Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005
"Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert
"All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker
"You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison
"Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman
From Barack Obama's speech to schoolchildren, which even many conservatives praised:
And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you -- don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
—Henry David Thoreau
"Free association . . . the only true form of society."
—Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
2 comments:
Obama's speech reminds me of President Kennedy's famous line: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." The implicit message is: education is mainly for improving the country. He said, "I want to talk with you about education and what's expected of you all in this new school year." Whose expectations are we talking about? Apparently Obama's himself: "We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so that you can solve our most difficult problems. If you don't do that -- if you quit on school -- you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country." And, near the end of his speech he says, "I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down -- don't let your family or your country or yourself down." Obama is very good at blurring rhetoric encouraging self-improvement with the subtle message that your life is really not your own, but that of the state.
That is hilarious. Didn't catch that. Thx for posting Sheldon.
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