PILOT SPIN
Spin Zone => Spin Zone => Topic started by: bflynn on December 29, 2021, 04:26:17 AM
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Remember when Obama dismissed American Exceptionalism? This is what he wanted to show to the world. We aren’t special.
Branching because this might be a significant topic.
To clarify - American exceptionalism is not that American is better. It is that American is different.
The source of the phrase is de Tocqueville in his book Democracy in America. He observed that America was different than any other country in the world and was therefore exceptional. Better or worse is a judgement, but different can be shown.
But is that still true? I submit that the corruption of the fanatics, left and right, have reduced us to ordinary. The tendency for leaders to disregard the Constitution and law, then wait for it to be challenged ought to be unthinkable, but it is done all the time. It’s wrong and it makes us just another country lurching toward despotic rule. The rule of law protects us from despots, but our passion destroys the law.
Once upon a time, I did solemnly swear that I would support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That includes supporting and defending the Republic which is embodied by it.
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Branching because this might be a significant topic.
To clarify - American exceptionalism is not that American is better. It is that American is different.
I'm not going to say that is wrong. Rather, I am going to expand on it just a little.
American Exceptionalism may not MEAN Americans are better, but because of the Constitution and our form of government, Americans are (were) better because we were ALLOWED to be better. We were allowed to say what we wanted to. We were allowed to pursue our passion and take risks and seek rewards (or failure) based on our own choices and desires and abilities. We were allowed to compete and succeed and to reap those rewards for our efforts.
Not so much any more and it is a shame.
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I'm not going to say that is wrong. Rather, I am going to expand on it just a little.
American Exceptionalism may not MEAN Americans are better, but because of the Constitution and our form of government, Americans are (were) better because we were ALLOWED to be better. We were allowed to say what we wanted to. We were allowed to pursue our passion and take risks and seek rewards (or failure) based on our own choices and desires and abilities. We were allowed to compete and succeed and to reap those rewards for our efforts.
Not so much any more and it is a shame.
What you’re describing is “freedom”.
And no, not so much anymore
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I'm not going to say that is wrong. Rather, I am going to expand on it just a little.
American Exceptionalism may not MEAN Americans are better, but because of the Constitution and our form of government, Americans are (were) better because we were ALLOWED to be better. We were allowed to say what we wanted to. We were allowed to pursue our passion and take risks and seek rewards (or failure) based on our own choices and desires and abilities. We were allowed to compete and succeed and to reap those rewards for our efforts.
Not so much any more and it is a shame.
Almost, but significantly incorrect. The originating premise is that we are ALREADY FREE and we allow our government to manage things with our consent.
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Almost, but significantly incorrect. The originating premise is that we are ALREADY FREE and we allow our government to manage things with our consent.
That's the defining difference between us and everyone else.
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That's the defining difference between us and everyone else.
Bingo! Also,we were the first and still really only.
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That's the defining difference between us and everyone else.
Yeah, but how many know that? There's too many who think "The government allows X" where X is some right assured in the Bill of Rights. The level of misunderstanding at the highest levels is astounding. There are people who believe government lets you have guns, they let you attend a church, so if you abuse that, you will simply be prevented from doing it.
When Biden's handlers nominated communist Saule Omarova to oversee the banks, her nomination failed. But she still doesn't understand why her nomination failed. Discussing it later, I heard her say she was really the right person because "we allow the banks to earn private profit, they must allow us to regulate them". And nobody disagreed with her when she said it.
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Yeah, but how many know that? There's too many who think "The government allows X" where X is some right assured in the Bill of Rights. The level of misunderstanding at the highest levels is astounding. There are people who believe government lets you have guns, they let you attend a church, so if you abuse that, you will simply be prevented from doing it.
When Biden's handlers nominated communist Saule Omarova to oversee the banks, her nomination failed. But she still doesn't understand why her nomination failed. Discussing it later, I heard her say she was really the right person because "we allow the banks to earn private profit, they must allow us to regulate them". And nobody disagreed with her when she said it.
And no one disagreed with Obama, or even questioned him, when he said just before the 2012 election,
“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”