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So-Tell Me What You Are Thinking?

Posted by khalling 7 years, 4 months ago to Politics
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This is K. and she is asking your thoughts. let it boil over. I want to hear all of it. and know K loves you and is glad you are here.


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    Posted by Zenphamy 7 years, 4 months ago
    I've spent my entire life contesting (even fighting) to assert and maintain my individual freedom and self determination, against any and all events and others attempts to convince or force or corral me to accept inclusion to groups, categories, labels and others' beliefs. So when I discovered AR and her philosophy, I found myself.

    Over the last several months, I've found myself highly disappointed in the quality, context, and content of my available interaction with others in general and here at GG. But now mysticism has taken over the minds of the world and GG.

    It seems that all I see and hear in general, and read on GG, is either the savior president elect or the devil president elect. There is no reality in one human man being either--that's magical thinking at it's worst. It's almost as bad as those voters, for either side, that can't see the reality that their vote is nothing more than the sanction of the victim and nothing less than the validation of statism -- all directed at the elimination of the freedom of the individual and the placing of invisible chains of the collective. All like lemmings in the blind mad rush to their ruin.

    You ask What I'm Thinking? I was born 250 yrs too late or too soon and it's stultifying.
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    • Posted by $ CBJ 7 years, 4 months ago
      If you had been born 250 years ago you would have been hearing about the savior George III or the devil George III. As for philosophy, mysticism was likely as prevalent then as it is now, and there was no Objectivist philosophy to counterbalance it.
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    • Posted by 7 years, 4 months ago
      I worry as well. I think that your sage prose is worthy here and does immense influence. Perhaps you are somewhere else in the cyberland that I am not seeing. Personaaly, I need more of you, not less and for right now (I am working on stuff) this is the place I look for you, so many-MANY others are as well. Ultimately, you need value for your value. so I will work harder to address those concerns.
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      • Posted by Zenphamy 7 years, 4 months ago
        k; I forgot to thank you for your Post. Not only was it welcome, it's good to see your thoughtfulness appear again--maybe your questions can draw some back from the doldrums of the last year. I, as you, am working on stuff--but I don't have a clue yet where it's leading me. But question not, you always give equal or better value.
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  • Posted by DrZarkov99 7 years, 4 months ago
    I'm pleasantly surprised at the reactions to the outcome of our Presidential election. The possibility of easing the tensions between the U.S. and Russia reduced the DEFCON level from 3 to 5, which of course seems to have escaped notice by the MSM. Both Canada and Mexico now seem ready to see a cooperative renegotiation of NAFTA (hopefully to head off the abolition of any trade agreement), and the TPP community appears to be looking forward to a constructive dialogue about what will replace the agreement. The stock market, which was supposed to crash with a Trump election, is on the rise; the Border Patrol is ignoring Obama's orders and actually doing the job.

    I'm even encouraged at the negative reactions: panic among the warmmongers about the certain demise of Paris climate change agreement; the cannibalistic frenzy in the Democrat party, fighting it out between the socialists and progressives, and extreme denial over Obama being the agent of their suicide; the pathetic illustration of how much we need a complete revamping of our educational environment with the emotional collapse of the little snowflakes needing kindergarten-like coddling.

    Whether or not a Trump administration can even come close to the expectations of the voters is another story, but I do feel we've pulled ourselves back from the brink of national collapse, at least temporarily.
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    • Posted by Maritimus 7 years, 4 months ago
      Thank you, Dr. Z.
      I think that the key is in the expectations. To change quickly the course ("turn on a dime?") of a ship, gazillion times heavier that the heaviest of the aircraft carriers, is worse than delusional. People get the governments that they deserve. It is an axiom. "We the people" have just begun to vaguely discern the reality through the fog of ideological, nonsensical, deliberate obfuscation. Let' hope that they will persevere.
      Best wishes.
      Maritimus
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  • Posted by IndianaGary 7 years, 4 months ago
    I'm extraordinarily frustrated by all the posts to this site by religionists of various stripes. As a result, I participate far less than I used to. I had thought that the site was a place to discuss Atlas Shrugged, the philosophy behind it, and the movies. That hasn't been the case for quite a while.
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    • Posted by VetteGuy 7 years, 4 months ago
      About a year ago, nsnelson posted a series of chapter-by-chapter discussions on Atlas Shrugged. They didn't get as much "traffic" as I thought they deserved, but I found the discussions most enjoyable. Seeing how other people interpret passages I thought I understood was enlightening as well.

