See What Free Men Can Do

Posted by Hiraghm 12 years, 4 months ago to The Gulch: General
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Also better than "The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who's going to stop me", in my opinion.

One of my favorite polemics in the whole history of the universe is "Fallen Angels", by Pournelle, Niven and Flynn.
http://www.baenebooks.com/chapters/06717...

The story takes place in a future where an ice age has come instead of global warming, and America has turned its collective back on technology. Two astronauts from a cobbled-together orbital habitat crash land on Earth, and the only people who will help them (the various gov't agencies are fighting over which one gets to nab them) are underground science fiction fans.

At one point in the story, they get a message from one of the "old pro" SF writers, Wade Curtiss (I'm confident that Curtiss is supposed to represent Pournelle). In the message is a line, a quote I've wanted to 'catch on' for years and years.

Last night, I was listening to ASp1, and my break came at the point where Dagny and Hank were driving the train along the John Galt line, so I got to watch that part for the first time in awhile.
As the music swelled, the beautiful landscape rolled past, and the beautiful silver technological marvel snaked its way through the valleys, my heart leapt as this quote popped into my head. See What Free Men Can Do.

The quote is under a picture of Voyager, the plane that flew around the world on a single tank of gas, in Jerry Pournelle's study.

"See What Free Men Can Do"

I'd love to see that line incorporated into ASp3 if possible. Dagny getting a look at the goings-on in the Gulch, and Galt, gestures and says to her, "Come see what free men can do".

Bumper stickers, buttons, glasses, mousepads, t-shirts... all with "See What Free Men Can Do" on them, with various background pictures of jet aircraft, moon landers, factory smokestacks, assembly lines, monuments and bridges in the background.


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  • Posted by 12 years, 4 months ago
    If we 'achieved' the equality the left keeps promoting, and everyone was reduced to my level, none of these people would be free to do what they're doing... and I wouldn't have the pleasure of watching them accomplish it...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti2Lm4hb...

    See What Free Men Can Do?
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    • Posted by $ Maphesdus 12 years, 4 months ago
      Well, when you're talking about equality, it's important to distinguish between equality of basic human rights and equality of material possessions. The first is a necessary condition of a free society, while the second is obviously Communism. The major problem that I see is people on both the left and the right utterly fail to distinguish between these two types of equality, and so the left promotes them both, while the right attacks them both. And thus both parties lead us towards different types of tyranny.
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  • Posted by 12 years, 4 months ago
    I can't edit the original post, unfortunately, but that last bit about Bumper stickers, etc was incomplete. It should have ended, "... I'd like to see/have made, too".
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  • Posted by 12 years, 4 months ago
    Btw, "Fallen Angels" has another good quote in it from an AS point of view.

    It's delivered from an eskimo who shares his food in payment for... well, read the book.

    "With gifts you makes slaves, as with whips you make dogs." (Chapter 5)
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  • Posted by 12 years, 4 months ago
    if you have the DVD (and why don't you?) pop in AS part 1 and fast-forward to that scene. Then sit quietly listening to the music, watching the train bullet along, and think to yourself... See What Free Men Can Do.
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