eroding this simple gem of truth. I have found that I am sometimes willing to make concessions in my devotion to freedom if it means people will suffer and die less.

It is unfair to my fellow Libertarians to keep calling myself a Libertarian when I am such a poor example of the belief system.

So, I was discussing this with my wife on the way home from work. She suggested I find two words that describe my beliefs and squish them together.

I suggested, "Libertarian Humanist?"

She said, "Sure, but squish them together."

I replied, "Like, with a hyphen?"

She shook her head, "Nooo... like.... Lumanist! Yeah, that sounds cool. I'm a Lumanist, baby! It's better than Hibertarian."

After I finished laughing, I decided, if for no other reason than because my wife is adorable, that I would henceforth be known as a Lumanist.

Problem solved.

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 6:13 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Lumanist. I like it. Sounds quite enlightened! :D

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 6:45 PM

BYTEMITE

Humanist isn't necessarily the same thing as humanitarian or humane.

Sounds to me like you might have shifted towards a more left-wing version of libertarianism. You know some people don't just call it anarchism, they call it socio-anarchism.

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 8:12 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

I know what you are a chara, you're a human, or maybe a humawn if Quark has his way. :) The point being that all of your beliefs may not fit into a specific box. I definitely understand your desire to find a label though, I'd a concrete thinker and like categorizing things too.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 8:45 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

It's just that Lumanist sounds like a new medicine (Lumanist - ask YOUR doctor today!) or lighting fixture.

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bailouts, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?

Yeah, me neither....

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 9:02 PM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
It's just that Lumanist sounds like a new medicine (Lumanist - ask YOUR doctor today!) or lighting fixture.

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bailouts, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?

Yeah, me neither....

Hello,

Well, I do have some pretty serious side effects. ;-)

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 9:28 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

Yeah. You give people gas ... ;-)

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bailouts, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?

Yeah, me neither....

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 10:35 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Conservative / Libertarian works just fine for me.

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 3:57 AM

BYTEMITE

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
It's just that Lumanist sounds like a new medicine (Lumanist - ask YOUR doctor today!) or lighting fixture.

Hello,

Well, I do have some pretty serious side effects. ;-)

--Anthony

That reminds me of one of the most awful "cure is worse than the disease" medication I'd ever heard of...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stelara#Adverse_effects

Of course if you start mucking around with the immune system when it ain't particularly broke, that can be pretty dangerous.

But it's the "increases risk of CANCER" one that gets me.

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 4:11 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:

Conservative / Libertarian works just fine for me.

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

Hello,

I can not conceive that you would ever need to temper or re-define your political perspective based on any moral or ethical conflict with your philosophy.

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 4:15 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
It's just that Lumanist sounds like a new medicine (Lumanist - ask YOUR doctor today!) or lighting fixture.

Hello,

Well, I do have some pretty serious side effects. ;-)

--Anthony

Hello,

Goodness, I think I'd have to be dying already to risk such a cure.

--Anthony

That reminds me of one of the most awful "cure is worse than the disease" medication I'd ever heard of...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stelara#Adverse_effects

Of course if you start mucking around with the immune system when it ain't particularly broke, that can be pretty dangerous.

But it's the "increases risk of CANCER" one that gets me.

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 4:20 AM

BYTEMITE

The other worst one I ever heard of was for hay fever (also messing with the immune system) which could cause heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, chronic vomiting and diarrhea, and death.

Unfortunately I no longer remember the name, but the rule of thumb here is don't screw around with the immune system unless you really have to.

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 4:22 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

How about "Independent"? I no longer want to align myself with ANY party, or movement if you will, so until one comes along that I agree with, Independent works for me just fine. It's the true statement of freedom, it says "no ideology fits me completely, I'm going to vote on the CANDIDATE". And that way, nobody can know what you'll do in an election. Admittedly I'm real liberal, but that doesn't mean I'm a democrat any more at ALL! There are Independent Republicans, people who lean Tea Partyish but don't like all aspects so they're Independents, etc.

Just a thought.

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 5:32 AM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
It's just that Lumanist sounds like a new medicine (Lumanist - ask YOUR doctor today!) or lighting fixture.

A light fixture, among truly pompous people, is truly and correctly called a " luminere ", with one of those funny French accents over one of the vowels.

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 5:35 AM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Seems I remember a flu medication that could cause fever, chills, muscle aches, coughing, nausea, and vomiting. What was the difference from the disease?

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 5:42 AM

BYTEMITE

Yeah, it's called a vaccine. Zing!

But really. Both vaccines and anti-virals can actually cause the exact same effects as a viral infection, because the symptoms/ side-effects are all the result of actions of your immune system, not the infection or medication. And your immune system kinda sees killed off virus as the same thing as live virus.

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 7:35 AM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

I see myself as an independent who tends to lean right on "moral" issues and leans a bit left on "social" issues. But in my voter registration I still have a party afiliation because if I didn't I wouldn't get to vote in the primaries, which is totally luh suh if you ask me, or anyone else really.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 7:48 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
What the Hell am I?

Human.

Which is a good starting point, cause while there's only one letter of difference between Human, and Humane - it encompasses a whole universe of conduct.
http://www.vachss.com/mission/behavior.html

That said, sometimes the humane thing to do is put a boot up someones ass.
http://www.freep.com/article/20110915/NEWS01/109150500/1001

Quote:
Admitting they made a big mistake, officials with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said late Wednesday they will allow 101-year-old Texana Hollis to move back into the southwest Detroit home she was evicted from Monday.

And she can stay there for the rest of her life.

Maybe not quite as flashy as lifting a car off a trapped motorcyclist, but yanno, sometimes it's the "little" things, which matter so very much.

-Frem
I do not serve the Blind God.

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 8:15 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

I think, in this life, there are no small victories.

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 8:20 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:

Hello,

I can not conceive that you would ever need to temper or re-define your political perspective based on any moral or ethical conflict with your philosophy.

--Anthony

That's kinda the point, isn't it? You are what you are, unless , as the Democratic party did w/ Reagan, they change who THEY are, and leave those who use to identify with them out in the cold.

I'm not registered with any political party, and have some serious philosophical differences with the NATIONAL Libertarian party, but I am still a strong proponent of the rights of the individual.

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 9:18 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

I think you misunderstand me.

I can not conceive that YOU would ever need to temper or re-define your political perspective based on any moral or ethical conflict with your philosophy.

I can conceive it of others, and myself, but not you, Mr. Raptor.

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Friday, September 16, 2011 12:18 PM

DREAMTROVE

People will suffer and die more as the long term result of a govt. run society than the short term lack of welfare. The New Deal employed people in the depression, but created an engine that was quickly refitted into a war machine that killed many millions of people. The line of what's best for humanity is fuzzy, and hard to make out frmo a distance.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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