      The posts are still there, under "Books", but being a year old, they are not seeing much new input these days.

      If we have enough new membership, it might be worth reprising these posts. Is there a way to get them back into the "new" tab without losing the existing comments?
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      • Posted by 7 years, 4 months ago
        yes. I am pretty sure there is something they can do about that. let's ask admin ;)
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        • Posted by sdesapio 7 years, 4 months ago
          While there's no way we can flip a switch and put them back in the "New" list, Gulch Producers can do a "Best of" which will essentially shuttle it to the top of the "New" list.

          Just go to the post and underneath the title, you'll notice "Best of..." - keep in mind, only Producers can post to this category, so you'd have to do it for VetteGuy.
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  • Posted by term2 7 years, 4 months ago
    I think we have a 2 and perhaps 4 year respite from wanton socialism under Hillary/Sanders policies. This is the time to attempt education on the benefits of free markets and basic human rights. There was disgust over where the country was going under Obama, and people are ready for change. Now its our opportunity to advance libertarian ideas.

    The "so called liberals" will mount a huge campaign to get back in power, perhaps with a true socialist next election. They already got the millenial vote, which is the vote of the future. Very scary actually.
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  • Posted by nicktheitguy 7 years, 4 months ago
    Due to the nature of this election cycle, I have not kept up with The Gulch for almost the last year. I'm a lurker...until a year ago, I would read the posts in the daily email blast and periodically respond. I feel that there are many incredibly intelligent folks here, and I enjoy soaking in their thoughts and opinions. It will take me a while to catch up on the email blasts from the last year, but I will be back lurking. ;-)
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  • Posted by $ blarman 7 years, 4 months ago
    I think the world is coming to a head. There are way too many sticks of dynamite and way too many people playing with fire for our world to continue as it is for too much longer. My hope is that when everything goes up, those that live through it worldwide will decide to rebuild based on the principles that made this nation great: perseverance, hard work, respect for others, self-reliance, respect for rights, and minimal government. Only time will tell if this is the case. And if we don't all kill each other first.
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    • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 4 months ago
      Time to Pop the Pimple...or is it just a simple black head...never the less, a results of being "unwashed".
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      • Posted by $ blarman 7 years, 4 months ago
        You can't roll in the mire without getting dirty. And without correct principles to guide not only the direction of individuals, but entire nations, there can be only destructive attitudes and behaviors. People can either voluntarily choose to trade equitably with others or to attempt to use force and have force applied back at them in a zero-sum game. Self-interested trade and respect for rights are the only way to build a lasting civilization.
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        • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 4 months ago
          A lesson learned if one studies history but then again progressives photo shopped history so much they themselves have no idea which way is up...hope they eventually drown in their own mire.
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        • Posted by Maritimus 7 years, 4 months ago
          I am very sad o observe that no "civilization" survived. 1000 years of "dark ages" does not qualify, in my mind, as "survival". Renaissance brought a birth. Then came the twentieth century. Do you think that Germans and Japanese would not have used nuclear weapons if they had them?
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          • Posted by $ blarman 7 years, 4 months ago
            "Civilization" is a pretty nebulous term, and I probably should have been slightly more specific. Current civilization as we know it (especially here in the US) is highly technologically-based and highly integrated - both between communities but even between nations. Much of the actual transfer of wealth happens in the form of electrons rather than hard currency transfers. So what happens if those pathways disintegrate? Banking is acknowledged by many to be the primary cause of the rise of the modern economy. If it crumbles under the weight of debt and inflation, much of the world's wealth is wiped out overnight as the infrastructure with which to conduct the modern economy goes with it.

