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The American Flag--is it worth respecting?

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happiness

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On 6/27/2017 at 3:20 PM, Nicky said:

I wish you'd answer some of my questions. Especially the first one: would you be better off without a government?

If I say no, do I admit that the Federal government in its present form isn't a complete abomination? I don't think so. It only does a reasonable job by world standards of protecting us from violent criminals who are not among its own ranks. 

Edited by happiness
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10 hours ago, happiness said:

If I say no, do I admit that the Federal government in its present form isn't a complete abomination? I don't think so. It only does a reasonable job by world standards of protecting us from violent criminals who are not among its own ranks. 

My question wasn't about the world's standards, it was about your standards: by your standards (objective standard, feelings removed), is the existence of government a net positive or a net negative? Would you be better, or worse off, if there was no government?

And if the answer is that you'd be worse off, how do you explain the disconnect between your emotions (and stated beliefs) and reality?

Edited by Nicky
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6 minutes ago, Nicky said:

My question wasn't about the world's standards, it was about your standards: by your standards (objective standard, feelings removed), is the existence of government a net positive or a net negative? Would you be better, or worse off, if there was no government?

Maybe happiness isn't answering your question the way you'd like because your question is bs nonsense trollish baiting. "No government" isn't available, and as far as I know, happiness hasn't called for anarchy anyways. Most people on this site argue for the existence of government, but according to the standards set out by Ayn Rand (or similar). So maybe you could get something like the answer you'd like if you asked happiness if he'd rather live in something like Galt's Gulch than the present US, which is just as fantastical a scenario as the one you've presented, but probably closer to happiness's actual ideals.

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3 hours ago, Nicky said:

My question wasn't about the world's standards, it was about your standards: by your standards (objective standard, feelings removed), is the existence of government a net positive or a net negative? Would you be better, or worse off, if there was no government?

And if the answer is that you'd be worse off, how do you explain the disconnect between your emotions (and stated beliefs) and reality?

Given the current alternatives, I'm better off with the US government in my life than I would be without it. But I want it all, a country whose government protects my rights from both street thugs and politicians and bureaucrats.

Edited by happiness
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.

Bravo to Tyler against the spoiling of 'begs the question'. Please say 'invites the question' or 'suggests the question'. Preserve the phrase 'begs the question' for our centuries-old informal logical fallacy of that name.

I still mount an American flag once a year, for Independence Day, by the road, in our front woods. The republic for which it stands is still a great protector of individual rights, notwithstanding all its downfalls on that score.

I recall once in college in the late '60's there was this black man, an older guy, who was a featured guest speaker sponsored by some left-socialist group (perhaps our SDS). He was speaking for socialism and telling of his recent international travels organizing and speaking in Africa. And then he mentioned that when he got back to America, he felt like kissing the ground, and he said there's nothing else this good. His hosts were extremely embarrassed, pretty sure. His vista was not entirely concordant with their own.

In those days, we had the military draft, and an Administration with a big war need for our bodies, our lives. Over the arc of my life, that state aggression against our young men has been on hold, and that was some credit of our country in this interval (unfortunately, the recognition the draft's status as an aggression is cloudy in the view of most Americans, pretty sure). Over that arc, in a strand affecting me distinctively, our country legalized consensual adult gay sex throughout the land, got gays and lesbians openly and fully accepted into the armed forces, and recognized a legal power of same-sex couples to marry. 

We also mounted our flag in our Chicago years upon the attack of 9/11/01. And we mounted it here in Lynchburg on the day we got Bin Laden.

I don't care what other people do to the American flag, and I certainly respect the diversity of feelings towards the flag and the republic, and the right to diverse expressions, including flag burning. But from me, respect and love of this flag and the now long line from Valley Forge to now of lives lain down for it and this country.

 

 

Our flag.jpg

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