see also Pratchett, Small Gods
Simulation and Simulacra:
The whole concept of patriotism is nothing more than a simulacr[um] for the ideals supposedly put forth at the founding of the United States. I would even argue that the Constitution itself is a poor simulacr[um] of the ideal of individual liberty that really motivated the Revolution. So, we go from a passionate defense of individual liberty to the creation of a government designed to represent that ideal, to blind patriotism for that government, to blind loyalty to the President and the flag, to a chubby old guy wearing an American flag T-shirt, who has no idea what liberty is all about. It didn’t take very many generations at all to get to the least common denominator.
A belief in liberty is self-sustaining: it doesn’t require a government to keep it alive. Creating a government to protect liberty is a self-defeating proposition. Government only dilutes the essential essence of the concept, and can only lead to what we have today – idol (some would say ‘idle’) worship of a meaningless symbol with no thought given to its origin. Throw out your Pocket Constitutions – Constitution Worship might seem to be more intellectual, but it’s only a few notches more advanced than that guy in the T-shirt.
Bob Tipton: Serenity blog
I could live with that
A is for Anonymous:
All Vespuccian citizens have the right to keep their biometric information (their photographs, fingerprints, retina prints, etc.) strictly apart from their financial information (their assets, debts, account numbers, etc.). A Vespuccian driver’s license has a photograph of its owner, an inscription certifying ‘this person is licensed to drive any automobile under such-and-such a weight’, and all the other usual accoutrements of driver’s licenses — but no name. . . . Vespuccian passports do have both photographs and names, but only because other countries refused to accept anonymous passports. In practice, those passports have whimsical names and improbable birthdays.
let’s not overdo it
I’ve just heard that banks and the Postal Monopoly are closed today for Mr Reagan’s funeral. I wonder whether the guest of honor would have approved.
if I voted
This was Russell’s Quote of the Day a week ago:
All of us must begin telling everyone we know – especially if they’re not libertarians – that if they’re fed up with this mess the Republicans have made in Iraq and Afghanistan, if they want to see the USA Patriot Act go down in flames, along with all the unconstitutional intrusions and limitations that it has inflicted on us, if they want to see drug laws, the income tax, and federal gun laws repealed, and if they don’t believe life under a Kerry Administration would be any better than it has been under Bush, their only option is to see both “major” parties shocked and embarrassed by a high turnout for Michael Badnarik.
L. Neil Smith