            There has never been an economy like the one in the world today - but few realize quite how fragile it truly is and how many things come crashing down when it fails. During the 1930's and the Great Depression, times were hard for many, but because wealth was still rooted in physical means, the effects were felt by many but could be worked through. If our economy collapses due to hyperinflation, inability to service debt, or a major disruption to the lines of communications between economic parties, there is no fall-back. We don't have a primarily agrarian populace who can go back to working farms. Farmers themselves are highly dependent on technology in modern agriculture practices - especially the resupply of fuel for mechanized production. If we have a true disaster, we will be far worse off than the unemployed in the 1930's because less than 10% of the people will be able to cope with the changes.

            As to the Germans, they absolutely would have used atomic weapons, but probably first against the Russians. They would have targeted Moscow and left Russia reeling in its effects and decapitated for leadership while pointing at the devastation and warning the British and Americans to back off. Japan had a much larger problem there, because their only real chance to use a nuke effectively would have been to sneak a submarine to the US Pacific Coast and bomb San Francisco - an incredibly tall order given the lack of re-supply for such a vessel (especially later in the war) and the increasing vigilance of coastal patrols after events such as at Ellwood in 1941. Atomic weapons are incredible overkill against military targets excepting command-and-control installations like the Pentagon, SAC in Omaha, Nebraska, or entire carrier fleets. Even the US had problems building more than the first two - they had no plans other than invasion to fall back on if Japan had failed to surrender after Nagasaki.
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  • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 4 months ago
    Everyday the clock seems to tick at a faster pace.
    I love life and the people in mine. A song comes to mind "if I could save time in a bottle"
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  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 4 months ago
    I was born into a lower middle class family. Half were born in Poland/Ukraine. They were all liberal. It wasn't until I was at the start of my teens that I began to question a world that made no sense to me. I read the Fountainhead at 14 and knew that somehow, Roark was the way people ought to be, but then I thought, he must be a fairy tale, because no one I knew could ever be like that, until ten years later, married with a young son, I read Atlas. There was no instant transformation. But little by little, the nameless something that seemed to encase me dropped away. I finally realized that I wasn't an alien but increasingly more human. And as my son's grew and we met Objectivists (My sons & me and the BW) I saw the effect being rational (to the extent I was able) did for my sons. They became the persons that I aspired to be. I must admit that I got a thrill when Barbara Branden, upon meeting my younger son proclaimed what a pleasure it was to meet a second generation Objectivist.
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  • Posted by coaldigger 7 years, 4 months ago
    A couple of weeks ago I posted the following:

    I am a citizen of the land of me. I sneakily reside in a world that mostly does not acknowledge my existence except to annually steal some of my property which I allow so as not to be noticed. My camouflage is to give the appearance of obeying artificial laws while actually living by my own code. To the extent that I achieve this, my life is good, when I cannot hide from my oppressors, my life is hell.

    In the history of man, I think no one has ever been physically free, either "owned" by a slaver or a state. Mentally, I believe many men have been free, as I am, some of whom died when they were discovered. The "Big Idea of Self" is pretty new and despite our concerns that it is moving slowly, it is spreading faster than many ideas of the past. Unfortunately it requires the erasure of centuries of altruist theology. I don't expect to see much progress in my lifetime but it is gratifying to know it is there.
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 4 months ago
    I am in observation mode and the wooden wheels in my head are turning at near Max Entropy.

    Every day I check on the state of our sun, the space weather and it's effects upon our earth. For the past 1 1/2 months our ionosphere and the troposphere has been mostly disturbed, at times, for days at a time and I can not help thinking that it has to be playing an adverse role in the brains of the unaware.
    There is evidence that it does have an effect. Add to that, progressive disempowerments of our most vulnerable and Presto!...you have chaos.
    Just shaking my head at the state of mankind.
    I am embarrassed and disappointed.
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    • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 4 months ago
      Hi OUCarl,
      Recent demonstrations of the manipulated masses, unconscious humans who are brain washed by public Ed , told how to feel
      ( and think?)about issues by the proven biased media and then add the devotion to celebrities that are devoted to the Illuminatti
      and don't forget The career politician. We have seen this coming for years and have warned of the consequences. Socialism doesn't work, it is a job and economy killer. Embarrassment should be reserved for the unconscious upon enlightenment.

      The cycles you study . The cosmic weather . As the Earth follows the sun around the galaxy. It has an incredible journey exposing all to cosmic rays, electro magnetism , dark forces and light forces some of this phenomenon may act like a fertilizer to our brains and some could stunt. The path that our solar system travels and the precessional code has been of great interest to the pioneer astronomers thousands of years ago.
      Those ancient intellects were far advanced compared to the middle aged Vatican dominated Europeans.
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      • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 4 months ago
        It all seems to tie in. Also, we must realize that these cosmic and solar events have an effect upon those that promote and create these games, because one can observer they are brain only also.
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  • Posted by robertmbeard 7 years, 4 months ago
    Thank you, K. I am concerned about the increasing violence and increasing acceptance of authoritarianism in the US. I am thinking that you and DB are very thankful to be expats, given these trends...
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    • Posted by 7 years, 4 months ago
      I work hard every day against the fears you are addressing. an example. DB and I are open border people. I think that people should travel freely. I can debate that, happily. but that is my stance
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      • Posted by Mamaemma 7 years, 4 months ago
        I am for open borders in a non welfare state. Wow, non welfare state sounds great no matter what else!
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        • Posted by Owlsrayne 7 years, 4 months ago
          You must not live in a border state with Mexico. I do! Obama has lifted the activity of the Border Patrol. They aren't permitted to their jobs. The influx of illegal aliens from Mexico and Central American countries has put Arizona jobs in jeopardy.This is a right to work state so there are many companies that hire illegal aliens and pay them under the table. So, trying to find a job for Az residents is difficult.
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          • Posted by 7 years, 4 months ago
            on the other hand, American citizens travel across the mexican border like they are real people and not criminals. I live in Mexico and the US border patrol is austic.
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        • Posted by freedomforall 7 years, 4 months ago
          Unfortunately every country that loots with an income tax justifies that enslavement with "welfare" which enslaves the non-producers, too.
          Countries that have smaller productive middle class (usually due to authoritarian culture and government) are the ones that don't have income tax or "welfare."
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      • Posted by term2 7 years, 4 months ago
        I respectfully disagree that open borders work in a world where there are widely differing cultures. People feel better when surrounded by others who think like they do- and they are more motivated to make their lives better. This is particularly true where the cultures view human rights and private property rights differently.

        Given that, the concept of a country is rooted in protecting a particular culture. Its not xenophobia but a preference for a particular culture.

        Open borders if all countries were adherents to Objectivism would be a different story. But we are far from that right now. Imagine open borders if Nazi Germany were next door. Imagine open borders if Syria were next door. And imagine open borders with Mexico or Venezuela when the dominant culture there is socialism.

        Germany will never be the same with 1.5 million syrian refugees feeding off it and procreating at top speed. The German culture will change drastically.

        I think Trump is right when he says if we have a country, we need to have border control. That doesnt mean zero immigration, but controlled immigration where the people in the country benefit from the immigration, and where the immigrants can adopt and enjoy the culture that they have moved into.
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        • Posted by 7 years, 4 months ago
          Bannon, top pick for Chief of Staff, is famous for saying there are too many asian descendants as CEOs in Silicon Valley! what do we do about that! it is every bit as bad as Black Lives Matter and antisemitism. Our "culture" is a melting pot.
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          • Posted by term2 7 years, 4 months ago
            melting pot except that if you let too much into the pot too quickly, your culture can change radically in ways you dont want. Check out germany with the 1.5 million muslims refugees. Their ideas are NOT even similar to western values. I think if they want to come to a place, it should be because THEY want to melt into the EXISTING culture in the recipient country; not that they want to change it
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        • Posted by 7 years, 4 months ago
          term! are we not individuals? If, Ayn Rand coming to the US was seen as a commie because she was Russian?
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          • Posted by term2 7 years, 4 months ago
            she can be vetted though, as all potential immigrants should be. She wouldnt have a right to immigrate anywhere she wanted in my humble opinion. If we want to live among people with the same ideas as ourselves, we would need to check them out for permanent visa or potential citizenship. Ayn Rand would qualify easily with me.
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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 7 years, 4 months ago
    I am thinking we need a plan to:
    1. Educate people to understand the value of liberty, individualism and objectivism; or
    2. develop a real Gulch

    I love the camaraderie, but that is just a one night stand. I love the stoic objectivism, but that is a wet dream. How do we get this off the ground?
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    • Posted by 7 years, 4 months ago
      I adore your comments. let's see how the conversation goes, dear Thoritsu
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      • Posted by $ Thoritsu 7 years, 4 months ago
        Thanks K. Lot of office politics contributing to my dour mood last night, and precipitating the graphic analogies.
        However, I do feel like we here are either complaining about or celebrating external things, but not much action affecting external things.

        Collectivists, progressives, socialists, greenies and even communists are effectively using social media and the media to purvey messages drawing in and affecting people. To a lesser extent, the religious right, tea party/republicans and big business are doing the same. It seems to me that advocates for both social and fiscal freedoms, Objectivism, individualism and responsibility do not find a tangible foothold for a variety of reasons. In addition, there seem to be fewer of us; we in-fight a bit (e.g. Objectivism vs Libertarians); and we don't seem to work on bringing people to us as much. I strongly believe most people do agree with our messages, but are easily swayed by sympathy for the victims and anger at the unfair. More measured, statistically relevant global optimizations pale in comparison to calls for justice for Trevor, Freddie, he Bundy's or fetuses.
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  • Posted by JohnJMulhall 7 years, 4 months ago
    Zenphamy - Well said!! I grew up at a time when teenagers put on big people clothes and acted grown up by the time they were driving. I have watched the erosion, and this election (with all the lies about Trump and the tears and rage of the snowflakes) has lifted my spirits: we are again moving back toward freedom under the Constitution because most of America has woken up. I noted to a friend that the claim that a Republican can't be entrusted with the nuclear button goes back to 1964 - it is part of the Democrat mantra (and the only one who used it was a Democrat). A Republican not being 'bright enough' goes back to the 1952 campaign between Adali Stephenson and General of the Armies Dwight David Eisenhower. Adali was an academic and Ike only won the war in Europe by brilliantly using the contentious generals he had: Montgomery, De Gaul, Patton, etc. My friend does not pay as close attention to politics as I do and did not know the history of the Democrat mantras, but is paying more attention now and we have had conversations speaking to that awakening.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 7 years, 4 months ago
    Today I am done with buying guns and ammo.
    Yesterday me dino spent $130 on two boxes of 12 gauge double aught buck (for a pump shotgun), two boxes of 9mm (have a carbine, glove compartment and a pocket pistol all 9mm), one box .357 Magnum rounds for a house hideaway gun and one box of .32-cal rounds for a concealed carry backup pistol.
    Me dino added that to lots more ammo stockpiled
    I named the carbine with a 30-round clip (and a loaded spare) "Evil Hag" because I would not have it if I thought Trump could really for really real beat her.
    But he did.
    That doesn't mean a socio-economic apocalypse may still be around the corner.
    That could be anything from a popping debt bubble or terrorists or a solar flare taking out our national electrical power grid.
    Having no AC during an Alabama summer may surely kill me but at least I can keep looters at bay.
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  • Posted by $ Maree 7 years, 4 months ago
    You going soft?

    Well the ramifications of our earthquakes in nz have swept your politics off my mind
    Incredible geological change
    Deep economic effects to come.

    Look at yutube. Start with 'kaikoura'

    De ja vu for those of us in the thick of 2010-11 quakes.
    Like many gulchers i am a sensible prepper: today bought 2 more storage bins and more freez dri packets.
    It was a 7.8 mag quake so, logical to expect a high 6 or more in coming weeks, anywhere.
    Great spirit among kiwis as you would expect. The Maori people incredible in their generosity of taking hundreds of people into their maraes, and feeding them and caring. They are so well organised for big numbers at short notice
    And you khalling? Whats Kira up to?
    Ours just finished her 3rd of 5 uni years and goes to Japan tomorrow for fortnight. Then works all summer.
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